“As we are winding down 2022, many of us are reflecting on all the different life experiences that took place this year. There were births and deaths, engagements/marriages and separations/divorces. There were job promotions and job losses. There were business start-ups and closures. There were happy times and there were sad times. There were wins and there were losses. I can go on and on, but one thing I know for sure, there is a time and a season for everything. I know that even with all the ups and downs that I faced this year, I am so grateful to still be here!”

We all have had that one person, that one family, that we admired or felt like they had it altogether. All of us, at one point in time, have had someone that we have been envious of or wondered how they got this or that. Some of us has even tried to mimic others by purchasing the same clothes, shoes, homes, or re-create their lifestyle. What we don’t know is the process, what it took for them to get where they are, the things they had to go through. All we know is that we want that….not really knowing the cost!

“Everything looked good from the outside from the smile on my face, to the clothes I wore, to trips I was taking, but on the inside, my soul was tired. I felt overwhelmed, stagnant in my thoughts and creativity, self-less, and just not certain about my life’s path as I had in the past. I was drained mentally, physically, emotionally, but most detrimental, spiritually. I didn’t know a direction and it felt like life, on the inside, was falling apart.”

I have been so afraid to move forward out of FEAR of what others may say or what they may think about me. I have told myself other things like “I need to lose weight”, “I don’t like the way my voice sounds”, “I need to go to toastmasters class to make sure that my delivery is effective when speaking”, etc. But God, has told me that who I am sending you to, I don’t need primp and proper, I need real. I need you to share your journey, your success, your challenges, your insecurities, your fears, because everyone has them but not everyone wants to talk about them.

Choose to forgive yourself first, and then the person, situation, or things that has held us bound for all this time. You will begin to see a shift in your life…hope, love, peace, joy, and healing! Break the cycle and make today the last day that you allow unforgiveness to control your life. Repeat after me, “I choose to forgive!”