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There have been times when I've wondered how to truly know a person's heart. I realized that the answer to this question is directly in the bible. I pray this helps you if you are at a crossroads in your life and are trying to discern who a person is and their intentions, whether if it's a friend, family member or significant other. One of the best ways to tell what is in someone's heart is to observe what comes out of that person's mouth, especially in times of stress or difficulty. Luke 6:45 
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I’ve learned that in life you will have to make difficult decisions for your mental and physical well-being. Everyone may not understand your decision or be happy with it, but when God puts it in your spirit to move a certain way, you have to be obedient if you want to live the life he has for you. When you close your eyes to go home to be with the Lord, you will have to account for the decisions you made in your life, therefore you should live life for yourself and not for others. The seasons change in each of our lives. In certain seasons we are faced with life-altering decisions we must make in order to continue walking in the path that God has for our lives. It’s important to be strong in these seasons. Others will try to make you feel bad if your decision does not make sense to them. It’s okay, stay strong and know that God is your rock and strong tower. He will comfort you when others persecute you. In your season of change, make the decision to follow the Lord. It's so much easier to flow with the current that God has for your life, instead of against it. Operating outside the Lord’s will for your life will make life more challenging for you. Life is not a fairytale, however God's pathway for your life is always the best pathway to take. Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”  Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." What do you do when you feel lonely? God has you in a season where you feel as though no one is there and no one understands. Your parents, your friends, and no one else knows the emotions you’re experiencing. Although you may have people you can call and talk to, you still feel so alone. Trauma from the past haunts you. You pray to God for comfort. You don’t want to hold grudges, but the pain feels unbearable. So decide to pull the knife out your back that someone has stabbed you with several times. That knife represents the people that have hurt you in the past. While you are pulling out the knife you’re inflicting pain on yourself. However, you realize that you have to address those things and experience pain once again in order to heal. What do you do when you feel lonely? Is it asking too much to do the work to address the loneliness? Is it asking too much to address the pain? What about the ones you have to love and be there for who have continuously inflicted pain into your life? How can you possibly have strength to be there for those people? God has immeasurable strength that he will give you, that you will never be able to understand. When you are there for those people, God will hold a mirror in front of those people so they can see themselves in it. The fact that you chose to forgive them will hurt them more than anything, for hate will not cast out hate. A person cannot see their wrong doings if you treat them the way they treated you. So what do you do when you feel lonely? Is it too much for you to forgive others, in the same way that our heavenly father forgave you? Are you much better or more perfect than the ones who you need to forgive? Did your heavenly father not already make up for the pain that was caused? If not, do you not believe he is capable of making up for every unfair situation you ever experienced? So I ask, what do you do when you feel lonely? I cry out to our heavenly father, the one who’s always there in my time of loneliness.  Psalm 94:19 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Anxiety is a real thing. I didn’t realize how real it is until these more recent years in my life. Things will test you in life and let me tell you, it will make you feel like the walls and ceilings are closing in on you. In addition to this, anxiety can cause chest pain and make it difficult to breathe. Depending on your line of work you may have to come into contact with very non-polite attitudes. I’m very non-confrontational so I carry a lot of things on my back. Almost every day I have to address or deal with confrontation. The way I handle it, sometimes I say a few words in response to address the rudeness in a dignified way, while other times I pray in my mind because I know that the problem is with the individual who is coming at me completely wrong. It’s important to remember that everything is a test and that hurt people will do their best to hurt you. While someone is unloading their insecurities and pain on you, know that it’s a test. God has you covered and he sees everything you’re going through. Trust me he has a way of evening the score and can check people better than you could ever! I’m choosing to continue walking towards the joy he brings me. Don’t give people power over your emotions. Let them stay bitter by themselves. They can’t stay where joy is “the way.” So when they see you unbothered, trust me they will move on to the next person. I hope this post blesses you! Trish  1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." Love is a four-letter word that we all desire to have in a relationship. Before we get to experience love, we have to date. Dating means going out to eat or on other formal outings to learn about a person and get to know them on a personal level. Many people treat dating like they’re applying for a job, which is why you cannot rush the process. There are some people who date solely to impress and are not genuine about who they are as a person or their intentions. After researching the qualities of Godly Dating, I discovered that the essence of it is when both people pull each other closer to God. Godly Dating also includes genuinely caring to get to know the other person and how you can help and encourage them. Godly Dating desires to uplift and support instead of focusing on what you can get from the other person. I hope this is a blessing to you. Sincerely, Trish   James 1:4 "Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I find myself struggling with perseverance the most these days. Sometimes it can be difficult to push through when you're facing so many challenges. Covid-19 is a big challenge we are all currently facing. Some people are becoming depressed because they aren't able to interact with their love ones in a normal way without wearing protective face masks. As sad as that is, there are people who are not allowed to visit their love ones in the nursery homes and hospitals. People have lost family from covid-19 and were not able to look them in their eyes in person to say their last goodbye. The world has been in turmoil. I have set back and watched stilled stunned at all the events that have taken place, from covid-19, to the innocent lives of blacks taken away, and the most recent Capitol Hill riot. We all have seen this, because our lives have been placed on a different type of pause due to covid-19, that doesn't allow us to venture out much without weighing the risks of catching the deadly disease. As a result, we are home more so we are able to tune in to the news to watch everything that's occurring around us. Church is no longer how it used to be; many are watching church service on their cell phones, smart tv's or computers from home. I am one of those people. I always look forward to hearing a good word from my pastor because I'm always in need of one. The key to persevering is to feed your spirit with God's promises. There have been many times where I felt consumed by the weight of the world, and stepped back to self reflect and realized I had not been feeding my spirit with God's word on a daily basis like I needed to be. God's word will give you peace, and allow you to preserve when life feels unbearable to keep pushing forward in. I have found that God's word is the cure to depression, stress and anxiety. Make sure you are tapping in to it. I hope this is a blessing to you, Sincerely, Trish   Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. This just reminds me that God is always there no matter what we may be going through. "When we are weak, he is strong." There are times when I feel really weak so I'm thankful for his strength. God's plan is always better than what we can imagine even when we don't understand his ways or how he is working and moving in our lives.  John 15:18-25 It used to bother me when I learned certain people didn't like me for no reason at all. They talked about me, laughed at me and criticized me...but when I realized that I was a big deal because they talked about, laughed at and criticized Jesus, I was able to walk with my head held high and continue on with my purpose.  2 Corinthians 5:7For we walk by faith, not by sight.  Her: How are you feeling?
Him: Not too good, I have a lot on my mind. Although I know all I need to do is take God's hand and let him lead the way; occasionally there are times that I find myself thinking ahead and pondering "what if" scenarios. Her: God wants us to follow him one step at a time and not allow what's up ahead to stress us in life. He may take us a different way or even around the corner from what we feel will be a roadblock up ahead; therefore a lot of times when we worry we are worrying for no reason at all. He has a special way of orchestrating our lives in a way that's most beneficial for us. This is why we must cast our cares on him. Him: Thank you for your encouraging words. The more I get to know God, the more I understand faith; and the more I practice faith, the less I worry about possible negative outcomes. During this transitional period in my life, I have been tested time and time again. I have learned that I still have so much room to grow and that it is impossible for me to complete this journey alone. When I find myself in front of a roadblock I know that all I need to do is call on God and he will either eliminate the obstruction or point me in a different direction. He is the one with the map and we are all lost without him. Her: That is so true, I'm glad I could brighten your spirits! Ephesians 5:15So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Her: I'm not feeling too good. "What is the wise thing to do?" I try to ask myself this question every chance I get. In the past I left this question out a few times and it came back to haunt me. I'm glad we serve a God of second chances. The wisest thing I've ever done was give God my problems and set my focus on him and the future because you cannot go forward looking backwards at past mistakes. Him: I've made decisions on my own terms without consulting God. I've made mistakes and often wondered why I continued to encounter similar situations afterwards. When I finally realized that I needed to hand the wheel over to God, that's when changes began to happen in my life. He steered me in the right direction; away from sin and ignorance. He allowed me to experience certain things in order to grow and attain wisdom. The wisdom that I've acquired I can now use as I enter the next phase of my life. Our father knows exactly what we need individually, so even when life throws a curve ball that hits us right in the chest, God is standing right there with us letting us know that everything is ok. Even our shortcomings are apart of his plan to help us grow into the person he created us to be. Her: Thank you for your inspiring words; I feel a lot better now! Him: You're welcome.  |
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