Rebirth

In my head the title of this blog should be “Acceptance” but “Rebirth” keeps replaying so that is what I am sticking to.

Wow! It’s April already. Happy Easter.
Most persons are probably reflecting on the significance of this holiday which is awesome but what is the point of reflecting if we can’t apply the lessons to our lives?

As I reflect on the life of Jesus, I realize that he accepted that he had to be crucified. I’m sure he knew that it wouldn’t be an enjoyable or comfortable scenario but he endured it because he loves us and wanted to save us from sin. How else would we know that we are loved with an everlasting love? If he didn’t die for us, would we believe it?
I also realized that if Jesus, the Son of God, who was without sin had to overcome such an agonizing death to fulfill his purpose in this life, why should I, a mere human, not do the same.

I know at some point in our life we prayed for God to deliver us from a situation that we were going through. Something that really shook our faith or even made us feel defeated. I pray especially during this time we remember God’s promise to make everything work for our good. All we need to do is wait and trust him.

Now I enjoy being able to count my blessings. I honestly can’t wait for my next blessing so that I can share how good God is. Nine months ago this was not the case but God flipped my life on an axis. My thoughts and goals have been transformed.
I was made to realize that we don’t have a lot of control over what happens in our lives and accepting this is now a comfort to me.

Catastrophic and life altering events happen everyday and we don’t always get to know why. Our job here is to love others, especially those who are in pain and be a symbol of hope for ourselves and others.

Life also becomes easier when we accept that we don’t have all the answers and trust God to be our guide.

John 16:33
 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Fueled by Faith

 Ecclesiastes 9:11
The race is not for the swift but those who can endure to the end.

“Why is it that we have to go through so much turmoil when God can snap his fingers and have our pain disappear?”, I asked God as I was watching the sunrise one morning.

Suddenly an image of a group of athletes running a marathon seem to answer me. First the athletes have to train their bodies so that it can be eligible to participate in the race. During the race the athletes practice maintaining a steady pace rather than sprinting so that they can conserve their energy and endure to the end of the race.

Just as we train our physical bodies for it to be strong, we also have to exercise our faith.
In theory it sounds awesome to say God is performing miracles for me. But we sometimes forget that in order for God perform miracles, we need to be at our weakest. We will have to endure the tests of life and be able to accept that we will be placed in a position where we are completely relying on God to make a way for us.

I would love to have God work miracles in my life so that I can have a full reservoir of faith to keep me going for the future opportunities for growth. More than anything I would love to reflect on my life and see the instances where I was completely unsure of my next step. I want to reminisce on how God showed up and showed out for me.
But I have to remember that faith is strengthened when we wait and maintained by our blessings from God.

What’s the point of going fast if you burn out and don’t even make it to the finish line?
If God just snapped his finger and made our pain go away, would we learn the lesson that the test was trying to teach us? Would we grow and figure out how to be better versions of ourselves?

I pray we try adapt this principle as we journey through life as it’s not about how fast we go but ensuring that we endure to the end.

Also remember:

James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:2-3 “² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Hebrews 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Dear God,
Thank you for reminding me to brag about my weakness as in my weakness your strength is made perfect. As I wait on your divine timing continue to give me your strength to pursue my purpose. Help me to grow from all the lessons that I learn during this season and inscribe these lesson in my being so that I can use it fuel my faith.
-Fueled by faith

Tough Love

“I’m only doing this because I love you.”

I’m sure either a parent or a loved one has said these words to you at some point in your life. I’ve never felt good while hearing these words and I can’t imagine anyone has. For me, these words were either followed by a whopping or something I considered punishment and at the time seemed very unneccesary.

Now that I am more mature and reflect on the actions of my loved ones I can see that their actions were coming from a place of love, tough love. Honestly, I’m not a fan of tough love. I would prefer a list of rules or guidelines work my way around that but sadly life doesn’t work like that.

To tap into the greatness that God has placed inside of us, we will sometimes feel like we are being stretched, pressured or even placed into the fire. This is all done in the name of love to allow us to recognize our purpose and use it. You know you’ve grown when you are grateful for tough love and that is good because that is the reason for such drastic actions.

So this week when you feel stretched remember that God is making you bigger so that you can hug your blessings.
When you feel pressured remember that this is how diamonds are formed.
When you feel like fires are going off in your life remember that this is how gold is purified.
You may not be able to see the big picture as yet but God is about to make everything work together for your good.

I pray this week is filled with unexpected blessings, miracles and breakthroughs. I hope that even prayers that you forgot about get answered and leave you in awe of God.

Jeremiah 31:3
‘The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love: I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”.’

Wakanda Forever!

I have never been to the movies alone before and no surprise that this was listed on my bucket list. This week I treated myself to the cinematic perfection, “Black Panther”. I succumbed to the hype and it was absolutely worth it.

I wish I could visit the movie theatre everyday just to witness this brilliant compilation of wit, humor, action and empowerment. This movie that is filled with cultural influences, futuristic ideas and of course comic book reference really resonates with me. It is a super hero movie after all who doesn’t love a good superhero movie?

It is obvious that a lot of research was done to create this movie as the details were extensive. What I loved the most was that even after all exploits of black in history and the war to regain the balance of power in Wakanda when King T’Challa chose to share their secret with the world it wasn’t to receive justice for all the blacks that were persecuted in the past but to make the present world a better place. If that wasn’t done from a place of love then I don’t know what love is.

If you haven’t seen the movie, believe the hype  it will totally be worth it.

Give yourself permission to be happy regardless of all the chaos that exists in the world. You deserve some peace, you deserve the love you give everyone else, you deserve a soul that is on fire and you have to be the one to give it to yourself.

Similar to spending time with God and others to have a better relationship, we also need to set appointments to treat ourselves. It is imperative that you spend time with yourself and uncover the layers of yourself that you have no idea exists.

Still…

Have you something ever happened to you that felt scared to share with someone because even replaying it in your head sounds crazy. And so you can’t fathom how another person would interpret it. Which leaves you suffering in silence and asking yourself questions about insecurities that you believed you already conquered.

Some days I feel like I’m on top of my emotions and I’m being positive despite everything not working the way I would prefer. But then there are nights where I lay in bed feeling defeated or like I’m straddling an emotional pendulum with my feet glued on either sides.

So I find myself laying in the dark and thinking
I can’t believe I’m still dealing with this…
I can’t believe I’m still in this situation
I can’t believe this still hasn’t worked out
I’ve been praying and I feel like God still hasn’t worked this out for me yet.

And then just the word “STILL” replays
STILL
STILL
STILL

God is saying, “be STILL and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Have you forgotten that I’m the one who knows tomorrow? (Hebrews 13:8)
When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen. (Isaiah 60:22)
It will all work together for your good. (Romans 8:28)

This really comforted me as the curtains close on the month of February and I have to acknowledge that I have not checked all the boxes on my to do list. There is also a melodious bellow of my grandma’s voice saying “Don’t worry, nothing happens before it’s time”.

Pray about it and forget about it. All your worries are in God’s hands and that is the best place for them to be.

Also remember:

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Psalm 30:5 “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Deuteronomy 30:3-6 “³God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered. ⁴ No matter how far away you end up, God, your God, will get you out of there ⁵ and bring you back to the land your ancestors once possessed. It will be yours again. He will give you a good life and make you more numerous than your ancestors. ⁶ God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live.” 

 

Dear God,

You have reminded me time and time again that my current situation is not my final destination and I am truly grateful. Until your promises are manifested to my human eyes I pray that you continue to hold my hands while I walk by faith. Thank you for always making your plans for my life better than mine and most of all help me to be still and know that you are God.

-Still Trusting

Thank God for silver linings

Hi, my name is Shanae and I have an obsession with rainbows. Is that a real thing? lol I doubt it but it is my absolute favourite thing to be in the presence of a rainbow. I know that we must endure the rain but the sight of a beautiful rainbow makes the rain worth it for me.

Thinking of the rainbow made me realize that life is filled with silver linings:

We may find ourselves immersed in water but it can teach us how to be great swimmers.

We may be experiencing unfavourable circumstances but it will teach us to be grateful.

We may have to endure challenging circumstances but it will teach us how to be strong.

We may have to wait to see the fruits of our labour but it will teach us to be hopeful.

The good news is whatever is happening right now will not last forever. Continue to cast your burdens on God and look forward to the better days.

When it’s raining, look for rainbows. When it’s dark, look for stars. There is always a silver lining.

 

Romans 8:28

“And we know that all things God works for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

 

I hope we set aside some time to reflect on our set backs, our misfortunes, our undesirable circumstances and realize that they too served a purpose. If you can’t see the purpose for it as yet, I hope you share it and how you have grown because of it with someone. It may as well be a good lesson for someone else.

Please stop doubting me

Everything will happen in God’s timing, not mine

This past week I felt so heavy. I felt torn between the weight of the questions clouding my mind and the readiness of my heart to soar. No matter how hard I tried to fight the funk, it was victorious. There was zero inspiration on what to share in my blog and regardless of how much I prayed, I blanked every time I sat in front the computer.

Being the optimist that I am, I decided that at some point during the week something would come to me and again… There was nothing!

On Friday night I prayed about it again, this time I was desperate. I could feel the frustration in my spirit. I felt like everything was changing but my situation was still the same. And so I prayed because the only other option was to have a pity party, which is the gateway emotion to my depression, and I am refusing to ride that train anymore.

And then the answer came to me. “Why do you doubt me? I promise I will remove everything that is weighing you down and I will restore all that you have lost. I will also do a new thing in you which is exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or imagine. Just continue to trust me.”

Do we doubt God when we are frustrated? Do we forget that God has a plan for our life? Do we forget the promises of God and that he said everything will work together for our good?

I know we can’t always see all that God is changing in our lives and I know sometimes we call out during our desperation and because we expect the answer right away, in our impatience we miss his answer. I pray that we learn to trust God’s silence and remember that he is always making a way for you. Everything will happen in God’s time, not ours.

I pray that you ask God for wisdom and that he shows you the bigger picture so that when trials come, you may use it to strengthen your faith.

Also remember:

Isaiah 60:22 “… When the time is right, I, the Lord, will come quickly. I will make these things happen.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Isaiah 61:3 “Those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant’.”

Dear God,

You are more faithful than I deserve. Even though in my impatience I doubted you, you comforted me. Please forgive me for my doubts and frustration. Thank you for replenishing my faith and reminding me that everything will work together for my good.  Help me to continue to trust you as I wait on your timing as only you can make everything beautiful.

 

What is stopping you?

 

I have never been spontaneous. Actually, if I were to describe myself I would definitely use the term “avid overthinker” lol. I would replay the possible scenario in my head a million times before deciding not to participate in whatever it was that I wanted to experience in the first place.

Why do we do that? Overthink? Worry? Doubt ourselves? Has it solved any of the issues that you were having? In my experience it only made whatever situation I was going through worse because I have caused myself to panic several times over scenarios that only took place in my head.

I applaud my brain for the creative thoughts but now I have decided to take control and steer my thoughts in a positive direction. I have made a check list to help me keep on track.

Check List

1. Pray

I’m taking a moment to dedicate all my plans to God. I pray he goes before me and make my crooked paths straight.

2. Chin Up

Classic case of fake it ’til I make it. I understand that my current situation is not my final destination and so I will keep my head and my hopes up.

3. Back Straight

What is the point of walking around looking defeated? Didn’t you hear that God already got the victory? Pray about whatever it is that is bothering you and allow God to take care of it for you.

4. Take a deep breath

Did you know deep breaths aid in the reduction of stress and promotes better blood flow? Now, go ahead. Take a deep breath!

5. Exhale 

Release those fears you have been holding on to. Release that negative energy. Release everything that weighs down your soul.

6. Smile

Be happy. This is the start of something new and in my opinion, everything is easier when you are happy.

7. Take the first step in faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” No one knows what tomorrow may bring. You have already dedicated your plans to God, now trust that he will make everything work together for your good.

8. Walk with confidence

Hebrews 13:5 “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God is always with you there is no need to be afraid.

9. Be Bold, Be confident and Stop doubting yourself

There will be moments that you may be unsure of yourself…

There will be trials, detours and even road blocks…

Keep going anyway! God will always make a way for you.

10. Live your truth with purpose, unapologetically.

Your soul is rooting for you and so am I 🙂

 

I pray this helps us both to break up with our comfort zone and experience more of the joys of life that exist outside our zone of familiarity.

My happy place

What is your happy place? Where do you go when you want to disconnect from this fast paced life that is easily recognized as normal? Is there someone in your life that you can sit with and just talk about life, philosophies, beliefs or even some weird joke that had been on your mind all week? What is it that you do to ground yourself after a long week of sharing your talents and your time with your job and your family?

I gravitate towards persons that are hilarious and those that are happy mostly because I believe that laughing is my talent and I wish to laugh as often as possible. Spending time with my friends allow me to unwind and enjoy that “throw your head back” laugh. Is it weird to enjoy the sound of your own laughter? Well, I hope not because I enjoy this expression of joy.

This week my friends and I treated ourselves to some quality time as we explored the terrains of Portland, Jamaica where we breathed the air of peace and simplicity. The quiet Sunday afternoon was spent laughing our hearts out as well as sharing our beliefs on love, family, dreams and watching the faint sunset that was too overcast for our liking. I truly believe I have the most awesome friends  and I hope they know how grateful I am to have them in my life.

In Genesis 2:18 the Lord said that it was not good for man to be alone and I am choosing to believe that in the context of having great friends and spending time with them. Similar to spending time with God and others to have a better relationship, we also need to set apart time to treat ourselves. Whether it is going for a drive or having a quick hang out, call up your friends and schedule some bonding time.

Give yourself permission to be happy regardless of all the chaos that exists in the world. You deserve some peace, you deserve the love you give everyone else, you deserve a soul that is on fire and you have to be the one to give it to yourself.

Proverbs 17:22

“A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bone.”

Fitting my wings

I am giving you your confidence back!

What is it that you have been battling lately? What is that one thought that dominates your mind as soon as you awake from your slumber? The thought that plagues me is “When will I regain financial freedom?” It is on my mind if I wake up at 2 am or 11 am. I have prayed about it, cried about it and when it was possible I complete ignored the thought.

Although I would love to have this form of security, I know it is not needed to make me happy. I have found happiness in the promises of God. I have decided to be happy regardless so now when the thought creeps into my mind I whisper “Thank you God for already taking care of my finances”. I know that when the time is right God will replenish all that I have lost and that is where I find comfort.

Whatever it is that you have been struggling with I just wanted you to know that God created this need for a reason and this season will pass.  It will become easier as soon as we stop stressing over it and accept the peace that God is trying to give us. He has promised that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, it may hurt now but God has already prepared a way out for you.

I remember praying about issues that I was having and then I would sit in silence and try to figure out a solution for the same issue that I claimed to have given to God in faith. My new routine now after I have prayed in faith is to wait in faith for the answers to my prayers to manifest.

I know stepping outside your comfort zone has depleted you of your courage, your strength and self confidence. I know you have never trod these paths before. I know you may be unsure of  where to start or how. I know waiting on God and fully trusting him to take control of your life is not easy especially when you feel like he is not hearing or answering your prayers.

Whenever doubts or fear starts to creep in I hope you find comfort in Deutoronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you: he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Also remember:

Isaiah 43:18-19 “¹⁸Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. ¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Phil 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.”

Dear God,

Thank you for your promises and for always being faithful. I am grateful that I can trust in you especially when fear tries to cripple my hope. Thank you for always providing a solution for whatever trials I may face. Help me to continue to trust your timing and to find comfort outside of my comfort zone. I pray that as I continue to develop my confidence that I never forget that you are in charge.

-Fitting my wings