The other day I caught myself standing in front of a device that sits on my nightstand just in awe of the pictures it was reeling through. I was not surprised by the old photos it was displaying, but by the contrast between how I was feeling right then in that moment looking back on the moment compared to how I felt when living that moment. Why such the stark contrast in emotion and sentiment?

Prayer is communication with the living God. It is a dialogue by which hearts are revealed. When we pray God shows us His heart and we show God our hearts. But there is a secret to prayer. If we are experiencing monologues, the conversation seems difficult or distant. Let us pause to reflect and see if this secret ingredient is missing from our prayers.

Are you struggling with expressing the joy you have bottled up inside you? Sometimes a smile or a laugh because of circumstances seems inappropriate. Other times circumstances seem to suppress our joy so much that we forget we have it or worse yet, we begin to question whether we have joy. Growing up I use to enjoy going to my grandmother’s house, and I also used to enjoy leaving her home because anyone either entering her presence or about to leave her known presence she would say, “Que Dios te bendiga,” (May God bless you) to which I would respond, “Bendecion” (I accept your blessing).

Has anyone ever given you advice that has helped guide you through many seasons of your life? The advice was so profound that you have even passed it along to others you encounter in a similar crossroads in their life. If not, you might find yourself right now either about to embark on a new season, complete a season, or trying to endure a season and you find yourself in need of advice. Well today is your day because the Lord has given us some fabulous advice, that we should hold onto for the rest of our days!

Ever make plans and prepare for something for it never to come to pass or for it to unfold differently than what you had planned? Planning and preparing seems to be a big portion of how most people spend their days. Everyone who cooks knows a lot of planning occurs before meals appear on the table. From deciding what makes it on the list to buy at the grocery store, to going to the grocery store to purchase the items, to prepping the food, to then finally making the meal. Then you serve it to see if the satisfaction you were prepping and planning for was achieved. As a mother and wife to a family of 6 we do a lot of planning. Every day planning is incorporated to ensure everyone is ready and arrives on time to their daily activities. In all this planning one thing I have noticed it nearly never goes as I had intended.