Be Still

June 10, 2018June 10, 2018 - Janna

Happy Self-Love Sunday!
Have you ever stressed about something that was out of your control? Something that has continuously hindered and bothered you? Something that makes you feel uneasy and restless, but has already occurred? I promise you are not alone and I can whole heartedly relate. And in order to better take care of ourselves, on this wonderful Self-Love Sunday, we must be kind to ourselves & recognize sometimes things are out of our control.

It can be so easy to beat yourself up over what has occurred, over the mistakes you have made, the way you wished you handled situations. But you must remember, what is done is done. And stressing yourself out about how you wish you could have changed things, is only hurting you more. You have to learn to be at peace by doing better, improving your mistakes moving forward. You must forget the mistake & remember the lesson. Don’t be so consumed over what has already happened that you can not even find any joy. You can’t move forward because you’re stuck on the past.

Now, I am a guilty party of the acts listed above. However, I have realized that hanging onto what has been and dwelling on these things is of no value to me, to my present. I have let these past situations and experiences completely steal my joy and happiness. And ultimately, that has done no good for me, my spirit, or my soul. It’s left me feeling sad, worthless, and helpless. I like to be in control of everything, but the truth is that I can not always be in control. That’s not how life works. I have to be able to trust the process. To trust that people I love will make right decisions and if they don’t, then that’s not on me. I can only love, support, and trust. And if this trust is violated, then I have to let go. I have had to learn to not whole people to their past, we all have one and sometimes we haven’t made the best of decisions, we’ve done things we no longer think about. And sometimes, the past is simply just that, the past. Now this may all sound like common sense, but I promise once feelings are involved, it’s not as easy as it seems.

Sometimes we just have to understand that things are out of our control. It’s simply impossible to always control everything. And we have to learn that things will always go how God planned them to, even if that means we get hurt by the situation. That’s a way of God showing us that it wasn’t meant for us. You may not have made the decision you wanted, you may have said something you didn’t mean at the moment. But I promise you it’s okay. While you may not be able to go back to that exact moment and change time, you can change how you move going forward. You can apologize, make more of an effort, don’t let your mistakes consume you or make you feel that is who you are. Because I promise you, you are not you’re mistakes. None of us are. We’re all human, so of course we all fall short. But, it’s what you do to move forward that makes you who you are.

Tough situations are only here to push us closer to God and make us realize our true strength. We’re always stronger than we realize. We can endure much more than we know. And I truly want everyone to experience long-term happiness. I know that every moment of every day will not be always be full of happiness, but why add onto the unhappy moments of life? Why stress about what we can not control? We must move forward and change the things that we can. Pray about what we can’t change, and ask for forgiveness for those we have done wrong and for those who have done us wrong. It’s all a process.

Our imperfections are the very things that make us who we are. But sometimes we can become so consumed with these things, that we lose sight in how wonderful we are. Remember, you can’t control the actions of others and that’s when the lovely role of trust comes into play. You also can’t beat yourself up over mistakes you’ve felt you made in the past. Today, I challenge you to let go of that hurt, that pain, gained from previous mistakes, from how others have made you feel, and just be free. Be free knowing that everything happens for a reason & that you only have the power to change how things go moving forward, and then that’s not always guaranteed. Be still knowing that you are making an effort to be better and to let go.

Pressing through the rest of 2018

June 6, 2018 - Janna

Hello my loves!
It is officially June, well it’s been June for a couple of days, but you know what I mean. June marks the halfway mark in the year, meaning the year is halfway over. And boy I swear it feels like time has flown! So since we’re reaching this midway point in 2018 I thought it would fit to check-in and maybe refocus.

Maybe you made some goals when the new year began that you hoped to accomplish. Or maybe you want to make some goals to complete before 2018 is over. I’m just letting you know that, IT IS NOT TOO LATE! You still have half a year worth of journeys and memories to experience and make. Take full advantage of this time. And instead of saying, “I wish I would do this, that, and the third.” Actually, go out and do all those things you hoped and dreamed of accomplishing!

I’ve always wanted to blog. I reached out on faith last year and finally achieved my goal. However, I would post whenever I wanted, which was not consistent at all. But I have made a personal goal of being more consistent and intentional this year with my blog. If you haven’t noticed, you see my blogs twice EVERY week now. Don’t you just love it? (lol) Anyways, I didn’t start with this goal at the beginning of 2018, but I do plan to carry it out throughout the rest of the year. I am also stepping out of my comfort zone and participating in endeavors that I never thought I could accomplish. Recently, I submitted samples of my blogs and writing to see if I would be selected as a content creator. And, to my great surprise, I got accepted. I’ll be serving as a content creator for a women’s weekend coming up in November, so of course I will fill you all in soon.

For the rest of the year, and years to come, I am dedicated to being more intentional. More intentional with my relationships with people, my actions, and most importantly with my relationship with God. I think school may have drained me this year, but I feel rejuvenated and restored. And with this new-found energy, I plan to do better and be better, continuously. So I’m tasking you all with helping hold me accountable. When it’s getting late in the day on a Sunday & Wednesday and you don’t see a blog, message me, check me lol. Trust me, I will know that is coming from a place of love.

Sometimes to achieve our goals, we must have accountability partners, especially when we feel like giving up. I have an outstanding accountability partner who always pushes me, even when I feel lazy or discouraged, he’s always there. And his determination and personal goals are motivation enough, check out his website (lucasfrinktbe.com) or catch him on Youtube, Instagram, or Facebook @LucasFrinkTheBossExponent. I promise he will leave you inspired. I also have an amazing friend who is a fellow blogger and such a woman of power, check out her blog A Journey with Jordan (ajournerywithjordan.wixsite.com/ajwj). And I have an incredible support system filled with wonderful friends who always encourage and push me. I know that I can achieve what I set my mind too, but when I get disheartened a little reinforcement never hurts. Who can you trust to hold you accountable on your journey to your dreams?

Anything can be possible once you set your mind on achieving something. The goal may not be reached overnight, it may take a while. But the fruits of your labor will be rewarded once you’ve obtained you heart’s desires. So make sure you set some long-term and short-term goals, even if you don’t plan on accomplishing them this year. Then find someone or more than one person to hold you accountable and be there when you feel you can’t go on. Set your goals so that they will continuously push you each day, just as your accountability partners will as well. Make the rest of the year, the best year for you!

More happiness

June 3, 2018June 3, 2018 - Janna

Happy Self-Love Sunday!
I thought I had today’s blog all prepared and ready to publish. I went to church this morning & I felt God furthered confirmed my message for today with today’s topic and what was said. However, on the way home I had an unsettling feeling and I feel God is telling me to hold that topic for next week and speak on something else. So that is what I am going to do, it’s weighing heavy on my heart & I definitely feel it’s appropriate for our Self-Love series. So enjoy!

Have you ever been happy about something you have accomplished and shared with the world, but then felt bad for sharing maybe a little too much? Have you ever been happy but felt it was at the expense of others? Or, have you ever diverged your happiness because you felt you didn’t deserve to be? Or compromised your happiness to comply with someone else’s? Then this blog is the one for you (I apologize in advance if it’s a little lengthy.)

Your happiness is significant. And regardless of how others may feel, you deserve to be happy. If you think others deserve to be happy, then why don’t you feel the same about yourself? Don’t feel bad about being happy, because then you take away your joy. It’s okay to feel for your friends and want the best for them. But you have to do the same for yourself. Sometimes, you have to put your own happiness first & sometimes that entails putting you first as well.. I’m not condoning being 100% selfish. But let’s be real, if you never do what you love, what you want, or what makes you happy, then maybe you need to be a little teeny bit of selfish for once.

I am guilty of the above. Guilty of putting others happiness before my own, going above & beyond to make them happy. And I am not saying that is terrible, cause it’s not. I want all my friends and loved ones to be happy. However, I can’t make that my number one focus, 365 days of the year because then I drain myself and have no time to make me feel good. Help your friends feel happy when you can, and then help yourself too.

Life is already pretty tough. Therefore, it’s important to delight in what we can, when we can. Every day isn’t going to be filled with rainbows and lots of joy, and I know we can all agree to this. But when happiness presents itself in front of you, you better embrace it with every ounce of you!

God makes no mistakes. So when he allows feelings of happiness to warm your body, he meant for you to be happy! Don’t doubt or second guess. Just be open & receptive. And if you feel led to spread the happiness you feel, then do so. But be cautious of tiring yourself and stretching yourself too thin. We are blessed by God, so whatever blessings come your way are truly meant for you. And if they make you happy, then be happy! I’m learning to indulge in my happiness, to embrace it, give thanks, and help others when and if I can. But first I had to completely accept what is meant for me, is meant for me. So are you going to love yourself enough today to choose to be happy?

Power in Purpose

May 30, 2018May 30, 2018 - Janna

Happy Wednesday!
I hope your week has been going well, and if not, I hope that your week turns around for you. On Sunday, I briefly mentioned the topic for today’s blog. But I’ll do a little recap for you all. I am currently participating in a 21-day prayer journal challenge. The prayer journal that I am using was written by Sopha Rush (@livedeeplyrooted on all social media) and is entitled, “21 Days of Intentional Prayer.” So today I am going to discuss the importance of this challenge to me, how this journal has impacted me, and most importantly, how this all relates to YOU.

I have been on a journey of bettering my relationship with God. And one day on Instagram Sopha Rush announced her prayer journal pre-sales, so of course I jumped on the chance & here we are. This journal is everything I hoped for and so much more. For the first ten days, she has given us prayers, two reflection questions, scripture readings, a place to write a journal entry and a place to declare what you proclaim victory over. And for the remaining 11 days, she has left lines for readers to fill in their own prayer and associated readings. This journal creates a guide for setting up a daily devotional routine and then allows you to write a prayer yourself and to look for scriptures you value and can relate to. I feel you all should definitely look into purchasing this, especially if you want to better your relationship with God or if you just want to make purposeful change.

Participating in this challenge, has really challenged me to be honest and real with myself and with God. I’ve had no choice but to open up, because you have to evaluate, reflect, and make a change in order to move forward, in order to do better. I’ve had some amazing moments of praise and worship following my prayers in the morning, from this journal and the prayers from my heart. All these things that have occurred, occurred with the help of this journal, but they did not occur only because of this journal. I whole heartedly wanted to make a change and be the person God has called me to be (I had purpose for my change). I already had these desires and I saw the journal as one tool (of many) to allow me to press on toward this goal.

Now, I am not saying you have to buy this exact prayer journal to improve yourself or make a change. I’m not even saying you must buy a prayer journal, or anything for that matter. But what you must do is: be willing to commit to making a change and to do so with purpose. I had to stop being lazy and consciously make an effort to seek the Lord and talk to him daily. Even if I am sleepy from work, even if I’m in a rush in the morning, even if I can make up twenty more excuses, I’m able to make time for what I want, so why not make time for God? He always makes time for me, and you.

Life and death lies in the power of the tongue. This power can be just as powerful when it’s transcribed on paper, if not more. I just want you all to realize that prayer journals are significant, or any type of reading that challenges you and elevates you to purposefully make a change in your life. Especially writings that motivate you to get closer or to even just lean on God.

So if you have some free, or even if you don’t, take some time to get closer to God. If to you that means buying a prayer journal, devotional book or praying more, going to church and listening, do whatever best fits you and your needs. But remember the power of these actions, their importance, and the purpose behind why you are doing what you are doing. Try God out and watch him transform your life.

Take Care of Home

May 27, 2018May 27, 2018 - Janna

Happy Self-love Sunday!
I know that I have given you all my personal story and discussed loving yourself, and then discussed knowing yourself, but I haven’t discussed the actual act of taking care of yourself. And that is very pertinent in the whole purpose of this series and in self-love.

You must take care of home, which means yourself. Before you can fully love anyone else, you must love yourself. Before you can take care of others, you have to take care of you. We are so quick to check in on friends and make sure they’re fine, especially after traumatic events. But why don’t we do the same for ourselves? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with caring for others and ensuring they are okay, that’s the type of person I am. However, you must understand it is important to take time for yourselves to check in with your feelings, your emotions. And if you’re not okay, be able to reach out and receive help.

I personally put others before myself. I’m constantly checking in on others and seeing what I can do for them. And while I am still going to care for others, I am going to care for myself just as much as I do for other people and check in on me first. One way that I am doing this is by bettering my relationship & journey with God through a 21 day prayer journal written by the lovely Sopha Rush (@livedeeplyrooted on all social media). I have just begun this journey and realized how thirsty & desperate my soul was for the Lord. I go to church, I pray, and I talk the Lord. However, I have fallen short & I do not go to the Lord like I need. And that is why this journey is allowing me to take care of self, but I will speak more on this on Wednesday so tune in!

I want you all to know that it is not selfish to ensure that you’re okay. But for you to adequately be there, supporting others, you have to ensure your foundation is together. And the foundation is you. Take some time to pamper yourself, do a good face mask, read, relax and bask in your thoughts, meditate, create or find some affirmations that fit you & your life. Do whatever makes you feel good & enables you to think of yourself, your feelings, and wants.

It’s always good to care for others. But it’s even more important & essential to care for you. Always remember to take time for you, no matter the length. Sometimes you have to put yourself first. So this week, take some time to stop & take care of home, and then go on with the rest of your day.

Know Your Worth

May 20, 2018May 20, 2018 - Janna

Happy Sunday!
Since everyone wants to be summertime fine, let’s first get our minds, souls, and hearts right. Every Sunday is dedicated to self-love & each Sunday I will discuss different topics in regards to Self-Love.

Today’s Self-Love Sunday topic is about knowing your worth.
This topic has a special place in my heart. And after a few conversations with some close friends this past week, the Lord placed it on my heart for me to blog about it.

It can be so easy to forget your value living in a world where well known people, celebrities, and whoever else seem to receive all the glory and attention. This makes it hard for a person to realize their importance and feel of value by just being who they are. Trust me, I know. But I am writing this to tell you that you have value, as who you are. You don’t need to imitate anyone else. Regardless of who gets praised or worshipped on social media, YOU ARE IMPORTANT. You don’t have to be Instagram verified or have millions of followers to have value or be verified in life.

You are special and distinct in your own way. There are certain qualities and attributes that you obtain that make you extraordinary and unique compared to everyone else. Even when times get tough. Even when everything seems to easily fall into place for others. Even when it feels like others cannot see your potential, your power, your impact. You still matter. & you will always matter. But you have to make sure that you recognize that you matter. You are just as important as these stars (or whomever) you idolize, look up to, or hold to a standard.

Even if it seems you don’t matter to anyone else, you matter to yourself. Take care of yourself. Be patient, kind, and understanding with yourself. Understand that your journey isn’t like anyone else’s and you can’t live your life imitating someone else. That will never end well. Even if their life seems to be all rainbows and smiles. That is not always the case. And more likely than not, you only see the good & people seldom display the bad. But everyone has bad days.

You have to remember that flowers grow through dirt. Meaning that in spite of the ugliness that is underneath flowers, the ugliness that they must grow through, flowers grow. They sprout and become beautiful pieces of nature. Just as flowers grow through unappealing circumstances, so do we. Our pain has a purpose. My struggles have allowed me to realize my worth. I’m not the same young lady I was a year ago, a month ago, a week ago. I have grown through my dirt. Even though I didn’t want to experience those painful moments or share those tears, I did. And I am still growing. But the most important thing I am thankful for on my journey of growth is realizing that I am important and will always be.

So as you go throughout your Sunday, throughout each and every day, reflect on attributes that you love about yourself. Reflect on something you enjoy doing, something you’re good at. And when you begin thinking of ways you don’t compare to others, ask yourself, how are you different from the rest. In doing this, you are appreciating yourself & realizing your worth. And most importantly, always remember you hold value in this world and you always will.

Focus

May 16, 2018May 17, 2018 - Janna

Last week I had a come to Jesus meeting, with Jesus & myself. The prayer & conversation that I had with the Lord, which lasted over the course of a few days was well needed, refreshing, and so rejuvenating. I feel like a new woman.
I hiked up Kennesaw mountain early one morning by myself because I wanted to see the sun rise, talk to God, and read my daily devotional book. When I tell you that scene was so breathtaking and beautiful. Seeing the sun rise over those mountains, over the city of Kennesaw, made me feel so small. And I was instantly reminded of the magnitude of the Lord and how he has blessed me, in spite of me.

See I have been struggling with my flesh. The desires of my flesh and all those feelings associated with it, such as jealousy, anger, pettiness, greed, etc. When I say I have been struggling, I mean I have literally been fighting against selfish thoughts and acts. However, this doesn’t mean that I haven’t given in to these things. Because I have. But, in those moments when I let my flesh win, I have felt so conflicted and not at peace. Saturday I told my boyfriend we were going to church no matter what. He overslept, I tried to wake him up, and when he finally woke up there was only about 30 minutes left before church ended. & I hate being late, so once again I succumbed to my flesh and just said I would stay home. However, he went to get dressed and came back to pick me up. And we went to church, late and all. But the message we received was well needed and for me, it further explained the feelings and emotions I had been dealing with. The message clarified everything for me in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.

The guest speaker preached from two very powerful scriptures. However, the one that stood out most to me was Ephesians 4:31-32
³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
And these verses deeply touched me because I have been holding onto bitterness and rage, all those emotions and feelings of my flesh. I’ve been choosing to hold onto these emotions and not be forgiving or not letting go. But Christ has forgiven me, he continues to forgive me. So why can’t I?
It was there at church, listening to these words, listening to the speaker share her story and how she has forgiven, that I realized I had been holding onto my flesh and that I had to and needed to let go and forgive because if I didn’t, I would continue to feel conflicted and bothered.

See, the thing I have been lacking is focus. I have been focused on every other thing but the Lord. And these emotions have weighted me down. However, since last week, and especially since Sunday, I have been making a conscious effort to talk to the Lord. I have been praying daily, multiple times a day, and I praise him. I talk to him in the morning in my bed, on the way to work, in the shower, and when I get ready to go to bed. Things I could have been doing before, but because I felt so “busy,” I didn’t. I lost my focus. And even though I’m doing better, I can still do more. Focus more.

But I have been feeling so amazing lately. I am actively making an effort to be obedient to God, in spite of what my flesh wants. He has comforted me and eased all worry, doubt, anxiety, etc. It is not easy, but I am willing to sacrifice and grow. I know that God will strengthen me and encourage me.
What are you focused on? Have you lost your focus? The good news is, God loves us regardless of when we fall short of him. So begin anew today, and each day. Talk to the Lord and thank him, watch how he uplifts you and moves in your life. I guarantee you will see a change, I have.

Self-Love Sunday

May 6, 2018May 6, 2018 - Janna

My mind has been wandering all week about what I should write about, so much so that when I was studying for one of my finals, I wanted to stop and write a blog. I had a topic in mind, but I didn’t want to “go there.” But here I am going there. And if you know me, like really know me, you know that this going there isn’t easy for me. It’s scary to share but I hope that it helps any of you reading this.

I’ve never been one to not be in tune with my feelings. Unless it means sharing with others, that’s something I don’t do. I don’t want to appear weak. But being in tune with your feelings, expressing them and not pushing them aside is actually a sign of strength and not weakness. So here goes, here’s my story.

I have never been one to “fit in” with the “in” crowd. And I am about to tell you why. I was always bullied, beginning in elementary school. I was natural back before natural became a part of popular culture. Meaning, I was one of few natural girls in school, meaning I only got my hair straightened once a month if that. Now, imagine if all of the girls have perms (or relaxers, whichever term you prefer) and you’re the one rocking that puffy pony tail which was considered “nappy.” I’ll never forget one day on the bus when it was raining and I was sitting in the last seat on the bus next to the window, next to one of the baddest boys in my third grade class. He told me to put the window up, but this was my first time on the bus, I didn’t know how to, and didn’t want to try & fail. So I sat there. Even though he was about to get off, even though it wasn’t raining hard, even though he was bald, he said, “Well it doesn’t matter cause your head is nappy anyways so get wet.” I was in the third grade and those words stung so bad and stayed with me longer than I knew.

In middle school, I got picked on for being “too light,” which made me self-conscious about my skin and myself in general. My skin color was compared to packets of mustard and my “blackness” was questioned. It shouldn’t have bothered me, because I know that I am black, but those words hurt and I always felt the need to prove myself. In high school, my mom let me decide what I wanted to do with my hair, trying to be like everyone else, trying to fit in, I decided to get a perm. Then got a little too carried away and started curling my hair almost every other day. People always saw me as a saint, miss do-good, so I also tried to let go of those perceptions as well in any way that I could, dressing like others and using languages that others did. Because being different bothered me to my core.

Last month, I finally shared an original spoken word about my battle with finding myself. It didn’t go into detail, barely touched the surface, but that was a step for me. And recognizing how these past situations have affected me are also a part of my journey. However, I have never been so in love with myself. I am different. I am not like anyone else, and that is fine. I have natural hair again, praise God. I wear what I want and I LOVE the complexion of my skin. I also voice MY OPINION in MY OWN WAY, regardless of what others believe or how they feel. I am not perfect, in any way. And most importantly, I am still growing, every day. Still getting better and becoming more accepting. But no matter what, I am so proud of the woman I am and the woman I am growing to be.

This was super long, but I have shared all of this for a purpose. Some people think i have everything figured out, that I just have everything and have always had things my way. But that is not my reality. It’s what you perceive. Like I said before, people’s opinions do not matter. Because if we try to please them or care about what they say/think, that would be a lifelong process.

Hopefully this post impacted you, even in the slightest way. Stop, take a moment and love yourself today. Be kind and patient with yourself. Don’t listen to what others say. One of my favorite authors stated, “What matters most is how you see yourself.” And this statement is so true, because we are all beautiful in our own way. But YOU, yourself, have to see this beauty.

It may be Skincare Sunday, but also remember, it’s Self-Love Sunday, as well. So love yourself a little harder today.

Live Your Best Life

April 25, 2018April 26, 2018 - Janna

Greetings my lovely readers!
I have been absent because I was participating in the Miss Black & Gold pageant at my school, which we will discuss more as the blog continues 🙂

At the beginning of the year, I shared some goals with you all that I had for 2018. One of them being stepping out of my comfort zone. And participating in this pageant is definitely the prime example of me stepping out of my comfort zone. I am always in the audience, supporting others, but never in a million years did I see myself on that stage because I doubted myself. I had to stop belittling and down playing myself and truly believe in the power that I possess. It was a tedious process, it was scary, but more than anything it was so empowering. I didn’t let my fear dictate me and I couldn’t be any more proud of myself.

For those of you who know me personally, you all know that my boyfriend is a motivational speaker. And one of his talks that he developed into a YouTube video, “Live Your Best Life” inspired today’s post. He is such an inspiration because of his ability to connect with others by sharing his story.
So today, I hope by sharing my story that you all will feel inspired to step out of your comfort zone & live your best life.

In the song Best Life, Chance The Rapper said, “Turned all my L’s into lessons.”
So as you continue throughout your day, week, month, how can you turn your L’s into lessons? How can you continue to persevere and overcome your problems? You may fall down, but you can always get back up. Never let one discouraging moment or situation define your destiny or future. You are so much more than that mistake.

I want to Live my Best Life. So I’m praying more, drinking more water, and eating less junk. I’m staying encouraged and trying to encourage others. There are tough days, but they won’t last forever. Always remember that.
What can you do today to ensure that you live your best life?

Love,
J.Alane

Through love, serve one another

April 7, 2018 - Janna

Hello my lovely readers! I am approaching the end of my Spring Break and of course I have to share.
I had the honor and privilege to participate in a Spring Break service trip to New Orleans to assist in rebuilding homes that have been damaged by natural disasters. And when I tell you this trip has been so rejuvenating and life changing, I feel like a new woman.

One of my current favorite quotes is by Gandhi and it states,
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others.”

And I couldn’t say this any better myself.

I have a strong passion for service and so learning about this trip last year, instantly sparked my interest. Being able to attend, assist so many, and form so many bonds just made it even more worthwhile.
While in NOLA, I was able to prime a house, utilize a saw amongst other power tools, and put up siding on another house. I don’t want to disclose too much information about the people we aided, because that is their story. And you would have had to been there, interacted with them and witnessed this for yourself. However, nothing feels better to help someone and see the look on their face when they acknowledge that you took time out of your day to help make theirs. That is a priceless look and feeling. And what made it even better, was to do it with about 63 peers from my lovely college, who thought it not robbery to give their time too.

It is important to give back to your community, in whatever way you find possible. Any little act helps. Even if it’s as simple as giving your leftovers to someone on the street who has no food, or giving your umbrella to a homeless lady and her children while it is raining.

You never know when you could be in need OR how differently your life could be if you weren’t blessed the way you are, because trust me we are so blessed. The Bible also states the importance of service by stating that service is an action of love and when we serve, we demonstrate this love (Galatians 5:13).

So I challenge you to continuously give back. And if given the opportunity to participate in a service trip, participate. It will be so impactful on your life and the lives of others.