Beauty for Ashes

When we are children, we are full of limitless possibilities and endless dreams about what we want to be when we grow up and how we will impact the world. Sometimes, depending on the environment in which you grow up in, your childhood thoughts, aspirations, dreams, and ambition can be warped, twisted, and altered into different beliefs and viewpoints that are far from those limitless ideas and dreams you originally dreamt in your childhood years. For me, this was impactful during my adolescent years. I experienced a lot of different opinions and viewpoints in my high school years and college years that affected my actions and responses to people and situations. During these years, I was frustrated and empty trying to live up to everyone’s opinion and input about what was best for me based on their beliefs. As a result, I lived to please others and to gain acceptance from people instead of standing for my own beliefs and viewpoints. Back then, I didn’t know that my thoughts, opinions, and feelings were important and meaningful because I was never encouraged to share them with anyone. My experience was more like “Do what I say with no questions.” Back then, I definitely didn’t understand why I existed and I didn’t have a relationship with God. Without that relationship, I couldn’t understand how God viewed me in His Word nor understand the value God places on my existence. During those years, I had no clue that I existed to fulfill the purpose God placed in me before I was born. I didn’t know that before the foundation of the world, God had predestined me to serve Him for His Glory!! Looking back, having no voice in anything pertaining to my existence was tough and crippling in many ways. However, without that experience, I wouldn’t be able to share my heart with you about God transformed by life. I wouldn’t be able to share I’ve learned that God is always near no matter what you have experienced in any stage of your life. I’m a living testimony that you are not your past, you are not your current circumstance, and you are not who people say you are. God is your creator and He is the authority on who you are because you are made in His image.

God has made me a new creature and He has shared and continues to share so much life, love, and wisdom to me. In this book, I am sharing some of the wisdom and word God has shared with me during my journey to wholeness, loving myself unconditionally, surrendering my all to Jesus Christ, giving my life to Him for His glory, and sharing the love, grace, and mercy of God with others.

During my journey God has given me beauty for the ashes I’ve experienced. I’ve learned that God desires each of us to have his unfailing gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, strength, protection, and so much more. These gifts can only be obtained through a genuine, consistent connection/relationship with Him. This labor of love is a guide for you in your quest for unfailing love, joy, peace, patience, and protection that only God can give you. (Isaiah 42.16)