Time Flies When You're Having Fun ..

Wow, can y’all believe the “most wonderful time of the year” - Christmas - has passed! It's the end of the year; how did we get here already?? 2014 just began! 

Maybe it went so fast because it was SO good. 2014 was certainly good to me! I’ve traveled a bit, grown in faith, made new bonds, and made bonds that I already had stronger! Best of all I’ve got to watch my 2 1/2 year old (WOW!) grow! And y’all I can’t even believe how much he has grown. Not only is he tall as can be, but he is also talking (a little too much), and so so sooo smart! It amazes me (and yes, saddens me a little) to see how much he grows and develops each day! 

Well, today I would like to share with you a wonderful sermon we had  in church last Sunday. I go to a church called 12 stone, and the sermon began with the explanation of where we got our name from. The name came from the story told in Joshua where the Lord dried up the Jordan River, like he had done before to the Red Sea, so that the Israelites could cross. When everyone had crossed The Lord told Joshua to select 12 men to go back into the middle of the Jordan River to pick up one stone each., carry them over and place the 12 stones where they were staying that night.

Joshua 4:24

"He did this so that all the peoples of the Earth might know that the hand of t he Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

Our pastor went on to talk about two things we should do in our lives: 

1. Celebrate how far God has brought you. 

People seem to never be content in their present. How many times have you heard someone say “life was great back when…” or “life will be great when…”. For example, when I was in college, I often found myself saying “life will be great when I graduate” and then it was “life will be great when I get a big girl job..”. Why was I not saying “life is great NOW!” or “life is great because God has helped me reached a major goal of mine”! The main point I got from this is that I shouldn’t be stuck in my future or past, and I should celebrate my present! We live in a culture that tends to make one feel like they need more. We focus on "what's next?" or what the other person is doing, and how they are living. Focus on yourself and where you are now and be content! Plan for your future and take the needed steps to get to where you want to be, but everyone has their own story! Even if you are not where you want to be yet, you are also not where you used to be! 

2. Anticipate where God is leading you.

As I just stated, you should be content in your present, but you should also plan for your future! Before you of you do something think about how it will effect your future. Where do you feel like the Lord is leading you? Do you feel like you are supposed to work with children. Then take thought in your daily choices. You wouldn’t want to do anything that could hinder you from doing what you are chosen to do. Before you do something think “are you living as if God is finished with you?’. Know that God is not finished working on you. Your prime time was NOT back in high school when you were valedictorian and had a great body- God is still working! Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

I urge y'all to remember that God is faithful as David did in Psalm 40: 1-3. In these verses David is celebrating how far God has brought him! We should all take note from David and celebrate where we are now, how far we've come, and remember that God is faithful and will continue to work on us and mold us into the people we are destined to be as long as we trust in Him. So, I would like to end this post not telling you what I wish to accomplish in 2015, but instead telling you a few things I would like to celebrate from 2014!

I would like to celebrate: 

My growth in faith 

My growth in patience

My growth as a woman

My growth in being a mother

My growth in family

My growth in different relationships 

My growth in mind

My sons growth and development 

My sons health

The good Lord helping me obtain my degree 

AND

The Lord providing me with my jobs and a way to support myself and my family!!! 

I may not be where I want to be yet, but I am definitely not where I used to be!! 2014 you were good to me!!! 

Happy New Years!!! 

Finding Pleasure in Weakness

It’s been awhile I know… I find that I really want to keep up with my blog, but I have a very hard time doing this Being a mother and working full time (and more) makes it challenging to find the extra time. I’m a libra though so I should be able to find that balance.. it’s just taking me awhile. 

A lot has happened since my last post, in August (wow!). Mainly, I started working full time again. I am still working as a nurse aid which is not what I ultimately want to do, but I’ve got time and I am still working on achieving my bigger goals. I turned 24 on the 4th of this month! I’m getting pretty old .. but it feels good (: ! And I have had a lot of different revelations that have caused me to have a new found peace. I am very happy about where I am in my spirit right now, but more to come on that later. 

I wanted to take a moment to talk about our weaknesses. We all have them and wish that we did not. Whether your weakness is that you gossip too much, eat too much, envy others, whatever it is we have them, and NO ONE likes to feel weak hunny. However, do not be discouraged in your weaknesses - know that God is at work when you are confronted with a weakness. “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning’s that cannot be expressed in words. (NLT) Romans 8:26. 

When you realize a weakness, do not be discouraged just pray. Pray even if you do not know how or what exactly to pray for, the Holy Spirit will guide you. Lately, I have realized several weaknesses of my own. I’m only human, and I will never claim to be perfect, and y’all… I have a lot of weaknesses, but I am OK with that. I have been praying for God to work these weaknesses out, and oh have I seen him working! 

For example, I am very stuck in my ways and when I have made up my mind about something, I don’t care what anyone has to say- I shut them out and shut down. Now, being a mother there are many cons in having this particular trait. Especially because they’re TWO people involved in parenting. So recently, my son’s father’s grandfather passed away. A lot of Jesaad’s (Isaiah’s dad) family have not gotten a chance to meet Isaiah yet. Long story short he asked me if Isaiah could go up to Missouri with him. Now my first reaction was “oh, heck NO!”. I could not imagine my son being away from me in another state for that long. Now, I work all weekend long and would not get to spend that much time with Isaiah, but at least I would know where he was at and I would get to see him as soon I got off work. 

Now this was pretty selfish of me. I initially didn’t even stop to think about what Jesaad was saying to me or take time to pray and think about it. I didn't stop to consider Jesaad's feelings, and how inadequate I was making him feel as a father. A day after Jesaad made the request, I actually did take some time to pray about it. Well y’all I felt like I heard God say “let him go”. Well… I was like “are you sure God?” hahaha. Anyway, I had this tugging feeling that I needed to let Isaiah go with his father. So, even though I would have rather let him stay with me, I let him go, but not before I had a VERY long talk with Jesaad. Though I miss him terribly, I speak to him every chance I get, and he sounds so good, and so happy, and his father is happy to have him with him and all of that makes me HAPPY. 

I share this story because one of my weaknesses is stubbornness, and if I had not prayed to God, Isaiah would not have gone on that trip. I was set on not letting him go. God told me to let him go and helped me with my stubbornness in that situation. Now, I’m still pretty stubborn but he is working on me. 

When you’re confronted with one of your weaknesses, I challenge you all to take some time and pray about it. Don’t get frustrated, get excited! Know that God is trying to get your attention! You will be amazed in the ways you see God work on you. <3

Until next time! 

Reflecting

I was so happy about not working this Sunday because I got to go to church with my son! we haven't been since mid December, but me losing my job (long story) has been a blessing in disguise because I get to attend church again on Sunday, and wherever I am relocated, I will inform them that I do not want to irk Sundays.

Anyway, it was an amazing feeling to be back with my church family. My pastor, Pastor Baker, sermon was on point (as usual)! & I realized how much I need to be in church on Sundays. 

Well after I got home from church and put my son down for a nap the sermon was still in my head. He preached about something one of my best friends has been blogging about this past month, people bondage. I love this topic because I feel like we all fall victim to people bondage. So, I pulled out my study bible and dug deeper into the passages that he preached on (Genesis 1:26-31).

And long behold, my study bible just reinforced the things my pastor was saying, and things that I need hear.

Genesis 1:31 "Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good" 

This verse especially has stuck out with me today. Sometimes, I have those days where I think to myself thoughts like "if only I didn't have this flaw" or "if I could only do this" BUT when God made me he thought "I was very good" ! God makes no mistakes. He made me exactly how he wanted me, and I have a purpose! 

Oh how good is God! My worth is not based off of my achievements, my possessions, my physical attractiveness, etc. Criticizing myself is downgrading what God has made!! 

I am God's creation, and he is SO pleased with how he made me 

-for he looked at me and thought I was VERY good. 

He looked at us all and thought that we were very good. We have purpose and our maker is pleased with us! Why in the world would we be so caught up with people pleasing and people bondage when our God is already pleased with us?! All he asks of us is to act in a way that reflects him- reflects his love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness!! 

This is why I cannot work Sunday's y'all! I needed this! 

Anyway, I just felt like I had to share this message that I received today. Hope someone reads this and realizes just how GOOD they are! 

Goodnight.

Catching Up..

Blog Challenge Day 9: Last Purchased Item

Ohh! I'm excited about this one!

This is my last purchased item! A Life Application Study Bible! I am so excited to receive it and continue my journey in learning Christ! I already have a study Bible for new and single mommy's that I absolutely love, but I have heard such great things about this Bible, & I cannot wait to receive it and experience it firsthand!

Blog Challenge Day 10: Favorite Place to Eat

Ru Sans is one of my favorite places to eat! I have a few other, but I choose this one because I love sushi and its so affordable! Love it (:

Blog Challenge Day 11: 10 Pet Peeves

1. Waking me out of my sleep for no reason.
2. Trying to have a full conversation with me when I first wake up.
3. Lying to me.
4. Trying to tell me what to do.
5. When it takes you forever to say something.
6. Hinting something, but then saying never mind.
7. Trying to hard for attention.
8. Having an excuse for everything.
9. When someone acts like they know more about my life than I do.
10. & LASTLY, When people talk about me with my son, but refer to me as "Kesi" so then he spends hours calling me Kesi instead of mommy . -___-

One more post to come later on today, but that's all for now.