Happy Self-Love Sunday!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. And I hope that your upcoming week is even better. I am just getting out of church and the message & pastor really touched me! So hey, why not share the message with you all and my interpretation? I hope this touches you all the way it touched me.

So it’s my senior year in college. Which has been very stressful, for a number of reasons. I am pretty involved, on and off campus, so my days are pretty busy. And then on top of that, I am taking two of the hardest (and my last two major related classes) Information Security classes, which have been BEYOND stressful. Sometimes, I can get overwhelmed with all I do and with all I have to do. I try not to complain because Lord knows I love being busy, but sometimes it can be too much. Especially since I LOVE making A’s, and making A’s requires hard work, time, and dedication. But, I am also committed to my mentoring programs, organizations, and all my other areas of interest. And then add personal feelings & emotions into that mix, that can be a lot!

I gave you all that background to say, there have been moments where I didn’t have anything left in me, any fight, any drive, any energy. But, today at church my pastor said, “BUT my blessings are still holding me up.” See, I may feel overwhelmed at times and I may cry sometimes and feel like throwing the towel, but I can’t and never do. And the only reason for this is because of my God. He blesses me, even when I don’t realize it. And it is because of his very blessings that I am able to continue on, to continue being busy, and accomplish every thing that I have set to accomplish.

Everyone has been singing the song, “I’m living my best life.” But who is living their blessed life? That’s why when the pastor brought today’s message of “Living the Blessed Life,” I felt it on so many levels. It touched all of my spirit, heart, and soul and that’s why it resonated so heavy with me and inspired today’s blog. And one of the points he made is that, we, as humans, are so quick to seek “counsel from the unGodly” and then wonder why our situations seem endless. That really hit me, too. Because everyone wants to live a blessed and happy life and in times of need, we are so quick to run to our friends for advice (which I have mentioned in a previous post). And there’s nothing wrong with leaning on friends in time of need. But, why can’t we run to God first? If we truly want to live a blessed life, why can’t we seek God first and follow his instructions and turn to our friends for support? You can’t live a blessed life seeking advice from people who AREN’T even living their blessed life.

One of my favorite things about God (I have so many) is that he blesses everyone. He blesses us regardless of what we look like, what we believe, how we treat others, and how we live our lives. However, it’s up to us to accept these blessings. We can’t accept them doing the bare minimum and living like everyone else does. We have to be exceptional, we have to understand that we are flawed but our flaws make us who we are, that we are beautiful no matter what anyone says, and most importantly, that we have to seek God’s guidance. Being blessed doesn’t mean that you are free from problems, pain, and worry. It means that YOU are blessed IN SPITE of those very persecutions and no matter how hard they try, they will never take away your blessings. I don’t know about you, but I want to live my blessed life.

Another thing that my pastor said is that, “I have to live my blessed life so that I can live my best life.” And everyone’s singing they are living their best life, so why not live your blessed life, too? I am guilty of not realizing how blessed I truly am at times. But today,  I see each and every blessing & I am so thankful. I am thankful I don’t look like how I feel sometimes, I am thankful that I don’t look like what I’ve been through, and for so much more. Think about all the things you have to be thankful for, even though things may not be going your way. I promise in the end, everything will all work out.  Today, I challenge you to replace the word best with blessed when you talk about your life. Because when you are blessed, you can live your best life.