I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Issam Nemeh speak on True Faith this past weekend. He encourages living our faith daily. Not turning on and off our faith when it works best for us, but choosing to live by faith. Living by faith takes commitment. When things are going well, I remind myself to thank Jesus. As things change direction and become difficult I thank Jesus for carrying me through the tough times. I continue to thank Jesus for the strength to believe and experience true faith. Dr. Nemeh spoke on having the right state of mind and having…
My faith is my first priority under all circumstances. We are living in a world of change and many unknowns. COVID-19 has redefined and intensified the unknown. Stretching one to think more carefully about how one lives life. Rethinking what used to be normal everyday tasks. Led by faith, but initiated with prayer. 1. Prayer As I continue to find strength in prayer, prayer begins to consume my thoughts. At first, prayer was inserted into my day when I saw a need. I became addicted to prayer as I continued to see results and opportunities. Where once I intentionally…
Does anyone really want to feel invisible? From time to time, it might cross one’s mind that it would be fun to be invisible, but not to feel invisible. Whenever I feel invisible I ask myself why I feel that way. Is it because I am surrounded by people that I don’t know? Or because I’m in an unfamiliar place and feeling insecure about myself? Could it be that I am unprepared? Is my body language unknowingly dictating a desire to be invisible? As a child, before school field trips, I remember wondering if I would have…
Signals and signs grow fuzzy, it is time to refocus. I envision this great plan and a path that is clear but the noise overtakes my ability to concentrate. How do I stop the noise in my head? As the noise increases so do my stress and anxiety. How do I reset and focus on Jesus? All the noise is telling me this is my dream job; but as I refocus, my direction is clear. As I refocus on Jesus the pit in my stomach is clearly telling me, to be patient, this is not the one. If the pit…
I am referring to that voice inside us that tries to take us off track, tries to take us to a place of evil rather than joy. I have witnessed varying degrees of depression yet always feel like there is so much more to learn. What I have learned from many of my close friends and family is that it is a battle that is fought daily. It is a choice made daily to choose joy and to have hope. Working through those negative voices inside our heads reaching for something greater, blocking out the negativity. Reaching out in faith…
Few of us imagined that life would be like it is right now. Who would’ve thought we would be living in a world of social distancing, life without seeing facial expressions, greeting someone with no contact, and being quarantined from some of those we love? The element of change is always around us, but sometimes change is much more significant, more than we imagined. Years ago I remember a teacher nearing retirement telling me, “I feel so bad that you’re going into education now because it has changed so much. Student behavior is so much more difficult and…
I use prayer abundantly and rely on my faith: here is a glimpse into the humiliation and love I was exposed to recently. I found myself in a situation that was extremely awkward for myself, for those around me, and for the person who appeared to be losing self-esteem, self-confidence, and pride. It was one of those situations where I felt quite helpless regarding how to assist in the situation and yet so uneasy about the tone of what was going on around me. I arrived near the end of what transpired, so I can only imagine what…
As I watched the streaming of Hamilton, one particular line stood out to me. The line was “Talk less, smile more.” Although the perfect line for the play, what came to my mind was “Talk less, listen more.” Listen to gain an understanding I listen to others so I can understand what people are going through and so that I can learn from their experiences. Listening is simple, but not always easy. I enjoy learning about what is important to those around me and have a listening ear when one needs to vent. The challenging part comes with all the…
If I don’t believe what I can see, how do I believe what I can’t see? I observe people not believing in themselves, not believing that they are beautiful, not believing that they are smart, and not believing that they can accomplish great things. I see people who have lost weight look into the mirror and not see that they have lost anything despite the fact that the scale is evidence of success. I have witnessed gorgeous people of all shapes and sizes look into the mirror and not believe that they are beautiful. I know people who…
When I think about my unconditional friends, I am referring to people that under any circumstance I feel comfortable reaching out to them personally or by phone. There are no judgments made and no questions asked, simply someone who will listen. Not only do they listen, but they are confidential and offer constructive responses when appropriate. It always surprises me that these unconditional friends are not necessarily people that I am around daily or even that I think about on a regular basis. I can count on them at all costs. I have confidence in the person and their value…