trust, love, encourage.

I want to encourage you to be persistent and keep seeking the face of God. 


Listen, I struggle. I struggle with jealousy, pride, stress, loneliness, and other inadequacies. BUT it says in Ephesians, "...let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." I need to stop sulking and getting mad at myself for not "measuring up"; Who really measures up 100%?  No one. That's why in Lamentations it says, " The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."-- That's something to shout about! The bible constantly reminds us that His love is steadfast [loyal, constant, unchanging, and dedicated]. Can you think of something in your life that is completely steadfast? Probably not. Why turn our backs on something that is constant, endless, and so precious? Don't get down on yourself for feeling incompetent. I know that's hard to do (believe me, I know), but trust God in all you do. 


During this Christmas season- and every day- love God, celebrate all that He has given you, thank Him, praise Him, worship Him, trust Him, and just embrace Him. He's waiting for us. 


& you know what will bless you? Love on others and bless others! There is a sense of sweet joy when you do something for someone else; do it. 


xo

What Was I Thinking?

The other night I was thinking...

" I always have to be there for others. I always have to be somewhat level headed. I always have to listen to others and their issues and help in the process of calming them down..." and bla bla bla

I've felt like that with friends, family, coworkers, classmates, and anyone else I come in contact with. Then I thought to myself..

"Who's going to to do that for me?! Why do I get stuck with other people's issues? When am I going to be comforted?"

Then I ask God to help me exercise peace, grasp wisdom, speak in love, and learn to rest. I trust Him and know He takes care of me. THEN I thought...

"Wow Anais, You're such a silly goose"

Here I am saying, I have a lot going on and that i'm tired. I'm complaining about helping others and whining about no one helping me; what a lie! What a sad twisted version of the truth. Yes, I'm there for people. Yes, I listen to their issues. Yes, I have things I have to deal with. But you know what I just realized? The way I deal with my issues is by getting my eyes off of myself, and loving on someone else. 

I actually like being there for people. I love that people trust me and want to share their hearts with me. I thought for a second that there must be something wrong with me if people always want to come to me, but it is the total opposite! People know I love them and know that I want joy in their lives. They know that I want to be there for them and that maybe in the midst of it all, I can make them laugh. They know that I have issues too, and maybe that comforts them and we can pray for each other's issues. & what in the world was I thinking...

Basically, I need to stop being selfish and I definitely have friends and family that love me and that are there for me. And above all else, I have a God that loves me unconditionally and will never leave me nor forsake me: NEVER EVER EVER leave me and will FOREVER love me. 

I'm so thankful for my kick butt family and friends; and especially, for God's love for me. 

Just a suggestion...

I suggest that we all go in the Word of God and find out who we are in Him. We need to find it and repeat it to ourselves; speak it over ourselves. I know we should evaluate ourselves every now and then, check ourselves and our motives, but don't start doing that and then end up tearing yourself apart by the end of the whole "check ourselves" process. I have done that to myself too many times.

I get upset, I ask myself why I am upset, I check how I've dealt with myself being upset, I ask myself if that was the best way to deal with it, then I start analyzing: I think about what I could have done better, is this situation really worth me being upset, and the list goes on...
THEN I think, "wow, I'm so selfish", "i'm so needy", "i'm not worthy"....and I just rip myself apart and end up in this horrible lull. I end up feeling so low and so useless and end up having an emotional melt down. It's such an icky place to be. I think of one thing and it snowballs into this pathetic pity party.

But you know what, that was a lot of "I." That was the problem. I made it all about me me me me me. I forget that it is Christ that lives in me. It is Him who delivers me. It is Him who makes me strong--How easily that is forgotten-- He IS life! How can I live life without the one who IS life itself?

My sister told me, "don't lose hope."

I need to trust God in ALL things. One of the pastors at my church always asks, "You trust God? Even in the little things?" That's what I need to do. That's what WE need to do. Trust Him in the big, huge, small, tiny, medium, with ALL things. I'm trusting God. I know he has great plans, and I know he has my best interest in mind. He does and will continue to deliver, protect, love, guide, heal, and speak to me.

I am a new creature. I am made in His image. I am precious. I am a conqueror with Him. I am a vessel. I am a light. I am forgiven. I am renewed. I am free. I am victorious. I am an ambassador of Christ. I am called. I am God's child.

I am loved. I am so loved.

With Love

My sister has a small business called "With Love, Natasha"-- check it out on Facebook, she makes adorable hair accessories for girls and women---But she always says that she specifically named it "With Love, Natasha" because she really does make each project with love. She puts effort and care into each product. She pays attention to detail and takes her time making them. Her products reflect her gentle, sweet, loving spirit; but her products also show determination, persistence, and vigor.

It's like our lives and our relationship with God, right? Well, how it's suppose to be.
Our lives should reflect God's love, grace, and mercy. It should also exude the exciting, abundant, joyful life that God promises us. We need to let God mold us, use us to glorify Him and spread the word through our lives; with love. God pays attention to the details of our lives. He cares and loves us so much. We just have to be open to Him. We need to draw near to Him, so He can draw near to us.

You know, sometimes Natasha makes things and I just say, "Wow, Tash it's so pretty."

and I find myself thinking, "Wow, God it's so pretty." He is the Creator. Just watching the sun set, a water fall, the morning grass with dew on it, I think, "Wow, God." He is such a magnificent and wonderful God.

He knit me together in my mother's womb. He loves me. He cares for my well being. He is concerned for me. He delivers. He blesses. He is good. He is mighty. He is working in me.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He has my life in His hands, because I owe it all to Him. He made me with care. He made me WITH LOVE.

xo

Reality

Spirituality is so much more than we can conceive. It is so much more than our minds can understand. We think spirituality is this hocus pocus, eerie thing; when it is a powerful, war-like thing. The spirit world is more real than the things we come in contact with everyday. It is more real than our beds, cars, couches, and other material and natural things in this world.

It's important to feed our bodies; exercise to keep it in shape and useful; care for it; wash it; and so on. But how much more important is it for use to feed our spirits? use it and exercise it? care for it? Our spirit needs to be tended to. Our spirit speaks to us. It is so crucial for our spirits to be in tune with God's. We should be able to hear his voice in us; we need to use the discernment of the spirit. It's Supernatural.

What's supernatural?
It's being beyond and above the natural. It is unexplainable by natural law. God is super duper natural. His very own spirit lives inside of me. It's bananas. I don't even know how I don't explode, from the greatness of that. I'm not this great and wonderful being, BUT with God I am destined for great things and can go above and beyond all that is put in front of me.

The spirit of fear, insecurity, doubt, sexual immorality, confusion, lust, anger, depression, and all other things that are NOT of God; I cast out of my life in Jesus' Name. & if any of these rise up in life, I speak to it. I declare life and life abundantly. I declare that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I hide under HIS wings. God is my protector, shelter, healer, counselor, and Father.

It isn't easy, but remain faithful. Remain in Him. Keep trusting. Love Him. Praise and worship Him. Seek Him. Read His word. Share Him with others: by loving, praying, being an example.

WE NEED HIM.

xo

Do it.

          They say, "Laughter is the best medicine."

Sometimes, it's a chuckle or even a forced laugh.

Other times, it's a really good belly laugh. The type of laugh that boils and bubbles inside of a person and then erupts. It's a hardy, abs work out, type of laugh. Those laughs are the best. It's especially a good laugh when accompanied by a tear or two, happy tears. Tears that show appreciation for humor and bliss.

          You know, that, "BAHA HA HA HA!" type laugh.

We can't forget the sweetness of a soft, gentle laugh. Not all laughs are necessarily boisterous and loud, but private and lovely.

          We all do the, "heheheh" laugh every now and then.

It's not the volume of the laugh, but the enjoyment of it. The exhilaration and enchantment of it. It's the satisfaction one feels afterwards.

          I say, "Full fill that need to laugh."

Make others laugh and laugh at yourself. I hear it's contagious. No matter if it's a burst, giggle, snort, roar, or snicker. Do yourself a favor, and laugh.

" A joyful heart is good medicine..."

Proverbs 17:22

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting."

Job 8:21

"Mirth is the best medicine, everybody ought to bathe in it."

- Henry Ward Beecher

"There can never be enough said of the virtues, dangers, powers of a shared laugh."

- Francoise Sagan

Here.

Grew up and raised here,
Friends here,
Family here.

Thayer Street,
Fed Hill,
Hope Street,
and Wickenden.
So bold and eclectic.

Broad Street,
Elmwood,
Cranston Street,
and Smith Hill.
So alive and so urban.

All sorts of people,
from all different places.
Accepting, beautiful,
Diverse and lovely.
So original and different.

Music, art, culture,
the richness surrounds us,
everyday.
We are here.
I am here.

So small, big heart.
My city, Providence.

Diversity is the norm.

So I went on a little vacation and visited my best friend, Adelle, in Indiana. Man, I was so overwhelmed with the love that surrounds that girl over there. Not only does she have great friendships, but those friendships have grown into a family-like circle. At one point, we were all out and I just sat back and appreciated everyone for being so wonderful to not only Adelle but to me as well; the love, concern, warmth, respect, and laughter.

I literally am getting teary eyed typing this. I love my friends so much, like a lot. To know that my dearest friend Adelle is being taken such good care of by such fabulous people makes my heart so extremely happy. I needed this vacation so bad. I needed to relax and get away but then I got here and learned that love is something that is indescribable; it's not forced. I was surrounded by so much love that I didn't even know how to react to it and in return, without any effort, I loved back.

I always knew that I was capable of loving, especially those that I knew for a long time but I've learned to just love; love strangers, old friends, young children, older folk, and so on.

I know, i'm such an emotional and mushy girl. I just love love.

I want to thank everyone in Indiana for welcoming me with open arms and for showing me how beautiful everyone is individually. Until we meet again, xo.

what to do, what to do..

I am a Latina; automatically, that puts me in the category of short tempered, feisty, sassy and so on...

As much as I'd like to argue against that stereotype, it is somewhat true. Hey, I'm human right? But on the other hand, I am a child of God with the gifts of the spirit at hand: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

So here's what has been happening lately...

People who have road rage; swearing at me, sticking their snicker size middle fingers at me, yelling through their windows and bla bla. Next, there are the people who I work with/for that man oh man, just may get on that very last, tiny bit of nerve I have left. & then, those people from random places; church, family, a friend's friend's friend, and..(well, you get it.)..that do not always talk to me in the nicest way or are socially incapable of talking to someone with some decency. 


About a year and a half, I would have probably snapped back with a witty/hurtful/disrespectful comment. I've had a hard time lately with these situations because I feel like it is constantly happening. Then I think "Well, I can't just let them walk all over me." Where does the balance of being walked all over and then responding to situations come in? I'm still learning..
When do I say something to "defend" myself? or when do I just leave it because it really is just the other person that has some issues they need to figure out for themselves? When am I allowed to speak? 


Everyone thinks that the discernment of the spirit comes into play when "serious life issues" pop up. I think it applies to a lot in life. I have to use discernment constantly; when to speak, react, approach, let go  & when to hold on. It is still a major learning process, but that is the beautiful thing about life; you never know everything. There is always something new to learn and new ways to grow. God has taught me that I do not always feel like I have to handle a situation, I can just let it go. I'm learning to have peace about situations, patience in the face of flippancy, and joy in the sweet presence of the Lord. I'm always learning how to approach different situations. It is so crucial to trust in the Lord and let God be God. He knows best, and i'm finally letting that guide my life and direct me in how to handle different positions that I am put in. 


Simply put, God is my father and friend but He is almighty, majestic, and above all else.


again, this post is all over the place, but you get it....i hope.

The Life of a Single Young Lady

Where do I begin? I have a hard time focusing my blogs so let's see how this goes...

I've never been one to really be into dating. I had my first "boyfriend" at 12 years old.  He was my first kiss, we were around each other ALL the time & you know how that goes...they automatically become your boo. hah. That lasted for all of a few months until my dad found out and that was when I officially found out that being woo-ed by a boy was not worth disobeying my dad. Let's be honest, neither of us drove, had money or ways to communicate. We were two young, silly, immature kids trying to be cool.

Then, my senior year of high school I had a boyfriend. We were together for about a month when I realized, "hey, I don't even really like him", I just liked the thought of someone liking me. Like any girl, I liked attention; someone to say I look pretty, buy me a few things here and there, hug me, kiss me on my forehead. I know, I was being selfish and being unfair to him but it worked for me at the time and I didn't even notice how unfledged I was. I thought I knew what I wanted, when I wanted it and how I wanted it but in reality, I was clueless.

Then from the ages of 18 to about 21 I just constantly made stupid decisions when it came to boys/men, mostly boys masking as men. I didn't have a "boyfriend" and I didn't date, but I just made one irresponsible mistake after another. I knew I loved God and that He loved me but I was lacking that relationship with Him. I did not communicate with Him, trust in Him and  as much as I said I had given my life to Him, I really hadn't.

I thought I was in control. I thought I was so sure of myself.


I was craving attention. I would walk out and would hope someone would give me a compliment and feed into my insecurities. It's so sad when I think about it. I had no clue who I was in the Lord.

I am His beloved. I should not awaken love before due time. I am His daughter. I am created to do His will. I am precious. I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I am helpless without Him. I am the apple of His eye. I am loved.

My focus is on God and doing His will for me. It's not easy for me, I struggle and that is why relying on God is so key. God and I actually have a relationship now & I am so deeply in love with Him. When I trust in Him and just do His will, all else will fall into place.

xo.

Who's really in control?

For the past month "being defensive" has been working in my heart. I'm sure it's been stirring in me for a while now, but this first month is when I actually started realizing it and taking ownership over the fact that I have a big mouth and always felt the need to explain and defend myself.

What does that mean? Well, what I mean is that i've been learning a lot about living out that Christ-like love. Rather than just talking about it and admiring it, i've learned to let God really be in control and work through me. I guess, showing rather than telling; the whole "actions speak louder than words" life style. I mean words are definitely important but in this case i'm talking about really letting God do a work in me and use me in everything I do to be a witness. 

My pastor spoke about how people say "Oh, I gave my life to God" and we don't really understand or take into full consideration of what that means. I didn't give some or half or just a little of my life to God but my whole life to God. I gave Him every little bit of it. That means, every decision I make, every word I speak, every thought, e v e r y t h i n g.  God loves me, little ole Anais Arias. Lord knows I didn't do anything to deserve His love but His grace and steadfast love hold me, guide and comfort me. 

I've been having a hard time with things from my past coming back into my life out of nowhere and catching me off guard. I tried to run away from them and stay away, but that was the problem. I tried. Instead of giving it to God and not doing it on my own strength. When I do try to do it on my own strength, I just dig a deeper hole for myself. It gets messy real quick. When I see the problems arise and especially if it is something from my idiotic past I get impulsive and say the first thing I can think of and end up feeling so icky after.

I've been reading a book (for about the past 5 months, it takes me forever to get through a book) and it said, "Vindication or defense or whatever reaction there may be should come from God, not from man." and later in the book it goes on to say, "Let us therefore confess our sin, acknowledging that we are just too small and to hard. God's desire for us is that we have grace within."

I know this post was all over the place but it just comes down to giving it ALL to God. 

xo

What's love got to do with it?

Okay so I started this blog so excited about everything that I wanted to say and then all of a sudden, I drew a complete blank.

Then I started to think about what I could write…

“Come one Anais, there has got to be something you want to talk about. Just talk about anything at all.”

But that’s not good enough. Not for me, not for you. I don’t want to make this about babbling and writing just to write; just for the heck of it. I want this to be meaningful for you and for me. That leads to my next thought…

What means something to you?  Like really mean something.

People think they're living, but in all reality they have no clue what true living is. They don’t even know who gives true, real, abundant life. They live on impulse.. “Tomorrow doesn’t matter, let’s worry about today” There is so much more to live for; so much more. We think we can do things on our own strength, on our own time, with our own thinking. Me, me, ME. It just leads to failure. Believe me, I lived it and have seen the results.

Something I try to live by is “Love God. Love people.” Anyone that knows me and anyone that is my friend knows that I truly love and care for them. I’ve been told that love is a commitment & that’s exactly what it is. I’m making a commitment to someone when I say I love them. I promise to be there, to communicate and to give them the best of me. It’s not the easiest thing to do but hey, the love of Jesus is unfailing and never wavers so I can try right? I heard one time…”I’ll try my best & God will do the rest.” So that’s that.

Hello beauties.

Well, I’m new to this whole blogging thing. I wanted to start blogging because I’ve been learning a lot lately about the Lord, about myself and my surroundings and I thought it would be great if I shared it.

I wanted to try and start journaling but my hand cannot keep up with the thoughts in my head so that just ended in frustration. So here I am.

I want to make sure that everyone knows that this blog is not meant to put anyone down or hurt anyone’s feelings. I want this blog to be about ideas, thoughts and lessons that I have floating around my head. These things come from experience, from reading and most definitely from THE Spirit; the Holy Spirit himself. He is most definitely dwelling inside of me and more present than ever in my life.

 I’m not trying to give a disclaimer before I even start writing but whatever. All I can say is, If you want to disagree with it then fine; it is ok to disagree with some posts. It is about what I believe & what I wonder. So there.

With that said….I’ll be back soon.

XO