A Breath of Fresh Air

Recently, I asked the Lord to breathe some new life into my life.  This picture is a great illustration of Him doing just that.  I felt like I was growing stagnant.  I felt like I was just sitting in fear with no way out.  I felt like I needed a push and I was at my wit's end.  Fo real!

So, I asked the Lord to give me a breath of fresh air, to give me something along this journey to wake up the things that were inside of me, to give me the push that I needed in the right direction.  And, as always, He was right there, ready to breathe life into me.  But, I had to exhale the old air out.  You ever try to take a breath in when you're all full of hot air (pun intended)?  Yeah, it doesn't work.  Again, I'm learning that you have to let go of the old to bring in the new.

God's word says that "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away.  Behold all things are become new." So, how am I going to bring in the new if my lungs are filled with old, stagnant air?  I couldn't.  It just won't work.

So I had to let go.  I had to let go of what people might think.  I had to let go of thinking I'm too old or too new or too smart or maybe not smart enough.  I had to let go of fear of the unknown and simply trust that when I exhaled, the Lord would be there giving me more air to breathe. 

AND HE DEFINITELY SHOWED UP!

Just a few weeks ago, I took a big leap into something I'm so passionate about, it gives me butterflies.  I've now officially entered the fashion industry and I'm so stoked, it's ridiculous.  There is only one other thing (occupationally) that I love and it's music.  But, I'm excited to see how they both come together.

Today, I'm thankful for a job that allows me to be creative, to wake up parts of myself that I never even knew existed.  I'm thankful for a step in the direction that leads me toward God's calling on my life.  And I'm thankful that God is who He is all the time, without fail.  I'm so grateful that I get to maybe give women a glimpse into how beautiful they are.  Maybe I can help them see just a tiny bit of what God sees when He sits and watches us so lovingly.  I'm thankful that God has put this calling on my life.  And I'm blessed with the opportunity to answer that call serving Him.

Ephesians 4:1-6
     ...walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling , One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Witness A Blessing

A funny thing happened at the restaurant last night...

Amidst all of the chaos of a crazy Saturday night at the old Bonefish Grill, I was blessed with the opportunity to see someone be blessed.  While I was serving last night, I walked up to yet another table full of guests eagerly awaiting their portion of Bang Bang Shrimp.  I thought it would be just another normal table, but my 'hello, how are you all doin' tonight' was greeted with an equally enthusiastic 'hello' and the brightest blue eyes you've ever seen.  This little girl who was probably about 10 or 12 years old had a light in her eyes that is hard to find in this world.  Her smile was beaming with excitement.  Grinning from ear to ear, she couldn't wait to ask for the Bang Bang shrimp.  And what made her even more special was that she had this joy even though the sparse amount of blonde hair on her head told me that her light was shining thru a struggle with cancer.

As dinner went on, this little girl proved she was genuine, authentic, funny, and truly joyful, and I got the chance to be her server.  HOW COOL IS THAT?  For one brief hour, I got to be a part of an experience that I found out later was a celebration because her numbers were up and she was able to actually go out in public.  She chose Bonefish for her celebratory dinner and she had macaroni and cheese.  I LOVE IT!

So, just to top it all off, another server came over and told me that his table was taking care of the check for my favorite guests EVER (yep, they definitely get that title, hands down).  The coolest part?  The people paying for the check didn't want them to know who did it.  Wow.  So, I went over to my favorite little family, took a deep breath, and told them that their check was paid for.  They were so happy and I turned away from the little girl so that she wouldn't see me cry (I'm a girl, okay...geez). 

Anyway, the little girl and her family left, so I went to tell the guests who paid 'thank you.'  They humbly replied that they knew that family probably couldn't afford dinner, so it was the least they could do.  Well, that made a sistah have to cry a little bit more (exit, blubbering mess).  But, it's something that I won't ever forget.

So, today, I'm just thankful that I got to witness something amazing come out of something that is so very tragic.  Light shines in the darkness.  And this little girl's light truly shines so bright. 

Romans 8:28--And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.