Posted on by darleneishealedtospeak

Your Beginning Is Now!

I hope you each had a memorable Thanksgiving!

Each Thanksgiving, before the New Year begins, I take time to look over the year to view my accomplishments or failures. I think about what I can improve right now as opposed to waiting for January 1st to roll in. I do not believe in New Year’s resolutions; however, I do believe in setting long-term and short-term goals.

For the most part, I am happy to see some of the accomplishments I have made; but I am also disappointed in areas where I had setbacks whether self-inflicted or not. However, it will not hinder me from making the necessary changes before proceeding into the New Year.

I would like to share a few steps that I have already taken to make changes. First, it starts with your mind and it must be renewed in order for true change to take place; therefore, do your best to stick to a plan to accomplish both your spiritual and natural goals. Second, embrace the process. There is no such thing as a lofty goal; however, we can potentially self-sabotage by not taking little steps to get to the long-term goal. For example, my goal at the beginning of this year was to lose 30 pounds. When I started, I was all in and full of excitement. I began exercising regularly, eating less and I stopped eating meat. However, at about the two-week mark, I was frustrated because I only lost one pound. I thought, “this does not work” so I went back to my old lifestyle, which was actually an old way of thinking. But, later this year, I made my mind up and put the word of God on my goal of getting healthy and though it is still difficult sometimes, I am seeing results…and I don’t miss eating meat (that was the easy part)!

Finally, it is important to get an accountability partner. Someone you can trust who will help keep you on track; not hinder you. It is never a good idea to have someone who is struggling with the same issue as you. Ask me how I know!

Your goal may not be to lose weight, but no matter what it is, write the vision, make it plain, and write out baby steps on how you will get there. If you make a mistake, do not stop, keep going. As you begin seeing results, it will encourage you to continue moving forward. So…when that little voice in your head tells you to stop, use it as a weapon to overcome the obstacles you are faced with. The voice is only there to discourage you, which lets you know you are on the right track!

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (NIV).

Love you all,

Darlene
#healedtospeak

 

 

Posted on by darleneishealedtospeak

He Has A Plan!

Hello Everyone!
Thank you for taking the time to view my first video. I was happy to share a little bit of myself with you. There will definitely be more to come…so stay tuned!

God is funny as it was never my intention to do videos (though I was told I would). At least for now, I thought I would only write. However, as I share with you today, God has a perfect plan for our lives even when we are uncertain of the path or if the path goes in a direction we did not expect.

As I share this brief video, be encouraged knowing that God’s plan for you is perfect and he would not have it any other way.

I love you all,
Darlene
#healedtospeak

 


 

 

 

 

Posted on by darleneishealedtospeak

Love Simply…Simply Love

I Corinthians 13:4-8 – Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

When praying and contemplating what the Lord would have me to write, there are times when He speaks resoundingly and other times in a small still voice. This particular week, it was neither so I am going to say what has been impressed on my heart today and that is love one another.

John 13:34-35 says, “a new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (NIV).

I believe each of us would be further in our walk with Christ if we learned how to love one another regardless of our disagreements or circumstances. Sometimes we are so busy pointing out the negative in others that we forget to simply love.  We all know some people are harder to love than others, but without love we are nothing.

My prayer today is we love one another with the same love God has freely given us.

I love you!

Darlene
#healedtospeak

Posted on by darleneishealedtospeak

Did You Forget?

A few days ago, I was watching television with a friend. It was one of my favorite sitcoms from the 80’s. (I will not reveal the show because it is not the purpose of this writing). In one of the scenes, a female character appeared. I said, “oh, I remember her” then my friend said, “I don’t like her.” I asked why and my friend said, “You don’t remember what she did in real life?” I recalled the incident my friend was speaking of and it was over 25 years ago! What immediately came to mind is why we remember the worst in people and not the best. When we think of those who have wronged others, or us we tend to remember the incident and forget about who the person truly is.

Why do we remember the negative things people do? Why do we hold onto the memory? Does it provide a sense of comfort? Does it remind us not to get hurt the same way again? Is it a reminder not to trust again? Do we feel justified to hold onto the memory?

Some time ago, I was hurt deeply by someone I loved. Each time I saw the person, I could only remember the hurt. Though I forgave them, it was difficult to get past the offense. It was not until I hurt someone else that the Lord began to show me my own heart. How ironic that we want the same forgiveness extended to us that we are not willing to extend to others. How would we feel if each time we came to God about something, he reminded us of the sin we committed against him?

The Lord loves us so much that when we sin against him and repent he forgives and forgets our sin. Isaiah 43:25 states, “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again” (NLT). What a blessing it is to serve God and not man!

Each of us must get to the point where we look at those who have hurt us through the lens of God. It is not always easy to do, but when we need forgiveness and for the offense we committed to be forgotten, we can look back and remember we have extended the same to those who have offended us.

Now, I am not saying that once someone has wronged us we should open ourselves up to be hurt again. However, we must use wisdom and discern the true intentions of the person; but it still does not give us permission to hold onto negative memories and ponder them in our hearts.

Isaiah 43:18 says, “remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” This means we should forget the things behind us and look ahead.

 

I encourage you to look ahead today!
Blessings.
Darlene
#healedtospeak

 

 

Posted on by darleneishealedtospeak

Be Healed…Be Free

My prayer for this blog is to impart into you as God imparts into me. Last week, the Lord allowed me to share some of my childhood experiences with you. I mentioned I would write about healing to tie in the mental health aspect. However, while writing and watching the movie “The Shack,” I felt God shifting my message very strongly. I will still discuss healing, but not mental health.
I know there was some controversy from the Christian community about some of the themes in the movie, but I believe there were still some biblical truths one could glean.
Pain…it comes in many forms and happens at different stages of life. It can occur in childhood or adulthood and can take the form of rejection, the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, sickness, and sometimes a misunderstanding. No matter what form, it hurts and if we do not take the necessary steps to heal from our pain, our entire lives can be affected and become infected with frustration, anger, self-doubt, bitterness and mental anguish.
The pain my mother inflicted caused me to be broken for a long time. I did not experience love as a child, so as an adult, I sought it out in wrong ways. After my last horribly broken relationship, I recall sitting on the floor of my apartment weeping my eyes out asking God to help me. At that moment, I realized I had to get to the root of my pain and it started with my mother. In that instant, I forgave her. Later, the Lord showed me the pain that was inflicted on my mother in her childhood. She needed healing, but did not know how to get it; therefore, she released it on me. One day, we had an open-heart conversation and it was the first time in her life, she was able to open up. She was free and so was I. I was grateful and humbled for that time spent as a year later, she passed away unexpectantly. In that moment I learned how important it was to receive healing and have closure. I had peace in my soul.
Though my mother’s life improved over time, she never lived the life God intended; and that my friend is what pain does if we do not take the time to heal from it. It distracts us from our true purpose. This is not what God wants for you. He wants you to be free. He wants to break the cycle that causes us to make bad decisions or repeated behaviors. When we only see through the prism of our pain, we do not see the whole picture. I promise you, the picture God has for your life is much bigger than your pain.
No matter the type of pain you have experienced, Jesus loves you and wants the very best for your life. You were not designed to carry the weight of your pain; it is too much for you to bear. So “cast your cares upon the Lord because he cares for you” I Peter 5:7. God cares for us so much that “He keeps track of all our sorrows. He has collected our tears in his bottle. He has recorded each one in His book.” Psalms 56:8.
If you need to forgive yourself, please do. If you need to ask for forgiveness do that too. If you need to cry, talk, or yell out, God is waiting to hear from you. I encourage you to reach out to him so he can heal you. Forgiveness can be instantaneous and sometimes a journey, but regardless of the progress, you have to forgive, because it will bring freedom and wholeness. 
I hope in your spare time you will watch the movie. It covers so much. I do not want to give anything away, but I believe in can be an open the door to your healing.
I love you all,
Darlene
#healedtospeak