New Year God's Promises Board

We have come to the end of 2012! Woot Woot!

I am sure all of you are familiar with a vision board. Its board of pictures and goals you want to accomplish in a given year; it is a fun reminder to stay focused. I have made them in the past, but as I grow in faith my boards don’t quite seem like enough. Instead of asking God to bless my agenda, I needed to ask him to reveal his purpose for my life.

So this year I made a God’s Promises Board. I made a list of all the things I wanted improve upon and all the ways I saw myself fulfilling God’s purpose. Once I wrote down my affirming statement I wrote a scripture underneath that confirms that statement. I hung it on my bathroom door so that every morning I can read is OUT LOUD the affirmation and the promise. I stress the out loud reading of God’s word because that is when change happens! Excerpt from my board:

 My statement: I am pure love; people's lives are changed just by the evidence of God in my life

Confirmation: “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35)

My Statement: God hears my prayers and he knows me

Confirmation: “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Mathew 10:31)

To me this is a daily reminder that aligns my purpose with God’s will. I think it’s a perfect way to start off the New Year and to stay on track for what I am really striving for.

So this year create a God’s Promises Board, Happy New Year!

My Enemy = The Inner Me

 

The biggest enemy is not your haters, your naysayers or your rivals it is the enemy living within you. Yes! I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. In our ego driven society we are so used to striking a pose and flaunting our attractiveness all over social media that we build this false sense of self-confidence. Yes, we think we look great but do we truly love ourselves or know our worth? As someone who has battled with my own self-worth, I know that there is lingering self-doubt that is not fixed by being an instagram model. Some of the worse things that are said about us are not even from the people that “hate” us but it comes from within.

I have talked myself in and out of reaching goals. I have doubted my talents on so many occasions, that I can’t even count. I have told myself that I was not ready, not smart enough, not thin enough and not experienced enough. I have said things to myself that I would KILL the next person for saying to my face. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why do we beat ourselves down? I believe that we are this way because instead of focusing on God, our own lives and dreams we focus on the world around us. We are focused on celebrities who have more success, money and resources than we do. We focus on friends and acquaintances that appear to have more than we have. Through various media outlets we are always up to date on the latest that is happening in someone else’s life. Media outlets are not even giving us an accurate representation of the people we follow, because it doesn’t show the hurt, hardships and trials that are faced on a daily basis. Mentally we begin to view our own lives through these false lenses of perfection and berate ourselves, talk down to ourselves and stop ourselves from being who we are meant to be.

STOP. YOU ARE AMAZING! Stop letting that inner voice inside keep you from fulfilling your purpose. Sometime I just need to step away from observing everyone else’s life and observe my own. The word of God says we are beautifully and wonderfully made; with a pre-destined purpose (psalm 139:13-17). So if God thinks so highly of us why do we think so lowly of ourselves? This is a constant battle for me. Daily I have to pray for focus and strength but it is possible to truly be delivered from self loathe. I know for a fact.

Take your eyes off the world around you and fix them on God. Fix them on finding your purpose and making your life an inspiration for others to follow. Our time on earth is so limited; so spend it loving who you truly are and speaking life to yourself.

Do you battle with your “inner-me”? What are some of the negative thoughts you have conquered? What do you believe is the reason we are so hard on ourselves? What is your advice to someone struggling with this? Share your thoughts and comments. 

مكتوب Your Life Is Written

مكتوب Maktub: Arabric phrase meaning it is written 

A while ago a friend put me on to the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it has forever changed my life. The book was a boy’s journey to finding his treasure and realizing his personal legend. The boy maps out his precise journey to his treasure, but his life takes several different detours until he finally reaches his destination.

This book combined with my spiritual work, praying, mediating and reading the bible gave me an epiphany the other day. Every day I wake up and pray to God to get me closer to my dream however, I realized that God has already given me my dream. The universe has already conspired so that it has given exactly me what I want. I just have to get there. You’re probably thinking “I have already heard this,” but I finally GOT IT.  All the praying, pleading and crying out are pointless.  My dream is written and is waiting for me to get there. 

It all seems so simple, as if success in life is only a stone’s throw away. The problem is navigating the detours (like when GPS says recalculating route). These are the times when we don’t trust our intuition, the times we procrastinate, the times we follow the crowd and the times we don’t listen to what God is trying to tell us. Yes, detours prepare us however, if we allow it detours can also last a lifetime. In the book the boy faced many of these detours which included financial hardship, staying behind for love and getting too comfortable in a position that wasn't his dream. 

It is written. There is a plan for our lives. Big or small, by the nature of us existing at this very moment we are contributing to our personal legend; that greater purpose which may be bigger than our lifetime but will be realized. It is a matter of if we will be the one to help realize this greater purpose. Can we quite our lives down enough to listen to what God is trying to tell us? Listen to that deeper voice within that tells us to go to that place, send that email, pick up that phone, meet that person or just have self control.

I am tired of the detours. I am tired of falling out of the will of Greatness. It has already been written. There is no need to stress, worry or pray for the things that I want because the moment I understood my purpose all those things were waiting for me.

They are waiting for you too. What is your dream? What is your purpose? Do you feel this will help you to simplify your journey? Share your thoughts and Comments.