Author: Kris Valdez

Feeling The Fear

Posted on by Kris Valdez

On a recent visit to the library on a beautiful, unusually warm, sunny, spring day, my youngest and I walked to the library while the rest of our crew were out having other adventures.

My youngest is obsessed with dinosaurs. He challenges the librarians almost weekly to find out if new books are on the shelves. He knows the exact location in the stacks for the nonfiction section having anything even remotely associated with paleontology.

I think the library has expanded this section or gotten books from other libraries to meet the demands of my child. Not really, but I have noticed more books on the shelf and my mommy reading before bedtime brain sincerely thanks the library for new selections.

On this particular trip, my son, entertained with his new books, I stepped across the stacks to peruse the latest arrivals on the nonfiction shelf. To my surprise, of the five shelves of new books, ten of the newest offerings were about fear. Ten titles on how to be fearless, combat fear, be brave and overcome what we are afraid of all stared back at me with glossy library covers and unbroken book bindings.

These aren’t self-published books, rather ones marketed by big-name publishers. Big publishers don’t print anything unless there is a proven demand for the subject matter.

How much do we fear that we have this many titles on the newest arrivals shelf?

God knew we would be fearful. He covers the topic of being afraid over and over again. From Genesis to Revelation, God provides us what we seek, which is reassurance things will turn out alright. Reassurance that He’s got this. Whatever “this” is.

He is the one is control.

I’ve fooled myself into thinking that I can handle whatever the world throws at me. The hard lesson I’ve learned is that controlling my fear is an illusion. There is no such thing as real control. We only conquer our fear by giving power over to God.

Eliminating our fear might not happen, but a sense of peace which God provides overtakes us. We can move forward in faith and beyond the doubt because we trust God is in control.

God has given us everything we need; He has sacrificed His Son for us. Is there anything He won’t give us? Won’t provide for us?

God has given us everything we need; He has sacrificed His Son for us. Is there anything He won't give us? Won't provide for us? Share on X

But what happens when what we fear comes to pass?

Romans 8:28 (NKJV), says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

We might lose hope for a moment, and it appears fear has won. The enemy wants us to think this way. Instead, God tells us all things work together for good to those who love God. It doesn’t say some of the things or a few of the things or one of the things. No, it means all things work together.

We might not know the reason at the time or even during our lifetime, but God knows what is best for us. It takes us fighting fear to get back to the path God wants for us.

How do you fight fear? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.

Failure is an Option

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Can failure ever be an option?

“Failure is not an option,” is a line from one of my all-time favorite movies, Apollo 13. For this group of scientists at NASA, failure wasn’t an option for them. They needed to get our astronauts home after an explosion on the spacecraft.

No, disrespect to those scientists and the writers of the movie script, but I disagree. Sometimes, failure is the only option.

When we fail, it shows how much we need God. We are human. We will fail. It’s not if, but when the mistakes come. These mistakes could be unintentional, or we could willfully disobey God’s direction.

When my kids fail, it should be a teaching moment.

Hopefully.

At times, I’m the failure in these situations. Just trying to be open with you. I’m angry first and ask for an explanation later.

I tried, really tried, really I did try, staying calm when one of my boys thought it would be a good idea to plug up the sink to see how full he could get it. For what reason you may ask? Well, it was to watch his toys cruise over the edge onto the floor, along with the water.

Water flowed out through the door and down the hallway. Instead of staying calm, I yelled, something incoherent. It was supposed to sound like, “Grab a towel!”

“Which one?” came the response from my now scared youngster. At least I think he was afraid. Either that or he was in awe of the epic mess he created.

My boys, all of them, including my husband, get boastful over the size of the disaster they can produce. I’ve come to realize boys never outgrow this one-upmanship.

I answered in my not so calm voice, “It doesn’t matter. Grab anything absorbent.”

“What does absorbent mean?”

With my eyes closed and the palm of my hand slapped to my forehead, I say in defeat, “Nevermind! I’ll deal with this.”

Instead of using this as a teachable moment to let my kiddo clean up the mess of his creation, I freak out and handle it myself.

Total. Mom. Fail.

I didn’t even have enough patience to tell my kiddo what absorbent meant.

I wonder if God sits in heaven with His palm firmly pressed to His forehead, shaking His head at me saying, “Nevermind. I’ve got this, God. I think you’re failing on the job. I can handle it better.”

Usually, at this the point in my life, water is flowing over the dam I’ve built in my life. The toys aren’t running over the edge of the sink down the hall. Instead, my tears are running over the edges of my eyes and flowing down my cheeks in defeat.

We can’t hide from God. Not our thoughts, emotions or our failures. It’s in these failures when God shows up. He doesn’t only show up; He will take over and steer our lives back in His direction and the direction of our purpose.

In Psalm 51:17 (NLT), it says “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

God knows what will bring us the greatest joy. Sometimes, we can only find this greatest joy thought trial and error, success and failure. God will bring to us what we need and sometimes that’s bringing us to our knees in surrender to His will through failure.

God needs to break our bad habits to put His good habits into us.

God needs to break our bad habits to put His good habits into us. Share on X

Do you hide your failures from God? From others? How do you overcome failures? Share it in the comments below to help and encourage others.

Breaking the Box

Posted on by Kris Valdez

What’s it like living in a box? There are days and moments when I live in a box.

Before I get emails expressing concern about receiving mail at the address my cardboard box resides, this box is not a physical one, but a mental one.

This box is where people categorize me. Sometimes it’s where I feel the safest classifying myself.

Living in this categorized world where, yes, I stay safe, but it’s not where I can become the person God has created me to be. Nor can you become the person God has designed you to be.

We need to break the box!

There is a favorite saying right now, where change only happens outside of our comfort zone.

There is the one simple fact; change is uncomfortable. For us and those around us.

Whether we know it or not, God has called us to be different. To be set apart.

Whether we know it or not, God has called us to be different. To be set apart. Share on X

Do you feel out of place at times? Or hemmed in by the expectations of those closest to us?

I struggle with the awkward moment when it feels as if I don’t fit in my own skin. What people expect of me or are telling me isn’t what lines up with the person God says I am.

I know deep in the hidden places of my heart where I fear to go because it might see the light of day, I’m created for something different than the box others have put me. More accurately, the box I’ve allowed others to put me in.

In Acts 5:29 (NLT), it says,”But Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’”

If I break out of this box, what will people think of me? The bigger question is, if I don’t break out of this box, what will God think of me?

David, the great king in the Old Testament, felt this way too. Before he defeated Goliath, the reigning king, Saul, attempted putting his armor on David to protect him as he fought the Palestinian giant, Goliath.

As David moved around in the armor, testing it out, he knew it wasn’t right for him. I envision David swinging his arms, maybe jogging in place and gently pulling at the collar of this foreign object covering him. David knew he couldn’t perform his best-wearing something which didn’t suit him.

In 1 Samuel 17: 38-39 (NLT), it says, “Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. ‘I can’t go in these,’ he protested to Saul. ‘I’m not used to them.’ So David took them off again.”

Instead of pleasing King Saul, or worse, making him angry, David was merely honest and knew the armor didn’t fit into the plan God had for him.

We can get into the same trap. We try on different personalities or clothes or relationships, to see what fits the expectation of those around us. Instead, God wants us to wear what He has perfectly created for us.

In Matthew 6: 28-29 it says, “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”

God crafts the beauty of a lily, which here today and gone tomorrow, imagine how much more He is ready to provide a life designed perfectly just for us if we stay present with Him.

Notice I didn’t say our life would look perfect. The perfect live God gives us includes hardships and trials to grow our dependence on Him.

No one else can do what God has called us to do. We each have a unique voice which the dark places of the world are begging to hear because they need you to break out of your box.

Are you living in a box? How do you plan to break out of it? Share your strategies in the comments below to help others.

Being Big

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Being big. When we think of being big, especially when considering ourselves or our bodies, it has a negative connotation.

Then there is the opposite side of the coin. We hear the saying, bigger is better, right? My other favorite saying is, go big or go home.

Could going after the big thing be a bad thing?

On this blog, we talk about pursuing our dreams, obstacles to pursuing those dreams and how to overcome them, along with a host of others things which influence our thoughts. But, I have a question for you.

What happens when we make our dream an idol?

God has given us dreams. Yes, I’ve written about it multiple times. But how do we keep from holding onto our dreams tighter than God wants us? How do we keep our hopes from turning into idols instead of the gifts God has given us? Here are three ways:

Keep a loose grip. Think about how your hands feel when you have a tight grip. They hurt, feel strained, or we get the dreaded blisters. Now, think about when we have a loose grip. It leaves us open to enjoying whatever we are hanging on to in hopes of achieving our goals.

In Proverbs 16:9 (ESV), it says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Consider this in the context of our dreams. When we have a loose grip or open hands or allowing God to establish our steps, we are offering our desires to God. It hasn’t become more important than Him. We are leaving it open for Him to add to it or possibly take it away for a season. Either way, we are surrendering it to Him.

Let go. When God does take something away for a season, we need to let it go. In Psalm 55:22 (NLV), it says, Give all your cares to the Lord and He will give you strength. He will never let those who are right with Him be shaken.”

Turning things over to God is not an easy one for me. There was a time in my life when I was a firefighter. Due to multiple injuries, God told me I need to let go of this part of my life. For anyone who has loved what they do and then have it taken away, it can be difficult to handle in a dignified way.

Dignified, I was not.

I cried. I pleaded with God to heal my body enough to allow me to get back on the truck with my crew. Pretty much I was the epitome of a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum in the candy aisle. I wanted to get back to firefighting more than anything else. Instead, I heard the word “No” repeatedly. Firefighting wasn’t the path God wanted me to walk anymore. The lesson I needed to learn was letting go.

Rise above. We can rise above our desires, with the help of God. There is nothing we cannot do without God. Instead of allowing our dreams to control us, we can rise above them. Sometimes we drive ourselves to reach our goals at the cost of everything and anyone else.

Instead, God wants us to grow closer to Him as our dreams draw closer to fruition. If we pursue our goals with so much determination that it costs us a relationship with God, then the dream has required too much of us. It’s not about getting to the dream destination at all costs.

In Isaiah 1:19 (NIV), it says, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;”

God is pleased with our obedience, not our achievements.

God is pleased with our obedience, not our achievements. Share on X

Are there an area in your life where you need to keep a loose grip, let go and rise above? Share it in the comments below to help others.

Hearing God’s Voice

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Can we hear from God?

I’ve often asked myself this question. Typically followed up by these questions. How do I know if I’m hearing from God? Is this dream or goal I have lining up with what God wants for me? How do I know what direction God wants me to go?

We need to keep our spiritual antenna up to receive the messages God is sending. God wants to communicate with us. He wrote an entire book just to show us how much He loves us and how He wants us to live. It’s these rules which keep us safe from the enemy. Just in case you don’t know what book I’m referring to, it’s the Bible.

In Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) it says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” We must seek God out first. He is polite God. He does force His love or His rules on us. If we want nothing to do with Him, He respects our decision. But when we come willingly to Him, then we will find Him.

God doesn’t hide from us. He wants us to find Him. If we truly seek Him, we will find Him. There are things we can do to get closer to God. Share on X

Can we know we are hearing from God? Yes, we can. Here are three ways to get you closer to hearing from God.

1. Get a Journal. Here’s where we are going to write down what we hear from God. It doesn’t have to be a journal. It could be a random piece of paper. But here’s where keeping track of that paper is essential. Refer back to what we wrote down on a regular basis. Reviewing what I wrote is something I struggle with because I want to move onto the next exciting thing. The review is valuable because it shows us where God has answered our prayers or what direction He’s leading us or where there on common themes to what He’s saying to us.

2. Read the Bible. Yes, this is where God has shown us what we need to know. We must compare everything we hear to what it says in the Bible. This is an extreme example, but if what you’re hearing from God is telling you to knock over the local bank to cover your needs, this, my friends is in violation of God’s law. He would never communicate something which is in direct conflict with His written word. In Psalm 119:105, it says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

3. Call a Friend. There is a popular saying where sometimes we can see the forest through the trees. We get so caught up and focused on one thing; we disregard all other things. It helps to have someone to bounce ideas off of during this process. Preferably, someone, you can pray with, and they can pray for you. Having another set of spiritual eyes and ears can help clarify a situation. In Matthew 18:20 (NLT) it says, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” God is with us when we invite Him into our conversations.

God wants to be part of our life. He is willing to speak to our hearts if we are willing to listen. How do you hear God’s voice? Do you have other ideas? Share it in the comments below to help others.

Curate Our Calling

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Curating our calling. What does this mean exactly? Is it about finding the one thing we are good at? Or is it using our gifts and talents in a multitude of ways?

I’ve struggled with curating my calling. Actually, I’ve spent most of my life trying to figure out the perfect calling for myself. If there is an aptitude or personality test on the market, I’ve probably taken it.

I thought if I could find the one thing I was called to do, then my life would be perfect. I would be fulfilled and have my passion satisfied because I was doing what I loved. Isn’t that what the world tells us?

News flash, my life will never be perfect.

Neither will yours.

Sorry, if this news comes as a shock to your system.

I’m coming to realize, I was using my calling to take God’s place. If there is one thing God hates, it’s loving or seeking things which we put above Him. He will not bless my journey until I surrender this journey to Him.

I’m a serial discoverer. I like to explore new things. It could be through a class or traveling or reading a book. I want to keep learning unique and different things.

It’s about learning these unique and different things which have to lead me to start using the particular talents God has given me in different ways.

God might not call us to do one thing and one thing only.

Yes, I’m a professionally trained and educated planner. But this doesn’t mean I can’t branch out and do different things with my life.

While right now I write this blog on the side, a moonlighting blogger if you will. I hope to one day soon, it turns into a full-time gig. This might be a long time coming, but I’m being faithful and curating the call to be a writer.

Instead of waiting for a publisher to pick up another one of my books, I using this blog to tell the stories God has put in my heart and craft my voice. If you’re a return visitor, my hope is you’re enjoying the progression of my writing as much as I enjoy sharing it with you.

This is only one of the things God has called me to do. I also have the privilege of being a wife and mother. It’s in this calling when I feel the greatest satisfaction.

When my husband and kiddos are able to know in the deepest places of their heart that they are loved unconditionally, then I’ve done my job as a wife and parent. My kids understand the reason I push them, discipline them, and praise them is all based on this love.

I hope to emulate the love Jesus showed the world. It’s in this love where I want to point my kids to Jesus. If you watch any sporting event you are probably familiar with this verse because someone holds it up as the camera pans the audience.

John 3:16 (NLT) “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

My calling is filled with multiple facets. God created the universe. All the way down to the smallest seed, He saw fit to build us a Kaleidoscope of colors, textures, and environments to enjoy.

Why would He only give us one calling to curate? He wouldn’t. Rest easy in knowing while God could be calling you to do multiple things, He is always the best tour guide through this journey of life.

Are you struggling with multiple callings in your life? How do you handle it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Embracing The Plot Twists

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Today, April 6th, the day of this post, is my youngest kiddo’s birthday. Yes, you can celebrate along with me, but you will not be seeing a Pinterest picture worthy birthday party. Nope, we keep it chill with dinosaurs, monster trucks, and cupcakes at the local park.

My youngest was a surprise. See, I was headed in for another surgery. Yes, another one.

The doctor’s office suggested a pregnancy test before going in. It didn’t even enter my mind that we could be pregnant. My husband loved his stepchildren as if they are his own and we had made the decision to not have any more kiddos.

We had every reason in the book to keep our family of four. There wasn’t enough space in our house, we already had two amazing kiddos, we were happy with our life together and kids are expensive! Did I mention kids are expensive? Can I get an amen from the back?

To say we were shocked to find out we were having a baby would be an understatement. However, we knew God was in control and would provide for our family.

And His plans were beyond what we could have imagined. Our third kiddo has added to our family in ways we couldn’t have imagined. He makes us laugh, along with his brother, at their antics together. He fills our days with joy. Okay, full disclosure, most days are filled with joy. Then there are some days where my parenting skills are extremely challenged and I’m praying for a little sanity.

Three kids weren’t part of my life plan. It wasn’t even on my radar. It wasn’t on my husband’s radar either.

God had other plans for us.

We discovered His plans are better than the ones we can create for ourselves. I’m learning to embrace the plot twists He puts in my life.

I’m a planner. I even have a degree in planning. Seriously, I like to plan!

When things don’t go as I’ve planned them or they haven’t met my expectations, then I freak out. Freak out is a technical term for being snappy at my husband, a little short with my kids and disappointed in myself because I didn’t anticipate a curve.

God likes to throw us curves.

If we didn’t have curves, we wouldn’t be dependent on Him. We wouldn’t experience the adventure He has for us. We wouldn’t experience His plan for our lives.

Because His plan is better than anything we can plan for ourselves.

I use this verse often, but it’s too good, too perfect not to use here. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

We can rest assured that our plot twists are all part of God’s plan. He has declared that:

  • We will prosper.
  • We have a hope.
  • We have a future.

The plot twists in our lives allow our trust in God’s plan to grow. We have no idea what will become of the plot twist, but we can rest assured that God does and that is enough.

How do you handle plot twists in your life? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.

Penning Our Purpose

Posted on by Kris Valdez

What is your purpose?

If I asked you, what has God created you for, would you have an answer? If you don’t you’re in the right place. If you do, then you’re also in the right place because we can refine it and push it forward. How do we discover our purpose, refine it and move it forward? Here are three steps to start penning our purpose.

Get alone with God. Find a spot free from distractions. Yes, this is a challenge with all the beeps, tweets, tags, and pings we can get from our devices. It seems as if everything is an emergency and should have been handled yesterday.

However, I challenge us to let go of what feels urgent for a little while and settle into what is important. Quieting the world and tuning into the still, small voice aching to be heard by our hearts. God wants nothing more than to give us wisdom. James 1:5 (NIV) says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

He freely gives wisdom and direction to all who ask. Wisdom isn’t just for the person preaching on television or only for the woman at church who seems to have it all together, you know the one I’m talking about.

God is generous with His gifts and you are included in the word, “all”. The woman who has it all together is most certainly not me, but when I get alone with God, I’m filled with His presence and peace, which has allowed me to move along on to the next step in penning my purpose.

Write it down. I have prayer journals piled on my bookshelf filled with my requests and rants to God. Only recently have I taken time out at the end of my journaling to begin listening to God. I leave space in the early morning dawn to sit quietly and write down what I’m hearing from God.

What I write might have nothing to do with what I wrote about earlier or it might provide a glimpse into how I’m supposed to fix a problem which I played a part in or it might be a day for correction, which aren’t my favorite but deeply needed on my journey drawing closer to God.

This exercise may seem awkward at first, at least it was for me. Ask God for the ability to hear His unique voice created especially for you. He created only one of you, so His voice has a connection to your heart meant for you and you alone.

How God speaks to me, will not be how He speaks to you.

Write down what you hear. In time, you and God will grow in tune with one another and this divine experience will become easier. Even if what you hear seems weird, go with it.

God knows your heart and will speak to you. Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” This time of seeking God’s voice has become one of my favorite times of day and on some occasions has lasted even longer than the concerns I’ve laid at the cross. God knows the days when I need a little more encouragement and then there are the days where I need a little more movement, which leads to the last step.

Live it out. After we’ve heard from God, He expects action to follow the purpose He’s put on our lives. We could be the most brilliant author, but if we don’t put the words to page crafting the story God has put in our hearts, we are not living out our purpose.

Even if the story is only meant for us and God, if He has called us to write it, we must.

Living out the purpose we penned is about obedience and leaving the results up to God. In Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV), it says, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” When we allow the Lord to direct our steps, we can rest assured that we are living out our purpose.

If you need help staying on the journey to living it out, consider an accountability partner such as a friend, family member, someone in your church or even hire a coach to keep you moving forward in your purpose.

I challenge you to pen your purpose by getting alone with God, writing it down and living it out. Share in the comments below how you’ve penned your purpose to encourage others on their journey.

Deserving Our Dreams

Posted on by Kris Valdez

What’s your dream?

This question can be difficult to answer. Sometimes, the roar of the world dulls the whisper of the dream God has given us.

I want to assure you of something.

God has placed a dream in your heart. It might be dim right now, but if we ask God to fame the flame of the desire He wants us to fulfill, He will.

It’s in the fanning of this flame where God shows up in our lives. He is our Creator. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Psalm 139:13-14 (NLT) states, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

We are loved so intimately by God because He blessed us into being. Think about how a piece of art is created. This doesn’t only include paintings or graphic design.

I’m talking about how God sees everything we do as art. He created us to be wonderfully complex and no one is exactly like the other. He built us for a unique purpose which only we can fulfill in His kingdom.

Our art is in response to His call, whether we know it or not. There are times when we have a longing to create. This longing is part of our need to have a relationship with God.

Our dreams are serving God.

Is there any higher mission than to do what God has called us to do? I would argue that working towards our dreams is putting God first in our lives. Now I want to create a caveat with this. I’m not endorsing letting our families go hungry or allowing all thoughts of cleanliness disappear.

No, I’m talking about pursuing God alongside the other blessings He’s put in our lives. Sometimes those little blessings won’t stop saying, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Moooooom” or our blessings could be family coming to visit and we need to madly clean the house while hoping the closet doesn’t pop open while our guests are in our home. Or is that just me? I can feel my husband cringing as I write this. (His life was incredibly neat and orderly until the typhoon of my life hit him.)

We deserve the dreams God has placed in our hearts. Problems may arise when we pursue our dream, then people come along and whisper doubt into our hearts.

They say, “Get a real job. No one is going to pay you for doing (fill in the blank here with your dream.) Or they say, “Isn’t it selfish of you to pursue your dream when your family needs you?” Or another nugget of unsolicited wisdom is, “Why can’t you just be content with what you have? Doesn’t God call you to be content?”

I’ve heard that pursuing our dreams is selfish. How could we spend time away from friends, family or opportunities at church to start working on our dream? Isn’t this exactly what God doesn’t want us to do? Are we supposed to be part of our community and push aside what isn’t serving others?

I call these people the dream stealers. They want to keep us in the box they have created for us, rather than encourage us to embrace the dream God has knit into our soul. Listen to God, not the doubters.

We honor God through working our dreams. He gave them to us in the first place.

Are you honoring God with your dream? How do you handle the dream stealers in your life? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.

Reflecting God’s Fragrance

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Birds of a feather flock together. This old saying means similar people stay together and are drawn to each other. It could be a group of friends, a marriage, or a business partnership. These relationships rub off on us. We begin to reflect the fragrance of those closest to us.

What fragrance are we reflecting in our lives?

In 2 Corinthians 2:15 it says, “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.”

It’s my hope that I’m reflecting the fragrance of my Creator. When I reflect my Creator, it permeates everything I do, everything I say and everything I desire for my life.

Reflecting the fragrance of my Creator helps me…

Love the unlovable;

Put others before myself when I want to be selfish;

Keep calm in the chaos;

Be strong in the trials of life;

When we stay around people, we become like those people. A different way of saying this is, we are who we hang around.

So, who are we hanging around with? Are we hanging around people who bring us joy, encouragement, and love? Or are we spending time with people who bring pain, discouragement, and hate?

Here’s the beauty of these questions, it shows me and hopefully you, we can choose who we allow into our lives.

Yes, we have a choice about who we allow influencing our lives. We don’t always get a chance to decide who we spend time with, but we get to decide what we let into our hearts. We can choose whether or not we allow their negativity and discouragement into our lives.

How can we do this?

By knowing what fragrance we need to reflect. We need to reflect the person who knows us more intimately than our closest friend or relative, the One who wants to see us succeed. God wants us to be better. God wants us to achieve our dreams.

We don’t need to be better so He loves us more. No, God can’t love us any more or any less than He already does at this exact moment.

You are highly cherished and loved beyond measure.

He wants us to be better so we can fulfill the calling He’s put on our lives. We want to reflect the fragrance of what He has called us to do, which is to reflect His love and goodness.

The fragrance of those around us rubs off on us. Who’s fragrance are we reflecting?