By Faith & Grace

When you have Faith in God, it changes the way you handle extenuating circumstances. People observing your life from the outside may say, 'wow.... how does she/he do it? Go through so much pain, so many struggles, walk through so many trials, endure so much adversity and still have a beautiful smile on their face and continue to be grateful. When anyone would understand if they fell apart and yet, somehow she/he is keeping it together.'

How do they do it? Grace.

"His grace is sufficient." 2 Corinthians 12:9
It is not because we are super strong, and have hearts made of gold that cannot be broken. It's because His grace carries us. Day to day, minute by minute, it breathes for us when we feel we are drowning in our circumstances. It walks for us when we can barely stand. Jesus is our Rock through it all.

Faith in Him gives us hope for the future, to see loved ones passed on before us. And His grace gives us the ability to cope with circumstances that would otherwise break our spirit. The two of them combined provides us a reason to live, to not only just survive our trials, but thrive in them and come out of them stronger, happier, and wiser.

So if you are in your extenuating circumstance right now wondering if you'll ever be able to make it, remember two things: One; you are not trying to make it alone, rely on His grace. And Two; Have faith that God has a plan and a purpose for everything in your life, and it will one day work together for your good.

His word is True. He will never leave you. Nor forsake you. Be blessed.

- Brianna Colleen Carey ©

A Forever Love

That kind of love that makes your heart flutter 

and your knees shutter as you think of the other 

The kind of love you could color the world with. 

Pure bliss.

Bright blues and vibrant greens 

A scene out of a fairytale it seems  

The Dream.

Like a dove that alights on your soul 

Makes you whole and sows your heart back together. 

A Forever Love. 

Ocean & Sand

The force of the ocean waves

is stopped by mere sand 

So understand that your struggle in which you stand 

can be overcome as well

No one gets to Heaven, not having survived a bit of hell. 

Charitable Heart Quote

Keep a charitable heart and a humble soul....
For in those lies the solution to everything.

Despite

I love your heart.
It keeps beating.... despite everything you have been through.
I love your soul.
It continues to shine.... despite having walked through darkness.

You inspire me.

"You have to believe in yourself before you can convince anyone else to believe in you. If you won't even invest in yourself why would anyone else want to?" - Brianna Carey

You Matter

You are the Universe in motion

A walking Masterpiece that God meticulously molded 

And just in case you didn't know it.....

YOU MATTER.  

"His Footstool"

Like the leaves that lay beneath my feet
So are we...
Your footstool.

BECAUSE

I'm enjoying life.
Not because it's all good. Not because nothing bad ever happens to me. Not because the world is perfect. Not because any great thing in particular has happened to me. I am enjoying life because life itself is a blessing. Life is beautiful. The planet is beautiful. People are still beautiful. I still believe in humanity. And I still choose Love and Forgiveness in every situation I face because it is always the course one should take. I am enjoying life simply because it can be enjoyed. Count your blessings. Cry when you need to. Then smile again. Go easy on yourself because no one has it all together and allow yourself to experience the ups and downs of life without holding onto them because the present is fleeting. It will change from one moment to the next. Let it. Embrace flux. Don't let these negative things on your TV take hold in your heart because they will grow into fear. And fear steals your joy. Live. Because you can. Because your alive. Because your heart is still beating and your soul can still feel.

My View on Syrian Refugees

"You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow." - Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus is never wrong. He didn't do a lot of clear speeches, He mostly spoke in riddles throughout the Bible but with the Sermon on the Mount, He meant for us to understand Him clearly. And that last bit. "Don't turn away those who want to borrow." I can't help but feel like that's exactly what we are doing by denying Syrians refuge here in the US. I know that there is no way to differentiate between who is good and has no ill intent to harm us, and who is indeed intending to harm us. But even with that uncertainty, I can't help but feel that we should still try to help them. I have seen people posting about how poor America already is, or how we have so many homeless, etc. but let's be honest, America is in far better condition financially than all third world countries put together. We have more than enough. I'm not saying that it's not a problem that we have homeless U.S. citizens and have not helped them. By all means, we should address that issue and try to form a solution. But also we must find a way to help the Syrian people in need as well and any other country that lacks in an area where we have an abundance. I look at it like this, if a young child knocked on your door in the middle of the night, you are alone in your home, he looks fragile, cold, hungry, in need.... do you let him in? You don't know if it could be a facade, there could be someone just out of sight who wants to take your life once you open that door, but do you open it? That is the question we face here and I don't know about anyone else's answer is but it's evident what God's answer to that is. YES. You open the door. "Don't turn away those who want to borrow." There has to be a point where just your faith in humanity has to be enough. You may witness some fallout from allowing someone you don't fully trust into your home but you may also witness the gratitude in someones eyes as tears stream down their face, thinking 'thank God someone still cared enough about me to help.' I think it's worth the risk to do the right thing. For the greater good. Once we lose our faith & hope in humanity entirely, there is no turning back. Yes, I believe there is evil. But I believe wholeheartedly that that same evil will inevitably be extinguished by GOOD. It always is. See; God 'Commands' us to love. It not a request, it's a command. That means we don't have a say in the matter. It's not only an obligation but should be something we do from the fruit of our souls because we desire to. Furthermore, if we do nothing at all to try and help them, and then we tune into our TV sets, in our warm home, on our comfy couch, and watch hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians being slaughtered; we cannot then say their blood is not on our hands. We cannot say it wasn't by our lack of compassion and faith in mankind, that they died. I don't want to lose hope in humanity. I believe most of us are good.... and those who are not will be dealt with either in, or after this life, by God. So I have no qualms about us taking in Syrian refugees or any other refugees for that matter. And should it result in attacks on lives here in the US; I say this..... I'd rather die for doing good than live doing nothing to stop the bad. - Brianna Colleen Carey

"We can't let the bad prevent us from doing good." - Brianna Colleen Carey

Drifting

During times like these
It's so apparent to me that you're no longer here
It's clear I can't hear the sound of your loving voice
No matter how hard I try to recall
A deafening silence echoes within these walls
It's a painful reminder of your absence
upon which a deep sadness envelopes my soul
I have not been whole since you died
I've tried my best to cope
Although.....
Most days I feel like I'm drifting
Like a breeze that swiftly
blows across the ocean waves...
Present for a moment but soon fades
I don't know how to be okay without you
I didn't think I would have to this soon
But here I am
Here I stand, with only half of me
Trying to create some remnant of a happily ever after
But with a heart this shattered
I just don't know how.....

One Day

I know that things look grim.
I see the broken-hearted.
I feel their pain.
I see the dying.
I hear the crying of those they left behind and,
I see the hurting,
I hear them calling out....
They feel deserted.
But they aren't.....
there's still a spark.
Still a glimmer of hope left in their eyes.
May that hope be magnified by Elohim
And dispense within, the hate
Let love resonate with their souls
And make the incomplete whole again
I know one day it will end
But until then.... Carry us
in Your unfailing Love
until that One Day comes.

Red Cups?

Enough with the Starbucks red cups. I don't care two cents about a cup. Neither should any of you. What is wrong with America? Honestly, it's no wonder other countries want to take us out. These are first world problems????? Meanwhile there are third world countries somehow STILL without clean water in a world that collectively has billions of dollars that could do something about that REAL WORLD PROBLEM. Get over yourself. I don't even drink Starbucks. And they have NEVER been associated with Jesus Christ and I highly doubt he even takes notice. And for that matter although we celebrate Christ's birth on the 25th of December, he more than likely was born in March sometime. Christmas is not about a cup. It's remembrance of someone who devoted the better part of His life to healing the sick, helping the needy, and loving the world. The national news waves some red cups in your face, then tells you (24 hours a day) that it's a big deal and suddenly you are too distracted to care about the things that matter. ISIS is still beheading Christians all over the place. There are still children in slavery and sex trafficking. There are still endangered animals being gunned down in a cage for decoration. Still people dying of starvation everywhere. These are things that matter. Not a damn cup. (Excuse my language) but honestly. What on earth would compel you to care that much about a coffee cup from a company who does little to nothing charity wise, unless it involves a PR opportunity, to change the world for the better, and a company that isn't even remotely Christ-like. What kind of Christian would even bat an eyelash about something as trivial as a cup of coffee? This is why I say "Don't look for confirmation of Christ's character in Christians. You won't find it there. We are just people. But God is God. If you want to know Him, invite Him into a relationship with you. Ask Him who He is. And He will reveal His character to you." Go do something that matters with your life. Be the change. Help those who need it most. Stop caring about things that don't matter at all or dwelling on the negative of life. And that's my two cents. Thanks.

Don't Judge Christ by Christians

"Don't look for confirmation of Christ's character in Christians. You won't find it there. We are just people. But God is God. If you want to know Him, invite Him into a relationship with you. Ask Him who He is. And He will reveal His character to you." - Brianna Colleen Carey

Colossians 3:12-15
This is the standard set by God to which man is supposed to live by but we are never consistent. But God, God is unchanging. He is the same forever, yesterday, today, and always. And unlike man, He will never let you down.

Still Small Voice.

As I lay here in the quiet

A still small voice cries out from the silence

"That pain I see there..... 

Why do you hide it?"

Amidst this darkness to which I am bound 

How?

How did you see? 

I dressed it up so beautifully 

I don't understand 

"In the palm of My Hand, I hold your heart....

and its scars are quite apparent to me.

It's evident to see how much you hold....

Deep within your soul 

where not many will venture to find it 

You smile but behind it, 

there are tears that won't seem to dry....

Do you deny this?" 

I hesitate, in the silence.... 

only to reply with.... "No. 

I cannot deny the current state of my soul 

But where have You been? 

If You could see all of this happening, why not step in? 

He replies, to my surprise.... 

"For it is only through suffering 

that Grace is revealed....

and through that revelation, the soul itself healed."