Who Told You That?

That is one of my favorite sermons of all times.  There was a pastor from Denver, Colorado that I heard one time and his sermon was titled “Who told you that”.  Take it back to when God was talking to Adam after he and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit.  When God asked Adam where he was Adam said I hid because we are naked.  God asked him “who told you that?”

I loved asking people who told you that because it gives them time to think about their answer.  We make most moves in our lives based on what we believe about ourselves and the perceptions that we have come from somewhere.  How we love ourselves is reflected in our lives decisions and in most things in my life I like to think about why I do what I do.

“Who told you that” friendships where you feel like you are being used and you choose to stay in them were ok?

“Who told you that” you don’t have to set boundaries and let people disrespect your time, money and talents?

“Who told you that” it matters what others have to say about you?

We can make up a long list of “who told you that’s” that will cause you to think an that’s a great thing.

I have learned that at the end of the day the only voice that has to sit well with me is God’s and the same goes for you.  Will it rub some people the wrong way?  Absolutely, but always remember that no one has to answer to God for your life but YOU.

Surround yourself with others that can respect your boundaries (FYI, there will be very few) but will also challenge you to grow.  Speak life into those people and allow them to do the same for you.  God blesses us through relationships with others, so be open to that.

Lean on those that you know are truly rooting for you when it gets hard (oh trust me it will).  Hold on to what you know you are meant to do with all of your heart and by all means don’t give up.  Someone is waiting for your testimony to make it through!!!!

I Can’t Stop!

Let me start out by saying hello and that I am scared!  Launching my own website, writing my first book, vlogging, and blogging about things that matter to myself and those around me is scary!  We live in a society today where everything that you do is put out on social media and there are so many people that have access to your life.  Sure, you can control it the best of your ability, but once something is put out there, it leaves a lot of room for others to judge.

I had to take some time alone and really pray about doing all of this because while I love my career path, I am not one to put my life on display the way that I did with my book. So, welcome to my new chapter.

I have made the decision to acknowledge my fears but move in spite of them.  I am also coming to realize the strength of my testimony and how much it helps, others.   For so long, I thought that I had a few loose screws because of how I kept going on in life believing that it will all come together.

Have you ever had something on the inside of you that was unaware of how things were going to turn out but you wanted to stick around as long as you could anyway?  That has always been me.  As I have grown older I am realizing that I am a player in the game and have more power to see a positive outcome than I think.

It’s all about perspective and faith.  The way that we have seen things in our pasts play out can paralyze us.  The failed attempts and hurts of a loved one can make us say “forget that, I would rather not try”.  I say NO MORE! for my life.  While I want to learn from the mistakes of others, I will not allow fear to stop me anymore.   The way to overcome it is to stare fear in the face and that’s what this is doing.  So while I am scared…..I won’t stop.  Neither should you.

We all have a story to tell and we all have different ways of telling it.  Find your way and tell your story.  There is someone that needs to hear how you made it.  They need to know how you fought to get out and how you are moving to help free others.

When we make it out, it would be a tragedy for us to move ahead without pulling out another brother or sister.  What you go through is never just for you!