Do you feel that that you would be happy if you had that perfect relationship, the house of your dreams, or a lump sum of money?
Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash
Images of perfect people and material things don’t make you happy. Have you noticed how that getting something new feels great and after a few months it doesn’t have the newness feeling that it once did? We are thankful but that brand new handbag or watch is not the source of joy. If my hubby gives a new handbag for my birthday and I am more excited about the bag and not my relationship with my husband, I have the wrong priorities and need to readjust.
My Pastor recently taught a message called, God Is For Your Family, and I truly believe that He is.
My notes from the message on what makes a strong family:
What Are Your Priorities?
What really matters and what is most important? The most important thing in life is relationships. It’s not the handbag, the new car, the big house. It is the relationship we have with God, our spouse, our family, our co-workers, whomever. If we have a relationship that is struggling, that material thing will not make it better
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 AMPC
Principles
If you have children they have to see you walking out the Bible, reading the Bible, and going back to the word. God is a faithful God. Culture base your belief in God’s principles. The greatest motivation is being an example. The principles that we live our life by, will be the principles we pass onto the people closest to us.
Matthew 7:24-28 ESV
Promises
We have to say everyday ‘God Is For My Family’
God has me where I am on purpose and he will let me know where he wants to take me. God cares for you and loves you very much. It is His promise to us to take care of us.
If you are going through anything, remember that God has you in His arms. And my hubby and I are praying for you here at Bubblingwitheleganceandgrace.com. This blog is not just to show me wearing a cute outfit or trying the latest skincare. We love you and want you to succeed in every area of your life.
Listen to Jen Ledger’s latest song, ‘Fall Into My Arms”. This song reminds me to remember that God cares for me and He is concerned about whatever and whenever that concerns you. Sometimes when I feel like I’m all alone, I just need to remember and know that I am not alone. I had to cast those imaginations down. God is my comfort and my rest. And I can’t rest if I keep picking it back up. He is the best relationship that I, or anyone, can have.
Let me know what you think of the song, “Fall Into My Arms”.
What are you looking for in a relationship? Are you looking to God for the greatest relationship that you can have? Who else in your life is important enough to you to make the effort to strengthen your relationship. Let me!
I hope you are having a lovely week and the start of the year. Friday was Valentine’s Day but really we have to celebrate every day. My hubby fell on the ice going into work on Thursday and broke his shoulder. And one of our doggies, on the same day, had five teeth removed during dental surgery. I was caring for two family members and Valentine’s day was not really on my mind. What was on my mind was taking care of them, and making sure our other little pup was getting enough playtime. He didn’t understand why my hubby couldn’t play with him because he had to rest. We have a big trip coming up at the end of next month, why did this have to happen now? Well, I know that I can’t ask why and know that God will take care of it.
I hear in the background that doesn’t sound romantic. However, it really is because I thank God that my hubby is okay and is healing. My hubby had a Valentine’s Day pizza sent to me at work with a side order of toasted ravioli. I brought most of it home but the couple slices I had with the couple toasted ravioli was delicious.
I hear people saying, “you had to take care of your doggie too?”
If you don’t know dogs, they don’t let you know if they are in pain and you have to look for signs. V had a puffiness on the side of his mouth. My hubby and I took him to the vet. He had to have five extractions and was dealing with an infection that went to his nasal passages. I thank the Lord he will feel so much better by having the dental surgery.
This is my family? What’s the definition of a family?
I don’t have any children yet but that’s not the only definition of having a family. My husband and my furbabies are my family and love is the privilege to take care of them. Some may say that’s nothing compared to all the children that I have or had to raise. I have had that said to me when I would say I needed to take my dogs to the vet for a check-up. Well first we shouldn’t compare and all of our lives are different. I still get looked at in an odd way when I say I don’t have any kids yet. My life is not your life and if it were we would all be robots. Raising kids is a huge responsibility and I never take that lightly. My Mother and Daddy raised me, and I have a God-son and his mom is a single mother and raising him is a huge feat.
I know that God is good and no matter the circumstance He says that he will take care of us and give us the strength to take care of our loved ones and others.
God’s word says in Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.
If you are going through a season, remember that God is for you and he is there for you to take care of you. it may be tough but no one ever said that this life would be easy. I have a daily affirmation calendar from Kenneth Copeland ministries in my bedroom and today’s quote says:
“Something GREAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN to ME! Psalm 35:27
I believe that and stand on those words today and every day. Speaking positive words in our lives builds us up and sets us in motion for the day. Yes, positive not negative. I welcome everyone to my blog. I am a Christian and the top four things that I do to keep me up in a down world include:
*I pray – Starting off my day in prayer brings me so much peace.
*Reading my bible every day – I really like the Dwell app and the Youversion app -If I miss a day I really can tell in my spirit.
*I read- right now I am reading, “Trust” by Joyce Meyer and the book has a compatible study guide
*I journal – I write in my journal and my gratitude journal almost every day. It helps me stay focused and get things out. Technology is great but it’s nothing like getting things my chest and putting pen to paper.
These are some of the things I do each day to stay up in a down world. If I slack off in any area I can tell a difference in my mood and in my day. I have also been listening to CALM because it just became available for free on AppleTV and I thoroughly enjoy the bedtime stories.
First off I wanted to say that my heart goes out to the Bryant Family, the Altobelli Family, the Mauser Family, the Chester Family, and the Zobayan Family who lost their loved ones in a helicopter crash Sunday morning. I will keep each family in my prayers and intercede for them. I was starting a new piano study yesterday when my hubby told me about the horrible and shocking news. No words could express my sadness. When a tragedy like this occurs; it does not matter that I am not a big basketball fan. What matters these people’s lives will never be the same.
Photo by Vanessa Serpas on Unsplash
I felt that this needed to be a different kind of post from me today. When I was in church on Saturday my pastor said that God’s call on our life is to make a contribution. That contribution needs to be in our family, the people we work with, the people in our neighborhood, or the other people in our own world. But how do we make that contribution? God has placed gifts and talents inside of us to help others.
Our contribution can come on a basketball court with the whole world watching, or it can be in a local church group with only a handful of people around you. God wants you to make a difference with what you are doing. God gave you your gifts and talents not for you to enjoy for yourself, but to help other people.
No matter what the gift or talent is that God has placed inside of you, it is important to Him. What you may think of as being something small can make a big difference in someone’s life. Never diminish what God has placed inside of you. Something as simple as a positive attitude and a warm smile can break the walls down in someone else’s life.
What are your gifts and talents and how are you helping others with them?
Christmas Day memories are all in full gear on Facebook with the various pictures of food, toys, and fun. And if you celebrated Boxing Day you get to have another day of festivities. Some people have already taken the tree down or have taken it to the park to become mulch.
Usually, the day after Christmas, my husband and I like to see if we can find additional ornaments on sale to spice up the tree for next year. I enjoy finding ornaments that have special meaning to me, like these blue ornaments. My grandmother had a Christmas tree with blue ornaments, and these remind me of the ones she would have used. Adding new ornaments to a Christmas tree always adds a fresh look. I also like adding shiny garlands because it reminded me of the trees of my childhood. I need to purchase a few more for next year because you can never have too many. This was the first time in many years that I added garlands and made the tree look completely different than previous years. Taking down the holiday decorations too quickly can be such a shock because the house feels empty and less vibrant.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
How do we keep that holiday spirit all year long?
I spend several days decorating my house for Christmas, going from room by room. I want to be able to enjoy the tree and all the decorations for a longer time. We typically don’t take the decorations down until February 14th, Valentine’s Day. I have had friends tell me, “It’s your house, you keep those decorations up as long as you want.” My puppy Gio went to heaven last July. My hubby and I had just purchased a new tree at the time of his passing; so we decided to keep that tree up for the rest of the year. God knows the tree brought us peace at a difficult time for us.
JTwisdom and Hubby’s Tree in the LIvingroom
Acts of kindness
My cousin didn’t want to put up her tree this year because she wanted a different kind of tree but didn’t have the finances to purchase it right now. She gave her Christmas tree and lights to someone who had kids and didn’t have a tree. My cousin didn’t want this lady and her kids to be without a tree.
Help someone in need because giving always makes you feel good. Do you need to reach out to a friend or relative whom you haven’t talk to in a long time? Send a text message or make that call just to say hi or I was thinking about you. Check on the elderly neighbor.
Learn about a holiday
My hubby and I celebrate Christmas but started lighting the menorah for Hannukah about four years ago. It’s a special feeling to light the Menorah and learn why the holiday is celebrated. Take some time to find out what Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, and Kwanzaa mean and why each holiday is celebrated each year.
Start a new tradition
Does your family wear matching pajamas for Christmas? Is it a tradition to make your grandma’s delicious dressing or favorite pecan pie? You will be surprised how your family will look forward to those traditions each year and how you will create new ones.
You are not alone
We must remember that everyone does not have a large family or a huge amount of friends to celebrate the holidays. Both of my parents are in heaven. I had to press through depression and keep putting in my focus that they are always with me and I am thankful for them. The holidays are for us to give thanks and be grateful. I didn’t say it would be easy. You may say that you have nothing to be thankful for. We all have something to be thankful for.
Your assignment
Write down three things that you are thankful for every day. Then, when you are feeling down you can always look at that list to give you a boost of encouragement. It can be as simple as one word.
Remember that you can feel alone in a crowded room full of family. No family is perfect and what you see on Instagram or Facebook is what they want you to see. Those who have big families want to be alone and those who have a small family want a big one. We have to fill our hearts with gratitude.
I am thankful for you and remember that you are not alone. As we continue to celebrate the holidays and step into a new year may you have peace, and your hearts are filled with joy each and every day.
Bubblingwitheleganceandgrace.com would like to say Merry Christmas. We hope you had a wonderful day and relaxing. If you were not able to celebrate with your family or friends today, I hope it was a day of thanksgiving and gratitude because that is what this day is all about. The reason for the season is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. When He came into the world he brought everlasting life. I really have a very small family that I am in contact with so I understand if you happen to be alone during the holidays and that you feel no one cares. God cares and we care here at Bubblingwitheleganceandgrace.com. I spent this past weekend with my family by marriage and it was fun, I am grateful.
I thank you for being a part of the community on the blog. I really appreciate it.
Family Christmas 2019
May you have an abundance of favor and great joy this Christmas season.
Are you feeling anxious? Overwhelmed? Undervalued?
Have you ever been looking at Facebook or Instagram and scrolled through and seen your friends going on exotic vacations or sharing pictures of their gorgeous families? Did you think to yourself, “Why not me or my family is that way?”
I think we all can say that we have felt like this at one point in our lives.
Sarah Reeves, a Christian recording artist wrote a song about how she was going through feeling anxious. This is really Sarah’s heartfelt confession of not wanting to be in that state.
In her newsletter Sarah stated,
“This song is very raw and honest. I wrote it coming out of a season where I was experiencing anxiety more than ever before. I wasn’t planning on releasing it as my single. It felt too vulnerable and too different from anything I’ve ever released. After showing some friends and my team, I knew it was something I needed to put out in the world.
If you struggle with anxiety or depression, just know that you are not alone. It doesn’t define you. I believe that you can and you will overcome this. It may be a process, but it’s time to come out of hiding and receive the healing and freedom that is available to you. I hope you enjoy this song. Thank you for your support! “
Anxiety can be a debilitating feeling because others can often see when you are going through it. It is a battle in the mind, constantly fighting against the enemy.
I know that when I am looking over the fence at someone else’s life, or when I am not centering in on my personal relationship with God, those thoughts can creep in. It feels like I have to dig myself out with a shovel to get rid of feeling that way.
A scripture that often comes to my mind is 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
What Does that scripture mean?
The scripture means that if we truly want to be made free, we cannot pick up what we have given to God to take care of. If Facebook posts from friends get to you, then you may have to put defriend or hide those posts. If you see their kids are on honor society and yours are not, you may need to freeze your Instagram or Snapchat for a while. You have to find what is making you lose your focus. We need to find out what will get that foucs back on track. The enemy wants to get us off track to try and prevent us from succeeding in every area of our lives. We are more than conquerors, but we have to have to put on our armor and stay strong in this world.
Learn More About JT
Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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