We have made it through the first 31 days of the New Year. I pray that this year is off to a fruitful start for all of you! Since January is the best time of the year for reflection, redirection, and repositioning ourselves for all that God has in store for us in the New Year, I wanted to share the best invaluable lessons that I have learned in 2013 that I pray will catapult you in the best year of your life! Enjoy!

Lesson #13: There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the TRUTH.

Lesson #12: Conflict is an opportunity for two or more people to see what they are passionate about. Don’t shy away from it!

Lesson #11: Our bodies are temples for God. We cannot be effective servants for God if our bodies are tired, worn down, and unhealthy. LISTEN to your body and take care of it!

Lesson #10: Don’t hold everything in–you’ll burst! Find someone that you trust who can pray for you and with you. Everyone needs somebody they can talk to.

Lesson #9: WISDOM is truly the principal thing. Walk and operate in wisdom.

Lesson #8: Be honest with yourself. Take an honest assessment of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to be.

Lesson #7: Love, appreciate, value and support your family because at the end of the day, blood is thicker than water.

Lesson #6: Always seek the peace of God for every decision, whether big or small. While you are seeking, surround yourself with a multitude of counselors. There really is safety in that!

Lesson #5: When you are in the will of God, He will make it so plain to you–listen. Be still long enough to hear Him.

Lesson #4: When it is time to move on(from a job, a relationship, etc) do your best to transition smoothly and leave honorably. Leaving with no closure hurts everyone.

Lesson #3: Ensure that you are not only healthy, but that you are in an environment(job, ministry, relationship, etc) that is also healthy. Pay attention to the signs of unhealthy or unfruitful areas in your life.

Lesson #2: If you don’t prepare to plan, you have already prepared yourself for failure. Have a plan for your life! God put you on this earth ON PURPOSE!

Lesson #1: Our lives are a journey. We rely on the Lord daily to order our steps, and to shine a light on our paths. We will take different stops along the way. Be mindful of where you are in the journey, and ask the Lord to show you where and when to take the next stop along the way.

With just one more day remaining in the year 2012, I wanted to share some of the greatest lessons that I have learned this year. I hope these encourage you!

Lesson #12: Exercise the kind of faith that gets God’s ATTENTION!

Lesson #11: God will never put more on you that you can bear!

Lesson #10: If  it never rained, NOTHING would grow. Appreciate the trials you go through.

Lesson #9: Jesus truly is my lily in the valley.

Lesson #8: Our trials shape us and mode us.

Lesson #7: God ANSWERS PRAYER!

Lesson #6: In His perfect timing, God will make room for you!(Gen 26:22). Thank Him for your Rehoboth in your life!

Lesson #5: TRULY, NO WEAPON formed against me shall prosper(even when the enemy tried twice to attack my health this year).

Lesson #4: When it comes to emergencies, it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” Before an emergency arises( health crises, financial crises, etc), be sure you have made adequate preparations to brace the storm.

Lesson #3: The ones that we love the most could also hurt us the most. Forgive.

Lesson #2: The best things in life really are free.

Lesson #1: FAMILY MATTERS.

“A Valley of Baca Experience (Psalm 84:5-7)”

Imagine waking up at 4am every day to get ready for work. By 5:30am, you leave your apartment, drive 90 minutes (who am I kidding; with Atlanta traffic it was a solid 2 full hours!) to work. When you finally arrive to work at 7am, you are on your feet for eight full hours, pouring into the lives of other people’s little children. When you finish with faculty meetings, parent conferences, entering grades, and trying not to fall asleep at your desk, you look at the clock, and it’s already 6pm. It has been a whopping fourteen hour day. It gets better; you get back in your car and drive another 2 hours to get back home,  after doing everything humanely possible to stay awake behind the wheel (coffee, air conditioning, music blasting and calling on the name of JESUS). Upon arriving home, you are beyond exhausted. Oh yeah, then you have to work on your homework for grad school. Before you know it, it’s time for bed. As you lay your head down to sleep, you think to yourself, “Lord Jesus, I have to do this all over again tomorrow…HELP.”  Readers, I know what you’re thinking—this is INSANE. Who in their right mind would go through with this?

Well…I did. As a matter of fact, I did this and more for about 20 full weeks. From January 4, 2012 until May 24, 2012, this was my life. These past five months have been the hardest season of my life in a long time; I mean it was insanely rough. It was my Valley of Baca experience. The Valley of Baca was also known as the “Valley of Weeping” in Hebrew. I don’t think I’ve cried more than I have in these past five months. There were days when I thought things were hopeless, and I didn’t think I would see the light of the end of the tunnel. Nevertheless, the Lord used these past five months to teach me the most invaluable lessons about stepping out in faith in my walk with the Lord. It has not only strengthened my relationship with the Lord, but it has created a memorial in my heart of God’s amazing faithfulness towards me. Allow me to explain…

“Leave your father’s house” (Genesis 12:1)

Before I graduated from UGA in 2008, I spent that entire semester really seeking the Lord about His direction for my life after graduation. My entire college experience was so blessed and forever impacted by Omega Worship Center, the ministry the Lord led me to while I was a student at UGA. There were so many things that the Lord had done in my life during my five years at my church and there was much more that I knew in my heart that He still wanted to do. So, after much prayer, and the Lord’s leading and confirmation, I made the decision to make Omega my permanent church home after graduation.  This was a major step in my faith walk as a young adult. Within that same year, I started my very first year teaching as a Spanish teacher in Decatur, Georgia. And for the next 3 ½ years, I lived in Lawrenceville, worshiped in Athens, and worked in Decatur, Georgia. That season involved so much driving, late nights, and a ton of gas money! But, God definitely was a keeper. It was worth it to me because my heart’s desire then and to this day was to serve the youth and young adults in my church in this part of the vineyard.

By the time the third year of “living in Lawrenceville, worshiping in Athens, and working in Decatur,” it was getting really old. I was exhausted, and felt stretched between two locations. I wasn’t feeling very effective anymore because of the toll all that driving was taking on my mind and my body. So, once again, it was time for phase II of my faith walk as a young adult. Leaving the church I grew up in was one big step; leaving home to live on my own in another city was in a league all on its own.

Ladies, understand that when you begin to feel uncomfortable, complacent, or when things begin to go haywire around you, rest assured that the Lord is trying to move you out of your comfort zone. The Lord needed to cause me to feel restless, and uncomfortable for almost a year with my present place of residence for a reason—He wanted me to begin using my faith muscles again. After I graduated from college, I lived at home for three years. Although it was  season that had its challenges, it was a blessing in disguise because it allowed me just enough time to grow in some areas, and it allowed my family to see what the Lord was doing in my heart and in my life, no longer as a child, but as a young adult.

Back in Athens, we were in the early stages of rebuilding our youth department, and I began feeling so ineffective to my youth at my church. Because I was living an hour away, it was difficult to attend school plays, football games, or spend quality time with these young lives outside of church because of my crazy schedule. I knew the Lord began slowing tugging at my heart to make a move, to make a decision. I wanted to give my youth my best. I wanted the Lord to use me to pour into their lives and really make an impact. However, the only way I was going to be successful in doing that was to live closer to the ministry I was serving. It was time to enter Phase II of the faith walk.

“Launch out into the deep” (Luke 5:4)

I find it so amazing how specific God is when He answers my prayers. It’s also comforting to know that I can find examples of God telling other men and women of God the same thing in the scriptures. Now, most people relocate because of marriage, the military, or a new job. I moved because I wanted to be closer to my church—definitely not something you hear often, especially for a young woman in my case. You see, for Haitian young women, the golden ticket out of your parent’s home is marriage. So when the Lord began dealing with my heart to move out my parent’s house to Athens, my initial thought was, “God, are you serious? You know I don’t have a ring on my finger yet, right?” I was about to embark on something huge for most young Haitian American women my age. I was going to move out and live on my own, sans a spouse. But, I’m learning that God does things out of the ordinary in our lives, in order to produces extraordinary results. Although not yet married, my move to be closer to my church was a part of my faith walk that could not fit within the confines of culture, or the expectation of family. God told Abraham to leave his father’s house, his land, and all that was familiar to him because God had an extraordinary plan and purpose waiting for Abraham in a land he did not know. Ruth left her family, her homeland, and her comfort zone to follow a mother-law back to Israel, a land unfamiliar to her. Little did Ruth know that her destiny was wrapped up in Naomi! But in Abraham and Ruth’s case, they both had to take a step of faith, and break out of what was familiar. Jesus challenged Peter to “launch out into the deep” because Jesus was calling Peter higher. You cannot catch fish in shallow water; you can’t dream big while standing in shallow water; you can’t reach your destiny and purpose unless you go out of your comfort zone. I had to leave what had been familiar to me for so long, and go into deeper waters. The Lord was requiring more out of me.

So, I started taking baby steps towards my move. Before even seeing my new home in Athens, I began making buying little things like wash cloths, pots and pans, towels, etc. I was stepping out in faith! It was such an exhilarating moment with each small purchase because I knew that God had approved this, and was ordering my steps. From those little purchases, I moved to furniture. By then, it hit me—I was really going to move out on my own! By October of 2011, after much searching, I finally found the perfect place to call my own! Two desires of my heart where finally coming to pass: I was worshiping in Athens; not I was going to officially live in Athens. After I found my new home in Athens, I decided to let my parents know what my plans were.

Was I nervous to break the news to my parents? Heck, yeah! I was worried about how they would handle my move, despite the direction I knew the Lord was leading me. But guess what? God proved Himself to be so faithful in that situation. When I shared with my parents my desire to live closer to my church and to serve more effectively in ministry without such a long commute, they not only supported me in the decision, but gave me their blessing. Talk about God going out before you! Even if my parents had not approved, or where not in my corner, because of the peace of God that came with my decision, I knew that He would take care of my parent’s hearts. But, with their blessing, it made the transition all so much sweeter.

By the end of the year in 2011, I officially moved to Athens in my beautiful new home. I was on cloud nine. For the first time, after twenty six years, I finally had my own bathroom! (Ladies, this was big deal, considering that I’ve had to share with two younger brothers my whole life! Every young lady should experience this at least once before they get married!)

Not only that, my new home was two minutes from my church!! I was now able to serve with even greater effectiveness and truly be more accessible to my youth and the ministry. Life was good. For a long time, my prayer was to live, work, and worship in the same city. So far, the Lord had answered 2/3 of that prayer. The next and final phase of my faith walk was to believe God for a job that was perfect for me in Athens, Georgia—despite not seeing any jobs available in Athens in sight at the time.

A “Rehoboth” Blessing (Genesis 26:22)

I held on to this promise in the Word of God with everything I had throughout that entire season of stepping out on faith. The Lord had me serving and worshiping in Athens; now the Lord had me living in Athens. Meanwhile, I was still working in Atlanta! Several of my friends who ran track in high school and college would always tell me how the final lap was the hardest; I likened the last semester working at my school as the last lap of a race. When January finally rolled around, I knew this was going to be the toughest semester of my life! Not only was I fully involved in ministry, but I was a full time professional, with a two hour commute to work. I was also a part time graduate student to boot. It was going to be brutal. The main thing on the forefront of my mind once my last semester in Decatur began was, “Lord, what am I going to do when it’s time to renew my contract?”

Another invaluable lesson that the Lord taught me during this faith journey was this: You either believe God ALL the way, or not at all. You either believe God to be the Provider He says He is, or you don’t at all. There is no middle ground. God had already made created room for me to live in Athens—He was fully capable of making room for me to also work in Athens too. This is what I had to continue to believe and hold on to until it was time to renew contract…

Twelve job applications and one interview later, I still saw no job prospective in sight, and the semester was rapidly coming to an end. There were moments when I had to fight thoughts of doubt, fear and worry. I had to constantly pull down thoughts like, “What if I don’t find a job before August?” “Maybe I should have waited to move later.” “How will I be able to take care of myself?” Now, more was at stake—rent, electric bill, water bill, car note, etc. This and more began to bombard my mind. But with the prayers and encouragement of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I was reminded of an important point—as believers, we really do walk by FAITH and not by sight (Romans 1:17). Although I did not see my new job in Athens, although I had no idea where I would be in the upcoming school year, by faith, I had to keep trusting that one existed. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV) I had launched off into the deep—I was too far away from the dock to go back now! I began speaking out and confessing with my mouth that God was working behind the scenes, and that something was happening, although I could not see it. I learned that faith is not having all the answers and details up front. I moved to Athens because I wanted to be closer to my church, to be about my Father’s business; this was my first step. God is concerned about that first step of obedience—after that, He’ll take it from there!

Finally, the last month of the school year had arrived, and I still did not have anything lined up for the next school year. The pressure was on! The day we received our contracts, I didn’t even look at it. I left the envelope, unopened, on the kitchen counter. This was the final phase of my faith walk. After 20 intense weeks of driving 140 miles to Atlanta from Athens five days a week, waking up at 4am Monday-Friday, spending close to $400 in gas money a month, and adding over 15,000 in mileage to my car, I could not waver in my decision to trust God with everything. The day to submit our contract for the 2012-2013 school year finally arrived. Rather than renewing my contract, I gave my resignation letter instead. On May 9, 2012, I was making my final leap of faith in this whole journey. I wasn’t fearful, doubtful or scared—I experienced a peace that assured me that God was on my side, and would not leave me out to dry. What happened just a few days later BLEW MY MIND. Exactly four days later, SIX Spanish teacher positions opened up at three separate schools within 5 miles of my new home in Athens. AMAZING!!! Had I wavered in my confession, backed down and renewed that contract, I would have totally missed out on God doing exceedingly and abundantly ABOVE what I could ask or think! I applied for all those positions that following week. That made a total of eighteen job applications.

It gets better. Exactly two weeks after submitting my application for the six Spanish teacher positions, I receive a phone call from one of the high schools in Athens where I student taught five years ago. They wanted me to come in for an interview! My first interview was with the University of Georgia to work with college students. Now, this second interview was to work with high school students. When I came in for the interview, on the panel was not only the principal and the foreign language department of the school, but my mentor teacher from when I was a student teacher! Can you say favor?! When God is blessing His children, He goes all out!

The interview went incredibly well, by the grace of God. My mentor teacher from five years ago still had very pleasant memories of me from five years ago which he shared during the interview process. Within the next three days, I was offered a position as one of their Spanish teachers at the school. Exactly one month from turning in my resignation letter and stepping out on faith in this area of my life, God blessed with me my new job in the Athens Clarke-County school district. God Almighty made room for me to not only worship in Athens, but to now life and work in Athens, Georgia. Not only that, but one of my youth at my church is a student at the same high school where I will be teaching. I can now be an impact in her life not just in the house of God, but at her school as well.  Our obedience to the Lord’s leading will not only bless us, but it blesses those connected to us. Is God faithful or what?!

So friends, this was my faith walk. This was an opportunity for me to flex my “faith muscles.” I learned that God really is impressed and is excited about faith. Only a few people in the Bible had faith that moved God. I’m glad to say that I too am one of them. I’m looking forward to next opportunity to step on faith. I know that God will not fail to bless me beyond my wildest dreams.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”(Hebrews 11:6, NKJV)

Hello single ladies!

Well, it has been a very looong time since my last blog post( I will explain a little more in detail in the next blog!). But, rest assured that I have been busy working on getting more expose for Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid! I’m so glad to share what the Lord has been doing since the book’s release last July, and I’m looking forward to even more open doors. In a nutshell, here’s what’s been going on!

July 12, 2011: Lessons Learned as a Bridesmai d is released! I hosted my very first book signing party!

July -August 2011: Upon a few days after the release, Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid becomes available on Nook, Kindle, Barnes and Nobles and Family Christian online bookstores!

September 1, 2011: I had my second book signing at the Dancing on the Promise Annual Dance Conference at Liberty Worship Center in Stone Mountain, Ga.

November 2011: I held a book signing at the Good Samaritan Haitian Alliance Church during an event for their single adults.

January 2012: I went live on the radio! Pastor Michele Rucker ( I LOVE this woman of God!), founder and director of Dancing on the Promise International Ministries, is the host of “Start your day Dancing on the Promise.” Pastor Michele invited me to speak about the book on a segment about single women on WAEC 860am, www.love860.com.

January 2012: In that same month, Renewed Magazine, a local Christian magazine, contacted me and is going to feature me in their summer edition of Top Authors of 2012.

March 2012: I was awarded the “Who’s Who” Award in Latino Professionals and my book was featured in the press release!! Check it out: Visit http://latinwhoswho.net/press/?p=2226

March 2012: I was invited to a panel for Mothers and Daughters in Jefferson, Georgia to share about some of the topics from my book.

April 2012: A good friend of mine started a young woman’s ministry at her church in Atlanta and wanted to use my book as part of their Bible Study! That was so humbling!

I’m up to 8 great reviews on Booksneeze!!(Click on the “Book Tab”  on the website and scroll down to “Reviews”)  My average blogger rating is 4 STARS!

June 2012: I am officially featured in Renewed Magazine’s “Top 12 Must Reads for Summer 2012!”

With the 1st year anniversary of Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid rapidly approaching, look out for special news in the celebration of a year’s worth of success!

Gracefully waiting:)

Larissa

Single woman of God, don’t you think this is the best time to get your money in order before God sends you your Boaz? Let’s first take a look at what the Word of God says about money. I really believe that the reason that people have a hard time managing their finances is because they don’t have a healthy perspective and/or respect for money.

1) Let’s face it: Money answers ALL things

The Bible says “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; But money answers everything.”
( Ecclesiastes 10: 19) Now the Bible does not say that money is all that we need. When we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the favor of God ALONE can open doors that money cannot. However, money does help advance the preaching of the gospel, bless the Church, and pay your bills. Therefore, it’s important to understand that although we don’t live for money, we do need money while we are still here on this side of Heaven.

2) Be faithful with what you’re making now

“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11) Single woman, if you desire to be a wife and mother someday, but are not faithful over your finances now, do you really believe that God is going to entrust to you a husband, children, and a household? Taking small steps now to be financially stable now will have huge rewards later.

3) TITHE!!

Malachi 3:8 makes it crystal clear:  “ Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘ In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Ladies, giving unto the Lord a tenth of what you earn is not only demonstrating your obedience onto the Lord with your finances, but it allows God to bless you exponentially.( Read Malachi 3: 9-12).  If you are not a faithful tither as a single woman of God, make the choice to start today. Not only should you be a tither, but the person you may be courting should also be a tither. This will bless your household when the two of you get married.

4) GET OUT OF DEBT!!!

We all can agree that debt steals your joy and your freedom. You may be a single woman with student loan debt and/or credit card debt that is probably up to your eyelids. Don’t lose heart! There are several ways to help you with eliminating your debt before you walk down the aisle. With any consumer debt you may have, a married friend of mine taught me the “Snowball Effect.” First,  make a list of everything you owe, from the smallest amount of debt to the largest amount of debt.  Start by paying off your smallest debt first. Once that is paid off, take the payment you were making towards the smallest debt and use that money to pay the next largest debt. Soon, you’ll be finished with all of your debts! Now granted, this may not happen over night. But, I believe that God will honor your efforts in getting out of debt. So far, I have finished paying off two credit card bills that I once owed. It was such a relief to finally be finished with those payments! Here are some resources that are very helpful to help you get debt free

1) www.daveramsey.com. Dave Ramsey is a fantastic leader in financial peace that a friend of mine got me plugged into. Sign up for his Debt Snowball Plan tool on his website.

2)www.money.cnn.com I receive the Money Magazine in the mail monthly and I am learning some great information to be better educated abomy finances!

There are of course a plethora of resources out there to help you with your consumer debt, and student loans. Do your research!

5) SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!

Sometimes, because of the amount of debt some of us have, it may seem virtually impossible to even think about saving. One you have eliminated the debt that you have, you will be in a better place financially to save maybe $50, $100, $200, or whatever amount you desire in a savings account. I love listening to Joyce Meyer’s teaching seminar entitled, “Becoming Debt Free.” This woman of God suggests( which many of you have already heard by way other people) to put at least $1,000 away in savings. Emergencies will happen: a flat tire, an unexpected hospital bill, etc. Putting away money in a savings account on a monthly or biweekly basis will help you establish good habits that will follow you when you are married. Joyce Meyer gave an amazing fact in this same teaching CD. She stated, “If a 25 year old put away $65 dollars every month, when they were 65, they’d have over 1 million dollars.”

6) Start planning for retirement EARLY
I am 26 years old, and believe it or not, I am already preparing for my retirement. Prior to meeting with a financial planner who came to visit my school where I teach, I always used to think, “I’ll start saving for retirement when I’m older….like in my 50′s.” Crazy, I know! However, after meeting with my financial planner, I have become more knowledgeable about things such as Roth IRA, 401Ks, and Life Insurance, things I thought I was too young to even begin thinking about. I will encourage all single women, to begin planning for these things. While we are young( and can still lock in some great rates for these things due to our age), let’s use wisdom. The Bible says that “wisdom is the principal thing”( Proverbs 4:7)

Ladies, let’s make the decision to be financially healthy before entering into a marital relationship. What kind of money advice would you like to share? What kind of creative things are you doing to get out of debt? Let’s help each other, girls!

I am so SICK of the Facebook hookups. I am so SICK of brothers hiding behind a computer screen trying to initiate a relationship. Ladies, am I the only one experiencing this disgust? The social media phenomenon has spread like wild fire and is not going to die down any time soon. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Skype, etc have become household names, in this 21st century generation. Nevertheless, with all the technological advances that we have seen in the last 10-15 years, I think it is safe to say that there has been a regression in the level of social interaction between people as a result of the dependency of social media. We would rather “tweet” our real thoughts and feelings rather than picking up the phone to say hello to a friend. We would much rather post our feelings on our Facebook wall than really have a heart to heart with a friend, coworker, and/or family member about what’s really bothering us. Likewise, the majority of 21st century guys would much rather send you a message about “hooking up with you” rather than approaching a young lady face to face. Does anyone else see the problem with that?!

I’ve had about 5-6 separate instants throughout the course of this year that have caused me to question whether or not brothers of the 21st century desire or even know how to pursue the old fashioned way any more. It always starts out the same, “Hi, my name is ( you fill in the name, ladies). I was looking at your Facebook profile, and you are absolutely beautiful. I would like to get to know you better…and blah, blah, blah”

What makes this even more upsetting is that these various approaches have been from brothers who are believers!! This should not be, gentleman. This is not the way to approach a woman of God, in hopes of a godly relationship leading to marriage. Don’t get me wrong: I believe that Social Media can be a great tool, and a great resource to rally people behind a cause. Nevertheless, I don’t believe that social media should substitute real human interaction. I shared these same sentiments with another good friend of mine over the summer who also was experiencing brothers in the church trying to initiate a relationship through Facebook or email. What happened to the thrill of the pursuit, gentlemen? What happened to seeking out information about a young lady you’re interested in from her family, close friends, pastors, coworkers, etc. Is now just easier to just find this information on her facebook page? Men of God are the ones who are to pursue wives. But, with this new age of “Facebook Hookups,” it’s not looking very promising for those of us who are patiently waiting on the Lord for our Boaz.

Ladies, my question is this: why do you think more and more brothers are choosing to initiate relationships via the web?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

~Larissa

My Book Release Party is rapidly approaching! I will let everyone know of the location, date, and time in the upcoming weeks:)

On those days when you ask the Lord “When will he ever find me?” or “Does the man I am holding out for even exist?” I say to you, you are WORTH the wait. When you finally meet the man of God, our Father has set aside for you, you will be so glad that you waited on him. God is GOOD to those who wait on Him. This clip a good friend shared with me this week, will definitely encourage you wait on your Boaz.

Enjoy!

P4CM Official Poet, Janette..IKZ. This girl ROCKED the house with her poem!

       When the time came for Ruth and Orpah to say their goodbyes and go their separate ways to find “resting the home another husband,” we see a very remarkable choice that one of the daughters- in- law makes. Both young women were Moabites, from the land of Moab.  Moab was a pagan nation, where the people worshipped and served idol gods. Because they both came from a background that did not worship God Almighty, it would have been easy for Ruth to go back to her idolatrous ways. But, the Bible says “Orphah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.”(Ruth 1:15).

     First, I believe that throughout her few years married to Naomi’s son, Ruth saw the God in Naomi and that did something to her heart. This was a GOD CONNECTION that Ruth knew she could not let go. She could have left like Orpah and no one would have blamed her! This was the expected thing to do. However, Naomi’s life as a woman of God resonated something inside Ruth that made her “cling” to Naomi. Ladies, who are you “clinging” to during your single years? Are you clinging to the type of people that will push you closer to your destiny? Or are you clinging to friends who are hindering the work of God in your life? Ruth made the choice to cling to Naomi and that catapulted her into her destiny. Who is your “Naomi?”

     Secondly, I really commend Ruth because her choice demonstrated another quality that we should all strive for: LOYALTY!! Here we have two women who are not blood related, but one woman would not allow the other to go through that tough time, ALONE. That is so powerful to me!

     Last but not least, upon returning to Bethlehem, Ruth tells her mother-in-law, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”(Ruth 2: 2). This woman was not consumed with the thought, “When am I gonna get another husband?” We see this woman is a go getter, doing her part to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. And if we read on down a little further, Boaz found her working. Your Boaz needs to find her working in the vineyard of Lord, being busy about your Father’s business. He needs to find you working on the plans, dreams, and purpose He has specifically for your life.  A dear friend of mine and sister in the Lord made this observation that really made me think! When Boaz took notice of Ruth, it wasn’t because of her looks or outward appearance! Looks have their place in a relationship to a certain extent, but this man of God was attracted to the purpose and plan of God on her life!! Even Ruth was shocked! She could not believe that this man of standing would take notice of her, especially since she was a foreigner. But this is the key: Boaz had heard of her reputation of being a virtuous woman and all that she had done for her mother in law. Let your reputation of being a virtuous woman of God, speak for you! In time, your Boaz will hear of it and take notice of you!

To all of my single sisters in the Lord, Valentine’s Day is NOT and I repeat:  Not “Singles Awareness Day!” Now, as humorous as that may sound, I believe that from time to time, it feels like the world seems to revolve around couples( it’s okay to nod your head in agreement; we all have been guilty of feeling that way at some pointJ). On the day set aside for sweethearts, honeys and that “oh so special someone,” what is the single Christian woman to do who may not have that special someone in her life as of yet? Throw a pity party? Wallow in sadness? Eat ice cream while watching tear jerkers like the “Notebook?” Certainly not!

It is very easy for a single woman to feel like she is left on top of a shelf and forgotten, particularly around this time of the year when the world has designated this day to celebrate love and relationships. The frequent announcements of friends getting engaged or getting married can sometimes make you feel like a third wheel.  Loneliness, a very real feeling that everyone deals with from time to time can feel magnified around Valentine’s Day. However, how should the single woman of God approach the day when love is celebrated? Well, we as the daughters of Christ, should first remember that we belong to the one who is the Creator of Love—God himself. And unlike the world, which sets aside one day (and billions of dollars towards Hallmark greeting cards) just to express their love and affection to another, the lover of our souls, Jesus Christ, expressed and continually expresses his unfailing love towards us. Through the scriptures, God has professed his undying love for you, woman of God (yes, you!) in Jeremiah 31:3 “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Talk about an amazing statement! Now ladies, you tell me when was the last time you read this in any Valentine’s Day card!

Let’s face it, as a single woman of God, we all dream of the day when our Boaz, our prince charming, our honey will finally hit the scene and sweep us off our feet. But, until then, I want to encourage you– beautiful daughter of the King– that before the Father allows any one of his sons to win our heart over, He desires for us to know “the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ[ for us]  which passes knowledge…”( Ephesians 3:19).

What separates us from single women of the world is that we belong to the King. He is the lover of our souls; He bottles up our tears; He knows the deepest desires of our hearts; He sees and understands our struggles; He promises never to leave us or forsake us.

Woman of God, you are not forgotten! During this season of singleness, I want to encourage you to learn how to fall more in love with God everyday. That way, when our honey (the one that God has selected specifically for us comes along) we will know how to love him because of how we love the Father.  Besides, you already have someone who’s already madly in love with you: He proved it with His life on the Cross.

“My beloved is mine, and I am his” –Songs 2:16

Long time, no chat! I have been getting so much done with the book over these last few months–Lessons Learned now has a PUBLISHER!! God is soo good. Well, as we wait for the release of the book, I still always desire to hear your thoughts and your heart on various topics on the blog. So, tell me what you think!

So, we all have one: the laundry list of qualities we desire in a mate. Examples are: He’s gotta look like Will Smith; he’s gotta be 6’5; he’s gotta dress well, etc.

However, what are the real qualities that every woman of God should desire in a mate? What really matters?

Looking forward to hearing from you!