Growing Pains: Don't Dim your Light.

Matthew 5:14-16 (CEV) 14 You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden,15 and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. 16 Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

All  pictures taken  and edited byLesli Allyn Blogs  unless otherwise stated.

As  you're growing  in  your walk with Christ  you'll find that  not only will you begin to  change but your  approach to  people and situations  and relationships will change as well.   The reality  of this   change  is  that not everyone will understand where you  are going with you  these new steps towards becoming a better you.  Some relationships will go through a  period of  growing pains and some  people will even walk away  from you.

Keep going

When those friends  or  loved ones  decide to walk away  let them. The  truth is  everyone  in your life aren't meant to   be with you always.   The more time you spend  diminishing your  light to please them into  staying the   more you'll be  distracted from the assignment that  God has given you. 

Losing friends  and  being misunderstood can feel isolating  but I encourage you stay strong  and push through this season in your  life.  All the strides you're taking to become more like Christ  and operate in your purpose  aren't being  done  in  vain,  God  see's  you and  will reward you for  your diligence. 

16 Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

The light in you

Diminishing your  light does more  harm than good: Not only does it minimize all the work you're doing but it minimizes  how you  view  the  works that God is doing in you.  God hasn't  given you this assignment for you to  dull your  light to  appease others.  No,  God  trusted you with His plans for you to walk it out to it's completion .  It is an  honor to be  chosen  by God  to be apart of His plan  so don't take it  lightly.   Keep  shining and   He  will renew you  and  bring the right people into your life that you won't have to grow down for . So keep going and  let your light shine!

Love,

Mission: Hope Restoration

All pictures taken and Edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated.

Zechariah 9:12 (GWT) Return to your fortress, you captives who have hope. Today I tell you that I will return to you  double blessings.

(Press Play: Listen as you read)

We have   all experienced  periods in   life where you  feel like you're  just barely  keeping your head above  water  and life becomes  so consuming that you become frustrated  and lose hope.  In   this  time  you may  become  very  vulnerable   and it is easy to be distracted by all the things that have disappointed you.

Personally,  I don't  take  disappointment  well at  all and  I find that disappointment is  an emotion that  is very hard for me  to recover from.  There have been events in my life where a promise was broken or  things  just didn't  work out as expected and that pain lingers.  I got to a point where the motto I lived by was " If I don't get my  hopes   up I won't get hurt ".   The problem with this sort of  thinking is that my heart became  hardened , I push  people away and  it  isolates me  within  my  pain.

Recently  I had   moment  that I realized that I was still  carrying around this pain so long that I hadn't noticed that  not only has  my  perspective   isolated me from developing  relationships  with  others but it has also  isolated me   from God and  my hope in Him. 

Up until that point I had never thought about it that way; I didn't  get that  all this time I was just going through the  motions  and  that I  had become  such a  pessimist .  Even as I was praying to  God  there was a part of me that   didn't think I'd see my  prayers come to fruition. If  you  identify with me  and find yourself in the same place It's time to re-calibrate our  point of  view doubt prevents progress.

 What  we  need to remember is that   the mission  of the enemy is to  separate you  from  God  and  fill your mind with lies so you will lose  hope and become distracted from the promises of  God.  Below I've  listed a few verses  to meditate on to  renew our  hope and shut  down every lie from the  enemy!

Jeremiah 29:11(GW) I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Romans 8:28(GW)We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan.

Numbers 23:19(GW)God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

Toxic Relationships: Knowing When to Walk Away

1 Corinthians 15:33 (GNT)  Do not be fooled. “Bad companions ruin good character.”

All pictures taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs Unless otherwise stated

In  your lifetime  so  many  people  will  come in and out of your life  each   for a different  purpose; Every relationship  will teach you   something about yourself and that is  important.    You'll find in some instances you connect  quickly,   sometimes  it'll be  more   gradual  and then   in some cases there will be  people you'll  just clash  with  altogether.

What's important is what we take away from each relationship.  The lesson in  each instance is deciphering  who  add's to your life , pushes  you to be  a better person and  closer to  Christ vs. those who  constantly  subtract and  drain you.  Not  everyone is  meant to   go in the same  direction as  you  some relationships are toxic and  distract you from your purpose. So going into each relationship weather it's  a  friend  or a significant other  keep your eye's open don't gloss over issues don't hold on to someone based on familiarity.   When that season  is  over   leave it there and move forward.

Now I'm not saying you should  cut every  person off who you have a disagreement with.   What  I'm saying is that you  should    pray  for  discretion in  each relationship.   You need to  know what your purpose is  in the relationship as well.  Is there  advice or  wisdom that they can gain   from knowing you that will help them later down the road? As  believers  you may be the only  window into  Christ that they've  ever  experienced  so  cutting  someone  off  isn't always the answer.  In these instances   listen to the leading of the holy spirit pray and ask for  direction.

Let's talk about it:

Have you every  been in a  toxic relationship; How did you  know when it was time to let that relationship go?

Grieving : My Story

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Picture taken and  edited by Lesli Allyn 

If I can  be completely  honest with you all,  I've been avoiding this  subject matter  for awhile  partly  because I am in some way still grieving  but I felt  led to share so I hope  that in sharing my story that it will somehow help someone  else who is  dealing with  the passing of a loved one. 

Ok so here goes...

2004 was  was met with  a significant  amount of  loss within our family.   Between  April 2004- November 2004  my  Father, Grandfather and  aunt passed leaving my grandmother, mom, one cousin and myself.   To put things into perspective  my immediate family was very small to begin with  6 in all; So if you can imagine  losing  all of   people that  you loved and meant the most to you all within a year  it goes without saying that this period of time was THE   most  devastating experience of my life.  Fast forward to  about 2007  my Mother, grandmother and I moved from Jacksonville, Fl  to  Atlanta,  this a  huge  change  but ultimately the  best decision for each of us. 

My grandmother grew to really love it here in Atlanta and  she was the happiest  that we had seen her in quite some time it  meant the world to my mom and  I to see her smiling and happy again.  My grandmother later  passed  on  February 25th, 2008 and  in 2012 my  cousin passed suddenly. 


I  realize that this is  a lot to take in  trust me it was  even harder to live through but  I did live through it! Let's be clear it  was only the  grace  of God that got  me through the tremendous  weight of the  painful anxiety attacks and depression I was experiencing.  I found myself  relying on God  more than I ever had at the time we weren't actively  attending church but thankful a  great friend at the  time  introduced  my mom and I to our  current church  which  changed my life and  set the pace for my healing.

You may be wondering how I  got over all of this?  The truth is I haven't "gotten over it"  I've grown through it.  Moving forward  took time and  what I've learned is that  the grieving   process is  a necessary  part of  healing so don't skip it.  Seek  God  with all that you have; Don't try to fill the void with people , things or work you need to give yourself the time to process everything.  Trust me God  will mend the broken pieces of your heart  but glossing over the pain will do more harm than good  in the long  run. 

My advice would be to take each day as it comes because each day will be different. You will get through this season of your life; The good news  is that  the  heartache that you feel  right now wont always consume you.  Remember, it's ok  to move  forward; Moving forward with your life does not mean that you forget about your loved one and what they meant to you, you are allowed to be happy.   One of the things  that helped me with this is  writing out exactly how I was feeling and  pouring my heart out to God.  Some  books that I'd  recommend  are Life's Healing Choices and The  Purpose Driven life they helped me  tremendously. 

This was a difficult  post to write but very healing at the same time.  I hope that I've helped in some way. If  you're in a  place  where you are  completely  overwhelmed  please don't give up reach out to God  and  people that  will walk with you through this  time in your life.  You're life matters, you are loved and you will make it through this.   Share  your story could be the very thing someone else needs to hear to  help them in their time of grieving. 


Love,

#relationshipsstatus: Knowing where you Stand

Picture taken and  edited by : Lesli Allyn 

18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because He first loved us. -1 John 4:18 (HCSB)

So what is  real love?

Well let me start with what  love isn't; Love  doesn't require you to  compromise who you are and  your  core values.  If anything the  your significant  other  should  push  you closer to  Christ  not further  away. This is why it is  so important to  first of all make sure the two of you are on the same page and that  your  values line  up;  Diving into a  relationship and hoping down the line that they will change is a  waste of time and  will eventually  leave you frustrated.


A healthy relationship  requires that you  two  are  working towards a  common goal;  Trust plays a  major role; You need to know that  you can take them at their  word.  If  you  cannot  seem to get a  straight answer out of them  and you've  resorted  to  playing  investor gadget on their social  media this should be a read flag that you need to move on.

 Also , building a  foundation on Gods word, using  it as guidebook for your relationship and  creating a safe place for open communication is key. You should be able to freely  discuss how you feel, what you want out this relationship and if  you both  agree on the  end goal.  Do you see your relationship as something  long term leading to  marriage or  are you content  in just dating?  You need to  know if  the two of you  have the  same expectations.


Young love is  fun and exciting!  It's easy  to get  caught  up in the warm and fuzzy stage  but  don't be fooled into thinking that being a relationship is cure  all and that if you gloss over your  issues they will just  go away.  Relationships  take  a lot of  hard work and commitment so make sure  that you're  up for the task, that you two are on the same  page and that what you have is  real love and not fleeting emotions.

Love,

Drop Your Burdens

Matthew 11:28 (ESV)28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Ever  feel like life is  happening all around you and you  have a millions  tabs open in your mind trying to  tackle  each one to the  point of  frustration?  Most  can identify with this  right; We  all have things we want to accomplish and  for whatever reason  time, resources, inspiration aren't showing up to the party. Sometimes  its  as if you can  hardly catch up to your  own  expectations  let alone everyone else's expectations of  you. 

We live in a busy  society everyone appears to be out thriving in their  careers ,relationships and finances  and   the pressure to keep up  can be daunting.  What we must remember that  no two individuals share a identical  path and  God has wired us all differently. Only  God knows the  time of  destination for your goals to met so  don't compare where you are in your life to  others;  Believe it or  not  you are in the place you need to be in order to grow  and move forward into your  purpose. 

Every point  in your life is a piece to the puzzle so  skipping ahead  won't  be  helpful at all.   Take your  time and learn  from each season you find yourself in verses  trying to  force your way into the  next season. God  has you in this  time to  build you up and make sure your  strong  and equipped  with  everything  you need  for the next steps in your life. Remember  rarely  does anything that  comes  by  fast  have longevity.  Dreams that  reached haphazardly  often times aren't as fulfilling as the ones that you've  nurtured  and grown into.

Take rest in that God  knows where you are and that He  hasn't forgotten about you.

Love, 

Let's CONNECT!  You can find me as  @lesliallynblogs  EVERYWHERE. 

Overwhelmed?

Picture taken and Edited by  Lesli Allyn

Even strong lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. -Pslams 34:10 (CEB)

Life throws a lot of  curve balls and  it can be hard to sort things out in your mind. What's my  next step, am I making the right  decisions?   It's easy  to find yourself in a vicious  cycle of  self doubt  wondering if what you thought  you heard God  speak to you  was  really  him.   Many times as I  write these post  I wonder if what I am doing is pleasing God and if I'm on the  right  course.  I don't want to  ever  give off the impression that  I have everything together  because I definitely  do NOT.  The truth is every piece of  wisdom  that I have comes  from God and I am  just  a vessel. 

So what do I do when I'm overwhelmed? 

1. I remind myself that I don't have it  altogether  right now.
2. Over thinking  the situation  will not  help,  it will increase my stress.
3. God never intended for me to carry  my  burdens  alone.

When we  try to fight  our own battles  we end up exhausted  and  empty. This is  why it's so import  to develop  a habit  setting  aside some quiet time with God.  We need this  time  to  listen ,pour out our hearts  and to allow  God renew us each day.  I believe that if we  take  a step  back and allow God to set the  pace in our lives that He  will   lift  every burden off our shoulder and  guide us to  each step that we need to take.  Remember that God doesn't need our help  or  job is to trust,  listen,  obey and  receive.  That's it!

So whatever you're wrestling with today let it  go!  God has you in the  palm of His  hands and there is no better  place to be. 

What Can I Possibly Offer to Anyone?

Matthew 3:14-15 (CEB)14 John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?”15 Jesus answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”So John agreed to baptize Jesus.

When there is a calling on your life it  often times  appears too  big  or  you may  feel unqualified. In my  case my task is to be   "support" somewhat of a   counselor.  I've  tired  to  escape this  title over the past few years by isolating myself, pushing people and  away or just literally disappearing.  I felt like I had nothing to offer because I was dealing with my own  depression  coupled with  anxiety attacks and personal insecurities.  What could I possibly have  to   offer with  everything that I am already  carrying?  Who am I to  console or give  advice to anyone? I'm tired!

The position of  support is  a heavy task and lifting others  up over time  can  leave you  with sore arms and and a   drained spirit .  I just wanted to stop I didn't want to hear anymore bad news or deal with anyone  else's  issues.  So I successfully  pushed everyone away and I currently  I have no  friends. I have to admit that as a text book  introvert this  isn't completely   awful for me BUT  I do recognize the  need to connect with others and  how  good  friends  can  enrich your life.  It's important to  know who is enriches your  life and who  constantly  subtracts. But that's a  whole   blog post in and of itself!


Currently I am trying to   take full advantage of  this  "unemployed to self employed"  season.  I'm not  confident that I want to  be self employed honestly but I know that I want to be  in control of my time and my efforts. I come to realize that  every time I start a    new  journal,  blog or whatever it  always  turns into this.  A  devotional/ Free Therapy " things"  but I  never  intend for it to  be.  I have no qualifications other than life experience and  the portion of wisdom God has gifted me with.  So  with what I have  and  this  free time I am going to  follow the leading of the holy spirit and  allow God to   move me, change my mind  and  my perspective on what I have to  offer.  This is what I am supposed to be  doing.  I am  a  counselor   , I am a  cheerleader  that is my mission and I can  no longer  run from it. I am it and it is me; I don't know where this will take me  or  if I'll always  use this platform or if it will evolve into   something  else down the line   like a  book or something . What I do know is that in order to  grow and  move forward   I must   allow myself to be open enough to be God led and  not  Lesli led .   I must  fully trust  God and know that He  has me in this space at this time for a reason.


Pray for me and I'll  pray for you ..

Love,