Recently, my schedule has been crazy! Literally, everything that I have signed up to do is now coming due within the next two months. I have so much going on that I literally cannot focus on one thing. Now if you know me, you know I like to multitask but things have now gotten out of hand even for me. Last week as I was talking to God about my schedule and everything that I needed to get done and his response to me was “how much longer.” In surprise I asked, “how much longer for what?” He replied, “How much longer do you think you can keep this up.” I was shocked! I have had lots of people call a foul on me for taking on too much but now God himself is calling a foul. I know I am in trouble. What God has always and continues to reveal to me is that I am good at a lot of things and that is great, but my purpose here on earth is not tied to all those things. God continues to tell me that I need to focus on the eternal things and not the external.

My conversation with the father left me walking away thinking about all the things that I am involved in and the ones that truly brought glory to God. My greatest fear has been living and then dying without fulfilling my purpose so I know this is a big deal. So I will spend this next week making sure that I spend time in the presence of God and understanding my assignment on earth. My sisters in Christ, we all are busy with worldly tasks and the to-do-list but at the end of the day, only what you do for God will last. My prayer for each of you today is that you live out your purpose. If you are not sure what your purpose is, I challenge you to begin to meditate on the word, and pray that God begins to reveal your purpose in a way that you can digest and begin to bring him glory in your everyday light.

So, working out has been my thing for about 4-5 months. I have learned so much about me as a result of working out because of how I have pushed myself in ways that I never thought was possible. The greatest lesson I have learned is controlling my mind. I realized that if my mind said I can do it, then I do it. In some workouts, I would be exhausted and can’t go on but in those moments I tell myself “You are no tired.” Immediately, my body adjusts and I get my second wind. This was powerful for me because I learned what the Under Armour slogan is true “I will what I want.” I can do anything that I need and want if I discipline my mind.

The mind is so important with our walk with Christ. A big part about being a Christian is being disciplined. Disciplined enough to read the word and pray daily. Disciplined enough to spend quiet time with God and hear his voice. But in order to be disciplined enough to do anything; we have to control our mind. In the time when you don’t feel like getting up and praying, remember that it’s mind over matter. When you don’t feel like you have time for quiet time with God, remember its mind over matter. When you don’t feel like reading the word, remember its mind over matter. It does matter that we are prayed and armored up with the word of God. The only way to be a light for Christ is to spend time in his word and presence. So remember that in every aspect of your life, “You will what you want!”

This is one of the hardest blog posts that I have written mainly because it is my truth and sometimes truths hurt. The last two months have been great physically. I started working out four to five times a week and I made sure it was a priority in my schedule. My job gives us fitness hours and I made sure that I took mine. On Monday as I was getting ready for the gym, I realized that I did not have a word from God for the blog. One of the great things about SOAR is that I only move and write if I am led by the Holy Spirit. So as I got ready to workout on Tuesday, I begin to think about all the hard work I put in and how I was seeing my body transform. The discipline and schedule got me to this place. I had become proficient and mastered the routines. As I continued to smile about the physical changes, the Holy Spirit said, “physically you are strong but spiritually you are weak.” Ouch! That hurt! The spirit reminded me that I planned and scheduled my gym workout and made it a top priority but how many days of the week did I plan to spend quite time with God. How proficient had I become of reading the word everyday? The answer to that question was that I did not schedule a time and my quiet time with God became a moment as I worked on other things. I was sad and ashamed because in all of my efforts to physical fit I forget about my spiritual well being. And after, the spirit told me that I had to write about it. Ouch! You mean I have to tell my blog readers that I don’t pray all the time, and read my bible everyday? Lord why? But then I realized that my mistakes and faults help the woman of SOAR to grow stronger.

How many times have you struggled with being spiritually fit? How many times have you let other things and people get in the way of spending quality time with God? The good news is God is so forgiving and loving that even when we feel like we have failed him, he still welcomes us back with open arms. So join me today sister in making my spiritual fitness a priority. Join me in making sure that everyday you fall on your knees and talk to God. Join me in reading the holy word everyday. For the bible says what does it profits a man to gain the whole world but lose their soul.

Getting back spiritually fit,

Felicia Smith

I love to eat. There is nothing better than delicious food. But what I have found is the most delicious foods pack on the pounds. Now that I am nearing thirty years old, my metabolism has decided that its wants to take short breaks. So because I want to eat delicious food and also be able to fit into my clothes, I decided that I have to exercise 4-5 days a week. The last couple of months I have tried different classes at the gym trying to figure out what I could do repeatedly without getting bored. I was told by a lot of people that if you want to burn a lot of calories quickly, spinning is the ticket. Now spinning is basically riding a bike inside with various levels of intensity. Watching as a spectator, you would think this couldn’t be that difficult but when you get on that bike and increase the intensity, you feel like you’re in the last days. The class is typically filled with all skill levels. Some are awesome and going super fast at high intensity while newbies like me is struggling to stay in the game. People in class sometimes distract me. When I am in class, and if I start looking at other people, I will slow down or may even stop. One week as I was in class, I decided that when I am on a path that was really hard and unbearable, I would find a point and focus on it. I wouldn’t look to my left, to my right, or anyone in the class. I would just focus on that focal point. When I focused on my focal point, I always made it through but the minute I began to look around, I would fall off my routine. As I walked out of the spinning class, God began to deal with me about the lesson I just learned in class.

In life, there will be ups and downs. There are times when everything is great and times when you are struggling to make it up the hill. But those times that are defining moments in your life is when you are going into an uphill journey. It is easy to compare yourself and look around at other circumstances; however, that won’t get you up the hill any faster. In fact, it will probably slow you down. If you focus on the focal point which is Christ, he will guide you during the uphill journey. So what does focusing on Christ mean? Prayer, mediation, reading the scripture, and worship. Staying in fellowship with God makes him your focal point and makes the journey a lot easier. Philippians 3:13-14 says Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Today I challenge you my sister to make God your focal point. I challenge you to forget all the things and people around you and embrace your next journey with God.

Spinning with intensity and looking to my focal point,

Felicia Smith

Marriage has made me more domestic. I have learned to enjoy painting, doing yard work and all the sorts. One thing that my husband and I love to do is watch HGTV. HGTV is my go to network from Love It or List It, to House Hunters. A show I recently start watching is Property Brothers. Property Brothers is about two twin brothers who show couples how a house that’s in disarray can become their dream home. Once the couple chose a house, the property brothers will show them in 3D all the changes that will make the house perfect for them. At first, the couple is excited and ready to go. As time passes, the couples become impatient and begin to doubt that the property brothers can deliver what they promised. This concept always perplexes me because I can’t understand why they wouldn’t have faith in the property brothers to deliver. They saw the sketches; these guys do this for a living, and they have to be able to do something right because they have a show on HGTV! But forgetting all those things, the couples sometimes lose faith. At the end, it always works out, and the couples are in awe or shock at the work they did.

The concept of property brothers reminded me a lot of the relationship we have with Christ. At the beginning, we are ready to go. We pray, read the bible, and do all the things that a good Christians should do. God lays out the plans he has for our lives and promises us through prayer and seeking his word different things such as prosperity, excellent health, a spouse, and others. However, on our journey, we lose faith and begin to doubt the promise that he made to us. But why do we doubt him? The God that created heavens, and the earth, the God that promises Abraham and Isaac a child and delivered on that promised even when Sarah and Abraham thought it would not happen. The God that you saw pay your bills when you didn’t know how it would be paid. That God! Why do we doubt God? We must become people that are steadfast on the promises of God. We must not let time, and circumstances make us forget what he already promised. God is so faithful that no matter our mistakes or circumstances he still comes through because his word will not go void. Sisters, I challenge you today to trust God, stand on his word and believe in his promise. God is big enough to do what he said he would do, so don’t give up on God because he hasn’t given up on you.

Believing his promise,

Felicia Smith

Once a year my husband and I meet with a couple, whom we have established a friendship, to eat blue crabs. This year, we stepped up a little and ordered two dozens. Everybody knows my favorite food is blue crabs. This has become an annual event in which we just eat and catch up on what had happen since we last met. They brought their son along and he is one of the most adorable two-year olds you will ever meet. Of course, he is not up for the sport of crab cracking, but like all great American restaurant; they serve French fries. The French fries came out first, of course, and they were piping hot. Their son can’t wait to eat them so he dives in. As he picks up the first fry, he soon realized it was too hot, so he drops it. Then, seconds later, he picks the fry up again and started biting it and quickly realized it is was still too hot in his mouth and began to shake his head. One would think after that he would quit and wait for the fries to cool down but no; he picks up another fry and another fry repeating the same process. The faces he made were so funny, but it didn’t stop him from getting what he wanted. I told his mom, that he was very resilient, and she said, or he doesn’t learn.

The conversation stuck with me because I admired the two-year olds “stick-to-it determination. ”Regardless how hot those fries were, he kept eating them. He didn’t give up. Past experiences didn’t taint his determination. He just knew he like fries. What I have learned, as his mother alluded to be that we have learned things that are bad and things that are good. We have deemed things as bad or nonstarters because they are too hard, or could cause us too much pain. What would happen if we live our lives as that two-year-old? What if regardless of past experiences, hurt and pain, we press on? What would happen if we focused on the result and not the journey? The bible teaches us in Philippians 3:13 to forget those things which are behind us, and reach forward to those things which are before us. That means no matter how hard or how hot the journey, we must move forward. No matter how hot are those French fries, we must keep eating. No matter how deep the betrayal, we must trust. No matter how bad the divorce, we must keep loving. God is calling for us to move forward. At times, life may seem difficult and the journey may be tough, but we cannot move into the greatness God has for us, if we don’t reteach ourselves the truth and move forward. My prayer for you today my sister is to begin to pray and work on forgetting yesterday so that you can move forward into today!

Moving forward,

Felicia Smith

Many of my posts are about a story that brings everyday life experiences and tie them to spiritual realm. However, there are some days that your life experience is the spiritual realm. In the midst of a phone conversation I had with a stranger, I mention that something was a blessing. Obviously his spirit connected with mine because he began to tell me his testimony and how in some of his darkest days, he stood on the promise and the word that God gave him. He stood on this promise for over 10 years and now, after 10 years, he is beginning to be healed. This man reminded me of whom God really is. He reminded me that the word of God would not be voided. If God says it, it will be done. After this 20-minute conversation, I became overwhelm with emotions. I was happy that someone witnessed to me and reminded me of the sovereignty of God. I also was saddened because. I remembered the times God had spoken to me in my life and right away, I began to question his promise or not stand firmly on it. This conversation was simple but it reassured me that God is the ultimate power and strength and whenever I hear his voice, I should respond by saying yes and amen.

I hope that each women reading this blog has experienced the sovereignty of God, but if you haven’t, I invite you to open your heart and trust in Him. Trust God to first speak into your life and once he has spoken the word, firmly stand on his word. No matter which way the winds may blow or how dark the tunnel may be, God is still great, and sovereign, that he can and will fulfill the promise if only you would trust the power, presence, and providence of God.

I had a mini vacation to New Orleans that was awesome! However, with all the good eating, I brought back an extra five pounds or so. Go figure. So as usual, I figured it was time to get back into the gym. Last Saturday and Sunday, my husband and I journey to the gym. After taking a Zumba class, I decided to workout a little more until my husband was done so I got on the Stairmaster. Now, if you are not familiar with the Stairmaster, just think of it as walking up a flight of stairs over and over again. Since I had taken a Zumba class earlier, I was already tired but I managed enough energy to tackle the Stairmaster. After I got on, I had to choose a level between 1-20 before I could start my workout. Normally, I would choose a higher level because I thought that was the right thing to do, but that day, I was already tired and didn’t want to wear myself out. As I begin to workout, my body felt the usual challenges. Although I was not at the highest level, I was pleased with the results. As I looked to the left I notice a young lady struggling on the machine. I mean she was barely off the ground. I thought, “she must be on level 20”. After 15 minutes, I had burned over 100 calories and I it was time to go. As I walked pass the young lady I thought she had burned more calories than I had because she was on a higher level and struggling, but as I took a peak at her Stairmaster, she really hadn’t burned much calories that was surprising because of the amount of time she had spent on the machine. I thought to myself that if only she would come down a few levels, she might be able to finish the workout successful and burn more calories.

The Stairmaster reminded me of our relationship with Christ. Growing up, we are told that we have to pray and read the bible a certain number of times in order to be a good Christian. We are taught rules and not relationship so we grow in Christ comparing our relationship with others. “She is really close to God because she quoted this scripture or heard his voice.” But just as our relationship with others is different, so is our relationship with God. There is not a level in Christ that you should be comparing yourself to. When you focus to be at a certain level but not work on your relationship with God, you are struggling like the young lady that was on the Stairmaster. God is asking you for a relationship. When you are in a relationship you want to spend time with that person and talk to them. So building a relationship with Christ becomes personal and you no longer are worry about the levels but are focusing on the relationship. Sisters, my prayer for you today is for you to grow in your relationship with Christ and forget about all the levels!!!

One step at a time,

Felicia Smith

I have been juggling so many balls lately that I am not sure why I haven’t dropped. In my younger days I lived to multitask but the older I get the more I realized that I am not as quick and agile as I use to be. In my new role at work I have a lot going on. One of the ways I try to keep up is opening up different pages or what some may know as windows on my computer. Most days because I don’t finish everything so instead of shutting down my computer I keep it open with all my windows running.

One afternoon after working an almost twelve hour day I was pooped and seemingly my computer was pooped too. My computer and I needed to shutdown and get some rest so that we could be refreshed. As I looked at my computer half awake and half sleep I realized that this is exactly how most of us exist in our spiritual lives.

We have all these “open windows” work, kids, husband, church, volunteering, etc. These are things that are always running in our minds and taking the majority of our time. Most of the time our relationships takes precedence over our personal relationship with Christ. After several days of running with all these open windows without God we become worn out and then shut down.

The absence of Christ as the first open window puts us in the position to burn out. Learning to making God first allows us to start the day or week fresh and recharged on Christ. When we begin with Christ we find our strength to deal with all the open windows that we encounter throughout the day.

Today I challenge you start your day by opening up the window of your heart and inviting Christ in. Ask God to go before each day and give you the strength to not only deal with the open windows but to also recognized when the windows should be close. Love Christ first and all the other things will be added.

Opening the window of my heart,

Felicia Smith

It’s been almost two years since I lost my angel Sade Polite better known to me as Granny. She was like a second mother to me. In fact, she saved me from my mom on many of days.  I remember growing up and whenever I got a spanking or got into trouble, my granny would come to my rescue and rub my back as I cried in the bed. She always told me to be a good girl because I was Granny’s baby. There is nothing more precious to me then the days we spent together.

When granny passed in 2012 she was 98-year-old. As I sat at her wake and funeral I realized that the women that I thought was mine and the most special to me, was special and dear to so many. She taught my sister womanhood. She taught my mom kindness and endurance. She taught me what it meant to leave an impacting touch on the lives of others and how to live a selfless life.

My granny would get up early in the morning and she would sing a song called May the work I’ve done speak for me. A portion of the lyrics says.

The work I’ve done. It seems so small.
Sometimes it seems like nothing at all.
But when I come before my God, I want to hear him say well done.
May the work I’ve done speak for me.

This song my granny song every week almost still lives in my spirit today and inspires me to never stop doing the work of God. Never stop inspiring, never stop mentoring, never stop believing because one day I want to hear my father in heaven say well done.

What work have you done today to inspire someone else? Whose life have you sown into? Have you made an impact at all? I challenge you today to live a selfless life like my Granny, reach out of your circle and bring someone in. Touch someone’s heart. Impact someone’s life. Leave the world better than how you found it.

Grateful for my angel granny,

Felicia Smith