You Can Pull Through

Have you ever been embarrassed by things going on in your life beyond your control?  Have you ever hit what seems like rock bottom? Have you ever been depressed or angry at the world for your circumstances? At some point in my life, I’ve answered yes to each of these questions.  There have been times I’ve cried out asking “Why Me?”  “What did I do to deserve this?”   “How will I ever come out of this?”

Yesterday, my friend sent me a text saying I should thank God every day for the loyalty and faithfulness I’ve been blessed with.  Then, this morning as I was reading my morning word, I read a scripture and all I could do was smile.  I smiled because I can clearly see that scripture unfolding in my life.  Maybe, if I wouldn’t have gotten that text from my friend, I would have missed a sign from God letting me know he has my best interest at heart and every bad thing is in the process of being corrected.  So, if you are in a difficult, embarrassing or painful situation, I want you to find comfort in the following scripture:  

Isaiah 61:7 - Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

Now to answer the questions that bog our minds at many times:

"Why me?" - No one is exempt; sometimes we need reminders of this. And whom better than a child of God?  God does not allow us to travel a road he can’t guide us on. You have to believe in yourself as God believes in you. You have to remember you may simply be reaping what you’ve sown.  But, it’s never too late to change soil.

“What did I do to deserve this?” - God does NOT put us through difficult times, he ALLOWS us to go through them to see if our test will become a testimony for his glory or a reason for us to stop believing and trusting in his word.  

“How will I ever come out of this?” - Don’t give up! Don’t give in! And NEVER let them see you sweat…unless you’re working out!  Believe in God, Trust in his Word and STOP questioning your circumstances.  You MUST have Faith that you’ll pull through.

Remember, deliverance from most situations is not instant.  In order to accomplish anything in life it takes a plan, time, preparation and execution! With God each are possible to accomplish! You have to Believe it and Speak it, to Receive it!


Today my voices are REJOICING… Rejoicing for the favor that God will make evident in my life! Rejoicing for my obedience that allowed a message from him to be revealed to me! Rejoicing for the everlasting joy that will be mine!

Until Next Time...

What the Hell Am I Doing To Myself?!?!

I just celebrated my 36th Birthday a week ago.  Throughout my life I have learn many lessons, some voluntary...some involuntary. Those of you that know me personally, know that most times I can be honest to a fault.  I speak my truth the way I see it and I don't really care how it’s received most times.  I’m honest and verbal about my feelings toward people and situations. Often I say things and never think twice about it...once it’s spoken I forget about it.  But for some reason that didn't work today.  I had a conversation with my parents that kept playing in my mind and as I evaluated our conversation and my responses it dawned on me “What the Hell am I doing to myself?!?!?!”  I realized the extent of the amount of resentment I held inside of me...knowingly and I was appalled. See, I was aware and chose to hold on to the resentment and all the pain of my past. In some sad way I felt it was justified and needed to make me strong. Then I started thinking:

How does holding on to the pain really help my life?
Is the anger causing me to miss a blessing?
Is my need for justification in this life greater than my need of God’s Mercy?
How do I benefit from being unforgiving?
After all of these unanswered questions, many tears and lots of prayers I decided to go to church.  I did NOT leave the same way I walked in... I visited a church today called Victorious Life and that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now!  Every question I had was answered and confirmation was given.

The anger, resentment and unforgiveness WAS holding me back because my heart wasn’t fully clean. I had specks of dirt that may have started off as dust that I allowed to continuously build up and form something deep rooted in my soul. I learned at church today that if you don’t put an end to evil things when you see them forming you give them the power to multiply and strengthen. But what the devil didn’t count on is I also learned how to open myself up and give it all to Jesus. I prayed and asked the Lord to forgive me for my wrongdoings, my mistakes and my bad thoughts.  I also prayed FOR people who have done me wrong by name...TAKE NOTE I SAID PRAYED FOR NOT ON! There’s a big difference. I prayed that they be Blessed, Happy and Prosperous...something I NEVER thought I would pray for someone that I feel caused me so much pain.  But guess what...I walked out of church feeling so light I think I was floating!

You see, the last month has been spent praying more than usual seeking answers, peace and resolution, but I kept coming up empty or so I thought. While I was busy being discouraged, God was working behind the scenes making sure that when he answered my prayers I would hear him loud and clear!

Today my voices are speaking words of Thankfulness. My words and thoughts are free from regret, anger and hatred. I have handed it all to God and together we will uproot the negativity I allowed to be planted within me. I can now look forward to my life and enjoy the many blessings that God wants to bestow upon me that I was blocking with my stubbornness.


2 Corinthians 10:3-4  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds

Until Next Time...  

Deployment Distractions

Are you a housewife, armywife or do you have a lot of time on your hands? If so, maybe it's time to take charge and do something productive.

Recently I re-married, not long after getting married my husband was deployed to Korea.  In preparation for moving to his next duty station I stopped working. Since then I've found myself idle...I've always been taught that an idle mind is the devil's workshop, so after a lot of brainstorming and even more praying, I've decided to start a venture that can combine my love for writing and DIY projects. It's what I like to call "Deployment Distractions".

Whether your husband is deployed, your kids are at school or you're simply unproductive for no reason at all, staying occupied in a positive way is very important. Take time to think about your strengths, dreams and aspirations and form a plan to capitalize on it.  Having something to work towards gives life a little more pizazz...and who doesn't need more of that in their life?!

All of you who follow me know that this blog is my baby and it's where I come to peel the layers and release my inner voice.  So in addition to inspiring blogs about life, love, heartbreak, healing and fitness I am now ready to add my DIYs.  Who knows...I may even add some of my husband's writings for an added bonus.  His poems are amazing!

Until Next Time...

FitBit

Hi guys,

It has been a month since I started my 10,000 steps a day challenge.  My eating habits have not been the best BUT they have not been bad either.  Over the last month I've averaged about 9,000 steps a day...only because I'm typically very lazy on the weekends. Since beginning the challenge my friends have joined and the competitive nature of everyone is making getting the steps more fun. 

Start Weight:         147.9   March 16, 2015

Current Weight:    142.9   April 20, 2015

Pounds to go:        17.9

Short-Term Goal:  Start incorporating healthier eating habits and reduce caffeine intake

What are some of your goals? 

If you have a FitBit add me as one of your friends and “LET’S GET TO STEPPING!”  My email address is nthomas13@gmail.com.  I will keep you posted on my progress.

Until Next Time...

10,000 Steps

It’s almost spring ….do you know what that means?  Yep, time to prep for the summer!! One thing I have always struggled with is my weight.  I’ve tried everything…crash diets, juicing, green smoothies, not eating, exercising (periodically) LOL.  I have always wanted the results without giving the dedication needed to obtain them, which leads to my current dilemma (my weight gain). I’m always up for a good challenge…which leads me to my new self-assessment and research.  It is time to make a change and I’m willing to try multiple things until I find what works best for me. My next trial run is setting a goal to incorporate 10,000 steps a day in my daily routine.

10,000 steps is equivalent to 5 miles. I want to accomplish this goal at all cost so my plan is to use my 15 minute breaks to walk and I also plan to march in place while brushing my teeth or cooking if it’s going to help me reach my goal LOL! I purchased a new toy to help track my steps, activity level and sleeping habits. 

If you have a FitBit add me as one of your friends and “LET’S GET TO STEPPING!”  My email address is nthomas13@gmail.com.  I will keep you posted on my progress.

Start Weight:      147.9

Goal Weight:      125

Pounds to go:      22.9 lbs

Short-term goal:  Take 10,000 Steps A Day

Long-term goal:  Create a lifestyle change that will result in a healthier body inside and out

Until Next Time...

It's a Process!

Are you doubting your decision, are you wondering if you tried everything there is to try? Are you afraid that you are giving up on them and they have finally figured out what they had in you and they are ready to do right? Are you considering giving it another shot because you don’t want someone else to benefit from all of your hard work and tears? Are you worried that someone else will come along and they will treat them the way you always wanted to be treated?

If you are and they haven’t given you any reason to doubt your decision… GET OVER IT! If your only reason for questioning letting go is out of your own fear of the unknown LET IT GO! Let's keep it real, If that person has any decency, chances are someone WILL  benefit from your hard work, but it wasn’t in God’s plan for that person to be you.  You have to accept that  there’s nothing you can do to change that!  One thing I believe with all my heart is “Circumstances should NOT affect your loyalty if your goal never changes”.  If someone’s goal is to love, protect, cherish and provide for you nothing should be able to change that.. no temptation, no trial and no obstacle.  So keep in mind that both parties may have been working towards different goals.

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but guess what? There is no quick fix! You will not go to sleep one night, pray for healing and wake up the next morning okay. But, overtime, if you continue to pray and stand firm in your decision, gradually things will get easier.  One thing you must do is ALLOW THE PAIN! Only mask it in public, everyone that shows concern doesn't have your best interest at heart.  Go through the anger, the regret, the crying, the depression, JUST DON’T GO BACK to the person that caused the pain and don’t allow them to hold you back from your future. 

“Every day in life is a test, it’s up to us if it becomes a testimony!”

"Stand Firm, Make a Strong Move & Keep It Moving With Pride"

Close the Door

It’s been over for what seems like a while to you, so you think that you’re finally in a place to have a conversation with your ex. Yall talk and they give their side of the story and your shocked, appalled, angry, hurt, confused or all of the above.  Now you feel the need to not only want to explain your point of view but also wanting to defend yourself against their allegations. Once this is done your usually left crying, feeling like the breakup just happened and your back to square one.

DO NOT DO THIS! THE CONVERSATION WILL ONLY CHANGE YOUR MENTAL STATE!

Some of the main quarrels in life are because of people's inabilities to understand others, stubbornness to only understand themselves and their refusal to compromise or show compassion for others. I feel that so many of life's hang ups can be freed by simply learning to agree to disagree, without holding a grudge.

The top characteristic that forms a person’s view on different situations is the experiences in life that they have encountered. The events in everyone's life is different, therefore it is most likely that each perspective will also be different. We as people need to keep in mind that when looking out of life's window, the view we see will be based on our PERSONAL trials, triumphs and failures.

People who do NOT share your perspective on life will not see the same view you see when looking out of life's window. Each window has a different view!

A Thief does NOT share the view of a Noble Man.

A Hustler can NOT comprehend the strict budget of a Hard Working Man, just as a Millionaire can not fathom the struggles of Ordinary People.

A Mistress could NEVER understand the perspective of a Wife.

A Fornicator can NOT grasp the abstinence of a Priest, no more than a Sinner can comprehend the walk of a person that fears God.

Face it, if yall shared the same point of views, honored the same values and feared the same God, things would have turned out differently.  You will not get all the answers to your questions. All the explaining in the world will not smooth things out. You are only hurting yourself by going back trying to understand and explain.

STOP TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THEM! STOP TRYING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF! ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO LEARN IS ACCEPTANCE! ACCEPT WHAT IS AND REALIZE THAT CLOSURE DOES NOT EXIST IN THE FORM THAT MOST PEOPLE THINK IT DOES.  YOU PROVIDE YOUR OWN CLOSURE BY CLOSING THE DOOR TO YOUR PAST!