Count it All Joy {Even When You Don't Want To}

So life is looking a little sad right now.
Sad as in awful as in horrible.

Actually, I'm being super dramatic. Life is, well, life right now. Bad things happen, what can I expect? Do I think, just because I'm a child of God, bad things can't happen to me?
Don't we all think this sometimes! I don't know what Bible we are reading because every story about God's chosen people showcases them falling on hard times, whether it be before, during, or after their ministry.

Most of you know, I'm going through a financial desert. Out of respect for my husband and family, I don't like posting too much details. Another main reason is I don't want to waste my time talking about it...I'd rather pray about it!

You wanna know a fun fact? Okay maybe not that fun. I've had/have people actually get mad at me because I'm so positive during a storm! What the junk, right?
Here's how I see it: How is worrying going to change my circumstances? It's not!!
Trust me, I'm not perfect and am not a robot. That would be pretty sweet though.
My emotions boil over a lot and sometimes I foam at the mouth, and I have all my shots.
But time and time again, when I worry, I end up making my situations worse because I take the focus off of the One who is working in my life, and put it on the problem.

Worrying puts focus on the issue rather than the Healer!!

Here's how God puts it:
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:2-4

Humans are weird. We want to be rescued but a small part of us likes to suffer. We do! We become familiar in our worried thoughts, our negative attitudes and our sour mood. Then when someone has an answer or just a word of encouragement, we delight in bashing them. How dare they try and make me smile?! Psh... {ya'll know what I mean.}

But God doesn't want us to do that! He never said it will be easy but He did say He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Being positive is not being naive or blind to the problems...being positive is counting it all joy, even when we don't want to!!

I know each one of you has a trial right now. If you don't, you will soon. That's life! It's not about the problems, those are a given...it's about HOW you deal with them.

So choose. Do you want to make things worse by having a negative mindset? Or will you rather count it all joy, so that God's perfect work can take root in your heart? Me? I will count it all joy, even if people scowl at my rejoicing! Besides...it's kinda funny to see them get mad that I'm not mad...pretty ironic...

If you have a storm right now, I'd love to pray for you. Comment below xoxo

Sunday Devotion: Your Self-Worth

Yup, you’ve been there. 

Staring in the mirror, thinking, My God, are you serious? Why did You make me look like this? If you have never had this encounter, you are either headless or a ghost, or perhaps both. For me, I didn’t like my smile, my body, or my unique quirks. Basically everything! I thought I was weird and awkward. Most of the time, I still do. 

God has created you in a special way.

He formed everything about you: your looks, personality, talents, and essence. It’s easy to think that we have to look to other people in order to define who we are. What is even more amazing is that God has called us to be someone and yet we often feel very inadequate because of how we perceive our self-worth.

As a Christian, I know that the word “self” needs to be handled with care. We are not called “Self-tian” though we do act like that. To be a Christian is to be “Christ-like.” We have this life for Jesus, to glorify Him. If we are so busy looking at our “self,” our focus gets taken off Christ. 

Self-worth is the value of what you perceive you are worth as a person. To be “worth” something, we have to have a price. If we feel a high level of self-worth, we seem to have higher standards and expect a higher level of respect. If we have low self-worth, we feel like we have no value and no respect.

I used to think that my self-worth depended on the people around me, that if I measured up to certain people who I thought had a higher level of self-worth, it would somehow, miraculously rub off on me. What that did was just cause me to feel worse about myself as a person! I felt like a fake and a loser. I was trying to measure my value by comparing it to other humans.

            The amazing thing is, we can look at the Scriptures, and Jesus lets us know exactly how much each of us are worth!

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

God reminds us that each of us has worth; true worth. How do we know? By looking at the price that Jesus paid for our opportunity of salvation! We can measure our true worth by what He has done for all of us: becoming the sacrifice for our sins so that we may have eternal life!

            Jesus died for us on the cross at Calvary, shedding His own blood for His precious sons and daughters. Surely through that revelation we see how much we are worth. When we look at our self-worth, we usually compare ourselves to others, and that is how we determine what our value is. This is awful to do because we are all humans and are all guilty of sin. Why do we seek approval and measurement of worth from each other? When we realize that the price for our salvation was paid by His blood because of how much He loves us, that’s when we see our true worth in Jesus. He thought we were worth His own life!

 

Through the love that Jesus has shown, through His selfless sacrifice for us, we grow to love our God. Your self-worth is not defined by what others say and do; it’s defined by what Jesus said and did!

- Excerpt from Chapter 6  of my new book "The Palace Keepers: Protecting the Purity of the Heart", available here for Kindle/iPad/Tablet users or here in paperback

{JJ&M} journaling series: Jesus Loves Me!

 

{entries are edited to protect names & identities}

12/10/07

I am so blessed every day, even if I've lost sight of all the good going in my life.

It's easy to get comfortable with what is positive, and not be thankful but just accept it.
We must always be grateful for the goodness the Lord does for us.
God is showing me little by little how it's our outlook and attitude that affects the events and people around us. If we are excited about something, others will too. If we are in a bad mood, you will notice others also get in a bad mood.

We feed off the energies of one another and we must make sure we are giving off the right kind so others will appreciate it and benefit from it. We must remember we are above those negative tendencies because Jesus lives inside of us and we need to be thankful and glorify His ways.

I have a piece of God in me. All the time. How precious is that?
I am so happy to hear that and remember my Lord loves me and I must trust Him.
Love is a beautiful and strong emotion. It has broken down walls and has revealed many things to the eye.

Jesus loves me and is in me...I need to love him just the same, because He never changes... <3

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Dear David... {From Mom AND Friend: Letter 3}

I've started a series of letters to my little baby boy, that hopefully one day he will get to read and (hopefully) be inspired by (if not embarrassed by)

DEAR DAVID...

Recently the topic has comes up a few times about parents, especially moms, claiming they are not suppose to be friends with their children, only the parent. Now you are only a few months old now so you haven't had much drama in your life for me to sift through...however, David, this is mommys opinion...

I remember being a self-conscious, emotional teenager who needed a friend...and not just a friend to have fun with, but most importantly, to listen and give advice. I've been told that famous phrase "I'm not your friend, I'm your parent" and quite frankly, it hurt my heart. You see, son, when you are in need of ears to hear your situation or even to vent frustrations about life, you will go everywhere to find that someone who will stop what they are doing and pay attention. I want that person to be me!

So here's are my thoughts. Yes, I am your mother first BUT your friend second!! I do not have to eliminate that position just because I'm your authority and disciplinarian...I want you to feel comfortable to talk to me about anything, without the fear of me being "all business." I feel being your friend IS part of being a mother! I don't get it when someone claims they will never be their child's friend...to mommy, this is a sad statement and they are missing out on getting to know the child as a person, not just their son or daughter.

I want to know you as a human being, an individual, not just a title of son. You have your own heart and if that breaks, who will you run to? At first, I pray it's Jesus, for He heals the brokenhearted...but second, I pray it's either me or daddy (not so secretly, me first...) Most kids will run to their friends first because most of the time, the parents have never established a friendship with them. What kind of advice/counseling can  another teenager give? Most are dealing with their own problems! And though it's great to relate with someone of the same age, it is even better to go to a seasoned parent, who has been through the fire and has come out victorious. Does this make sense?

So, David boy, I want to say that you can come and talk to me anytime. Without fear of judgment or typical adult criticism. I may not be perfect and neither my advice, however I am your mother, and it's part of my job to know where you are at, mentally, emotionally and spiritually...and if you are off base, it's my job to listen to your words and your heart, to guide you towards the right choices/decisions and most of all, to be a Christ-like example of what a friend should be.

Love Always,

Mom

Dear David... {Prayer Works: Letter 2}

I've started a series of letters to my little baby boy, that hopefully one day he will get to read and (hopefully) be inspired by (if not embarrassed by)

DEAR DAVID...

I feel this letter needs to go back to a basic principle.
Mommy didn't have the same upbringing as daddy did. He was blessed enough to be brought up in the presence of God, something I did not really feel or even understand until I was 22. I had values and morals, and was God-conscience, but I had never really felt His Spirit. It all started with prayer...and that's what I'd like to talk to you about.


I am already praying that you will be a better David than the one in the Bible. Don't feel pressured, sweetie!! Mommy is not trying to say that she expects you to be this amazing warrior...actually, mommy has been praying that if you are anything of a warrior, to be a warrior of love. We know our family can be, well, prideful. Thick-headed. Stubborn. Argumentative. You know I'm talking about both sides!
You are half French and Hispanic...I feel for ya kid...
But seriously, I've been praying that all that passionate emotion will be used for God's glory! Can you imagine what would happen if we took all of the fire inside and used it for the Kingdom?
I know! So mommy has been praying that you will be different and break this vicious cycle...

You will go through trials and will have to learn the power of prayer on your own. This is not something I think I'll ever be prepared for, because learning means you have to make mistakes first. I don't want my baby boy to make mistakes! But you will...and we can pray through them together, but ultimately, you will have to establish your own prayer life.

To inspire you, mommy has a story to tell. It the year 2011 that you were conceived; actually, about a month or so before. I was a camp counselor at church camp, for the junior girls. Yeah, I know...junior girls can be a little crazy. Anyways we had this BIG tornado warning...the sky turned black and everything! It was really scary especially because we were all waiting outside in line so that we could eat. The clouds swirled over our heads and the light started to fade...
Of course, the girls started to get a little frightened. Mommy could see in their faces that they were confused and terrified. Many of their parents were miles away, and the only ones who could comfort them were the counselors. And God.
Mommy prayed a short prayer for wisdom. I had to help them get their minds off the scary stuff, even though we didn't know what was going to happen. Jesus led me to gather the girls together in a prayer circle and hold hands. Girls that didn't even like each other huddled together without thinking twice. In a calm tone, I said:

"Okay girls, we are going to pray now. I know you are scared...I am too but we know that God has all the power and can take care of us. Right?" They all nodded their heads eagerly, as water droplets started to fall from above. We closed our eyes and prayed for God to have His way...for Jesus to protect us...for the storm to pass over...for everyone to be safe...for the Lord to be with us...


Then we heard someone shout. The tornado was headed right for the camp!!
The counselors tried to keep their groups together but just as we started rushing towards the safe building, a huge crash of thunder scared everyone, and started a stampede. Kids and adults started running all over the place! The clouds opened wide and dumped about an ocean of water, in big drops and splashes!
Mommy was so nervous because she wanted her girls safe but the group had split up. All I could do was run towards the safe building, gathering up as many of my girls as I could. One girl broke down in a panic, screaming for her mom...it echoed through the harsh wind...
Once inside, every person was told to go to the basement...and wait. Thankfully everyone was accounted for. While down there, the lights flickered and we lost power multiple times. The girls were cold, wet and scared. "Oh Lord," I thought, "please keep us safe."

After what seemed like forever we finally got good news...the tornado missed the entire camp ground!!
Somehow, someway, it went right AROUND us and took a different route before disappearing. No one was injured and our families outside of the camp were okay. The girls cheered and jumped for joy!
We were given the okay to call our family, allow the kids to call theirs and then continue our schedule.

The entire time we were at the cafeteria, I could not stop smiling as I overheard the conversations of my girls. It wasn't terror they were talking about...the girls were sharing with everyone how they had prayed and their prayers were answered! I overheard one girl tell an entire table of junior boys "I was really scared, but then Sis Jacy said we were going to pray and we all held hands, and prayed, and then the tornado went away!"

It wasn't me, David. We serve the all powerful God Almighty! I only yielded to His Spirit and encouraged the girls to do the same through prayer. There is power in prayer, son! Sometimes, yes, it will feel a bit silly to you. You may feel overwhelmed, lonely, confused, self conscious and whatever else. but I want you to know that God is always with you and prayer is a way of communication. Keep the lines open and eventually the storm will pass!!

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."

Psalms 5:1-3 

Love Always,

Mom

{JJ&M} journaling series: Pieces to the Puzzle

 

{entries are edited to protect names & identities}

10/18/07

I would be a fool to not thank the Lord every day for the blessings I have in my life.

Through the struggles and the fog, He has been my guidance and light. I have been revealed a lot about myself, my lifestyle and state of mind.

Something shifted and a good thing went into the right place. I feel somewhat whole now. There's a few pieces to the puzzle missing, but patience is a new thing I'm swallowing.

The best things that happen to people come with time. I want to do things the right way and that will make everything else feel right. I will have more appreciation for what happens in my life. I really am blessed, Though financially I might not be so great, that doesn't matter to the Lord. 

I am pleased because I know I'm pleasing Him and I will receive good things in His time. I already have many good things and I'm not asking for much. I can wait until it's time...it will be beautiful...

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{JJ&M} journaling series: NEED TO REMEMBER

 

{entries are edited to protect names & identities}

10/07/07

*NEED TO REMEMBER*

* God is my life because He gave His life for me and I must be thankful and give Him praise because He is the One and only truth and love.

* He will never give up on me, so I must never give up on Jesus.

* Just because I don't feel He's there, doesn't mean He's not. God is always there for me and I must be thankful.

* Nothing and no one comes before the Lord, my God, Jesus.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 7:33

* Remember to put God first, and He will reward us graciously. But do it for God because He is worthy and not for our benefit. Just know things will get better if we turn to Jesus first.*

"IN THEE, O LORD, DO I PUT MY TRUST:

LET ME NEVER BE PUT TO CONFUSION"

Psalms 71:1

"Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress."

Psalms 71:3

Accepting the past and things in our loved ones lives that may have been negative, need not to be dwelled upon. For that can and may become part of your struggle, and not your victory.
It becomes a battle of our self-conscious minds and not a battle with the memory. Jealousy is evil; we must not let the light in our lives turn green, but we must keep it white.

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Motivational/Subway Art Plaque for Nursery - DIY

 I have been obsessed with inspirational/motivational quotes & sayings since I can remember. Probably started in middle school, collecting cool things to read and jot in my journal.

So when I've been seeing all the neat subway art signs/plaques lately, it got me all giddy!

Which usually leads to a project...nothing new, right?

I knew this was something I desperately wanted to incorporate into my son's nursery, and make it myself.

After seeing this sign at Pier 1, I was on a mission:

 I loved the idea of inspiring my little one with a sign, but I wanted something horizontal.

Here are some other cool signs:

Source: media-cache5.pinterest.com via yvonne on Pinterest

Source: tarahlowry.blogspot.com via Tia on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Heather on Pinterest

Equipped with what I wanted to say and do, I asked my handsome man to cut some old wooden planks we had in the basement and adhere them together. I didn't want a square, but a decent rectangle. Small enough to look good over the crib. The wood came out to be about 2x3  feet:

BEFORE

He had one long plank and cut it in half, then used metal brackets to screw them together in the back. I wish I had taken more project photos...

It really was okay that the wood was not new! I love the distressed look and really, wood has awesome characters, I didn't want to take away from the roughness...

I spray painted it red, very lightly in some spots, not perfect. It was so fun not to worry about having everything look nice and neat! The style I was going for didn't call for that. Then I wrote out the words by hand and painted them white with a small brush. I am comfortable with my style of handwriting, since I can get letters pretty straight by hand. If you are not, you can always try a projector screen, stencils or vinyl lettering...

Lastly, I took some sand paper and went to town! Okay, maybe not all the way to town...but enough to get get the white letters to not be so, well, uptight and boring haha

AFTER

All done!! Here it is, up and ready to enjoy!

It was so fun to do, easy, quick and I had everything on hand.

My handsome man made sure there were studs in the walls, this thing is pretty heavy. Also we made sure it was high enough so when baby was bigger, he wouldn't mess with it and pull it down (ouch!)

What a special touch for our son to have in his nursery, something handmade and personal!

Can't wait to have a BIG nursery reveal post soon, with tons of photos...muahahaha, stay tuned....

Pinterest Love: Inspired Quotes

Not sure, but I may make this a regular thing because I love Pinterest and find so many cool/inspiring/awesome things on there...

come on, you KNOW you do too!!

So here goes, some inspirational quotes for you today.

Enjoy them, my awesome peeps :)
(do people say "peeps" anymore? eh)

Source: confessionsofalawschooldropout.com via Jacy on Pinterest

Source: brokenmachine.tumblr.com via Jacy on Pinterest

 

Source: forgivenandfreed.tumblr.com via Jacy on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Jacy on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Jacy on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Jacy on Pinterest

Source: notsalmon.com via Jacy on Pinterest