Both sides of the story

"Forget it... I GIVE UP" - you say as you are completely finished with whatever problem it is that you are fighting with...

2 words... Give Up. 2 words, one HUGE deal. It's so easy to do-- isn't it?! 

AHHHHHH--- BUT.... did you know that there are 2 sides to every story? YES!!!!!

The Negative Story of giving up-- "side 1"::

You are fighting for something you need-- your family, your job, finances, your home-- more importantly... your faith. You've been fighting and fighting trying your best to be the best because that's what you thought you had to do to make "this" (whatever your need is) work. Guess what? It's not happening... family is falling apart & it's taking a toll on you emotionally/physically, promotion that you deserved was given to someone else, can't afford the bills- not to mention the groceries; rent is going to be late...and you feel God is not coming through and you start to question if He cares about you and the situation you are fighting. Oh here it comes... you scream "That's it!!! I quit!!!" 

...YOU GIVE UP. 

The Positive Story of giving up-- "side 2"::

Sometimes life stinks; Life hurts. Did you notice common words in the Negative Story above? I kept saying.... "you are fighting" a lot didn't I? Yup... sure did. So, here's the deal-- 

• Family falling apart & it's weighing you down: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

• Promotion not given to you & you feel treated unfairly:The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. Psalm 103:6

• Finances:And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

• When you feel like God isn't fast enough for you: It is not yet time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3

Still wanna give up? I hope you do. 

WAIT! "Michelle, did you just say I hope you DO?! OKAY- Confused?!"

Yes, I said I hope you still want to give up-- GIVE UP IT ALL TO GOD'S HANDS... and not fight the fight yourself. Trust me... it does you absolutely no good to fight a fight you are NOT suppose to be fighting. TRUST ME!! The only fight you should be fighting is the fight of faith. 1 Timothy 6:12- Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever. You were called to have that life when you confessed the good confession before many witnesses.


Try it... I know as you are reading this you are harboring all the thoughts of everything in life you have wanted to throw in the towel on- close your eyes and with all of those thoughts in mind, say OUT LOUD... I GIVE UP. I GIVE UP GOD-- HELP ME-- I KNOW YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE-- I BELIEVE IN YOU AND I TRUST YOU-- HELP ME. 


The next time you wanna "give up" may this be a sweet reminder to you that giving up doesn't always mean to quit- but a release- a surrender to God- to let Him handle whatever it is you are facing.



Take care of you :)

Guess Who???

Have you ever stopped and said...

"BEST DAY EVER!!!"  

We've all have had our share of more than a few!! I know I have!! Having problems thinking of some? How about a wedding day, birth of a child, graduation, promotion at work, baptism, getting your absolute favorite treat or just an all around awesome day with some family members. 

Personally, I've had a ton of "best day" moments-- I treasure them- hold them close to my heart. 

Just a few of my BEST DAY EVER moments...

The day I married my best friend

Andy dressing up in a banana costume

Dinner with mom

I love my mom time

Getting kisses beachside with my hubby

Having My Mothers Italian Ice with my cousins

My sis and me @ Andy's graduation

Sitting on a rock in Central Park, NYC

Being inside the NYC Library & looking up at the amazing ceiling!!

The day I met the man who would change my life forever

GRAND CENTRAL STATION & the Whispering Walls!

Watching my Andy graduate bible college

Having the entire box of RAINBOW COOKIES

We found out we are going to be auntie/uncle & godparents

My AMAZING Dad and me- I miss you Daddy

Come on... you know you are thinking of one right now at this very moment!!! What is your "Best Day"? Get it in your mind-- get that BIG HUGE grin on your face--

I really believe that we have all of these awesome amazing days-- they make such great lasting memories-- so that when we have the bad not so good days... those memories are there to lift us up. 

Picture this... You are throwing a party at your house- a birthday party let's say. The house is full of family and friends and the music is going- people talking and laughing!! It's amazing, happy, and everyone is smiling-- the wishes have been made, candles have been blown out, cake has been eaten, & presents have been torn open :) ... and as the Mickey Mouse Club song goes... "...and now it's time to say goodbye to all our company..."  everyone leaves. As you say the last goodbye and close the door... your smile fades and you realize-- the house is a mess and you are now all alone. 

Does it sound like your life? Is the "party" gone and you are feeling all alone? 

It's okay, guess who hasn't left you? Guess who has been there the whole "party" and who didn't leave when everyone else did? One guess... no, it's not your dog. lol It's God silly!! 

He has been there since the world began-- he created the world- he created you- he loves you- he has plans that you prosper and have a wonderful future!! (Jeremiah 29:11) God is the One that placed all those "Best Day Ever" moments into motion!!! He is who you need to thank for those amazing days!! 

Some verses to remember in "Best Day Ever" days... and not such good days...

Isaiah 54:17 ncv:"No weapon that is used against you will defeat you. 

Matthew 12:30 ncv: "Whoever is not with me is against me. Whoever does not work with me is working against me. So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and everything they say against God. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

Psalm 27:1-3 ncv:  The Lord is my light and the one who saves me. So why should I fear anyone? The Lord protects my life. So why should I be afraid? Evil people may try to destroy my body. My enemies and those who hate me attack me, but they are overwhelmed and defeated If an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. If war breaks out, I will trust the Lord.

Ephesians 3:20 ncv: With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.

2 Corinthians 9:8 ncv: And God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything—enough to give to every good work.

Take care of you :)

It only takes a whisper

Say it with me...

Man has this been difficult for me to do lately. I personally have so much going on in my head at the moment- in my life. They are simply things that I cannot control myself and boy can I say how hard it is to give up total control?!! I need to remember to give my worries to God because that's His job to take care of them- & not my job. 

I'm really not going to go into detail this time- but we will just call the problems "life challenges"- you all know them-- money, family, marriage, car, job, health... etc. 

I have actually had two different friends tell me to take a deep breath over the past few weeks-- what can I say... it's been a difficult few weeks, and my stress level is rising. 

I have to remember that God is on my side and that He is carrying me through this nasty mess- He's restoring me- He's giving me His strength!!  

Have ya'll ever heard of the Serenity prayer? It's one of my favorite prayers actually. It goes like this...

God, 

Grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

the wisdom to know the difference.

Oh, so true!! Why is it so hard to meditate on good & positive things- why do we always seem to go for the negative approach first? 

1 Peter 5:8 says::Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

So, see- we have to be on alert! We have to be in the right frame of mind- being positive- that stupid devil is just waiting for us to have our negative hat on so that he can slither in...Noooo!!! Just whisper His name JESUS!!!! & He will run to you and rescue you.

You are all I need Jesus- thank You for running to me!!!

Remember to take deep breaths, BREATHE, & whisper His Name...

Take care of you :)