When It Hits Home

 

 Like a ton of bricks, five years later it hit home.

 

 

My father was no longer here. Like a rushing wind and a vicious tornado, ALS had taken him away; just like that. A healthy and active family man who had never consumed any types of drugs or alcohol was now gone. A husband of 27 years, a father to his children, a friend to many people and an active leader and preacher of the church; this man of God was gone too soon.

But why had it taken so long for it to hit home? Why now? When everything in life had finally settled down and I was supposed to be extremely happy, it hit home. Ministry was thriving, Bachelor’s degree was almost completed, marriage was strong, I was a stay-at-home mom, life was good until it hit home. Why now? How was I to deal with the weight of such sorrow and grief? Everything in life was near perfect, I had no complaints, I was happy. Why me? Why our family? Why now?  

You see that’s how grief is. We all process loss differently. For me, I was six months pregnant with my first son; Justin, when my father passed. Having had a miscarriage a year before, I suppressed all grief as hard as I could, in fear of losing my child again.  A year and half later, we were blessed with the news of our new baby girl, Melody. And again I suppressed it all. But eventually it hit home, he was gone. And although through God and God alone I was able to continue, the pain was unbearable. The reality that my children would never meet this wonderful man; their grandfather, was almost too much to bear. The reality that he had seen my husband and I as Pastors in a vision just two months before he passed, and not be able to witness it, shattered my heart in ways I couldn’t seem to vocalize or express. Who could I run to? How could I continue to serve in ministry when my heart was broken to what seemed to be beyond repair?

I began to seek information and realized that grief is just that, unpredictable. But I sought refuge in the Lord and the power of his Word. Psalm 34:18 Common English Bible (CEB) says: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.

I realized God had waited for this moment and he was ready and able to walk me through the process of healing; regardless of how much time had already passed. I knew I didn’t want to be a victim and that I wanted to help others through my experience. The lesson I learned was simple, yet powerful. This is true, especially for those in any form of leadership and the lesson was this:  It’s okay to grieve. No matter how strong we may think we are, grief debilitates us in ways we have not ever experienced. But in every moment the Lord is near, close and ready to console us with his unconditional love.

This year will be my second year riding to defeat ALS. I ride because I choose not to be a victim and wallow in my sorrow but to still give God the glory; even in my pain, because He is still faithful. ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe. Essentially one is a prisoner in his or her own body.

Today, I kindly reach out and ask for your support in raising awareness of this terrible illness and that you help us make a difference and bless the ALS Association who blesses so many families with the countless services they provide, all free of cost.

Www.youcaring.com/teamcourageous http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html

And if you have had a loss, know this, it's okay to grieve. Know that the Lord is near, able and ready to walk with you in the long process of healing. You are not alone!

 

Be Blessed,
Pastor & Friend,

Erica Canales
House of Worship & Revival, Inc.

Erica Canales is the Founder at First Ministry “Mothers in Action”, Independent Contractor at AdvoCare and Co-Pastor, Bible Teacher, Administration at Iglesia Cristiana Casa de Adoracion y Avivamiento Inc. She studies Psychology and Life Coaching at Liberty University Online. Erica is married to Miguel Canales and has two children, Justin and Melody. You can find Erica on Facebook and follow her journey and ministry life at: https://www.facebook.com/erica.canales1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passion to Dream

Today I want to speak about PASSION, focusing specifically on having passion for your dreams. Ever heard that quote:  How bad do you want it?  Today, I challenge you with the same question, how bad to you want your dreams to come true?  You see, that's what passion is all about. 

Passion is the ability to see beyond your limits, its being able to block off the negativity and focusing on positive.  Passion is being able to touch, feel and taste victory before it's yours.  Passion is working beyond the pain and the impossibilities, passion is finding a way to strive and jump over hurdles.  Passion is fuel that keeps the fire going. Your drive in life should lead you to succeed in anything you set out to do.

I have a question for you today?  Are you passionate?  What are you passionate about? Can you work through the pain?  Can you maneuver through the loopholes and obstacles that are presented? Does NO, CAN'T, IMPOSSIBLE energize you to prove the world wrong and work harder toward your goals?  If you answered yes to this, then congratulations; you have passed the passion test.

I encourage you to look past the difficulties and keep fighting for what you want.  God gives you the dream but you have to cultivate the passion.  Are you passionate enough to see your dreams come true?  It's not going to be a walk in the park but I must ask again; how bad do you want it?

Passion is the heartbeat that gives life to your dreams.  If you have not shed sweat, blood and tears; you have not experimented true passion.  Keep your dreams alive by having passion in your life.

I encourage you to keep pressing, keep fighting, keep focused, having faith in the promises God has declared over your life. Remember faith without works is dead, so you must be active and work towards your dreams. There is no one better than God who is interested in your success. Let your passion propel you to overcoming any and every obstacle that presents itself in your way. 

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!
Landy Perez-Feliciano♥

Tears

I want to talk about tears.  Have you ever gotten upset at yourself for crying?  You're like, "why am I crying?" I know plenty of people that do not show they're emotions, they refuse to cry in front of others for various reasons. I want to shed some light to you today and let you know that tears are actually a good thing.  God created tears for a reason.  Do you know that everytime you cry, God captures every single tear you shed?  He is very much interested in your tears and you must know that every tear you shed is important and does not go unoticed.  When we cry, we show our humanity. I say this because many times we tend to think that we are some super hero that can handle it all.  No, it's ok to have a moment. It just shows that we are dependent on to God and He is our source.  When we cry out to God, we are letting Him know that we need His help. We cannot do it all by ourselve.  God loves it when we ask for help!  I know that there has been plenty of times where I've been frustrated or upset and just wanted to get things off of my chest; and my outlet has been tears. There is something special about just letting it all go, there is a sense of freedom when we release everything we have been keeping inside for so long.  I want to share a little bit more about this topic of Tears through this poetry I came up with. I hope that through these words, you are able to understand the importance of letting go of your tears.  It's ok to cry; in fact, God wants us to cry out to Him because through your tears, God can do wonderful things in your favor.

One thing that I've learned over the years is that: Tears are not signs of weakness, it conveys a clear message; tears are an escape to aleviate the pain you have bottled up inside like broken chains. It's like being in prison and confined, spiritually, physically and emotionally binded in your mind. Tears are necessary for your freedom, you must let them go, it's time to release them. Tears do not make you weak, they were created to leak.  Leak what?  Leak all types of emotions; love, happiness, anger, frustation, confusion, no matter what your feelings may be, tears must leak out in order to make you free. Tears are like rain that refreshes flowers and greenery, just like it brings life to a soul who is tired and weary.  We need tears in our lives, they make us strong and calm us down. We actually feel better when they are gone. It's important to understand that tears were created for our benefits. Let go of your tears, don't keep holding them in.Tears make you free!

Be Blessed, Be Encouraged!
Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥