The Appreciation of Simplicity

It’s been a while since my last post, I know. A lot has happened, but I’ll do my best to bring you up to speed with the things I want to share today. Did I say a lot has happened? Lol

As I was in bed last night trying to find a comfortable and painless position to place my foot in, the word “simplicity” kept tugging at my heart. Simplicity!  At that moment, I was once again reminded of the beauty simplicity brings. You see, after I broke my ankle, things have been everything but simple. Complicated and dependability has become the new normal, oh did I mention, speed is no longer in the equation? I’ve become very slow at things I could do with my eyes closed, something that I quite can’t fathom. I often replay in my head the morning of the accident and think to myself how moments prior to the fall, I was well; I was walking, running and jumping without a care in the world. Simplicity!

These past two weeks, I’ve caught myself looking at people just …walk. I see my one and a half year old nephew running like if its second nature. He’s mastered the art of walking; yet, I’m struggling to take one step without feeling the fear of falling. Simplicity! These past couple weeks I’ve learned to appreciate simplicity.  The great and complex things in life are layered upon a solid and simple foundation. Before an athlete can become a marathon runner, he first has to master the art of walking. Before a girl can wear some killer heels, she has to master the art of walking first. But sometimes we tend to lose (not intentionally) but we tend to forget the basics because it has become a norm- we get up, walk, go about our day- no big deal. Um, yes, it is a big deal!  I can guarantee that if you stub a toe or hurt your finger, you will gain a greater appreciation over that small member of your body. Every single body part has an important function. These days, I am reminded of Simplicity and Appreciation.

Last month, while in Arizona and Las Vegas, I was extra adventurous! Although, I am fairly afraid of heights, I was able to overcome it several times and hike mountainous trails. I was able to go to the Grand Canyon and do some hiking there as well. Several times I had the fear of slipping and falling………and dying. Lol but nothing happened. Yet, in Bogota, Colombia I had a simple fall and fracture my ankle (go figure!) It was the simple activity that had a lasting effect. I thank God for everything because there is a purpose behind all of this. And throughout my daily activities, He constantly reminds me the importance of appreciating life and health because life can change in an instant. I am reminded of His love and grace, because things could have been worse but His protection was with me- as it is with you today.

Daily reminders of how blessed we are is what God wants to show us through acts of simplicities; such as waking up in the morning, walking, showering, driving…! All of the things that have become routine and second nature to us are the very things that the Lord is using to remind us that we are blessed. We often hear that life is hard and full of problems and complications; but life is also a beautiful gift given to us by God. As you are traveling through your journey, do not only focus on the destination but also take a moment to enjoy the view and always, always stop and smell the roses. Learn to appreciate the simplicity of your path no matter how complicated it may seem.

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥

I am NOT thankful

Well, it’s about that time of the year again, Thanksgiving. We are a few days before this great festivity and I personally have a lot to be thankful for. We all should. While many do not have shelter or food, I thank God that I do. Many will be in a hospital bed instead of being in their own beds this holiday season. Many families will be mourning the loss of a friend or family member. I tell you, with everything going on in this world, we seriously do not know if we will be returning home after a day at work or school. Lord be with us! I am thankful for a wonderful family, great friends and a loving church family. And, the list goes on, but today I want to focus on the one thing that I am NOT thankful for. Yes, I said it! I’m going to talk about it. There is one thing that has been bothering me and I want to talk about it. I know this can be deemed as being quote unquote “ungrateful” if that’s the case, then so be it!

                                                                    Photo Credit: Annetta Bosakova

I am NOT thankful for loss of time due to FEAR. I mean who is? No one, right? It is said that fear kills your mind, your heart and your imagination. Fear makes you waste time. Yes, many may say that time is not wasted, that there is always something to learn during those “idle times” but sometimes, you’ve gotten all of the preparation you will need, you just have to put the pedal to the metal and simply move! It is said that the majority of the dreamers are at the grave. Those who aspired to be someone or something in life and just never got to do anything, why? Mainly, because of fear. They thought they had more time, they thought they could stall a little longer, they wasted their time, they allowed fear to overtake their mind, hearts and imagination. I am not thankful for fear because it has robbed so many people from becoming their very best!

As we are approaching the last couple of weeks of this year, understand that you have the control to allow or disallow fear manage your life.

I thank God that I am beginning to understand fear a little bit more now and I am starting to kick its butt. I’ve been able to accomplish great things in 2014 that otherwise would have kept me from achieving it if fear would have taken a front seat.

When you stand up to fear, you stand up to defeat. Do not do yourself a disservice by putting up with fear. When you harbor fear, excuses take up residency in your life. And when you have excuses to rely on, things such as: I am too shy, I don’t know if that will work out, he or she does it better than me, I don’t know, we’ll see, I don’t have the resources or connections….” become part of your vocabulary. You see how easy it is to get entangled with this monster called fear? It sweeps you off of your feet and you begin to believe what it says about you. It’s time to stand up to this bully called fear and say: I will allow it NO more!

It’s time to live the life that God has intended for you to live. You must live it in absolute freedom because the plans He has for you are great and will require faith from your part. You must trust in the fact that He has called you to greatness for such a time as this.  This is your time and the time is now! Do not put a cap on what you can do for His glory! Be thankful for your skills, gifts and talents but do not be thankful for the words that the enemy whispers in your ear because those words are pure lies. He is the father of all lies, the bible says. He whispers words of doubt, failures and comparisons. He whispers FEAR. Reject those words in the name of Jesus and receive the words that God shouts in your heart, words such as: Yes, you can! All things are possible and I am with you!

I challenge you today to act. Thinking will never overcome fear, action will. Let this be your declaration today: I will not allow fear to rob me from another day. I will walk in faith and not in fear. I will accomplish everything that God has said that I will do, in Jesus Name. Amen!

I AM NOT THANKFUL FOR FEAR.

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥

 

The irony of giving Thanks

We’ve all seen it. November 1^st comes around and we immediately do the 30 day challenge of giving Thanks. We are oh so thankful for many things, the little things, even the things we do not have because somehow we’ve managed to come to our senses, that if we don’t have it, it’s simply not the right time. And what is mindboggling is that we actually accept it, we are content with what we have. We are so passive and warm spirited, so happy and cheerful- we’re thankful.

Thanksgiving comes around and we are beyond grateful to God for our families, our friends, our homes, our jobs, we are thankful that we are able to put food on our table. We even pray for the homeless and those who do not have a piece of bread to eat. We are so considerate; some even invite people over who have no families- “aw, we feel bad, let’s invite them, honey” so we say. We have a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. We eat, we laugh, we eat more, we watch TV, we eat, we play games, we eat some more, we talk some more. After everyone has left the house, we secure some left-overs for the next day; we put our game face on; it’s BLACK FRIDAY- how are we going to tackle this madness.

 

Now, please DO NOT misunderstand me, I am in no way, shape or form saying you shouldn’t go Black Friday shopping, of course there are great deals out there and if you’re patient enough to wait in the long lines- then by all means, that day was meant for you. If you can get a buck or two off on an item that you’ve been eying, then go for it- Christmas is around the corner. BUT it infuriates me to see how people go to extreme measures to get THAT one item; trampling over people, hurting them and even causing death over an item?!?! Are you serious??? What are the odds?

This is the irony of giving Thanks- one moment we are thankful, the next we are savages. Did you not say a couple hours ago- how thankful you were??? C’mon people. It’s so sad and ridiculous to see the videos surfacing online, to read stories of sales people dying, other people getting seriously hurt over an X-box or a TV. What are we doing with ourselves? What monsters are we creating? What our children see today, they will emulate tomorrow. Is that the kind of example we want them to have? Let’s think about it, for real.

We want to give our family and friends the best Christmas gift ever, I get that. But you won’t be giving them much if you’re behind bars, or if you’re at the hospital or if you’re six feet under. Is it really worth it? Really? Is it worth it? Black Friday is a huge phenomenon and it’s not going anywhere so if you’re a Black Friday regular, continue to shop and get great deals but be conscious of your surroundings- you may not be the crazy one, but there are a lot of them around you that are willing to fight for that video game; be prepared to handle the situation in a mature and adult manner. Other options to avoid Black Friday is to either take advantage of Cyber Monday or just work a little harder and longer for what you really want to purchase. Do lay-aways, save your money toward that particular product; trust me, there are other options that will not cost you your peace of mind or your arms, or your legs, or a hospital bill or funeral arrangements.

Are we truly thankful for what we have? Think about it because actions speak louder than any Thanksgiving prayer.

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥

 

Forget Not

Many times we are too consumed in anything and everything that is going on in our surroundings that we don’t pay attention to what really matters in life. We tend to forget about the small details in life because we are too busy figuring out what the “big” picture should look like.

David reminds us like he once reminded his soul, I can just picture him giving himself a pep talk. “Hey buddy, listen up! You are to praise God whether you like it or not, whether you are in the mood or not, whether you want to or not. Don’t you dare for one second forget all that He has done for you.” Do not dare forget all the goodness and mercy He’s shown you. Do not forget His benefits that have become active in your life. Now is not the time to be an ungrateful brat!” Can you picture a similar conversation?

Today, how about we give ourselves a pep talk? Despite of what your day looks like or what your life is like right now, don’t you dare forget His benefits towards your life. Remember everything that He has done in your favor. You may not see it today but I’m sure you saw some kind of goodness from God yesterday and you will surely see it tomorrow. Psalms 103:2 says: Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

 

David knew that there were bad days ahead but He was also conscience of all the goodness and mercy, love and favor he had received from the Lord in the past and one thing was sure in his mind and it was this: If God was able to deliver him, protect him and bless him in the past, He knew that God would do the same thing for him in the future.

Do not get discouraged, life may seem tough and unfair at times but God is not done with you and if you hang tight, you will see greater things happen in your life because God is orchestrating every single detail in your life and working them together for your good. (Romans 8:28)

Jesus speaking to the disciples once told them this, and today He tells you the same thing. Are you ready for this because this is a powerful declaration: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Give God glory at all times, praise Him in your storm, in those moments of despair because He rejoices when He sees a sincere and pure heart that loves and praises Him unconditionally. You heard that? Unconditional Love. Can we show God that we love him not because of what He can do for us or give us but because of who He is? Today is a good day to tell the Lord "Thank you for everything!" Thank you for the good and the bad because you make everything work together for my good and let me never forget your goodness. Forget Not His Benefits!

I’ll leave you with the first five verses of this incredible poetic expression that David wrote, I encourage you to read the rest of it on your own time.

Psalms 103:1-5

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥

 

Keeping up with the ...

Ever heard of keeping up with the Joneses or the grass is greener on the other side? Why do we often feel as though everyone else has it better than we do? Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses, you're going to drive yourself crazy! There is a spirit of competitiveness that binds you into slavery when you start comparing yourself to others. When you start coveting what others have and you don’t appreciate what you have is a clear indication of ungratefulness. Society has bombarded us with a message of more is better, that the more we have the happier we will be and our standards outgrow our reality. The more the merrier is a false illusion in which we set ourselves for failure. Place your feet on solid grounds and let go of the unrealistic expectations.

Your freedom begins when you surrender your desires to God and become content with what you have. Don't misunderstand me now, I am a firm believer that we should all strive for the best and never settle for less. BUT when you are content with what you presently have you can live and enjoy the moment while you work hard and strive for better. We miss "the moment" all too often, we never really enjoy the present because we're either stuck in the past or too busy making plans for the future.  Take some time and savor your "now" moment. Many people put forth too much energy on what what they do not have rather than focus on the blessings they do have. Remember this; before God can bless you with the more, you have to be faithful, content and appreciative with the less.

Thank God for what you have and for what you do not have. If you don't have it, it's simply because you don't need it. Sometimes we confuse need with want where we think we need something when in reality we don’t.

God has given you everything you need in order to accomplish your task. Yes, someone will always be better than you, someone will always have more than you, someone's life will seem more appealing than yours but it will not faze you because you've learned that nothing in this world can make you happy but God. The stronger and closer your relationship is with God, the more content you become with what you have. Why? Because you have placed your trust in the Source- in your provider who will supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory. God’s grace is sufficient- it's really more than enough. When we learn to be content in whatever our circumstances are then we are able to live life fully. His grace will fill in the gaps; his grace will provide fullness, a fullness that will over exceed your expectations.                                                                                                    {Read Philippians 4:11-13,19 and 2 Corinthians 4:9}

Next time you look to your neighbor and desire to have what they have or desire to do what they do, think of God's grace! He's given you the wisdom, capacity, talents and resources to achieve God's purpose in your life. Whatever you lack, his grace fulfills. Grace meets yours needs!

So stop hopping onto your neibors grass thinking it’s greener than yours to only find dead weeds. Stop keeping up with the Kardashians who have their own issues!!  Stop keeping up with the Joneses and every other families you see that are “doing well”. Keep up with the Holy Spirit, that’s who we should all strive to keep up with.

The Holy Spirit will release His grace upon your life and that is more than enough to make you a conquerer  and obtain victory. When you're in need, His grace will never fail and will never run out.  And the beauty of all of this is that we can ALL keep up with the Holy Spirit without feeling threatened because His grace is more than enough for each and every one of us.  He is ready to pour out grace until it overflows. Who are you keeping up with?

 

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥