God Has a Plan and Purpose for us ALL! Jer 29:11

God has a plan and purpose for our lives.  If we could just hang on to that TRUTH!  Hang on!  That plan involves your TRUTH and the beauty of your being here.  We are truly here for a reason and we must listen to Him so that we may understand and go forward with joy and peace.  More importantly than all of this is to go forward in LOVE!

I know that we all have our struggles, everyone of us.  The season of the journey can be painful and very, very long.  It's like no one understands.  No one else can see us, they cannot hear us.  God hears!  God sees!  He really does..He gave us His only Son. 

Sometimes it feels like others have more to carry, and we feel like we're complaining.  The truth of the matter is that we cannot truly walk in someone else's shoes.  Only our own shoes can we walk in and only imagine what someone else must be feeling.  Even though someone else's burden my seem small, it's still a burden to them.  Yes, your life and your struggle.  It's okay to be sad and to feel your pain...Just always remember - You have the love of your Savior!  You don't have to drown in the pain of it all.  You have been redeemed!

We must live our lives for Jesus! He died for our sins so that we may be saved. I know it is difficult to go outside our feelings sometimes. We're human and we don't know how we're going to deal with life's journey. One thing we can do is pray. Pray always for ourselves and others. We can read God's Word and when it all hits the fan - We can use those words. The words in our hearts and minds is what's going to pull us through.

**JourneywithJennifer**

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27 NKJV)

He's always there!

He's always there!  Thanks to my Lord for always being with me.

I must say that the latest Biggest Loser Contest isn't as sweet as the previous.  I am not sure why, but for some reason, it's not the same.  I am not sure if I am pressuring myself about my weight gain.  Yes, gain.  I gained three pounds.  I am a little down about this, but not feeling like it's the end of the world.  I have learned that the body does really adjust to different foods.  I ate salads - I saw less fat, bloating, inches, and weight.  I drank more water, I saw more junk leave my system.  I am just a little burned out on the salads and eat more fruits, veggies, and proteins.  The basics have been enough.  At least now I feel like I actually have food in my stomach and don't feel weak and fatigued.  I am not sooo hungry.
Oh, yes, back to the weight gain.  SPLURGE ANYONE??  Yes, I decided to enjoy my favorite hot dogs, ice cream, peanut butter cookies, and chips during the holiday.  Unfortunately, I loved it a little too much.  In my defense it's difficult to tell your family that you cannot cook, bake or even eat favorite foods because you're trying to lose weight.  You really cannot use this excuse on special occasions.  You have to go ahead and make a choice and eat and cook and eat some more.  I guess this isn't funny though..maybe a little sad.

I still feel like I need to be in control and that by eating and then eating more, I am not in control.  Hello, I should know by now that I am not in charge of anything..One thing the weight loss has done is take some of the pressure off.  Once you let yourself know that hey this isn't working and definitely isn't correct, improvements can be made.  And, you should give yourself a break.

I am excited to say that God's been with me through all of this yes indeed.  Typically I get down on myself and my goals if I gain a pound.  Well, I gained three and don't feel like it's the end of the diet as I know it and on to eating more food.  NO, I realize that doesn't help me and that I should consider how my actions will affect me in the long run if I never stop and just take a chance on losing these 20 extra pounds I am carrying.  Yes, the kid has lost 15 pounds and has a few more to go..

I am never giving up and never giving in.  I am in this all the way and my Lord, He's not even a step away.  He's always right here...

~JourneywithJennifer~

Being Available to use My Abilities...For Him

 
Wow! Today's message at church was awesome! Our pastor encouraged us all to be available to God and to use our abilities to glorify God's Kingdom! I don't know if we ever truly think about what we can do right now, today, right where we are for God! I know we all talk about being in a better place and being in the right frame of mind.

We're all taught at such a young age that when you come to God, you must be all the way in, no playing or pretending. It sounded like you had to be perfect or He would strike you dead. Like, BOOM DEAD. No questions. He sounded so harsh, like that one person who you couldn't embarrass or shame because you had to follow whatever He said. I didn't hear about the grace or the mercy...

I remember being in college and buying a key ring that had the name Jesus on it and being told by a friend that I needed to be careful.  She said that I shouldn't be playing. Well, unfortunately for me, that was one of many experiences for me after being saved where someone made me feel doubts about who I was and where I was going. It's true, I was young and unsure and not really certain of how to act or how to be or who to be...

I remember being saved at 19 singing songs and talking to my parents about Jesus. They were so proud of me. My Aunt Linda, BF's Mom, had said that I needed to be there all the time and not away at college. I didn't understand then that I needed a good church home. While away at school, I was left to fend for myself, so I thought and didn't really know what I was doing...I needed a mentor or a good Pastor, or even just a nice church member to help me along. MORE IMPORTANT than that, I needed to call on Jesus Himself to keep me home. Instead, I turned away thinking that I wasn't ready or that I didn't know enough about Him or know enough about His word - He who became flesh...

Cannot really say I got this at home, because I didn't. I am not sure I even asked. I knew that my life should be different. I know that Mama said to know the Lord's Prayer - a model from Jesus. She said I should know the 23rd Psalm. My Mudear said I should read the 27th Psalm if I was ever afraid. My Dad, the Sunday school teacher said to read the books found in the Bible written by the Apostle Paul. Romans 10:9-10 gave me the words and the understanding of all required to be His forever.  I had the words to spend all eternity in God's House - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

The more I read, listened, learned, and heard about Jesus, something in me told me there’s more.  I knew that He had a destiny for me and it wasn't about that indescribable feeling of joy I felt knowing I was saved. You see, I knew that Jesus loved me. I was HAPPY and had JOY beyond what I could ever imagine. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know how to go to HIM and ask to be led by Him. I believed, but I didn't know how to live in my belief.

I must admit that I did know how to pray and to ask for what I needed. I wore out a few bible pages over the years with all my stuff....Today my soul tells me that I am connected to Him and that I am His. I know He has a purpose for me and that He wants me to find my way in Him. I would love to tell my parents what I do know because of what they taught me, what I didn't realize so long ago..His plans

... It was about me knowing my true purpose in life, to know Him.