2025 is Among Us

 Dear Readers,

You hear me say it every year… “I am going to do better”. Well, I have too many accountability partners to fail this year!

If you are new to this blog, welcome! If you are a faithful reader, thank you for being with me through the journey. Disclaimer, this is an imperfect blog. Yep, I have grammatical errors, properly misspelled words, and some thoughts that may seem unGODly. But what’s the trend…”WE Listen (read) and DON’T Judge”! (LOL)

Ok, now that the preliminaries are out way let’s talk about this year of 2025. So, I want to first say that this is going to be a year of “mind your business and drink your water”. If you didn’t know, now you do. This is a year of true focus not from a selfish standpoint, but one from where is GOD calling you. I think a lot of times we are minding our business, without action, without purpose, and without listening. We find ourselves so caught up in what we should be doing based on our own will that we forget about the will of GOD. Been there and done that so many times, I should be tired, but unfortunately, I find myself going back into the cycle.

 This year we will learn. We will take from the years past and apply the lessons, not the responses. We will do the uncomfortable things, with boldness, with grace, with joy, sometimes with tears in our eyes, and hesitation in our hearts. We will do the obedient things, trusting the plan and process of GOD. I am calling this year, the year of #outthebox. We will not do what we feel like we should be doing, or what fits the agenda of who we see ourselves to be. We will do things that make us grow with frustration, yet it births patience and peace. We will sow seeds of faith in the midst of doubt. We will meditate on joy in the midst of grief. I know these all sound like contradictions, but they aren’t. They are moments of training and reality. The reality is you will have doubt when you don’t know the outcome of the situation. You will grieve the feeling of no and rejection while finding joy in getting a bigger blessing. I mean who wants to let go of something that makes them feel good, to gain access to something they barely know if it will work. 2025 is about to be the year of “GOD you said you would, so I will too.” Listen, and read this out loud, IT WILL WORK if I COMPLETE MY PART. 

You praying to GOD to do something when maybe GOD is waiting on you to move something, do something, sit somewhere, and be still. “Faith without works”, is not about the action of faith, it’s about the obedience of your stillness sometimes. You think the work is action when the work could be surrender. As a matter of fact, the work is ALWAYS the action of surrender. GOD can’t get you what you need and ask for if you are filled and full of what you want, and won’t let go of it. You asking for healing when GOD needs your action of forgiveness. You can’t ask for wealth when you not sowing something… Maybe you are not at the place where your faith will allow you to sow 10%, but sowing something is better than sowing nothing. Let’s move beyond that maybe you struggle to say no, so GOD can trust you with his yes. The list can go on and on, but the point is you have to let GO of something to gain access to what you want to possess. 

In 2025 do me and yourself a favor, make room, let go, trust GOD, build community, sit still, become uncomfortable, surrender even if you go it handled, and tell your truth to DADDY before you do man. 

Prayer: Daddy this year is about to be different, not only because we speak and believe it, but because we understand that we must be different to get to the next level you have in store for us. We realize that surrendering is uncomfortable and out of our control. We realize that we are control freaks, and it hinders You from taking control of our lives and the situations we are praying about. Help us! Help us be still, help us be obedient not by force, but by choice, and help us see your will, purpose, and plan working for our good in the tough moments.  

In Jesus Name!

AMEN

Welcome to 2025 

2024 and More

 Happy New Year Readers!

It has been a while I know and that is because life has been lifeing. I have had so many changes and challenges while still trying to keep the faith that  Daddy says that it will all work together for my good and will bring him glory. But where is the glory in disappointment and delays? OOOO…. that just hit me like a ton of bricks.  I am sure I am not the only one who has asked that question at least once in their life. However, we are in a new year and you know the saying “new year, new me”! I don’t always agree with that, because there are some things from the previous year that I probably still need to work on in this new year. With that being said I am inviting you to come on a 21-day journey with me as I fast from personal things. I am doing something new and including a video with the blog. GOD is really creating this fast as I work on developing it. The fast will start January 22-February 12, 2024. I know you asking now Shawndrika what’s different about this fast, versus the one that I am doing with my church or small group. Well, this fast is personal. 

Let me explain, I have fasted on numerous occasions with my church, friends, and small group. Though it yielded some great fruit, it had me hyper-focused on dos and don’ts versus the GOD will and have your way. Let me be honest it didn’t feel personal. It didn’t feel like what I was giving up was a sacrifice that could move the heart of GOD to see how committed I was to making room for Him in the area(s) I didn’t trust him with. Yes, the Daniel fast is great, but because it’s one of the popular fasts it starts to feel like a cliche that we do as a church at the beginning of the year. Translation it is a routine to add to the many routines we already have. This fast creates a level of accountability and self-examination. It dives into a space of personal sacrifice on an individual level versus that of a collective, while still creating discipline, community, and consistency. This fast will make you evaluate how you trust and see GOD in this present moment and cause you to start your own record book with HIM. Listen, I am getting excited thinking about it. I am in a place where I have to take GOD out of my comfortable box of how I know Him and expand how He wants me to know Him. In other words, I can’t keep limiting my intimacy because I fear the process that comes with it. *So if you are curious about this fast join me on the 22nd and see if this is for you. If not that’s cool. However, I challenge you to check how you box GOD. Does your relationship with Daddy cause others to be curious about how to get to know Him? 

Prayer: Daddy, we thank you for this new year. Help us not to box you to our comfort level, allow us to meet you where you desire us to see you. Let us never become comfortable with our level of intimacy with you. Help us desire more of you in a world that is forever changing. In Jesus Name, AMEN

* To be a part of the fast you will have to go to my blogger page at: https://daddydaughterconversations.blogspot.com/

That’s It!

Great Day Readers!

 It’s been a while since my last blog and can I tell you it had been a whirlwind of a year already. I mean three snowstorms in Alabama, yet along in the south is totally unheard of, along with tornados, and other crazy life changes. This week took that cake! This week I had to let my sorority sisters know that our sister had passed! UGH, THAT’S IT!!! If being single and waiting wasn’t enough, I am now having to deal with life-changing things on my own. I don’t know about you, but I got a “THAT’S IT” in my spirit. I have been approached by so many men who are seeking marriage, however, are emotionally unavailable and truly just using their gift of gab. THAT’S IT!!!

Now, the spirit of “THAT’S IT” is strong. It creates a heart of discouragement, frustration, and sometimes disappointment. It makes you think that what you desire seems impossible (Though we know nothing is impossible with GOD. Mathew 19:26) This spirit had me so over everything that I did not know what to do. I had a come to Jesus meeting with Jesus about the situation and the emotions I had about this “THAT’S IT spirit. I am sure I am not by myself. Waiting for some things to manifest, serving GOD as much as you can, in excellence, while still trying to keep your flesh in check. Oh, don’t forget about listening to married church people talking about if you just work and focus on GOD he will come. Ma’am, sir, HOW!?!? I can’t work, when I’m busy killing my flesh, trying to keep my emotions in tack, trying to be obedient, and still trying to “enjoy being single after being married.” Oh, let’s not forget having to explain to people that being divorced and single is different than never being married and single. When you have tasted the fruit of marriage you desire it again after you have healed from it.

 Can I be real? It’s been 8 years since my divorce, and I am going into my fifth year of celibacy. I have no babies, and the thought of marriage is getting discouraging. Dating seems like it’s more time-consuming than a process, and it seems like EVERYONE is getting the revelation of marriage and love but for me. Oh, don’t even get me started about the fact that everything that I prayed for, screamed about at the altar, cried about in worship, and rolled on the floor about in my closet is happening for EVERYONE in my circle, BUT who, ME! These are some of the few topics I discussed with Jesus during our come to Jesus meeting. After I got done I heard the words from Proverbs 23:26 (TPT) “My son, give me your heart and embrace fully what I’m about to tell you”. Where you see the word son, it was replaced with daughter for me. Can we break this scripture down so we can break this “THAT’S IT” spirit? Let’s start with the first part of this verse, “My son, give me your heart”. This first part broke me all the way down. Daddy literally asked me for something I should surrender daily. He asked me for the one place that captures everything about me. The place that I function from the most, and have been for a while…My heart. UGH. The reason this spirit has a hold on me is because my heart has conformed to the things of this world. The measurements of time, space, and energy, the very things GOD created and has complete control of. Let that sit. The place Daddy needs to start the deliverance process is the one thing we all struggle to surrender…our hearts. Let’s go to the next part of the scripture, “embrace fully what I’m about to tell you”. UGH!!!! Not only do I have to surrender my heart, I also have to sit still enough to hear what He has to tell me. Let me say that again, we have to sit still and hear what Daddy has to say. There is power in the stillness, even if it feels like there is no one there. This is the climax of my deliverance. This is where the spirit of “THAT’S IT” loses its grip on your life, and you grab hold of the joy of the Lord. Now, this is a process and it doesn’t happen overnight. You must be in a place where you are patient with you and understand that the work that Daddy needs to do in you takes time. 

I am still in the process of my deliverance as I write this blog, however, I understand that in order for me to prepare, walk-in, and be the wife that I am called to be, I must go through the process and realize That’s It!

Prayer: Daddy, we come to you right now thanking for the ability to realize when we have a “THAT’S IT” spirit. Help us surrender our hearts to you and to be still enough to hear your voice of instructions while taking them in not just for the moment, but for the lifetime. We understand that if we surrender us it will lead to the that’s it in you. In Jesus’s Name! AMEN

Emotional Seeds

This virus called Corona has truly turned our world upside down. It has no target audience, no cultural difference, no area of focus, and no economic status. When I tell you that we were and are in this together we are. We have seen many die, however, we have also seen many recoveries from this virus as well. We currently live in the unknown as many states slowly begin to open back up and try to create a sense of normalcy. We live now in a world where we have distanced ourselves to save lives, however, this same distance is causing others to die internal with the results of external symptoms. With all that being said I want to challenge us to do something that was placed on my heart to do during this time of famine and uncertainties.

During my meditation time this past week, I found myself asking the question I feel all believers have been asking… GOD, how do we end this? What do we need to do to get back to a place of normalcy? I am sure like me and others you have struggled with the inability to gather at your local church and fellowship with fellow believers, or perhaps during this time you desire to have that fellowship because you want a better relationship with GOD. There are so many things that we need answers to and have questions about. Let’s go back to what I was talking about… During my meditation time with GOD, He told me that so many people are sowing financial seeds (which is a good thing if you have it to sow. I truly encourage you to sow in this area, especially during a time of famine), however, one seed that we have yet to really address that is need during this time of famine… (Let me pause and tell you why it’s a time of famine. It is a time of famine because we are lacking the natural resources and flow of those resources to meet the needs of the people… hence why states are trying to open up that the flow of some economic wealth can come into the state and country. This is the reason I am saying this is a time of famine. Things that were once easy to obtain. (tissue, paper towels, Clorox, Lysol, etc. are no longer easy to obtain) ) Ok, no more interruptions back to the reason behind this blog. (this is why I have to start blogging more…lol) GOD told me that in this season we have to sow emotional seeds. Now I know you are wonder….What are emotional seeds? Emotional seeds are: love, joy, and peace… A.K.A. some of the fruits of the spirit. These seeds are seeds that will not only produce great fruit in the lives of others but also produce great fruit in your life. The fruit of favor, blessings, wisdom, peace, and love. See during a time of famine, no one is looking for a harvest. They are looking for produce. They want the end results, not the seeds.  So, this means that no one will mess with the soil of your seeds. No one will uproot it or cause it to die before it produces your fruit. In summary… “This is the best time to plant seeds, no one will be able to taint it.”

My challenge to you today as we continue to find a new norm during and after this virus is to plant some emotional seeds. The need for their fruit will be in demand and is in demand as you read this. People need the connection of the human touch. However, due to the season that we are in, that same touch that use to heal now kills. Now we have to find a way to produce the same results in a new way and that’s through sowing emotional seeds. Now I forgot to tell you how you sow these seeds. You sow them through text messages of encouragement, zoom video calls of listening, phone calls of support and love, letters of hope, and laughter of memories. Listening we have enough bad news to deal with, it’s time that we pursue the heart of Daddy’s joy in this season.

Prayer: Daddy, thank you for the opportunity to sow emotional seeds into people that I am connected to and even strangers. I understand that we are living in a time of famine and uncertainty and the best thing I can do is make myself available to you. Daddy, help me be the best seed sower during this time of famine. Let me be bold enough to love hard, become grateful in all things, and check on those I think are strong. Daddy, help me be open to accept emotional seeds as I sow them. Help me to maintain balance and never pour out on empty. In Jesus Name AMEN!

I really hope this blog blesses you during these uncertain times. Please know that your physical and your mental health is truly important. If you feel like you need help in the areas of your mental health. Please text the word Villiage to 205-660-0376, to be connected to a mental health expert. This is the perfect time to get everything you put off in order. #noexcuses #mentalhealthawarenessmonth

Your Purpose is Waiting on You

Have you or do you ever find yourself asking…”What is my purpose? How do I obtain my purpose”? We are sure that you answered “yes” and could relate to at least one of those questions. As a Therapist, I always find myself in conversations with people seeking a life filled and driven by purpose. We get the age-old questions “How do I find out what my purpose is”? Well, can I bust some myths and state some facts?
Myth 1: Purpose is something you seek.
Fact: The bible states that purpose was given to you before you were formed in your mother’s womb. ~Jeremiah 1:5
Myth 2: Purpose is hard to obtain.
Fact: Purpose is inside you. All you have to do is tap into it.
Today, I want to challenge you to stop seeking purpose and start seeking the Father, so He can give you the instructions to tap into purpose.
Remember this, “To gain access to purpose, you must tap into the presence of GOD”. ~Min. Shawndrika Cook
Prayer: Daddy, help us live this life with purpose, understand what you have purposed to do is already in us. Help us tab, maintain, and sustain the call on our lives. Allow us to be in a place to seek you always to gain another level of purpose. In Jesus Name! AMEN

HeartBroken

Hey Readers,

I know it’s been a while, but I have been in an unmotivated funk. No reason on the why, but just have. But this past weekend a statement was made that blew my funk out the water. “GOD will break your heart to blow your mind.”

What do you do when Daddy breaks your heart to blow your mind? Well, with a heart of thanksgiving you tell Him thank you. I am sure that the statement alone has some of you all confused. Why would Daddy break my heart, when He told me that He would give me my heart desires? (Ps 37:4) Well, can we quickly (and I do mean quickly) examine that scripture? When Daddy talks about giving you your heart desires here, we must examine the three verses prior. It says that we must delight ourselves in Daddy. When we delight ourselves in Him then, He will give us the desires of our heart. But we get the desires of our heart because they are actually His heart desires for us. Which brings me back to the statement that I said at the beginning of the blog that shook my world. “Daddy will break your heart to blow your mind.”

I know you wondering why did this statement shake you so much? Well, it’s because a lot of times we see Daddy’s no as a punishment, as an indication that we are not doing something right or we did something wrong. But, in reality, His no, is His way of telling us what you are asking for is not big enough for me to give you. That I need to break your heart, so your mind can be blown by the thoughts I have towards you. That you need to realize that you aren’t thinking my heart desires for you. That you are not connected to me like I need you to be. This what this statement is saying. Daddy is telling us to be bold enough and have so much faith that we are willing to trust Him to break our hearts so, I can blow our minds. WHEW!!! That was a lot to tell and take in, but it was worth it.

We must shift our hearts and minds when it comes to Daddy. We can’t be content in our thinking, or even our heart desires that we miss Him. Daddy wants the best for us, and though we are thinking best, bigger, and greater for ourselves, Daddy feels as though we can go deeper and bigger.  Today, do me a favor… Let Daddy break your heart so, he can blow your mind!!

Prayer: Daddy, break our hearts, that our minds can be blown by your grace, favor, love, joy, and peace. Break us so we can be in a position to desire more of you and last of us. Break us, that we may be a testimony of your love towards us. Break us that we may enjoy life more abundantly here on earth. Break us, so we can see you. In JESUS Name! AMEN!!!

I Expect The New Now

DDC Readers,

We are weeks away from 2019 and I am still trying to get into 2018. I know that’s bad, but I still feel like Daddy has something that He needs to do in 2018. With everything going on in the world, I really feel like He is waiting for someone to expect something from Him without waiting for the new year to arrive. I am that someone. In a message that I ministered at my church, I told the people that we get so caught up in waiting for the words “Happy New Year”, that we missed the newness that Daddy is doing in our present. I love how he put it in Isaiah 43:18-19 (I am paraphrasing) He says. “forget all that I have done because I am doing a new thing”… Then He asked the question, “Don’t you see it”? So let me go back, to give you the background of what is going on before we get to verses 18 and 19. So, in verses, 1-17 Daddy is telling the children or Israel what He has done for them, what they have done to Him, and the consequences of their actions. In other words, He is listing the history of their relationship with each other. By verse 18, He tells them to not dwell on the past because, in verse 19,  He is about to show them something new. From verse 19 until the end of the chapter He speaks of the new things that He is going to do and how they should be in a place of expecting, preparing, and experiencing the new now.

That’s where I am when I say I am trying to get into 2018. I want to leave the first part of 2018 behind and enjoy the new that Daddy is doing now. I want to be in a place where I am not stuck on what He did that I miss what He is doing. But, can I be honest that’s where a lot of us are. We love the fact that we have a track record with Daddy, but we forget that He is just like the energizer bunny… “He keeps going and going”.  I know you are wondering… What’s the moral of this blog? Well, good Question… The Moral of this blog is this: Dwelling on what He did will place us in three positions: 1) The looking back position. Looking back causes paralyzation. Genesis 19:26 we see that Lot’s wife turn into a pillar of salt when she looked back. Which resulted in her being paralyzed in that position for life. 2) The Reminder position. This position tells us to remember what GOD has done but never expecting Him to do anything else. That’s why in Isiaih 43:19 He says, “Do you not see it”? which brings me to the last position 3) The blind position. There are times where we can be so blinded by the new that we can’t see the now. When it comes to this position I am reminded of Sarah and Abraham.  How when Sarah got the word that they would be pregnant and it did not happen when she wanted it too, she took matters into her own hands and created something new.  But, she missed the opportunity to trust Daddy and  His timing. Had Sarah not been so blinded by timing then she would have enjoyed the process of the new.

Prayer:  Daddy, thank you that you allow us the opportunity to enjoy the new things that you are doing in our lives. We pray that you will help us to never look back on your past track record with us that we aren’t able to move forward in what you doing through, too, and for us. We pray that you will help us to remember that you do something new daily and we can’t get stuck on yesterday’s new in our now. We pray that you will help us to wait and enjoy the process of the now, that we don’t become blinded by the new things we are expected from you later. In JESUS Name…AMEN!!

P.S.  I flunked #bloglikecrazy2018. Between motivation and schedule, it was not going to work. But guess what? It taught me that I need to pass myself and maybe even start my blogs in October and have them ready in November… I don’t know but it was fun while it lasted. Maybe next year!

It Hurts When People Drop Me

So when I was thinking about this blog, I was going to talk about how people drop you so quickly when things don’t go right between the two of you. I was going to touch on how the selfishness of others can cause them to drop you when they should be picking you up. That when people drop you they leave a footprint of rejection on your life. But Daddy had another plan and because ” I just want to be obedient”. (Topic from day1 of #bloglikecrazy) I am going to do that.

When Daddy turned this blog around he brought me to 2 Samuel 4:4 where we learn about Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. This verse discussed what happens when someone drops you. You become crippled. What got me were the verses before and after the drop. There was a sense of fear that came over the kingdom and the people. The person in charge at the time had no answers to what to do and how to fight, yet he found time to rest. In his resting, he was killed. (this happens all before the drop) The people that killed him bring his head to King David as a sign of victory but in return are killed themselves.  (these things happen after the drop) My question is what happens in the middle of the drop? A lot of times we are in a place where someone has dropped us that it cripples us to wanting or desiring to go to our next. We find ourselves depending on others to take care of us. This is where we see Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel chapter 9. David has done everything up to this point that Daddy told him he would do as king. But, he is reminded of the covenant he had with Jonathan and asked this simple question in verse 1: “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive–anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake”? He gets his answer in verses 3-6a of this chapter. 

See, what I realize in this story about Mephibosheth is, though he was dropped, abandoned, and forgotten, someone remembers the promise attached to his legacy. King David realized that though he had completed the works Daddy had called him to, he had not honored his friend or the covenant he made with him. How does this apply to us about being hurt when people drop us? Though Mephibosheth’s nursed dropped him to the point of crippling him, Daddy saw an opportunity to revise the legacy of a friendship. He saw an opportunity for what was broken and had no value to gain value and wholeness again. That’s exactly what Daddy wants to do for us after people have dropped us. He wants to revise us, give us value, and make us whole again.

I know you are wondering what is the moral to this blog? That though they hurt you when they drop you, Daddy is going to make sure that your crippling experience will cause you to grab the attention of a king.  That king will be reminded of the promises attached to your legacy and will call you to sit at this table and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Prayer:  Daddy thank you for the reminder that when people drop us, that it will not hurt our legacy.  Thank you for helping us to remember that we are worth to sit at the king’s table no matter how broken we look to others, you see us whole and valuable. We thank you that you have given us the boldness and bravery that we need to forgive those that dropped us, causing us to be crippled by fear, frustration, loneliness, and bitterness. In Jesus Name. Amen

P.S. #bloglikecrazy day 3 completed

Pick Me Up In The Spirit

So, the other day I was strolling through Instagram and I came upon this post that stated: “Check on your strong friends”.  I don’t know about you, but that statement hit a string in my spirit. Why? Because I am “The” strong friend. I am the friend that wakes up and prays in the middle of the night with you. The friend that you can lean on. The friend that is pushing, motivating and encouraging you to get to your next. I am “The Strong Friend”.  After seeing that post I had some thoughts come to my head. Well, technically the thoughts came after an emotion I had about two people I consider to be my best friends made me feel some kind of way. I have embarked on a new journey in my life that requires more than what I expected to give, honestly. This journey has caused me to be busier, but not busy at the same time.  (I know that sounds confusing…let me see if I can explain it better) It has caused me to be in a position of being on call with some flexibility. But, this doesn’t mean that I did not or don’t have time for my friends. After looking at pictures of them having fun on the weekend, it made me realize that these people that I have labeled best friends to the point to call them sister and brother, don’t pick me up in the spirit like I do them. They aren’t in tune with me like I am with them, and that made me really upset. Because, when they need me I am there, whether they verbally express it or I pick it up in my spirit.

Me having these feelings lead to a conversation I had with my little sister when I told her that my desire in this season is for someone, anyone in my circle to just pick me up in the spirit. I just want one person to say” I am praying for you. I am proud of you. Thank you for being a friend”. Something!! Then I was reminded of a scripture found in Philippians 4:14 ” Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble”.  (ESV) That scripture really spoke my heart. It caused me to be in a place where I had to evaluate my friends and even myself. Am I the friend that picks her friends up in the spirit? When I do, do I act in a way to cover them? Protect them? Heck, call and check on them? The answer to the last two questions is no. Why? I really can’t tell you the why behind it. But, what I can tell you is that I am striving to do better and have apologized to those that I have dropped after picking them up in the spirit.

Today, I want to challenge us to not only desire friends that pick us up in the spirit. But, to actually be the friend that executes the actions after we pick friends up in the spirit.

Prayer:  Daddy, thank you for building us to carry the weight of your Spirit in us. Thank you for allowing us to be in a position that we can pick up our friends. And that You have surrounded us with people that can pick us in the spirit as well. Daddy, help us be bold enough to act on the picking up. Help us be able to not only pick them up but actually call and check on them. Help us to be consistent in our check-ins and helps us maintain a connection that we can pick them up as often as needed. In Jesus name!!! AMEN!!!

P.S. Day 2 of #bloglikecrazy completed!!! Thank you for reading and coming on this journey with me.

Birthday Behavior

Hello Readers!!!

I know, I know!!! I haven’t posted in two weeks!! But, can I be honest I haven’t had the energy and know how to post, what you need in order to be in encouraged. So, I had to get my life and pray about what I needed to share with you.

So, today is a special day. I didn’t want to release this blog on Tuesday as usual because I wanted you to be a part of my birthday celebration. Yes, today is my birthday and I am super excited about it. Every year for the last 6 years I have always been in a funk when it is time for my birthday countdown. I would find myself comparing where I should be to where I am. I would think about all that I lost. My areas of lack. My areas of fear and frustration. Anything negative, I thought about it as my birthday approached. But, this year was different I don’t know what happened or when it happened. (That’s usually how Daddy works. He will shift you and transition into your next without you  being fully aware of the shift or the transition).

Today is not your usual blog.  It is a blog filled with revelation and insight. One to encourage you to enjoy life in spite of! This blog is to bring you more aware of what is going on with you. What Daddy wants to do through you. How you can live the abundant life that Jesus talks about in John 10:10

Let’s get started!!!

As I prepared for today I decided to do three things. 1. Reflect. Not on what I wanted and needed. Not on what I did not have. But, reflect on the fact that I did not look like what I had been through. I start to look at pictures from the last 6 years. I saw how I lost and gain weight. I saw how my mask sometimes showed, but no one confronted me about it. I saw how I pushed through despite feeling like life was not even worth living. 2. Realize. I came to the realization that who I am will never be who everyone needed me to be. I will not be able to please everyone, fit there mode, or even be accepted by everyone. Last 3. Revelation. I got the revelation that I have not lived up to my full potential. That I have allowed myself to become complacent, fearful, and doubtful. I found myself comparing myself to people I thought I wanted to be, instead of asking Daddy what He needed me to be.

 

Through these decisions, five things were birth out of me. 1. Concentration. I realize that I need to focus on what is in front of me. Learn from what is behind me. Prepare for what is ahead of me.  By doing these things I will be able to be productive. 2. Consistent. When you create a routine that works keep working it. Keep building on it. Having foundation is the key to success and consistency is the cornerstone. Daddy is consistent, and because we are made in His image we must be the same. 3. Courage. You must be bold enough to think outside your box. To be in a position where you are willing to say “Yes,” in spite of the test. Your “Yes”, can’t be compromised due to your discomfort. Which brings me to the fourth thing…4. Comfort. You must become comfortable being uncomfortable. See the more you get used to being uncomfortable the more you get shifted and transited into your next. Last but not least 5. Completion. This one is hard because I am so goal oriented that I felt like this referred to my assignment and not me as a person. But, this completion is about being whole. It’s about realizing that what you thought you needed was not what you really needed. It’s about being ok with you despite your flaws. It’s the summary of everything I have discussed with you so far.

So, I am sure you are wondering how can all this information help you out. What can you do with this information? Simple. Use it. Look and see what you need to work on in the three decisions. What decisions do you need to make that you haven’t made? What decisions do you need to re-evaluate? The five things birth out of me… Well, those or my tools, revelations, elements of life. They are the things that I need for this next chapter. They can be some or all that you need in your current journey.

Today, I challenge you to use my birthday to create a new year for you. No, not a new you, a new year. We are always waiting for January 1 for us to start all over. But, the reality is, our new year starts every time we open our eyes and breathe the breath of life.

Prayer: Daddy, we thank you for this moment. The moment to breathe, your breath of life. The moment to really get somethings straight in our lives. We thank you for the ability to point out the things we need to deal with. The thing that we need to evaluate and make decisions about in our lives. We realize we do not have time to waste, and we must stay in tune with you. Thank you for your guidance through your Holy Spirit. This moment could not be productive without your Holy Spirit. In JESUS name! AMEN!Birthday 2018

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