I Already Knew.

You lied to me.

You promised you would always be here.

So I accepted your words in exchange for my all.

But who's really to blame?

Me or you?

Maybe you really believed you'd never leave?

Or perhaps you were never really here to begin with?

I knew you were lying.

But is it wrong that part of me felt like if I ignored myself long enough I'd instead become the liar?

Maybe I was just being a pessimist?

I couldn't possibly know the future before it became reality, right?

I was different.

I was special.

I wasn't like any of those other girls that you'd forcefully pushed into oblivion.

Yet as different and as special as I was,

Here I stand.

With a fist full of your broken promises that I knew were never really whole to begin with.

What they forgot to tell you,

Good Morning.

Coming up we were taught all kinds of absurd, yet beseeching things like "quitters never win," or "come hell or high waters, quitting is not an option." All great things to tell toddlers who can't grasp the concepts of tying their tennis shoes or not coloring outside of the lines, but not so relevant when it comes to "real life." What happens when you realize that the only way to achieve the happiness, fulfillment, and sense of purpose you desire is to quit? Or when the hell or high waters come and you reach the conclusion that what you're fighting for really isn't worth the fight? In those instances, is quitting acceptable? In Philippians 4:13 we're taught that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. But what the people who recite it to us when we reach the point where we want to withdraw our commitments fail to tell us is that yes, we CAN do all things, BUT we don't have to. When you reach a point where the only reason you're doing something is because you fear the reaction you'll get from everyone if you stop or when the fervor and joy you once had becomes apathy and obligation, you have to ask yourself whether or not quitting would be your wisest decision. What we have to realize is that quitting and giving up are two totally different actions. While quitting could be the perfect solution to an unnecessary problem, giving up is a permanent solution to a temporary one. Do things because you want to not because you have to, because truth be told, we have very few obligations in life, aside from the ones in our mind.

Have a blessed day and thank you for reading!

Love's Limbo

So many things in common, yet could it really be,

that I was made for you and you were made for me?

Or is it simply irony,

our chemistry;

Or a figment of our minds…so sublime?

***

We see things differently, yet you take the time to understand.

Is that the characteristic of someone who deserves to hold my hand?

***

Love is like inching around a dark corner in the middle of the night,

in response to a sound evading something that ‘just ain’t right.’

***

Unfortunately, uncertainty won’t reveal a “yes” or “no,” only time can do that.

Falling for you could present pleasure or it could be one of those times when curiosity kills the cat.

***

In limbo with running far away or staying and holding you tight,

my mind is forever in motion, as fear takes its flight.

***

Am I willing to devote the time to seeing what you’re all about?

Or instead of doting on each of our moments together, will I spend them plagued with doubt?

***

So many questions and fears, yet could it really be,

that the purpose of your existence is to simply set me free?

Or is this uncertainty merely a way for me,

to control the variables of time and destiny?

The Reasons for Pain.

Good Morning.

You set yourself up to face the biggest challenges when you and another are engaging in a cooperative attempt to build a quality friendship, relationship, or partnership. The construction of these associations represent moments in time in which you finally encounter someone who holds a higher expectation of you than you do yourself. Though frustrating and vexed with "growing pains," after the foundation is laid, these unions have the potential to be the most beautiful and rewarding experiences that your life will ever entail. But anything that hurts is bad, right? No. Recall teething for a child, the development of breasts for a adolescent female, or the plight, including aches, bruises, and tears, to become a football star. All "painful" experiences, these are examples of good pain...pain that produces greatness. Bad pain; however, would be the pain that an eagle gets in its head when its flying in the wrong direction. The pain continues until the eagle re-routes its flight and this pain has a direct correlation to the hurt we endure when God is trying to put us on the right track and move us away from situations that mean us no good. Being that pain is an inescapable part of life and we're inevitably going to face it, it's imperative that we learn to determine whether the pain we're going through is designed to help us grow or to get us to change directions. Let's face the facts and realities of our situations, seek God, and determine the reasons for our pain.

Have a blessed day and thank you for reading!

Microwave or Oven?

Good Morning.

The worse thing you could ever do is to allow your actions to be as inconsistent as your thoughts. Our minds act as a place for us to reason with and understand life. They simultaneously give us room to think, perceive, and judge, without the critical eye of those around us. How great is God for equipping us with such a complex device, that not only is able to solve problems, but is able to prevent them? It is when we fail to fully use our minds for what they were created for that we fall into great danger. No decision that you could ever make is so pressing that it can't be "tabled" and no choice should ever be chosen without a proper weighing of the pro's and con's. In a society where results overshadow the time put into them, we as Believers have to be wise enough to know when to use the oven and when to use the microwave. Fast may be convenient, but it's usually cheap and short-lived. From now on, let's vow to use the entire capacity of our minds to determine the best decisions, execute the best actions, and achieve the best results.

Have a blessed day and thank you for reading!

Sight beyond what we see.

Good Morning.

I'm sure that sometime within the duration of your life, you've questioned God. You may have wondered why people who you thought would always have your back failed you or why situations that you put all your faith into ended. You may have even thought those people or situations would come back around if you prayed hard enough, fasted long enough, and shed enough tears...because clearly God only allowed them to be taken away because He wanted you to prove how bad you wanted them, right? Amidst your prayers, food deprivations, and moments of lamentation, things may have gotten worse or simply faded into oblivion and eventually, you accepted the inevitable: for reasons that God didn't have to explain to you, the end came. During moments like those, when you're attempting to escape the undeniable and reverse the unavoidable, you must remember that God knows what's best for you. He has sight far beyond what you are able to see and He has ordered your steps to follow the path that will bring Him the most glory and you the most happiness. You are Royalty, you are chosen, you are destined to be great...and not everyone is worthy of experiencing the greatness that you're bound to become.

Have a blessed day and thank you for reading!

Love and basketball.

Good Morning,

Waiting for grandiose moments in life, we often overlook simple things and ignore details. Yes, miracles are great, but so are the "normal" features that they're made up of. When God wakes us up each morning, He deserves as big of a spectacle as if He'd touched someone to write us a million dollar check. It is when we get too caught up in the large moments of life that we fail to realize just how loved, appreciated, and valued the small moments prove us to be. Big things don't "pop" everyday, but small ones occur every second. Simple text messages from the ones you love that ask how you're doing are just as meaningful as four page letters professing respect and adoration: they both prove that you were thought about. Rather than continuing to assume that the only way to say "I love you" is boisterously, let's fix our ears to the recognize the calm and quiet sounds of love. Let's be humble, let's be elementary, let's enjoy the 'love and basketballs,' the simple things in life.

Have a blessed day and thank you for reading!