I hope this will be encouraging to anybody who reads, who might have convinced themselves that God doesn't care. He does care. More than that, He loves. It's His nature to love. He defines love. Don't let discouraging circumstances speak louder than His truth. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8 NIV)

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (1 John 3:1 NIV)

"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8 NIV)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

The unknown can be scary to think about. It leaves us with questions that we don't always know the answers to. Sometimes our minds start thinking about worse case scenarios but this isn't the best or healthiest approach. It can get us worked up over nothing. (Speaking from experience.) 

A few months ago I was talking to a friend about a situation I was facing. I was going to have to talk to someone about something that I thought was already resolved. I knew that I needed to approach this with prayer, love, and let God lead me.

My friend saw that I was uncomfortable and a little bothered. She asked me a question that really helped me. She asked, "How are you going to spend your time from now until you approach this situation in a few hours?" I knew what the answer was. I replied, "I'm going to spend it talking to God and keeping my mind on truth (scripture)."

I really desired for things to go well so I made a great effort to keep the right attitude and a genuine caring concern for this person. It challenged me to push away the worry with faith.

In the end things turned out better than I thought and I was thankful that God had used my friend to show me how to approach that situation. Turns out I had worried for nothing.

I saw how important it is to choose wisely on how to spend my time in the hours, days, or even weeks before a meeting, appointment, conflict, situation, etc. 

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."(Romans 12:2 NIV)

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7 NASB)

I stop myself from complaining sometimes and make an effort to realize how I should be grateful instead. 

For example, when there are too many things in the kitchen cabinet, I open the cabinet door and things fall out. This can be annoying as it happens frequently. Or when I open the fridge and something spills. Not fun. Now I have to clean up a mess, rearrange, and then get what I was looking for. But I took a new approach to this one day. Instead of complaining about a mess I started thinking. Not everybody has this "problem". 

Thank you God that I have so much food that its pouring out of the cabinet. Thank you that you have given me an abundance. Thank you that you have provided for my every need and that I have food and water. 

"Never Gone"

The latest song by Colton Dixon is called, "Never Gone". It talks about how God is "still standing here, no He didn't disappear, He was never gone, we lose faith when we are torn apart". 

There are times that we might not feel God but He is still there. He is ever present. I hold onto the promises of God to keep my mind in Truth. 

Truthfully, He is worthy of worship whether I feel Him or not. He is worthy of worship whether I feel like it or not. I pour out my praise whether I feel Him or not. He's done so much for me and I'm going to pour out my gratitude to Him regardless of how I feel or what mood I'm in. It's faith that keeps me moving forward. Just knowing that He's all around me keeps me going. 

Even if I don't feel like praying, I push myself to speak. If I don't feel like worshipping, I push myself to thank Him until I get my hands in the air. 

God is bigger than how we feel. He is for us. When I start losing faith it's actually the best time for me to keep holding on because that's when I remember that things don't happen the way I think they will. God's ways are not my ways. When I start losing faith, I remind myself that God is in control and that He will take care of me in ways that I couldn't have imagined. When I start to lose faith, I allow it to push me to pray and encourage myself and God allows me to get stronger. 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:2-5 NIV)

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

I love that feeling when I wake up and my heart is even happier and so content and peaceful. I am completely at rest and the only explanation is my one True King. I realize that it's the freedom that only comes from the Lord. Credit to The Great I AM. 

God said to Moses, “ I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ I am has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:14 NIV)

I just want to post something that I hope will be encouraging. A lot of times when we go through hard times we can convince ourselves that we are alone or defenseless. But this is not true because we have a God that works on our behalf. We also have the word of God given to us to speak and pray in faith over our lives. Here are some encouraging scriptures:

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV)

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:6-8 NIV)

Matthew 20:29-34 (NIV),

"As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him."

I have been asked this question before, "If Jesus asked you, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' what would you say?"

When I first heard that, I got tongue tied and my mind went blank. I couldn't answer. I thought, "Do I know? I thought I did and now I can't think of anything." 

How touching that blind men called out, even when others tried to keep them quiet, and Jesus didn't pass them by. They knew what they wanted and put their faith in Him. 

What faith to call out to Jesus when you can't even see Him! And gathering from the passage they had heard of Him and believed He was Lord. He responded to their great faith. 

"Then he touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith let it be done to you'”, (Matthew 9:29 NIV)

"My Name is Pride"

Yesterday I posted about pride and I wanted to add a little more on the topic. I remembered one of my favorite poems by author and speaker, Beth Moore, and I wanted to share it. Below is Beth Moore's poem called, "My name is Pride".  

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

  

I cheat you of your God-given destiny…

because you demand your own way.

  

I cheat you of contentment…

because you “deserve better than this.”

 

I cheat you of knowledge…

because you already know it all.

 

I cheat you of healing…

because you are too full of you to forgive.

 

I cheat you of holiness…

because you refuse to admit when you are wrong.

 

I cheat you of vision…

because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.

 

I cheat you of genuine friendship…

because nobody’s going to know the real you.

 

I cheat you of love…

because real romance demands sacrifice.

 

I cheat you of greatness in heaven…

because you refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.

 

I cheat you of God’s glory…

because I convinced you to seek your own.

 

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

 

You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.

Untrue.

I’m looking to make a fool of you.

God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…

If you stick with me you’ll never know.

 

It can be hard to let people see our flaws and mistakes. It can be hard to admit when we are wrong. We should have at least one person in our lives (hopefully more) who we can trust and be completely honest and transparent with. It's good for us to let go of our pride and just talk about those things we struggle with. 

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."  (James 5:16 NIV)

The Bigger Picture

I had a thought recently that I have just started seeing. God is so big and His ways are so grand that sometimes I can't see the big picture because my human mind thinks so narrow. Sometimes I just assume that I know how my prayers are going to be answered but I don't. His ways are so much bigger. His plan includes avenues that I couldn't have planned myself. He leads me so strategically, knowing what would be the best thing for my heart. He puts things together so beautifully and knows every intricate and precious detail to bring answers to prayers. And I have to remember that even if the answer to my prayer is no, it doesn't mean that God didn't answer the prayer, it means that the answer is no.

If my narrow mind misses the possibility of a bigger picture then I could miss out on the grand scheme of things. I could accidentally settle for something smaller when I was meant to receive something that I couldn't have even imagined. 

I want to pray that God would open my eyes to those things that I can't see but that He would allow me to see. 

2 Kings 6:16-17 says, 

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

"A Great Calm"

Sometimes in life we go through hard times which some people refer to as, "storms". We feel as though the dark clouds come and we aren't sure when its going to end or how long we'll be there. We can't see the sun anymore and may have lost sight of where we are going. It's important for us to remember that Jesus is right there with us. 

Mark 4:36-39 says, "And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."

The disciples were in a storm but this passage shows us that Jesus was right there with them. He didn't leave them. They cried out to Him and He answered. He brought a peace and a calm to the storm that was beyond their control. Jesus is our light and our hope in the storm. 

In a previous post I listed some of the scriptures that talk about love. 

1 Corinthians 4-8. 

I was reading these scriptures again today and I read it differently. I looked up each word that talked about love - even though I already knew what it meant. I just wanted to take it a little deeper. I like looking up words to get an even better understanding of what they mean. 

For example, verse 7 of the scripture says, "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

I looked up the word persevere on Dictionary. Com and part of the first definition said that persevere meant, " to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement." 

So if love perseveres then I took that to mean that love "maintains a purpose in spite of difficulty, love maintains a purpose in spite of obstacles, and love maintains a purpose in spite of discouragement."

Just a thought as I study and try to learn from God's definition of love. 

Running on empty

Have you ever run out of the house before without eating breakfast? I have done that many times while in a hurry but I always regret it. I can always tell a difference in how I feel when I start the day on an empty stomach. I'm basically running on empty. I need to Take time and Make time to give myself nourishment. 

In the same way, when I start my day off without spending time with God, I also run on empty because I need Him. I can absolutely feel a difference when I haven't spent time with Him. I don't like to be without spiritual food either. I've noticed that sometimes in the busyness of the day I put off those things that are most important. I can't afford to put off time with God. It's way too valuable. He is so worthy of worship, praise, thanksgiving. 

If there is somebody that you've been trying to encourage to start going to church, don't give up. Many times people won't go the first time they are invited but we shouldn't let that stop us from encouraging them in the Lord.

I'm not talking about forcing anybody or coming on too strong. Rather, I'm talking about using those moments to share Christ when someone says they need Jesus. Those moments that people share with us that they've been looking for a church. We can use those moments to engage in conversation, talk to them about what their heart is desiring, and point them to Christ. Many times it can take a while before they step into church or dedicate/rededicate their life to Christ but it's worth it to be there for people again and again as they reach out for the Truth. There are opportunities all around us to share the gospel. 

There have been times that people have expressed a desire to get plugged into a church so I gently extended a friendly invitation to them. It took months and in some cases a year before they came but God didn't give up on me and I don't want to give up on inviting people to get to know Him.

It really can take a while before people are ready to take that step. But glory to God, when they are ready, it's not only them that go but they bring their family too. <3 

Running idle part 2

Hello. The following is in addition to yesterday's post. I have found that it's good for me to be actively involved in something I love to do. When I stop being active it doesn't take too long for me to get back in there and be a part of something meaningful. There is a longing in me to be involved in areas that God has given me a passion for. When I practice talents that God gives me, He multiplies those talents or helps the talents I have to get better and more mature. I believe it honors God when we offer our talents back to Him and use them for His glory. When He sees that we are faithful with a little, He knows that He can trust us with more. 

Matthew 25:14-28. 

Running idle

Hello. I just wanted to post a thought and I'll try to expand more on it later. 

My car has been overheating lately and thankfully I found a pattern and realized that it overheats when it's in the idle position. Meaning that when it's just running but not moving (like at a red light) it starts overheating. It needs to be moving and going somewhere and then it's fine. 

Then that made me think about how we live life. Are some of us perhaps stuck in the "idle" position? Meaning we are alive but we aren't really living? We get stuck in the same position sometimes. But it's good for us to be active, to practice our talents and gifts, to work towards something new, and to make a difference in this life while it counts. 

Speak faith into your tomorrow

God starts answering our prayers even when we don't see it right away. We are most likely living the answers to what we once prayed for and in the future we will be seeing and experiencing the answers of what we are praying for today. Believe and you will receive in Jesus name. God is with us. 

Isaiah 30:19, "How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you." 

John 14:13, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." 

There is a song by Jesus Culture called, "Holy Spirit". Part of the song says, "Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere." 

I was singing this song during worship at church and thought, that no matter where I am I can sing those words and the Holy Spirit will come. 

I can worship God wherever I am, at any time and He hears me. He is omnipresent. 

Psalm 100:4, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Walk this way

I've had times in my life that God has told me to do something but people told me to do different. There are going to be things that God asks me to do that don't make sense or that people don't understand. It's a tough situation to be in. I have found that although its difficult, honoring God is the way I want to go. I really dislike the feeling of knowing that I didn't do something that I should've done. People have had to deal with the approval of man VS. obedience to God since the beginning when God instructed Noah to build the ark. Can you imagine what people must have thought or said? Or any ridicule him and his family might have endured? But Noah kept on and was obedient to God. I'm sure he was glad he was! 

I might not always understand why God is asking me to do or say something but I do know I'm glad when I am obedient. I have learned that I don't always have to understand to be obedient. I can trust God's heart and know that He has my best interest at heart. When He calls me I don't want to delay. 

Isaiah 30:21, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"

Refocusing

Encouraging myself in the Lord today and fighting the good fight of faith.

God I will honor you by enjoying my life. You sent your son to die for me so that I can have life and have it more abundantly. John 3:16, John 10:10.

I choose life and to live it with joy. 

I will not be held down by fear. I will not be ruled by anxiety. I will not let worry direct my life. 

God I will honor you by taking a stand, pushing through, and keeping myself moving forward. 

I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37.

I will honor you God by calling out to you and believing that you hear me. Isaiah 59:1

I will honor you God by praying to you in expectancy, knowing that you will answer my prayers. 

I will honor you God by believing there is nothing too difficult for you.

I will honor you God by believing that you are for me and working on my behalf. Jeremiah 29:11.

I will honor you God by not concentrating on one thing that is wrong but acknowledging all that you've done for me. 

I will honor you God by praising you for all the things you've done in my life. I will honor you by allowing my faith to rule over frustration.

I will honor you God by reading your word, confessing your word, and trusting and resting in you. 

Cheerful giving

A while back I posted about giving opportunities in addition to my tithe (Malachi 3:10).  There are a few more things I've learned along the way. 

For example, it's important to be an informed giver. It's wise to understand what you are giving towards. 

It's also a good idea to pray about an amount. Sometimes God tells me what to give right away but sometimes it doesn't always happen that way. 

When God tugs on my heart to give, I pray for a specific amount and ask Him how much He wants me to give.

Lastly, I make sure that I'm being a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) 

It's important to me to keep a grateful attitude and keep checking my heart. Even if I don't always have a lot, I don't want that to stop me from giving. I believe that if I have a giving heart then God will provide opportunities to give. 

Giving doesn't always have to be monetary but it should be meaningful and cheerful and giving glory to God. 

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." 2 Corinthians 9:12

Rest in Him

Sometimes it feels like there is so much noise. So many things ask for my attention. The radio, the tv, people, the internet, and more. I get to a place where I find myself needing peace and quiet. I need time to get away from the loudness and come in to the peaceful quietness of God. To the secret place with God where I find true rest. I can come to the feet of Jesus and pour out my love for Him. I choose to unplug from the noise for a while and connect my heart to His. 

Even Jesus took time to get away from the crowds and the noise to be alone and to pray to the Father. I want to follow His example. 

Mark 6:45-46, "Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray." 

Every so often we should also learn how to "dismiss the crowd" and go pray. 

How He loves

I am so glad that God is patient with us and does not give up on us. There are times when He tries to tell me something but for some reason I miss it. But He so lovingly brings the same message back to me. I usually know when God is trying to tell me something when I hear a scripture repeatedly within a couple days in different places. For example, I'll hear it at church, then on the radio, then through a friend. And that's when I realize He is trying to send a message to my heart. Sometimes it's an answer to prayer and sometimes it's just something I needed to hear. I'm glad God knows me so well and loves me so much that He's willing to do that for me. 

Romans 8:37-39

Let it shine

Have you ever hugged someone and as soon as you leave them you realize that you smell like their perfume/cologne? This happened to me today, again. I hugged my friend and I might as well have sprayed her perfume on me. Lol. I smelled like her for a long time after I left her. I spent time with her and it "showed". 

I wondered, "I should have a similar experience with God. To get so close to Him that it shows. To spend so much time with Him that I'd carry His peace and light around with me."

I was reminded of the following passage in the Old Testament. 

Exodus 34:28-30, "So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; ... It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone..." 

As a believer in Christ, we are also given the opportunity to let His light shine in us. Others will be able to recognize when we've been spending time with God. Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 5:16.  

He hears the sound

I've heard some people say that they wonder if God can hear them. If He's listening, if He's heard their prayer. I've caught myself wondering that before too. Then I thought about how parents (moms and dads) can be in a crowded place (like a mall during Christmas time) with so many kids running around yet when their specific child calls out to them, they know the sound of their child's voice and they turn towards that voice. That voice grabs their attention as they are filled with a desire to help before they even know what the need is. 

God created us and He loves us even more than our parents do. He knows the sound of His children calling out to Him. He turns towards us, He hears us, and longs to be good to us. 

Isaiah 59:1, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear." 

Pushing Through

Many friends I know ask God Why? when they are going through a hard time. They ask, Why am I going through this? I hear their heart as they ask Him. I brought their petition to God and asked God "why?" on their behalf. Although I can't speak for everyone, I feel that God has brought me this wisdom for my friends: You, God, are not doing this to harm or hurt them  emotionally but You, God offer protection through trials. You are doing this to prevent hurt in the future. You are trying to protect and help them grow by giving them your truth/word/and love to walk it out in faith. You are helping them gain strength and be prepared. To be strong that if the same problem tries to come around again they will have already been strengthened in You by  knowledge and they will know how to handle it. 

Created for a purpose

I have always wanted to be able to sing. To have a beautiful voice to sing out to God. I’d even settle to just sound decent singing with the radio in my car. Lol. There is a song by Colton Dixon which includes the lyrics, “If I had no voice, if I had no tongue, I would dance for you like the rising sun.” This paints a beautiful picture to me because this is a professional singer saying that if he didn’t have his talent anymore, he would find some other way to worship and honor God.

I have wasted so much time looking at what I don’t have that I haven’t been faithful with what I was given. I now know and see differently. I might not be able to sing well but God gave me the ability to express myself through writing. I can write the best I can to honor God. I can use the talent that I do have and use it to worship God.

What have you been gifted with? We all have gifts that are significant. We have each been wired with a talent and we can each do something in a way that nobody else can.

Psalm 139:13-14, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Protecting the mind, keeping the peace

The following passage of the Bible is one that I keep referring back to and I try to keep it present in my heart and remember it often:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8.

Jesus is our greatest example of love that walked this earth. Focusing on this scripture (or any scripture really) keeps my mind focused on the truth when the enemy tries to come in and start trouble. For example, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10-10.  The devil is a thief and wants to rob us of our God given peace and joy. So if something comes up from the past and starts to get me upset, I can stop myself and think, “Wait a second. I choose not to dwell on this. God has already brought this issue to resolve and I have already forgiven this person. So I won’t think about this anymore because love does not keep a record of wrongs.”

Moving out of the way

One of my prayers recently has been, “Dear God, give me more opportunities to see you get all the glory. I pray that you would answer my prayers in such a way that I know that it was only by your hand that those prayers were answered.”

Warning! Only pray this if you mean it. Let me tell you what will happen when you pray this…It will come true! God will cause you to see Him get all the glory! The reason I prayed this is because, 1) I want His will done in my life above my own and 2) I want to look back and know that it was only Him that could have made things happen so that I can keep giving Him all the praise for years to come. I want to look at my past and see how God has proven Himself faithful over and over again.

Caution! When you pray this prayer you may also catch yourself getting a little mad or upset. Why? Because you’ll start to see that when you try to control something you prayed about, you can’t! You have to take your hands off. Also, things won’t go as you planned! Trust me. Lol. This is how you know this specific prayer is being answered. If you prayed for God to get all the glory then He is going to make it happen and He will remove any way for you to try and take the credit. It might be frustrating at first but it actually ends up being so freeing. It has helped me to build my faith and when I get discouraged I see God encouraging me to keep trusting in Him. I can rest in God and trust Him with an expectancy knowing that He will bring an answer to my prayer. God’s plan turns out better than anything I could have imagined. Ephesians 3:20.

Just a thought...

Hello. I wanted to post something I heard in a sermon this past weekend. One of my Pastors said, "What are you saving your life for? It's not like you are going to get to use it again later." This is so true. Sometimes we get stuck postponing our God given dreams and goals.
This really spoke to me and motivated me to get up and start moving on things - like writing what I need to write, moving towards goals that God has given me, taking time to educate myself on things through reading, etc.
I hope this is an encouragement to others as well. Our time is precious. Not that I am going to be rushing trying to get things done but I am going to be more intentional about how I live my life. Being faithful with the day that God has given me. We have the power to decide to change our habits which changes our future. That's the beautiful thing. We can have hope about our future. Jeremiah 29:11.

First things first

Hello Blog Readers! I have missed you all so much! I am writing to commit to doing my best to write every day in July. I was talking with one of my good friends yesterday about how some things just slip away or get hard to keep up with when I get really busy. The more things I have to do, the more I don't have time to do the things I really want to do and should do. She shared with me that we should take care of ourselves first (our health as a whole) and not worry about the things that we cannot control. So in other words, I should not neglect myself or what God is asking me to do. I should put the most significant things first and let the rest follow. So I commit to seeking Him, taking care of myself better, loving my family, friends, and people, then letting the rest follow. I seek God to help me know my priorities and I am so thankful that He has already begun to do so.