Our Best or God's Best?

"And everyday, let me be like a sunflower; so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight."

Hey babe risers, it's been a while since I last chatted with you all. To catch you up, life has been filled with new things it's almost been hard to keep up. I finished esthetics school, got my license and officially started taking clients at the salon. I'm so grateful to make an impact on people not only physically with their skin but also their hearts. My career path as an esthetician is so much more than making someone who is 60 look like they're 20 (we wish). It's about conditioning the heart and soul, loving on others and making them feel undeniably beautiful to themselves. Since high school, I felt a tug on my heart to go into full time ministry. In my mind, that meant working for "the big C" aka: church. Throughout this past year I have patiently learned that your full time ministry is your life wherever you are, and you can bring that into your work place. I am fully handing this business over to God and asking him to stretch me everyday. I ask Him to give me opportunities to speak life into people and to give them a purpose so much greater than the things of the world they are seeking. I cannot wait to step deeper into this ministry and see all that God has in store.

I really want to speak to you tonight about something personal. Something that I feel I wouldn't normally shout to the world but I'm in a mood to be transparent so here it goes. 

R E J E C T I O N

"Rejection doesn't mean you aren't good enough; it means the other person failed to notice what you have to offer."

We're all ladies here, so I am sure we've all felt those nights of rejection. Where you get dressed in that glorious outfit you've been waiting wear, hair is on point and your make-up is actually looking decent, only to arrive to find out you've been rejected. Rejection and abandonment has to stand high up there on the top 10 horrible feelings someone can feel.

Since leaving my job at Chick-fil-A the Lord put me on this crazy journey of finding and bettering myself every day. Part of that has been to overcome the rejection and abandonment issues that I felt from my biological dad not being a part of my life for the last 21 years. I believe that in the society that we live in today we deal with rejection on a daily basis, probably more than 100 times a day. You don't have to have abandonment in your life to say you suffer with rejection. We reject ourselves when we watch the Kardashians and see the ideal body society wants us to have, we reject ourselves when we post on Instagram and don't get as many likes as you did the day before, we feel rejected when our friend is having an off day and they don't send us their normal happy text. We feel rejection daily. 

So many emotions have been going on throughout my life recently and through my fellow boss babe risers lives. I hear stories and my heart just aches for what my sisters are going through. This very recent story (not to be shared for the secrecy of my girlfriend) made me reflect on myself on a-whole-nother level. I sat there and felt totally rejected because of thoughts the enemy placed into my mind. Things like, "you're really just not good enough for him", "you know, he's pursuing that other girl that he really likes spending time with" "maybe marriage just isn't in the books for you" or the best one yet "why would you even begin to think he would like someone like you?" So there I sat in my car, realizing it was a while back that I cried that hard, talking on the phone with a beautiful and sweet, sweet friend that told me it was okay to let it out and it hit me…I am NOT the one being rejected in this.

Let me explain myself a little better. I don't know about you but if I think for even one second that someone I like doesn't want to spend time with me or maybe isn't showing the same level of flirtation I count that as an immediate rejection. PAUSE. That's a lie. I had to stop and realize the reality, that I am making a conscious decision that at this moment he is not the right person for me. It's not rejection it's a decision. A decision to move on and be better. Focus on my path and my relationship with God and wait for the best He has to give me. Ladies that is what we will hold out for…God’s BEST. 

Let me send out a little reminder to you who may be hurting like I was tonight. Hurt, Pain, Anger, Temptation, Rejection and Abandonment all come from the enemy himself. He comes to steal, kill and destroy our lives while our God comes to bring us life and life to it's fullest. Whenever you think you're being rejected from something (we think is) good, remember that you could be redirected to something so much better. God makes beautiful things out of our mistakes. I am a living testimony to that.  Do not let the enemy feed you the thoughts and lies that you're not good enough. We are women warriors that will tell the enemy to put his nose in a corner because we are NOT having it today. We are holding out for God's best. If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value. Stand firm in knowing your worth in Christ. Trust and be obedient and all other things will fall into place.

“We are wild and free, we are never too much and we are ALWAYS enough.”

Thanks for allowing me to be open, honest and transparent with you. I pray that this post will help you realize your worth and all that you deserve. 

Until next time lady loves,

Battlefield

Hey beautiful, what are you battling today?

I could start listing common things that women of all ages have to combat on the daily, but every other blog does that. Besides, you're already familiar with what pulls on your heart strings. I don't need to know the details hidden in the lies that the enemy likes to whisper when we are most vulnerable.

I'm here to give you something to fight back with.

I don't know if you have seen the movie War Room or not, but there is a powerful scene where a wife and mother walks through her grieving home and renounces the devil. She tells him that he can't have her joy, her husband or their home. I definitely had goosebumps. I thought about the areas of my life that needed a little devil denial, I didn't really want to talk to him but even more I didn't want him to have a foothold. I am a child of God, my mission is to lead with love and shine a light, so yeah, shaking off the darkness is necessary.

Keep fighting for joy and peace. Here are some things I would suggest, because we are never alone in this struggle to find light beckoning from the end of the tunnel:

1. Make a prayer board/journal/corner/war room.

I went with a prayer board because I felt like being fancy but you can do this however your creative genius wants to. I hung it so that its the first thing that I see in the morning and the last at night. In my prayer life I tend to wander or just pray when I remember to or *gasp* sometimes I only remember when I need something - don't judge no one is perfect lol. 

I want to be more intentional with my prayer life, I'm not exactly warrior status yet but it will be hard to not pray with this beautiful thing in my face morning and night. 

Prayer, especially prayers of thanksgiving keep us in the proper position and head space. 

2. Cultivate some meaningful friendships.

Do you have girlfriends that hold nothing back/you accountable/some pretty great memories?

If not, its time that you do.

These soul friends are one of life's greatest blessings.  

These are your God-given sisters, celebrate the good stuff often, be ready for eye squinting laughter and lend your shoulder or ear whenever needed.  Call out and pour into their lives as God leads you to and have them do the same for you.  If you are ever feeling like you aren't enough surely they will be there to remind you that you are a daughter of the most high king, your worth and potential are endless.

3. Stop buying into what the world is {desperately} trying to sell you. 

Opt out of magazine subscriptions that make you feel like you'll never attain what is on the cover, unfollow accounts that cause you to envy or compare, let go those that hurt you emotionally or physically, turn off tv shows that promote cloning every one to be exactly the same or make you feel like less, turn down (for what?!) music that is degrading. 

(Just think of all the time and money you'll save! Haha)

4. Jam out to some feel good music! 

It's totally ok to show off those goofy-two-left-feet dance moves you've got. 

#nojudgement 

When I need inner peace and need to regain my bearings on what actually matters in life, it helps a whole lot to tune out and only listen to the voices that echo love and support rooted in truth.

You can do this, and you don't have to buy a pill or powder or subscribe to a program to do it.

Start small. Figure out what sets you apart, remind yourself as often as need be that you are lovely, and talented and really good at winning charade games. Or just whatever it is that you like about you,  don't be passive in protecting it. 

Find a way to implement the 4 things I listed above and you will be gaining battlegrounds left and right, winning, it's hard, but you were made for this. 

Happy Weekend Boss Babes,