Saturday, January 16, 2016

Backseat Tears

As I travel back from a trip taken because of a family loss, I find myself thinking about life.

What is life but a whisper in the wind?  Some whispers last but a moment while others last years.  Regardless, life is fleeting, always being taken.  Each day we live is a day we are closer to death.... A fleeting whisper in the wind.

So, on this trip, I am reminded that during this life of mine, my own whisper, I must show love.  Love is the one thing that can break people down to the base of who they are.  Love, like the Bible says, covers a multitude of faults.

We are not equipped physically or spiritually to hold things against each other.  It causes our physical bodies to break down and it hinders our walk with Christ.  Not to mention it closes us off from people, causing separation when God created us to operate in togetherness.

So during the remaining whisper I have, I am determined to walk in love, forgive offenses, speak life, and tell others of my love.... Family and friends alike.

My whisper is but a vapor, but my love will last long after my whisper is gone.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Death

Death, we must all deal with it at some point in our lives.  Losing someone we care about is difficult for most people.  It’s not an easy journey to healing once you have lost a loved one.

I have been impacted by death also, on several occasions.  I understand that death is inevitable, but this knowledge never comforts me when a loved one is lost.  Regardless of how close or distant I am to a person, I find that if they die, I still mourn. 

The loss of my mother was the hardest death I have had to endure.  Now, every notification of death, takes me back to the moment my mother breathed her last breath.  She was a fighter, and fought her sickness until the bitter end.  Eventually she succumbed to death, but in the process she gained a heavenly home.

On Monday, I lost a cousin.  She, too, fought her illness until there was no more to fight.  As I think about her, her husband, and her children, I am reminded of how hard it was to lose my own mother.  I think about the good times this cousin and I had.  We didn’t agree on everything, but who does?  She was vibrant, full of life, happy, and an overall good person.  She loved family, and this was evident in her care of her immediate family, as well as the hard work she endured to keep the extended family together during family reunions.  As she battled cancer, she kept her spirits high and her words were always positive.  I thank God for her faith, because of her faith, she has opened her eyes in heaven.  This is the consolation our family can hold on to during this time of grief.

Dena,
Your smile was radiant
Your spirit uplifting
Your love was contagious
Your care evident
Your fight was hard
Your battle long
Your victory sweet
Your reward, your heavenly home
Your time on this earth seemed too short
But God knows what He is doing
We will remember all the goodness in you
As we hold on to the promise
To see you again
Beyond the clouds

With Love,

Paula Bibbs-Samuels

To the family of Beverly "Dena" Williams, know that you are covered in prayer, love, and comfort.


Friday, January 8, 2016

Different Battles = Different Approaches

Different Battles = Different Approaches


This week has been a different type of week for me.  I am struggling emotionally and I am not sure why.  I know that things have been constantly changing within my personal world, but nothing to definitely put my finger on to say, “this is why this is happening” or “this is why I feel the way I do”.  However, I have been feeling some type of way this week.  There seems to be no comfort to the downside of emotions I have, but there is no root for them either.

So, I have decided I am in a battle that I have not been in before.  We often fight battles on a daily basis.  We fight for our jobs by working diligently and with a minimal amount of errors.  We battle being good parents by attempting to make the right decisions for our children, discipline them correctly, and teach them the ways of the world, responsibility, and ownership.  We battle in relationships to make them work and to increase in our love for one another.  We battle spiritually to find balance and peace in our lives.

So, my battle is spiritual.  I get this.  However, I don’t believe I am going to be able to use my past experiences to get me through this fight.  Yes, I know to pray and read scripture to get direction on how to fight this battle, but I will not be able to depend on previous methods of operation in this fight.  This fight feels different.  I can’t put my finger on it, but there is a distinct difference in the battle, this call to action, this warfare than I have experienced previously. 

So, for this battle that is different, my approach will be different.  I understand that spiritually, the enemy wishes for my demise.  My weapons of warfare remain the same, but my battle strategy will be modified.  The end result remains the same, I will emerge victorious. 

Knowing how to fight is the beginning of this battle.  Knowing I must fight is the reason I am here.  Knowing my Savior has already won the victory is the reason I can go in unafraid, unworried, and undaunted.


#ThisMeansWar!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Planning


The New Year always brings about resolutions, and promises to do better.  We vow to make changes for the things we do not like. We find ourselves determined to lose weight, eat right, make better decisions, and save money.  All these things are good.  However, by February, we tend to have forgotten about all the empty promises made on January 1st 

Bookstores gain profits, gyms gain memberships, companies selling exercise fads gain as well. Oftentimes by March, the books have dust on them, the gym memberships are going to waste, and the exercise equipment has become a clothes rack.  Why?

Though we have good intentions, we have little or no follow through.  Discipline is required to make lifelong changes.  You didn’t just gain fifty pounds in one day, therefore, those pounds will not come off in a week.  Most likely your finances did not go down the drain in one day, but this happened because of a series of bad monetary decisions.  So, it is safe to say it will take more than a month to recover from all these bad decisions. 

Though you can ruin your credit without a plan, you can gain one hundred plans without a plan, and you make horrible decisions without a plan, you cannot get out of debt without a plan, nor can you lose weight without a plan, and you cannot make the best decisions for yourself without a plan. 

So, take time to plan your next move.  If you are determined to do better, plan to do better, and stick to the plan.

Don’t let this year look so similar to last year that you can’t tell the difference.