To Do List 2016:

1. If You've Been Wronged:

"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

2. If Someone Got One Over on You:

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

3. If Something or Someone Broke Your Heart:

"...Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."

4. If You are Worried or Anxious About the Future:

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done."

5. If You are Dwelling on the past:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!"

6: If You Feel Scared:

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God..."

7: If You Feel Weak:

"....I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand."

Seven seems like an odd place to stop right? Well, this was done intentionally. You see, I often research the biblical meaning of numbers; because God is very specific and precise with His numbers just as He is with His words. As for Seven, it is the number of completeness and perfection, both physically, and spiritually. It derived most of its meaning from being tied directly to God's creation of all things. The number 7 is the foundation of God's Word.

Be Blessed this 201(7)! Happy New Year!

- Brianna Carey ©

PRUNING 2016

It's been a very long year. I think that sentiment is shared, if I may speak for others, by many. I feel more physically exhausted and spiritually drained this year than I ever have. I have an inkling as to why.... I was leaning on my own strengths and understanding more than I was leaning on God. I lost sight of the fact that I could bring my burdens to Him. That He had the ability to carry them for me so my heart wouldn't be so heavy.

I knew He was there, and yet there I went all through 2016 dragging with me all of these weights. The weight of Unforgiveness, Stress, Worry, Discontentment, Anxiety, etc. You name it, and I carried it. I allowed all of these things to hinder my potential and spiritually cripple me. There was no growth because I refused to let go of anything.

You cannot grow when you refuse to let go.

When a gardener needs something to grow better, he uses this technique called Pruning. The definition of Pruning is this: "To trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth" Another definition says: "to reduce the extent of (something) by removing superfluous or unwanted parts".

I don't know about you, but I could use a bit of Pruning. An increase in fruitfulness and growth? Yes please. It's time to let go of that dead weight. It's time to reduce the extent of the damage done to you in 2016 by removing the unwanted parts. Are you with me?

Let's go into this New Year not just with resolutions but with Revelations of who we are in Christ. Let's go into 2017 freshly pruned of any and all things that can hinder us on our Spiritual journey with God. No more dragging anything with us that is not Good and that is not of God. If it's not "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy, (Philippians 4:8) then it has to go. Prune it and move forward into the abundant fruitfulness of life and Spiritual growth. Step into All things new.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Sending Blessings and Love to you on the eve of this New Year. Shalom.

- Brianna Carey ©

THOSE WHO COMFORT WILL BE COMFORTED

I think it's a true mark of God's compassion in man when we can show love to others in the midst of our own pain. For instance.You can be hurting so deeply, I mean just coming away from something that has torn you apart.....and if only but for a moment, you see someone else come along with tears in their eyes or a brokenness about them, and suddenly your heart is called into action, and briefly, you set aside your own pain to be a comfort to someone else. That is so beatiful to me. When I experience this, on a personal level, it fills me with a sense of hope for humanity and gratitude for man's ability to be so selfless in a moment where they could just as easily be selfish. It is a beautiful example of how love can overshadow the darkest night, and compassion can overwhelm the greatest pain.

And it is a prime example of God's grace that we have this ability to care for others over ourselves when the need arises. And what's more compelling even, is the fact that by comforting others when you are hurting, you, yourself are also comforted.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV)

I hope this message comforts anyone who may be in need today. I hope you know that you are not alone and your tears are seen, and you are cared for. My loving sister shared these verses below with me today which gave my heart such peace to know.

God longs to be gracious to us.

“The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” - Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

“The Lord supports all who fall, and lifts up all who are bent over.” - Psalm 145:14 (NET)

So no matter what you are going through, know that He awaits eagerly, to comfort you.

- Brianna Carey

The Hamster Wheel

I just don't know what to do with my life anymore, and I'm so discontent..... I want so deeply to do what truly matters in life, I want to do what God placed in my heart as a little girl, but I seem stuck. Stuck on this hamster wheel just making it by, all of my money goes to corporations, making them richer, and as I sit here watching the years of life pass me by, I'm thinking "I'm still in the same place, and I haven't done anything of substance with my life", and it seems to never end. I don't know how to get off this wheel. For a moment I think to myself, maybe it's just more money I need, but then I look around and see the wealthy "successful people", and they look "sorta happy" but they work even harder and have even less time with their loved ones or even less time to do what matters and so I wonder how happy can they actually be? Even just spending quality time with family/friends, or giving of time to charity seems impossible at any level of what man considers success. And so I find myself having a very Ecclesiastes moment in my life. "It's all meaningless" without purpose. Without living for a reason, what is living? It's just existing. And I don't want to simply exist anymore. I so deperately need to find and fulfill my purpose. I CANNOT keep living the same day over and over again. It's literally killing me inside. Literally. My soul is clinging to life. I was made for so much more...... Now the unending questions remain.... How do I get to where I am supposed to be? How do I not repeat this same monotonous year over again?

I'm praying God will reveal His plan to set in motion my true calling. This day to day monotony with two days off is tearing my soul up. I just cannot do it much longer.... I really just cannot......

Jesus help me get off the wheel.

- Brianna Carey

KEEP ON

Simply because you recognize an area in which you are struggling in life does not mean that you are ungrateful for everything else that you do have that is good, that others may not have. It is possible to know that you are blessed and also be honest with God and yourself, and ask Him for that which you are lacking, whether it be financial, spiritual, emotional or physical needs, God already knows your needs before you open your mouth to tell Him; so you may as well ask. In fact Jesus Himself tells us to:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” - Jesus ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

And I love how He says "KEEP ON....".
Interestingly enough; most of us ask God once for something we need and if He doesn't bring it to pass that very moment, we never ask again.

KEEP ON ASKING. KEEP ON SEEKING. KEEP ON KNOCKING.

Just because the request hasn't been answered yet does not mean it never will be. Just because what you are searching for has yet to be found, it does not mean it never will be. And just because the door you've been knocking on has yet to be opened by God, it does not mean it never will be. Don't lose faith and hope in God because it hasn't come to pass YET. And don't let anyone make you feel ungrateful for asking for God's help in any area of your life.

KEEP ON.....

- Brianna Carey ©

Your Memory

I just get so sad during this time of year....
It becomes so impossibly clear that you are not here
to share in the moments we once cherished together
If ever I missed you most, it's at Christmas time....
My mind flashes to back when we put up the tree
And then suddenly that week you couldn't walk....
The way you talked began to change
You were slipping away.....
as I tried desperately to make the days go by a little slower
I'd stay awake for hours just to hear you breathing
Because I knew you'd be leaving soon.....
I could feel it in my heart
A part of me was vanishing
And although I was managing the pain of that realization
I was still faced with the deepest sorrow I'd ever endure
You, not here with me anymore.....
I was sure I'd die right there beside you that day
But His grace....it came, and it stayed
Even today, it helps carry me through the pain
The pain of missing your presence
Until we meet in Heaven, I believe it will always remain
But so will your memory
And that too gives me peace
I love you so much my sweet Mommy.

I've walked so many miles
Trials of which I've not spoken to a soul
Only God knows the whole story
Most have only read one chapter
Laughter, a part of my life as much as tears
But through all the years
One consistent has been this smile upon my face
And I don't plan on letting it fade any day soon. - Brianna Carey ©

How Very Human It Is.....

You know.....I'm the last to admit that I need improvement in any area. But as I drove home the other day, (in rush hour traffic) I realized it's not all butterflies and sunshine that radiate from my heart at all times. Love doesn't always pour out of my mouth so easily. Sometimes I say things in my head or under my breath that wouldn't be considered nice. And I use to get down on myself about that because my intentions are to be ONLY good. But then I began forgiving myself instead. I began to realize that's very human. In each of us, there's this desire to be the best version of ourselves ALL OF THE TIME. But no one is. We're multifaceted, emotional beings. Often shaped by experiences. And we've all been through good and bad times. I believe that being authentic in every moment is healthy. It's honest. If you have a moment where you get angry, that doesn't make you an angry person, it only makes you a person whose currently experiencing anger. Same with sadness or anxiety. It's what we choose to hold onto that makes us who we truly are. What am I holding onto? Faith. Love. Hope. Joy. Kindness. Those are what I keep inside me at all times, so that when those times of frustration arise in me, they pass, they don't stay with me for very long. I forgive myself; and I remind myself of who I am in Christ; my true identity of being Love and Light. And I move forward in that. I don't dwell on my shortcomings, neither should you.

- Brianna Carey ©

Don't Overthink It

One should never dwell in their thoughts. It's a dangerous place of uncertainty and fantasy. On one end, the mind is a plethora of creativity and imagination and on the other a master of manipulation. You can convince yourself of something that hasn't even happened and even allow negative things to manifest that would have otherwise never come to be. Basically, by over thinking you can create a problem where there wasn't one. You cannot let your thoughts run wild or run on repeat. Try to find the root of each one, and if it it ain't good for the soul, you gotta let that thought go.

- Brianna Carey ©

A Proverb

May your eyes alway see what blossoms rather than what decays.
Life has this way of reminding you....
It goes on.

Brianna Carey ©

Black Child

Black child,

I want you to know that your hair is beautiful 

It's true that you were made exquisitely 

A tapestry unlike any 

And many will try and convince you 

to "tame your mane"

But please refrain 

Your hair is not meant be tamed but rather celebrated.