Do Not Be Afraid

A few weeks ago, my good friend told me that she was going to Paris and asked me if I wanted to go. Of course I did! I was so excited because I told myself that this was going to be the year that I finally traveled, and now I had an actual opportunity to do so. I was so excited, but there was a part of me that was afraid. So afraid, that I actually was trying to find any excuse why I couldn't go, or why I shouldn't go. 

But what was I afraid of?

To be honest, I have a love hate relationship with flying, something I'm sure some people can relate to. I hate being in the air, but I love the convenience of being able to get where I want to go, quickly. Being in the air, with my life literally in the hands of the pilot makes me very uncomfortable. I barely like riding in cars when other people are driving (it's a control problem). So with that being said, my fear was caused by the thought of flying over the ocean....alone. But I couldn't let that stop me. I knew that I had to go on this trip. I WANTED to go on this trip. So I talked to a few trusted people and they thought I was crazy for even thinking about not going and I eventually bought my ticket. The minute I bought my ticket, all of the fear suddenly went away. 

In this moment, I realized that my trigger for the devil to seep in is fear. He knows that if I'm scared, I won't do something. This year I have committed myself to not letting fear stop me from doing something. Sometimes God is going to have me do things that are out of my comfort zone and I can't just not do them because I'm afraid. If I do that then I'll miss out on the things that God is trying to bless me with. 

My faith is supposed to be built on the promises of God and trusting that He is going to do exactly what He said He will. My faith cannot be based on fear, that isn't of God.

If God is telling you to do something and you're afraid, you have to make yourself realize that God will never tell you to do anything that will hurt you. It may be uncomfortable and it may be something that you don't necessarily want to do, but you have to trust that it's in your best interest. 

Living life without fear is so freeing and empowering. Be discerning in your decisions, but don't be afraid to take risks and step out on faith. Trust that God already has everything handled. 

                                           

Love, 

JayCherie 

Happy 2017

2016 was a great year. A year of opportunity, a year of blessings, and a year of new beginnings. Everything wasn't perfect all year and there are still some things that I am still trying to work through, but I'm learning to embrace every moment and take it as an opportunity to grow. I'm not always successful with this, and sometimes when things are difficult, I don't always embrace them in the way that I should, but as always, I'm a work in progress. 

Something that I've truly began to understand this past year is that God gives me what I want. But often times I find that when I ask for what I want, rather than asking that my will align with God's, I find myself feeling very unfulfilled and empty. It always felt backwards to me because I didn't understand why God would give me something if I wasn't supposed to have it. But over time I've began to understand that everything that God gives us isn't exactly what it looks like. Sometimes the gifts He gives us come in the form of lessons.  Lessons that show us just how much we need Him and how much better His plan for our life is than our own. 

The lesson that I'm taking into this year is truly understanding that in order to experience total peace, I need to pray to make sure that the desires of my heart align with God's will and His plan for my life. I want to experience all that He has to offer me and I won't be able to do that unless I take myself out of it. So I plan to continue to do what the scripture tells us in  Psalms 37:4, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I pray that your year is off to an amazing start!

Expect to see much more from me this year! 

Happy 2017! 

JayCherie