“When hardships come into your life it breaks you for a while, but when it is done  you evolve into a new person.” The beauty and irony of this statement is that while it is a fact the reality is when we are going through our difficult seasons it is almost impossible to see the light. The good news is having faith has little to do with our ability to see, but it has everything to do with our ability to keep going even when we are uncertain. The decision is ours to choose whether we allow our challenges in life to break us or if we allow the pain we endure to have a purpose. It is easy to quit, it is easy to feel sorry for ourselves, and it is quite easy to pick ourselves apart mentally and emotionally, but staying strong and fighting can be the most difficult decision to make but it will be the most beneficial choice to make in every season.

Every new challenge is simply an introduction to new opportunities and lessons we didn’t plan for or anticipate. It is important to always be mindful of the fact that being resistant to change will only block our blessings and rob us of the opportunity to grow from our experiences. I always find great irony in the fact that although we all understand that no day is a guarantee for any of us, we tend to operate carelessly with our time. We spend more time than we invest it; we fill our days with quantity instead of quality, we give energy and focus to all the wrong things and make excuses why there is no room for the things that serve us best. Losing my grandmother this year so far has been one of my greatest challenges, but each day I am learning to open my mind to receive the many lessons that are available to me. One of the major lessons I have learned is how important it is to live your life on your terms and to not live for validation from others. Another important fact I was reminded of in this season of grief is that you do not need a lot to be a blessing to others. I listened to the kind words of my grandmother’s closets friends and the one thing that stood out to me the most was that she was a giver, and she gave with a full heart. It never mattered that she wasn’t a rich woman, but her heart and her intentions were rich. The most valuable reminder of them all is that our life can change in the blink of an eye sometimes for better and other times for the unexpected but either way, we must allow ourselves to accept what is.

In this season of grief and change, I want to encourage everyone as I am reminding myself daily to remember how precious time is. Being  present to the value of time keeps us on track to be intentional and mindful of how we are utilizing that time and the quality of life we are choosing to live. Life is meant to be experienced live and in living color, you must live on purpose in purpose and do not be afraid to laugh to cure the aching hearts. We are only here for a little while and in that short time we all have a purpose to fulfill, remember it is not about the length of time we have that matters, it is about the quality of life we choose to live with the time we have. You would be amazed just how much we can achieve when we master the art of growing through life. Be not limited by the pain you feel it is temporary, the wounds will always be there but it is the scars that remind us of how strong we are and the only thing standing in our lane of victory is the decisions we choose to make or the ones we allow fear to rob us of. As time passes by remember to enjoy the simple things, stress not for even the darkest clouds will see sunshine again. “ Let your hearts be filled with gratitude for all things.”