Happy self-love Sunday!

I have been so excited to write this blog. It’s pretty personal & has been really heavy on my heart since last Sunday. I’m really hoping that it will touch you all. And more than anything, I am hoping that it will encourage you to embrace those parts of ourselves that we don’t want others to know about, the parts where we feel we are lacking. But honestly, if you never share then you never know who else can relate to you or how you can. So I am being brave today and sharing.

Insecurities can make you feel less than, worth less and like you have no purpose. These feelings generated by insecurities can make you feel like you have to be someone else because others may appear happier than you. But you never know what others are going through & everything isn’t always as it seems. Just because someone may seem happy doesn’t mean that they truly are. I believe everyone has insecurities, even if they won’t admit to them, they are still there. And I am learning that it is so important to acknowledge your insecurities so you won’t let them have victory over you. Today, I am choosing victory over my insecurities, I am choosing to overcome them.

Honestly, I think one of the most painful emotional hardships a female (or honestly anyone) can endure is dealing with insecurities, especially overcoming those insecurities. I can personally attest that I have struggled with this and continue to struggle. But I think one of the most important aspects to overcome insecurities is to acknowledge them. Half of the battle is acknowledging our insecurities because honestly, who wants to think about their insecurities? We bury them so we don’t have to think about them and sometimes, we don’t even realize the things that bother us are insecurities.

These past couple of weeks I am have been doing a lot of soul-searching & self-reflection. I’m trying to live my best life by being my best self. And in this process, I have learned a lot about myself. One thing being that I have aspects about myself and how I handle situations that bother me and not until recently, I didn’t realize how these things related to insecurities of mine. I don’t want to pretend I am perfect, because I am so far from that. But I do know that I try to be strong for others, even though I have things bothering me and eating at my soul. And these insecurities are one of those things. I was bullied when I was younger and those insults still resonate with me to this day and have resulted in the manifestation of some insecurities. I have felt less than more than once along with a million other ways. But I also know that my insecurities are what make me human. And that I can overcome them and not let them have victory over my life.

These insecurities have bothered me in ways that I didn’t truly understand until now. I had to be real with myself and be real about what I felt insecure about. I’ve been talking to God about them and declaring my victory over them. Because I refuse to let insecurities control my life, like I have in the past. Even though I have insecurities and I can recognize this, they don’t define who I am. See, I am who I am in spite of my insecurities. They’re like voices in my head telling me what I can’t do, who I can’t be. But these insecurities have also served as motivation, allowing me to realize that I can turn every can’t into something I can and that those insecurities won’t have the final say about who I am and who I will grow into. We all fall short and we all feel insecure sometimes. However, we are NOT our shortcomings. They are just a part of our story and they deserve to be shared, not locked inside, so we can better ourselves and others. So today I am sharing.

I am writing this for the person who feels they are all alone. As if they are the only one dealing with insecurities. I am writing this for the person who has had their insecurities thrown in their face. I am writing this for the person who feels less than. I am writing this for everyone, because we all can relate. And I am writing this for me. Because I can’t keep my story locked inside & expect to help others. I refuse to let my insecurities hold me back anymore. Today, I challenge you to think about your insecurities (and yes I know this isn’t the most comfortable thing). In order to overcome them, you have to be real with yourself about what it is that makes you question things. Once you think about your insecurities, find a way to find peace with them, a way to declare victory over them. Begin your journey to overcome your insecurities, I’m beginning mine too and I promise we’re in this together.

Hello my lovely readers & Happy Self Love Sunday!
Being completely honest with you all, I’ve been feeling sad & lost. So my aunt invited me to her church for an Ignite the Night service on Thursday from 7 pm until 11 pm. I said I would come, but in my head I didn’t want to stay the whole time. But I stayed the whole time & little did either of us know that service was exactly what I needed. And I am so excited for these next upcoming Self Love Sundays!!!

I needed to be refreshed, renewed, but most importantly I needed to be encouraged. I’ve been praying without ceasing and you know I’m only human, so I felt because I wasn’t seeing immediate results that it wasn’t working. But on Thursday night, when Johnathan McReynolds took the stage to perform, he began to minister to every part of my broken spirit & soul. His praise and worship renewed me in so many ways, encouraging me to encourage myself. And today, I can say that I am doing better and feeling happy.

Being able to encourage yourself, even when it seems your life is falling apart, is all apart of self-love. Sometimes, the only person who truly understands how you feel (besides God) is you. Sometimes words are inadequate to describe your feelings to someone who isn’t going through your current emotions. And that’s why it’s pertinent that YOU encourage you. The devil is already trying to find a thousand ways to discourage you, knock you down and make you want to throw in the towel. But you have to remember who you are & whose you are.

My help comes from the Lord. My peace & joy come from the Lord. And in time, he will bless me the way he sees fit. However, it can become easy to be easily discouraged waiting for God’s perfect timing. So that’s why it’s important for you to encourage yourself during these moments. Everything is working in your favor, even if things aren’t currently going the way you please, it will all work out in the end. And that’s one of the toughest things to endure, dealing with so much & trying to remain encouraged.

How many times do you tell yourself how amazing you are? How many times do you tell yourself that you’re a conqueror? Or reaffirm your power & importance? It’s easy for you to encourage your friends, so why not do the same for yourself? You deserve encouragement from you, just as much as they do. Things may not be going your way, but these situations don’t decrease your worth or value. You are important, you are worthy, and you deserve encouragement.

Today, I challenge you to encourage yourself. What’s going on in your life that is discouraging you? Life & death lie in the power of the tongue. So it’s up to you to speak life over your situations through encouragement. I’ve started to become encouraged daily during praise and worship, talking to God and sharing my innermost feelings. I know that things will get better. How can you encourage yourself today?

Hello lovelies & Happy Self-Love Sunday!

This blog is a safe haven for thoughts & feelings, and I always want it to be like this. Last blog, I talked about pushing through in spite of your feelings. And I am desperately trying to do this. But I understand that I have to (more so need to) take some time for me, with God. Because I am currently going through a lot. So that being said, you can continue to expect Self Love Sunday blogs, but Wednesday blogs may be a little scarce or nonexistent for the time being.

I am always trying to care for everyone else. I always put everyone else first, before me & sometimes even before God. I seek my friends guidance & help before I ask for God’s guidance. Recently, I had to submit a blog about self-care rituals to stay stress free. And one of the most important rituals I listed was, time for yourself. And it’s time for me to begin taking time for me.

I love my friends & family dearly. In fact, I came home this weekend just to be surrounded by the love of my family. But, I am feeling very sad and there are a million different things on my mind currently. And God is really speaking to me and moving me to take some time to solely focus on him. To focus on being the woman he has called me to be, by steadily seeking him, talking to him, praying to him, and most importantly worshipping him. So for the rest of this month, I am going to detach from social media and attach to my God. I have already started, so if you reach out to me via any social media platform, this is why I am not responding or if my response is very delayed. And I will really only go on social media to let you all know there’s a new blog posted.

I feel I never take time to myself. I never take time to gather myself and focus on me. I never take time to fully and wholeheartedly devote myself to God’s plan for my life. I have moments where I feel I am on the path he has planned for me. But God doesn’t just want moments of me, he wants all of me. And I am currently on a journey that requires all of me to be given to God because I need all of him, just as much as he needs me.

It’s okay to not always be in the crowd. It’s okay to be selfish with your time and focus on you. Because honestly, how often do you do that? How often do you put yourselves before others? Peace can be found in solitude, in stillness. And Lord knows I am in need of peace. I am hoping to grow and refocus. To be renewed in the plan God has for my life and not solely focus on my own wants and needs. I know that God is the only one who can truly understand how I am currently feeling and make me whole again. (But I would greatly appreciate prayers from you all for me as well.)

Sometimes you just have to take some time for yourself. If you use that time to detach from the world for a little or use that time to further grow with God, the choice is yours. But just know that you have that option. I am utilizing that option now. Have some time for you and don’t feel guilty about it. Today, I challenge you to schedule some alone time for yourself this week. Take this time to reflect, refresh yourself, or have some down time. Having time to yourself is an essential part of self-care and self-love. So embrace the time you have made for you, I am beginning to embrace my time.

Happy Self-Love Sunday!
I hope you all enjoyed your fourth of July! There is a song by Marvin Sapp, that has been heavy on my heart lately and almost always makes me reflect on my life and everything that I’ve been through. Even though it’s a gospel song, I know that everyone can relate to it. The song begins with, “He saw the best in me, when everyone else around could only see the worst in me.” 

How often in your life do you only focus on the characteristics you don’t like about yourself? Or how often do you reflect on those things that you feel others don’t like about you? If God can see the best in you, even when it seems others cannot, then why not start seeing the best in you too? Because I promise, there is something amazing inside each & every one of us! It’s up to you to recognize and embrace that. 

I thank God for seeing the best in me. And this song/saying really means a lot to me because of my personal experiences. Because I have fallen victim to caring what others think of me too many times for me to count. Especially when it seems that my world is falling apart, as if every possible thing that could go wrong has occurred. And then I start to worry and stress about how I can continuously fix all these negatives. So why is it so easy to see the bad, but not the good? Maybe because it’s easier to criticize than to compliment, especially when it comes to ourselves. We can compliment others all day long and at the same time, we can look at the mirror and point out everything we do not like about ourselves. So, let’s start using that positive energy that we have for others and also use it towards ourselves. Compliment others AND compliment yourself by recognizing the best parts of you.

Since we are all made in God’s image, that means there is some good in us. We just have to be willing to see it. And seeing this good and recognizing it can be the hardest part of the battle. It is our human nature to be our own biggest critic. I know that I am, and maybe many of you can relate to this. But just because it’s in our human nature doesn’t mean that we have to continue this. I don’t want to constantly bring myself down or criticize myself. I want to uplift myself and highlight those amazing features I love about myself. Life isn’t always easy and the situations and hardships we endure can be so daunting that they may tear our spirit down. I’ve been in situations where I have felt so drained and felt like complete trash. But what if, instead of succumbing to that awful feeling, I focused on all the good that is in me? What if I focused on the best parts of me? Imagine how I would feel. Imagine if you did the same, imagine how you would feel, too.

What reasons do you have to not love yourself or see the best in you? And if you’re trying to think of any reasons, stop. I promise they aren’t valid. You are wonderful, you are amazing, and the best parts of you are worth being acknowledged. Regardless of how this world may make you feel, remember that God sees the best in you, even when no one else, including yourself does. I don’t care what others say about you or myself, their opinions are not binding. The only opinion that truly matters is how we feel about ourselves. The world can and will try to tell you who you are all the time. But only you truly know the person you are, the kind of heart you have, and most importantly the best parts of you. It’s your choice to recognize the best in you. I’m beginning to make it my choice. Because even though I may be flawed, the best parts of me are still there. No matter what mistakes I make, no matter how many times I stumble or fall. And the best of you is always in you as well, no matter what.

Disregard how others may feel about you or their opinions. Your opinion is the only one that matters. Today, I challenge you to see the best in you. To think of some characteristics, you love about yourself. Make a list, write them down, save them in your phone, or store them in your memory. But, always keep them handy so that on those days when you need some extra love, you can refer to this list & remember how wonderful you are. And remember why YOU love yourself so much! The greatest love is self-love, so love yourself a little harder today & reflect on what you see as the best in you. I guarantee you’ll smile a little harder.