How will you respond?

I am so thankful for old journal entries because I find them at those times when I need to be encouraged the most…

Luke 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

I’m thankful for where I am and for this season because I know that I am here for a greater God purpose. Each day is an opportunity to choose how I will respond to what life throws at me. I can choose to approach life with either 1. an attitude that reflects Christ and to speak life regardless of the situation or 2. an attitude that reflects the world and focus on the doom and gloom surrounding the situation. Today, I am choosing to reflect Christ no matter how “weird” that may appear to others. I am choosing to trust that God can and will work everything out for my good. Believe me choosing to not to worry and meditate on what is going wrong around me is HARD but at the end of the day I walk away feeling less drained by not focusing on the problems. God continues to give me His peace which enables me to keep moving forward.

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Truthfully worry and doubt try to creep in every now and then but the beautiful part of the story is that I am not on this journey alone. I will continue to rest in God’s love and will trust this beautiful God driven journey.

Be blessed.

New Orleans 2015

Recently I had the pleasure of traveling with a good friend of mine of 20+ years to New Orleans, LA. Though we were only in town for a few short days we made time to explore the city, take beautiful pictures and make lasting memories. I can honestly say that I fell in love with something new every day. 

The 46th Annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was the main reason for our visit. A first for the both of us and ultimately  a wonderful experience and I hope to make it an annual trip. Thousands of people from all over the world gathered to hear good music, eat delicious food and enjoy the perfect weather for the weekend. The Festival was jam packed with talented artists and it was exactly what I needed to unwind and relax.

Let me just say New Orleans is FULL of character, colors and sounds! But to be completely honest being able to experience the city before the tourists awoke for another round of revelry was by far my favorite part of the trip. In the quiet of the city streets I found a beauty and a peace in New Orleans that I haven’t experienced in a while. We woke up one morning just to watch the sunrise over the Mississippi River and it was breathtaking. It reminded me that the darkness is only temporary and once it's time has come the light will return. The darkness could be pain, hurt, feeling of loss or disappointment, anything that feels heavy on our hearts and ultimately hinders our ability to hope. That darkness comes to rob us of our joy, our light and our hope but I thank God that His light and love never fails.

I thank God for the ability to travel different parts of the world and to experience the beauty of His creation. I don’t take it for granted the privilege that it is to do this and I pray for more opportunities to see the world. 

Be blessed.