Check Your Lovin’

Good morning family! Thank God for revelation! When you ask God to open your eyes to truly “see,” He will never fail you. Having said that, on to this post! To begin let’s take a look at 3 different translations of 1 scripture (1 John 4:18) that I believe the Lord has shown me pertaining to this subject.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (King James)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear is by suspicion, but he who fears is not grown up in love. (Aramaic Version)

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. (New Living Translation)

Wheww…ok. Where do I begin with this one. Part of my rationale for creating this blog was to confess and be vulnerable in hopes of helping other people with similar issues through my journey with Christ. One of my main goals for the year was to learn to love in a healthy way. Keyword, HEALTHY. Some of you may be reading this  and are clueless and for others this resonates to your core. As I stated earlier in this post, God opened my eyes to truth this morning. Just when I thought I was back on the track to healthy loving, He showed me I was entering an unhealthy cycle once again. He brought me to the scripture above and even showed me 3 different translations in case I didn’t understand it the first time.

Due to experiences in my past, I’ve learned to love in fear. No, I am not making my past an excuse for my behavior, that’s just what the combination of my history and learned behavior have resulted in. I love to the extremes because of fear of it being taken away. The worst part about this was that I was ignorant that I was loving in this manner. What a dangerous place to be! Without drawing this post out to0 long, the lesson learned is loving in fear, loving to hard, loving others without giving others room to breathe all stem from fear and result in terrible consequences.

Ironically,  in order to love others in a healthy way, we have to let go and trust God. Healthy love is not squeezing a teddy bear to death and keeping it in your closet to fulfill your needs when you are ready to receive love. Healthy love is not viewing  life simply through the lens of your eyes with the pretense of, “I see both sides of the story.” Healthy love is edification. It’s letting go and trusting God enough to see the intricacies of everyone’s heart condition.

When I read the scripture above, I thought about how my mother and grandmother liberated me in love. Had they kept me sheltered and not given me an opportunity to explore my creativity, my very being, the world, and the realm of possibility, I would not be the person that I am today. Truly, love liberates. It allows us to spread our wings and fly into a manifestation of creation. Likewise, I must give this gift of healthy love to others just as Jesus so eloquently models it daily for me.

In earthly speech, I’d like to present the wisdom of Maya Angelou on this very subject. A while back, I was watching Oprah’s show,  Master Class and was taken away by her choice of words. It’s only fitting that I share these words with you. Enjoy!

“I am grateful to have been loved and to be loved now and to be able to love, because that liberates. Love liberates. It doesn’t just hold—that’s ego. Love liberates. It doesn’t bind. Love says, ‘I love you. I love you if you’re in China. I love you if you’re across town. I love you if you’re in Harlem. I love you. I would like to be near you. I’d like to have your arms around me. I’d like to hear your voice in my ear. But that’s not possible now, so I love you. Go.’” — Dr. Maya Angelou

En paz,

His Daughter

P.S. I pray I hit on the core of this message. This is such a profound concept and hence slightly difficult to communicate in words. *Happy Holidays!!

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FELIZ CUMPLEANOS JESUS!!!

YAYYYY!!! It’s a celebration!! Today is our Father’s birthday and I am beyond ecstatic!! This morning, I woke up with a praise on my lips and joy in my heart. Happy Birthdaaaaayyyyy Jesus!!! There was something different about my prayer this morning that filled me with an incredible solitude and graciousness. It felt like He opened my mind to truth and allowed me to see Him as He truly is. Many times I become so suffocated by my flesh and this world that sadly, I lose sight of who He truly is. Lord, thank you for vision and not just sight.

Yesterday, I grew baffled about what I should give Jesus for His birthday until I stumbled across some guidance. The ultimate package that I want to give Him is HUGE!!My prayer is that He guides me in delivering His gift in the most meaningful and manageable way possible. So, here it goes: unconditional love, unwavering faith, and persistent optimism.  Something that I felt weighing heavy on my spirit this morning is the difference between sight and vision. Many of us are given the gift of “sight” in the natural world, yet few of us take advantage of the gift of “vision” that Our Father has given us. Hebrews 11:1 says, ” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Therefore, to use your faith you cannot employ your sense of “sight.”

My peace lies in the fact that it doesn’t matter what my situation looks like. The only thing that matters is Jesus is my Father and for that I am eternally grateful. The only reason I exist is because of Him and for Him. Thank you Jesus for using me to illustrate your glory. I am humbled and extremely thankful for the opportunity.

Lord, I thank you for humbling me to understand that this season and even my very life has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with you. As I sit here and ponder what in tarnation I can give the man, my King, my Lord, my Savior, my Father as a gift for sacrificing His life to give me eternal life, I become perplexed. I have nothing that could EVER repay you for losing YOUR life to give me mine. I pray to become more and more like you in character everyday. I pray to have a heart who’s DNA is an exact replica of yours. I pray for the strength to lose myself just as you gave up everything for me. Lord, I know you know my heart and that I struggle not to sin and not to fall short each day, yet I thank you for your amazing grace to begin anew each moment and each day. Now Lord fill all of your children with your peace, patience, love, and humility to honor you on this exceptional day of your birth. I love you Lord with all of my heart, mind, and soul. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

En paz,

His daughter

P.S. Remember, it doesn’t matter what it “looks like.” God is still God.

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Happy Pre-Jesus Party!!

Good morning family! As I prayed this morning, I gave thanks for being saved, knowing my savior, my family, close friends, boyfriend, career, health, sanity, and so on. I confessed my sins and asked for repentence and proceeded to close my prayer in the name of Jesus. All of a sudden, I felt His spirit stop me. “Really  chica??? Is that all you have for me?” I am so grateful that Jesus stopped me in my tracks to humble myself and heed His admonition. He stopped me to say, “Think about what today really means. Think about the true meaning of Christmas. Humble yourself to truly celebrate the reason for this season.”

Over the past couple of days my family and I have ventured in and out of the mall. We took a moment to take ourselves out of the equation to really “see” what was taking place. We witnessed a throng of overwhelmed people running around madly for presents and trinkets that will soon have no bearing on this planet called earth. I mean really??? We stress ourselves out spending money aimlessly for the sake of maintaining an empty tradition that Our Father never approved from jump. No, this isn’t a a post to make you feel guilty or maybe it is..lol. Seriously, it’s a post to bring us all back to the realization of what this “holiday” or better stated, “celebration” is all about.

In a conversation this morning, my sister and I wondered what Jesus is thinking as He watches His children scatter through the red-lined encumbered pricetagged ridden stores. Is He upset? Is He frustrated? Is He confused? Is He sad? Is He depressed? How can His children forget His birthday and decide that the meaning of His very existence, the meaning of His ultimate gift-His sacrificing of His very own life so that we may live, is disappearing amongst maxed out credit cards and coupons. It’s disgraceful and revolting at it’s least. It’s ironic that when our birthdays come around we can plan a celebration that literally tears the roof off, but when it’s Our Father’s birthday all we can suffice to do is forget who He is and relish gifts devoid of meaning to our loved ones and family members??

Certainly, I am guilty of this too and am ashamed at how  I’ve failed to share this meaning with others. With all this being said, I pray that all who read this post and even those who do not, will  have a Jesus party on this Christmas Eve and an even larger party tomorrow in honor of our Savior and Lord. Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to see who you are and give glory to your name for your ultimate gift. I confess to you that I’ve fallen short and have failed to recognize why this season truly matters. Thank you for humbling me to understand that this holiday season is not about the gifts I receive nor the gifts I give, but it’s about YOU and YOUR GLORY. Words can not express my gratitude for the gift you’ve given me that I will never be able to repay you for. Please help me to represent and in turn “re” “present” you wherever I may go. Have your way today and forevermore. In your darling son Jesus’s name I pray, AMEN.

En paz,

His Daughter

Random..

I initially was strongly opposed to writing this post, partly because my eyes are burning from lack of sleep and for some reason I’m striving to adjust to a time zone that actually isn’t too far removed from my own. Go figure..lol. Needless to say, I am 6 days into my  Christmas vacation from my job and boy am I ecstatic! Lawd knows, when ya work hard, ya need a break! Anywho, I am a scrambled medley of emotions and thoughts right now and have been for the past 6 days. Where do I begin with this post?? I honestly have no idea, so I am going to attempt to make this as coherent as I possibly can as I wax in and out of slumber..lol.

This morning, I woke up early to pray and meditate. I’ll admit, I allowed my travels to set me back with intimate talks with my Heavenly Father. That is a serious no no! I proceeded to get up this morning, eyes burning and everything to share an intimate prayer with my Father. How refreshing He is!! Disclaimer- This message is neither here nor there…and by that I mean I may appear to be all over the place.

I’ve been pondering quite a bit about a personal lifestyle change for me in the year 2012. I feel like this year is going to be an incredible one with plenty of changes and I really want to prime myself for that. I’m like a boxer training for a fight; I’m in the strategy development phase of my life. I haven’t quite figured out what my major lifestyle change will be as of yet and I plan to pray earnestly for God’s guidance regarding this. Hmmm..could it be as simple as a hair color change, a new nutrition plan, the tackling of a marathon, a serious fast, and the beat goes on… I’m not quite sure myself.

What I do know is change is coming and it is inevitable. The one thing that God promises us that won’t change is change itself. Things will always change. I pray for the strength to pray without ceasing regarding this and to seek wisdom to be obedient. Lord you know me best. Have your glorious way in this place. I love you! Amen.

En paz,

His Daughter

Must See!

This is  phenomenal on so many levels. I recommend you watch it more than once to catch all of the verbal plays on words. Ridic!! I love the fusion of art and spirituality! Enjoy!

En Paz,

His Daughter

 

Success vs. Significance

The last couple of days have been eye openers for me. Stewardship has been on my mind pretty heavily in many different forms. Lately, I’ve been feeling guilty over my blessings. It sounds weird to me when I say it, but it’s true.  I couldn’t quite place my finger on why I felt so guilty over things God had blessed me with until yesterday. I questioned myself,  “Have I been a good steward over what God has given me?” Consequently, do I feel guilty because I have not properly overseen what I have been given? #profound#

As I am writing this post, I don’t truly have my thoughts formulated or bundled in a cute package of a solution. One thing I do know is that I want to live according to the purpose ordained on my life from my Creator and to do that, I must live a life of significance. My success will die with me the very day that I die, but if my life is significant, it will outlast me long after I am with my Heavenly Father.

I thought about “success” and how I achieved success in many areas. However,  I noticed that was the extent of the definition of those accomplishments in my life—-success. I believe God did not create me to be successful. Instead, He created me to live a life of “significance.” There is a pretty stark difference between the two. Success is ephemeral. Significance is sustainable. In so many ways I’ve allowed this world to condition me to strive for success, when success has NOTHING to do with God’s plan.

When I contemplate great leaders, I ponder on their significance. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jackson, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Chief Red Cloud, Cesar Chavez and the list goes on. When these leaders left this world, the contributions they gave did not. Scores of years later, we still celebrate and reminisce on their victories and gestures of giving. I pray that God humbles me enough to move myself out-of-the-way and aim for the life of significance that He planned.

To wrap things up, I’ll leave you with this thought: The world teaches us to aim for the top of the ladder of success. It says fake it until you make it, by any means necessary, we are all crabs in a barrel, the top glitters like gold, ect. My question is, what happens when you get to the top after you’ve kicked others off the ladder to achieve your crowning glory, only to discover that there is nothing there? Things that make you go hmmm…I have a special follow-up sequel featuring a special guest very soon.* Until then, has your life been successful or significant thus far?

En paz,

His daughter

 

Happy Day of THANKS & GIVING!!

Great morning family! I am so elated to be on a holiday break and to have the opportunity to post this morning. This morning, while laying in bed, I couldn’t help but to open my mouth and praise God for all He has done, is doing, and will do! Truly, I am blessed beyond belief!! I assure you, that comment is nothing short of an understatement! Even though I am not physically with my family and loved ones this holiday season, I am still incredibly blessed because they are only a phone call, text, e-mail, or Facebook message away. Have you ever tried to count your blessings? I mean really break them down to the core and count them? I guarantee that your counting would never stop.

I gave thanks this morning for having and knowing my Heavenly Father. I gave thanks for being able to genuflect and praise Him worthy. Thanks for his unconditional love in spite of ALL of my many sins and flaws, thanks for sanity of mind, thanks for a mind and heart of humility to pray and give thanks, thanks for my warm home, shower, and bed, thanks for His guidance, thanks for my career, thanks for family and friends who love me and care for me deeply, thanks for transportation, thanks for excellent health, thanks for being able, thanks for a spirit to pray…and the beat goes on. I believe there is not enough time in creation for me to give thanks for all the fabulous Lord has bestowed upon me.

Sometimes, we have a tendency as human beings to look to the material things as our sole blessings. I challenge you to dig deeper, and really realize that which you have been blessed with over and over. Forgiveness in itself takes the cake for me. When I tell you I mess up daily….ouuu weeee….if it wasn’t for His name JESUS, I’d be a goner by now. So even though this world can commercialize the holidays and boil them down to greens, honey smoked ham,  sweet potatoes, and Black Friday, remember this is our time to humble ourselves and exclaim our gratitude for Him being the great I AM. Doesn’t that fact just overwhelm you with joy, peace, and comfort?

Compartes el amor,

His daughter