In Life by Angie Flores

In life there are people that will hurt us and cause us pain,
but we must learn to forgive and forget and not hold grudges.

In life there are mistakes we will make,
but we must learn from our wrongs and grow from them.

In life there are regrets we will have to live with, 
but we must learn to leave the past behind and realize it is something we can't change.

In life there are people we will loose forever and can't have back,
but we must learn to let go & move on.

In life there are going to be obstacles that will cause interference,
but we must learn to overcome these challenges and grow stronger.

In life there are fears that will hold us back from what we want,
but we must learn to fight them with the courage from within.

God holds our lives in his hands. He holds the key to our future. 
Only he knows our fate. 

He see's everything and knows everything. 
Everything in life really does happen for a reason: "God's Reason".

Source: Faith and Courage In Life, Inspirational Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/faith-and-courage-in-life#ixzz2jwNczkhk 
#FamilyFriendPoems 

Truly let go of the pain from the past... Hurt people in turn Hurt people Part 2

"I couldn't have been healed from the abuse until I stop using it as an excuse for bad behavior." - Joyce Meyer.

       Joyce Meyers openly speaks about the abuse she experienced as a child. She usually talks about how that hurt and pain caused her future hurt and pain. It is evident that once you've been hurt, and you don't deal with it and heal from it, you will continue the cycle of pain and hurt. In fact, some people use the abuse experienced at a young age or at some time in their life as a free ticket to behave recklessly or engage in negative behavior. In truth, that usually tends to happen whether persons are conscious of it or not.
       When speaking to others and based on my own personal experience, you sometimes engage in those behaviors because something inside of you was taken from you and you feel lost. You may feel like your worth was diminished, you are not whole, not as you once were or how God made you. Something happened that negatively influenced your outlook on life. I know persons who turned to prostitution, homosexuality, drugs, and self-destructive behavior because of the hurt they experienced. On the other hand, I know others who have become motivational speakers, ministers and counselors in an attempt to help those around them who have been hurt and to also stop the cycle of pain and hurt.
        At the end of the day, the decision lies with you. You have the power to change things around for either good or bad. You decide. Yes you were hurt, but how long can you continue to blame someone for your actions? The truth is, you can only perpetuate that lie for so long. Let go and let God heal your pain and hurt. We believe that God's love has the ability to do that, the same way God's love healed us.
       None of us are perfect but God Almighty loves us regardless. "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8. He believes in us. Let's believe in ourselves also to change and become the person He intended us to be. Truly let go of the pain of the past.

Read more here in our part one of this "hurt people in turn hurt people" series.

If this has helped you in any way, share it with others and we welcome your feedback. God bless you.

Because I was abused... by Carmen Elgen- Hurt people in turn hurt people... Part 1

Because I was abused, I abused myself and others.
Because I was mistreated, I mistreated myself and others.
Because I wasn't loved, I didn't know how to love myself and others.
Because I had such a low self-esteem, no one could have convinced me of my worth.

Because I held everything inside, confiding in someone was not an option.
Because I experienced loss, it didn't matter whether you walked away or stayed.
Because my heart broke daily, I needed something to make the pain go away.
Because I felt violated, raped, and abandoned, I became numb.

Because I told you how I felt, doesn't give you the right to judge me.
Because you don't know how I feel, empathy is greatly needed on your part.
Because I open up to you, gives you a little insight.
Because I trust you not to use this against me and hurt me, then maybe this cycle can stop.


This poem was written by one of our contributors, Carmen Elgen. We can each identify with something said in this poem as none of us are immune to hurt. Stay tuned for more on our series on Hurt.

God bless you! Please share this with someone.

Walking in the Spirit / The fruits of the spirit Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

      As followers of Christ, believers or Christians, there is a continual battle between our flesh and our spirit and Paul in his writings speaks of this candidly. In Galatians 5:17, Paul writes, "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." As followers of Christ, we cannot do what we want to do according to our flesh but we must now walk in the spirit.
      Why walk in the spirit? Well, walking in the flesh is walking in our sinful nature or being of this world. As believers, we know that we are in the world but not of the world. Furthermore, we cannot please God, our Heavenly Father, by walking in the flesh. In John 4:24 it states, "God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." We are called to leave our fleshly desires behind and strive towards a road that leads to God.
       Therefore, to walk this road that leads us to God, there are fruits that we must bear as believers. Fruits that will identify us not only as his followers but as walking in the spirit and not our flesh. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
       Each one of these fruits will be elaborated on here, on our blog and we have already started with kindness and not growing weary in well doing. Look out for more on this series.

God bless you! If this has been a blessing to you, share it with someone.

And let us not grow weary while doing good...Galatians 6:9

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9

Good morning brothers in sisters in Christ! I just want to encourage you to continue to do well, continue to plant seeds of kindness in people's lives and to continue to do good. 

The scripture says to not get weary in well doing. God knows sometimes we will get tired and may not see the point in doing well that's why the scripture continues by saying that "for in due season we shall reap IF we do not lose heart." There is a condition under which we will reap our due rewards and that is if we do not lose heart. Therefore, we can not give up, get tired or feel