Hello lovelies!! We have entered the season of SPRING!! Everything is blooming, growing, and beautiful! I pray that you all are doing well and continuing to stay safe! This month we are talking about courage. This post has been a looooong time coming! I believe that this was an original topic that God gave me before I started the blog, but I have struggled with fear for so long, I was very doubtful that I would be able to actually speak on it. There have been so many instances over the past few years,and especially the last few months, where I have surprised myself by the level of courage I have been able to exhibit. I am so happy that I no longer feel the timidity that I once held on to for so long. Now this doesn’t mean that I don’t still have battles with fear and doubt, but I have decided to follow courage. Let’s talk about it my loves!

You know I love definitions! I found a few definitions of courage that I would like to share. Courage means “not deterred by danger or pain; brave, facing situations despite fear.” Another definition is “mental or moral strength to venture persevere, withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” There is a commonality in these definitions, in that there is not an absence of fear. Nelson Mandela said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” One of the definitions says that it takes mental and moral strength to have courage. I believe this is 100% true. Most of the time it is simply our minds deceiving us that we cannot do a thing that we are fully capable of doing. I have two stories to share with you about that.

When thinking about how to articulate this topic, I thought about Biblical references, but I also thought about a more practical reference as well. Y’all remember the Little Engine That Could? That was the first story I remembered from childhood. There were many capable trains that came along and would not help that little train go over the hill, but the most unlikely train offered to help. The train kept saying “I think I can” until he was able to pull the train over the hill. Then he said “I thought I could!!” This story hits different as an adult. Yes, I read it online! That unlikely candidate used his courage to get the other train where they needed to be. Did you catch that in your spirit? Sometimes we have to be practical and just talk ourselves through the moments we feel that we cannot achieve a thing. Even if you have to say “I think I can”, you will soon be saying “I thought I could” in the end!

The second story I thought about was Gideon. This story is found in Judges 6 in the Bible. An angel was sent to tell Gideon that he was a mighty man of valor. Valor means strong and courageous, especially in battle. Gideon was like “Nah, you got the wrong dude.” God had given Gideon an assignment, but he was so unsure that he kept asking God for a sign. I mean MULTIPLE times. I am honestly surprised that God went along with that so many times. But isn’t that like us? When we are given an assignment, we want God to make a tree move two inches to the right just to make sure we heard him correctly! We do the most. That is to hide our fears and insecurities of pursuing that thing. We procrastinate by saying things like “I’m still praying about it.” You don’t have to tell me, I know! I have done it, and I am doing it now about one particular thing to be honest. But we have to understand that if God presented us with something, He trusts us enough to pursue and handle it. Isn’t it a beautiful thing to know that you are trusted by God???!!!

The Bible mentions courage 114 times! God has more than assured us that we have the power to be courageous about the assignments he has given us, but also about the things that concern us. We have to be courageous in order to have certain conversations, lead in our various platforms, try new things, and it takes courage to follow our passions and dreams in life. Joshua 1:9 (AMP) says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Also 2nd Timothy 1:17 (NLT) says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” This let’s us know that fear does not come from God, but courage does. The definition of fear is “the presence or anticipation of danger. It implies anxiety and USUALLY THE LOSS OF COURAGE.” Well look at that! John 16:33 (AMP) says “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” When we have a loss of courage, we have to be confident that we came from the overcomer!

Fear is a natural emotion. We all feel it at some point, we see it manifest in many stories in the Bible. We just have to be able to quickly cast those thoughts away as they are not of God. We have to trust in the fact that we have been equipped to be strong and courageous in Him. God has given us the tools to do what He has called us to do for Him and in the earth, it is up to us to go back to Him, relinquish our control, and draw from His strength. His strength is perfect.

So what are you afraid of? What is it that you need to gather up the courage to do or say? Sometimes we need the courage to say no to a thing. Saying no to something we know is not conducive to our purpose or path, saying no to a toxic relationship or friendship, or telling our flesh no takes real courage. Think about it, journal about it, share it with a friend or family member so that they can hold you accountable. We are more than capable of overcoming obstacles, moving mountains, breaking down walls and generational curses, and shattering glass ceilings. God has called us to do all the things! We are already victorious though Christ. If He truly called us to that assignment, person, task, or ministry we were destined to succeed. It is our job to be persistent, cast down fear and doubt, and conquer! Amelia Earhart says to “Use your fear, it can take you to the place where you store your courage.” Let’s take her advice!

Father, help us to discover the areas that we are walking in fear and doubt. Show us what you see in us, just like you did for Gideon, so that we can arise and conquer as he did. Help us to cultivate the gifts, talents, and tools you have given us so that we can go forth in your Godly confidence. May we rely on your perfect strength, draw from your power, and listen for your divine wisdom as we go forth. Let our courage be a blessing to those around us. Help us to guard our hearts and minds against the enemies tactics to keep us bound and stagnant. We are victorious in you, we are strong, we are courageous. Fear has no dominion over us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Love you bunches!!

Hello everyone!!! I am very excited to share with you all this month! At the end of last year, I was in prayer about my direction and what topics I should cover. My instructions were to just meet Him and I would get what I need. I am sure this is going to be an interesting journey as things are continuously unfolding in my life! So each month, things will be new for all of us I am sure. I hope you are ready for the ride!!! Let’s get to it!

February 11th, 2012 the world mourned the loss of our beloved Whitney Houston. I will never forget I was at a wedding when I got the news. It was devastating as she was a truly an icon. She had so much music that I had grown to love. One of my favorites as a kid was “I wanna dance with somebody!” But the first one that came to mind the night of her passing was “The greatest love of all.” I loooove it!! Recently that song came to mind as it is very relevant to me in this season of my life.

The song talks about how learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all. There is just one area in which I have to disagree with Ms. Whitney, and that is when she says that learning to love yourself is easy to achieve. It does not come easy to everyone! I remember last year this time I was working through some things in counseling and I asked my friend “How can I learn how to love myself at this point in my life?” I was truly confused and struggling. I felt that if I had not grown to do it in all this time, that I couldn’t do it effectively. Although I am continuing do some soul work to discover the root issues preventing my personal breakthrough, I was able to get to a place where I feel that I deserve to feel that love. One of the issues that we have talked about previously was my dissatisfaction with my weight. I recently posted on social media that I have lost over 50 pounds since May 2020. Not only have I dropped the physical weight, but I have been able to drop emotional and mental weight as well. Yes, that was an external change, but that was the root of most of my internal issues. I feel so much better for it, but not just physically, it goes so far beyond weight. I surprise myself everyday because I am not the same and I must say that I am sooo happy about that! Now, this was just my example. You will have to figure out what you need to do to have your own personal breakthrough.

I do have a scripture that God highlighted to me in reference to this inner love. It is found in 1 Peter 3:3-4(ERV). It says: “It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful.  No, your beauty should come from inside you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God.” I had it all wrong. I would place emphasis on the outer beauty, which is great! I still do love to look good. However, if that inner woman is in shambles, no matter how many compliments you get they will just bounce off. One day I saw a coworker that I had not seen in a while. The first time she saw me, she said I looked pretty and she liked my green pants. When she walked by me again she said “You just look happy.” I said thanks, but when I got back to my desk I thought that was the best compliment I have received in years! That was the result of the inner work bubbling out for others to see. Ladies, you know once we get home and take off the makeup, wigs, jewelry, and bra, we are stripped of the fleeting beauty we once had just minutes ago. Proverbs 31:30 AMP tells us “Charm and grace are deceptive, and [superficial] beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised.” The beauty of our spirit will remain because we are rooted in God! But we have to cultivate it, we have to reinforce it, and we have to get around others that understand the journey and encourage it! This is where the self care, self love, and nurturing your soul comes in.

I was recently reading a book and it mentioned celebrating yourself. I told you guys that I was going to be intentional about that this year! I decided to write down what that meant to me. I even researched self care and celebrating oneself and found so many new ideas. My goal is things that nurture my soul. It can be anything from taking a bubble bath, reading a good book, taking yourself to dinner or brunch, sitting in peace with candles lit and listening for God to speak, getting pampered, and you would be amazed what walking in nature can do. This has changed my life! I do what makes my heart sparkle and nurtures me internally. I am intentional about spending time with me and getting to know who God created me to be. This is promoting that inner love. I have found that I am fun, I am good company, and I protect my alone time. It may be a little harder for some depending on your life and obligations, but we make time for what we want. Carve out some time to nurture yourself.

Another form of self care that I discovered was a good cry. I DO NOT LIKE CRYING!! I know that’s not exactly healthy, baby steps ok?! I was listening to a podcast recently called Brown Girl Self Care and she said crying is like a shower for the soul. Now around the time I listened, I had been dealing with a few emotional blows. I was trying not to allow them to dismantle all of the hard work I had done, determined that those things were not going to get me off of my square. But when I heard her statement, I realized that I had been doing a lot of “work” and work is messy. Construction sites are messy. They produce a lot of debris. I realized that I needed to release so that I could wash away that debris. I did the work, but I left the debris in a pile over in the corner. When construction is complete, the area has to be cleansed in order to see the beauty of that new construction. It is also important to remove the old things that no longer add value to this new creation.

Crying doesn’t fix the problems, but it does feel like a cleansing. It is practicing self care, self love, and nurturing my soul by acknowledging my emotions, not allowing them to just fester and create more issues. Self care involves honesty with yourself, no matter how you feel. Being free to express yourself in the happy moments, sad moments, silly moments, and the sexy moments too girl! If I had not implemented these practices in my life, the emotional blows would have been pretty detrimental to me. Just like in the past. People and life experiences can cause our feelings and emotions to sway, but it is so important to be grounded in the love of God and the love you have about the jewel that you are. I am just thankful that I can experience the newness that God is doing in me and through me in these scenarios. I may not agree or understand, but they will be used for His glory. Resting in God is another form of self care, self love, and it definitely nurtures your soul. I have to rest there when my mind and heart are weary due to the things happening around me.

So sis, embrace your inner beauty, get to know who you are so that you can present that woman to the world. A BEAUTIFUL creation, full of light, love, and joy. That is what will last. That is what matters to God. That is what I want people to see when they see me. Not just a cute outfit, jewelry, or hair. I want the love of God to radiate from me. Others can benefit from that light that comes from us through God. When we love ourselves, it is easier to love others and accept love from others. We all need to gravitate towards a space of loving ourselves and embracing our true beauty. I like it here, it feels so amazing! It is not selfish for us to invest in healing and loving ourselves, EVERY.SINGLE.PART. The return on that investment will last eternally and pleases God. Nurturing the Holy Spirit inside of us that produces the fruit of love that conquers all and shows us how wonderful we are. That is the greatest love of all.

Father, we thank you for who you have created us to be. Beautiful vessels created to carry the light of your love and glory. Peacemakers, world changers, trailblazers, nurturers, and encouragers. Help us to bring those attributes inward. Help us to give ourselves the grace, love, peace, and joy that we provide to others. Allow us to fill our love tanks with a genuine love, care, and kindness. Shower us with your precious love in those moments where we are shaky in our thoughts of who we really are. Allow us to have the tenacity to seek you for our identity so that when the world seeks to steal it, we can rely on the seal of your word on our hearts. Help us to keep your affirmations in our minds and on our lips. Thank you for helping us to find this great love, cultivate this great love, and show this great love. Amen! Love you all to pieces!!