I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Know I Matter

Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt as if you didn’t matter? I have felt that way. When I was growing up, I felt invisible and that I didn’t matter. I can remember wanting someone to see me; to care enough to take an interest in my well-being. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I truly felt that I mattered. That is when my aunt and uncle took an interest in my well-being to introduce me to the One in which I matter most: Jesus. You see I matter, you matter, to God. Jesus Himself said, ”If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it…“ Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭12‬-13a This verse tells me He values the one: each person, you, me, matter to Him! We matter so much, that He would leave the 99 to find us. God took the hand of the scared, invisible little girl and said, “Mo, I see you.

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I Choose Today to Have Faith

”Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.“ Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This is a timely verse. I am starting a new adventure of my own to use my gifts to glorify God and serve others. Taking a step of faith is both scary and exciting at the same time. I know many of you have faced or are facing the same dichotomy. Sometimes we need to look back and see times when we did step out in faith. It was during those times where God met, guided, counseled, and protected us as we embrace the calling of God. God, Himself, promises this when He declared, ”The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.“ Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The thing about stepping out in faith and following God’s lead is keeping our focus on the Guide: God. One such time for me is when I stepped out in faith to home school my daughter. Here I was uneducated, with little to no tools to ensure she was well educated. I didn’t even know how to read past a

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I Choose Today to Ask Why

I am a project manager by trade. One of my favorite things to do when faced with an unknown challenge is to find the root cause.  Then I can strategize and make a plan to solve the problem. Project management methodology has several ways to find the root cause, but my favorite is the 5 Whys. The 5 Whys involves repeatedly asking ‘why’ when faced with a problem, aiming to uncover the root cause by moving beyond surface-level symptoms. This method not only applies in professional settings but also holds significance in our personal interactions. Let’s face it, we tend to judge the symptom rather than finding out the root cause of the symptom. For example, serval weeks ago, I told you about a gentleman I met who found himself addicted to drugs and living on the street. When we encounter people who are living that reality, we tend to judge them instead of getting to know the why: the root of their pain. God knew the root cause of people’s problems; the reason for their despair, hopelessness, animosity: sin and the separation from God because of the sin. But God had compassion on His creation, so He had a

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I Choose Today to be Seen

A few weeks ago I wrote about loosing my cool with a customer service representative. I wrote about how God can use my mistakes to teach me. Well, I had the opportunity last week to put my new lesson learned into practice. I was coming home from a trip and had a carryon that was my personal item. The airline decided my bag was too big (even though it wasn’t on my first flight), and I would need to pay almost $100. I was frustrated as I getting onto the plane. The flight attendant approached me and ask me what was wrong. After the initial frustration, I found myself faced with a choice during the flight; to take out my frustration on the staff of the airline, or be kind to the flight attendant. I choose the latter. During the flight, the flight attendant told me I could probably get my money back if I email the airline. She asked for my email so she could give me the information. I handed her one of my “I Choose Today” business cards with my email on it. She walked away. She came back a time later and asked me what “I

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I Choose Today to Embrace

You ever wonder why you go through hard things? Do you ever ask God what He would allow it? Have you ever asked God why? I know I have. In a recent conversation, I connected with a young woman navigating a challenging phase. She was grappling with the prospect of lifelong medication due to a medical issue. Seeking support, she reached out to me, because she knew I’ve also navigated a similar path in my own life. About eight years ago, I was told I would need to be on a medication for the rest of my life. I went through an emotional rollercoaster that entailed feelings of failure because I wasn’t in control of my health; and grief because I was loosing my independence from medication and treatment. I felt less-than. I cried, was embarrassed, and felt shame. However, these were all lies that had infiltrated my mind, my thoughts, my heart. In reality, the medicine was the miracle! I had no control over my condition, but I could accept the miracle of medicine to live a healthy life. God taught me that and I learned to walk in the freedom of that truth! If I hadn’t walked through

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