faith – Page 3 – The Wild Gems

Soften The Heart: Devotional #2

April 13, 2021April 13, 2021 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance”

Romans 5:3

Let’s define some of these words first to grasp a better idea of what this scripture may mean. A tribulation is a cause of great suffering or trouble. Perseverance is defined as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.”

Back to the scripture, our pain brings out the will to not give up. It pushes us, it makes us stronger. It continues to say that our troubles are what give us hope and shape our character.

When hard things happen we must have faith. It’s the love in our hearts that persevere. May this scripture encourage you to dig deep into your pain and to find out what it has taught you. What has it made you realize? What has it made you wonder? Pray about it. Ponder it. Sometimes we have to go through a dark forest in order to see a beautiful sunrise. And when we see that sunrise we give hope to those who are still in the forest.

Believe that you will come out on top, no matter what life has and will continue to throw at you…..God is with you, always. You just have to look around.

Soften The Heart: Devotional #1

April 4, 2021April 7, 2021 The Wild Gems1 Comment

“And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.”

1 Corinthians 8:2

Life is mysterious. And sometimes, we don’t like that it’s a mystery. It feels like sometimes we are all walking on egg shells in life, looking over our shoulders just waiting for something to jump out. Who wants to live like that? Always afraid. Not that everyone is entirely afraid but uncertainty can make a person anxious and stressed. The unknown can be terrifying.

However, we aren’t suppose to have all the answers and even if we did, then what? We would become bored and not appreciate this incredible gift of life. Gratitude would seize to exist. If something is predictable then it doesn’t hold our attention, we lose focus because we already know what’s going to happen. Think of a TV show that you’ve watched over and over again. You already know what’s going to happen so now you aren’t watching intently. It becomes background noise while you do something else. It becomes comfort and less exciting than when you first watched the series.

I believe God wants us to enjoy life which is why so much is left unknown. He wants to keep us excited and involved. Life doesn’t come with a seatbelt, it keeps us constantly at the edge of our seats. And God knows that us not knowing everything is how it needs to be and how it should be. One day it all may be revealed but until then, embrace the mystery and the majesty of the almighty.

60 Small Pieces Of Life Advice From A Mother To Her Daughters

March 25, 2021January 6, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

To my daughters; Demi, Ella, Wrenn. I love you girls so much. I scribbled these pieces in a notebook awhile back and I decided to share these and make it accessible to others who may need a little piece of advice.

May each of you continue to notice the lights in your life, always.

Pay attention to children. Study them and watch them with great intent. They will remind you how to live.
Always appreciate your surroundings. Compared to another, you may be living a dream.
Create friendships that will last a lifetime. Cherish that best friend you have, those kinds of friendships are like finding treasure.
It’s more than okay to cry in front of others, don’t ever be embarrassed.
Keep this in mind, “this to shall pass.” The bad things, and the good things. Embrace it. Enjoy it.
Cut the distractions and enjoy the moment.
Always respect yourself. You are so worth it, never doubt that.
You are not merely words, you are poetry.
Life will disappoint you sometimes, and you are never alone in that disappointment. What are you going to do about it?
Falling in love is worth it.
Think before you speak. Words stain like lipstick.
Don’t judge others. Just don’t. Everyone has a story and everyone has value.
Stick with the people who make you belly-ache laugh.
Love is a choice, choose love, always.
Scary moments will arise, but you can do it. Have faith in yourself, have faith in others.
Help whenever you notice the opportunity, but be cautious. Please don’t pick up hitchhikers.
Read. Read. Read. Gain knowledge and understanding. The world needs that.
Your body is perfect. Absolutely perfect and full of magic. Believe it.
Never lose sight of who you are, stay true to yourself.
Love God with all of your heart. Nobody loves you the way God does.
Get outside every chance you get and BREATHE. Close your eyes and just breathe.
Write whenever you can. Write your ideas, your dreams, things you have learned. Share it and pass it on.
Give gifts for no reason. One simple way to show another how much you value and treasure them. But the best gift is your time and attention.
Mama says use your manners but also eat with your hands and burp. It’s good for you.
Forgive yourself. Mistakes are going to happen. And when you begin reflecting, forgive yourself.
Dream big. Not everyone gets to the dream (or maybe they do) but you know what, most of the fun is the actual dreaming.
Have fun and get muddy.
Listen to others. You can hear and not be listening. Listen to what someone is saying.
Count your blessings, and count them often.
Tell the ones you love them, ALL THE TIME.
Learn about space. It’s a little terrifying, but absolutely miraculous.
Grudges are not good for the soul. Let it go baby, let it go. Practice forgiveness.
Cake for breakfast, why not? Sometimes you eat dessert first.
Be highly conscious what you are feeding your body and your soul. But make exceptions. Some day are for movies and pure comfort food.
No one is a mind reader. Steer from making assumptions and learn to talk it out.
Practice independence. It will benefit you.
You could be a billionaire or millionaire and still be unhappy. “The best things in life cannot be seen or touched but only felt with the heart.” Helen Keller.
Swallow your pride and say sorry when you need to.
You make an impact every single day. Even the days you don’t get out of bed.
Explore. Travel. NOTICE the world. There is so much beauty even in your front yard.
Cherish time, because you don’t get it back. But then again, you kind of do, just in a different way. A smell can make you time travel.
Be yourself, always. Because there is nobody who will ever be you. So embrace who you are, you beautiful creature!
Embrace your path. Comparing will only make you lose focus. You have your own purposes in this life.
Practice calmness verse becoming angry. Breathe in, breathe out. I know its hard, I know. But you are stronger than you believe.
Be a hostess, and host often. And it’s okay to go to bed and clean up the next day. Pay attention to who helps though and offers to clean up.
“I hope you dance.” by Faith Hill. Listen to that song and when you become a mom one day you’ll really understand it. I love you.
Don’t go looking for trouble, but get in a little trouble. It’s fun. Some trouble is worth it.
Pray everyday.
Let your voice be heard. You have so much to say and so much to share. You will inspire and change the world. You’ve completely changed mine.
Don’t surrender to peer pressure. If you are ever in a situation where you are feeling pressured, get out. That’s a red flag.
Fight back what you are passionate about. You’ve always had the fire. Don’t let anyone dim your light.
Don’t believe everything you hear. Ask questions or just smile. Take it with a grain of salt. And don’t things too personally. How a person treats you is a reflection on how they treat themselves. Show compassion.
Don’t ignore your intuition. But if you do, learn from it.
If you don’t want anyone to find out, there’s a good chance you shouldn’t be doing it.
Don’t be afraid to come across as foolish. Ask the questions, be the first, remain curious, try new things, and laugh at yourself.
Walk in light, be a light for others, and help others shine.
Be patient with yourself. A tree doesn’t grow that tall and give that much shade over night.
Go through your things often, and donate whatever you can. You can survive with less than you may believe.
Love life. Love it all. The bad and good. I mentioned this in number 14. Choose love over fear.
Never forget how much your parents really do love you. You are what gave them life.

I love you.

To The Wildest Dreamers – Keep This In Mind

January 6, 2020January 7, 2020 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Whatever you want in this life, I hope what I have to say can motivate or encourage you in some way.

Don’t ever stop being a dreamer.

“Set impossible goals”. I actually heard that quote on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It was one of her greatest holiday giveaway ones.

A man had been swimming in the ocean, he did a flip, and broke his neck. Just like that, his life changed in an instant.

Life as we know is full of those kind of moments.

He was told that he may never walk again. A nurse told him something that gave him strength and determination. “Set impossible goals.”

Over time, he did learn how to walk again, he is one of the lucky few. He didn’t allow being told that he wouldn’t be able to walk again stop him or hold him back. He dreamed that impossible dream. The beautiful part of this story is he walked his wife down the aisle. And I’m willing to bet they danced too. All because he didn’t give up. All the frustration, the tears, the try after try were absolutely worth it.

(This isn’t them btw, I’m just providing a visual so you can truly try to empathize with this couple and to gain perspective. Hope it works.)

Now……

Everyone has something that they desire. What is your dream? I know you have one.

I’m willing to bet some of you reading this have never really been asked that question. Or you haven’t shared it with anyone.

I want this post to get you thinking about what you want in your life. To take a moment to identify what you seek.

When I was younger the only dream I truly desired so much was to become a mom. I’m not even kidding, that was my dream. It was a dream and it felt like a calling, I can’t really explain it. I wanted to be a mom so bad and my greatest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to have children.

When I became a mother my dream literally came true. Words cannot describe how much joy motherhood gives me. However, what’s crazy though, when I became a mom I also lost myself a bit.

Losing a bit of myself was very bizarre to me. I became something that I wanted so badly, yet, here was I not feeling completely fulfilled.

I went on a serious soul searching journey. And 3 kids later I feel the most confident, courageous, that I have ever been. And I have grown so much.

Motherhood has been the best thing to ever happen to me, because I found a different part of myself. New dreams are being born and new goals are being formed because of my first dream. My daughters inspire me. I have started dreaming ‘impossible dreams’ because of them.

I share this because I don’t ever want you to feel discouraged. The feeling of reaching something but not quite feeling the way you thought you would will happen sometimes.

I saw an interview with Tom Hanks on The Today Show and he said something along the lines of, “The good things you feel from an accomplishment don’t last, and the same goes for the things that bring you down.”

I’m grateful for my dream of motherhood coming true. Greatest, hardest thing ever! This blog exist because of my girls! I have no idea where this blog will take me, but so far it’s probably helped me more then it’s helped any of you.

Trust the Timing of things. And trust your path. Each path provides some type of lesson to get you where you need to go next.

It can take time trying to figure out what you really want.

The point is, don’t give up. Keep trying, keep experiencing, keep doing! And stop being so concerned with what others think. Otherwise you’ll just become stuck and you will settle. If you only knew that just a few feet more you’d see that something greater was waiting for you.

If you’re afraid to fail in front of others, you’re going to have to suck it up. I say that in the nicest way possible.

I personally would rather keep trying new things and experiencing failure to find what really lights my spirit up, then to just settle because I’m in a content position.

You can’t be afraid of dead ends, u-turns, or any paths that lead you into a roundabout.

The pitfalls, the mistakes, the redos are going to happen and they have to happen in order for you to learn and grow and to get where you want to be.

4 THINGS TO CLOSE THIS UP

(Thanks if you read this whole thing!)

Be patient.

Don‘t forget the reason why you’re doing what you are doing.

Write your goals down and work towards it everyday.

Stop limiting yourself, set yourself to be free and to express who you really are and who you want to become.

Enjoy the crazy maze of life!

A Guide To Mentally Preparing Yourself For A C-Section – You Got This Mama

August 6, 2019August 7, 2019 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Whether you have been scheduled a c-section or you’re anticipating one, it can be a little overwhelming.

Especially if you’ve had already one and it wasn’t a good experience. Could have been an emergency one or something different. Whatever the case, it may have left you on edge a bit.

Thinking of labor and delivery may be the last thing you want to do because you’re probably scared to relive it or you’re afraid of the unknown of going through it.

Which btw is completely normal to experience these feelings and anxiety before a c-section.

I know the feeling of fear leading up to a c-section. I had an emergency one with my first. My second was scheduled. I was absolutely terrified. To the point of crying pretty much anytime anyone brought it up to me.

When I found out I was pregnant I already anticipated that I would be having another c-section. The fear I had of having to go through that again stole joy from my pregnancy. It was difficult for me to enjoy because I was so fixated on what I was going to have to go through again. I was stuck on THAT experience. Assuming it would be the exact same way. (note: emergency and scheduled really are completely different.)

I want you to know that I know how you’re feeling and I really hope this blog post can help you ease your mind and go into this procedure with a strong and courageous attitude!

Below is exactly what I did and I’m so happy I took the time to mentally prepare myself. I didn’t want my baby entering the world with a stressed mama and I wanted to embrace and be brave through this experience.

(If you have questions or concerns or just want to talk about how you’ve been feeling please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

A Guide To Mentally Preparing Yourself For A C-Section

(This was a repeat c-section for me. My first was an emergency and my second one was scheduled and what a completely different experience it was. I also healed way faster then with my first. I was still scared naturally ,however taking the time to mentally prepare myself helped me beyond measures. I truly hope what I did may help you in someway as well.)

Listen To Soothing Music

Music is proven to calm down anxiety. What I did was I bought “soothing music” on iTunes. (The type of music you would hear while getting a massage.) I would go to sleep with it on a night because that was often the time my fears would really set it. I listened to this type of music a week prior of my scheduled c-section. I know it helped calming my nerves.

Say Daily Affirmations

Affirmations are more powerful then you may believe. Saying affirmations truly helped me to overcome my fears and negative thoughts. Whenever I caught myself thinking the worst I would say or think to myself,

“I am strong and courageous. I am not afraid. I know God is with me.”

This is in reference to the scripture Joshua 1:9. I can’t even express how much power I would feel saying this often and how much peace it brought me.

Read Positive Uplifting C-Sections Stories (They do exist)

When people hear “c-section” they often associate it with a negative experience. People will often give you a cringe type of look when you tell them you have a scheduled C-section or that you’ve had a C-section.

I want you to know there are some great, uplifting, positive stories out there. You just have to search them. These stories can provide some type of relief that your experience can be just as wonderful and positive as theirs.

Express Your Concerns And Fears To Your Doctor

This is very important. My hope is that you trust and are very comfortable with your Doctor. Let her or him know how you have been feeling. They will do their absolute best to calm you and make this a very pleasant experience for you.

When I had my c-section I requested to have oxygen to keep me calm. I didn’t even end up using it because I was able to calm myself down mentally. I was so proud myself. My doctors and nurses were also extremely amazing and made me feel so safe and comfortable. I cannot thank them enough for going above and beyond for me.

Talk About It

When I was able to talk about my delivery without crying I knew I was making progress. The more you actually talk about the procedure and recovery the more comfortable and confident you will be going in.

Make A Mental Check List

I read a blog titled ‘What To Expect When Having A C-Section By An L&D Nurse’. Her blog literally walked me through exactly what I went through.

It helps knowing what to expect so you aren’t caught off guard by anything. So when we left in the morning I started checking off things in my head, I was somewhat a step ahead or already knew what the next step would be. I felt more in control of the situation.

(This is a glimpse of what I was checking off in my head. I made a checklist on my notes app.)

Try To Have Your Procedure Scheduled In The Morning

The sooner the better. Statistically less complications happen in surgeries scheduled in the morning. This will provide a little peace of mind for you if you can be scheduled in the morning.

Also the Doctors and Nurses are just starting their day. They are alert and hopefully well rested to care for you as their first patient.

Pray (Ask For Prayers)/Meditate

Pray, pray, pray. I am a believer in prayers and I know God hears them. This is where your faith and trust is truly strengthened.

And it is OKAY to ask for prayers. It’s more then okay.

Distract Yourself

When you feel your mind being directed back to your fears DISTRACT YOURSELF. Worrying truly isn’t going to do anything but steal joy from enjoying your days and nights.

What I did was play and entertain my other two daughters, read, and wrote blogs. It kept me busy and mind off other stuff.

Trust And Think About Meeting Your Baby

Put all your focus on meeting your little miracle. Express your gratitude and try your best to just enjoy the moment and all the little details. You will be so happy you did.

It will all be worth it Mama. Before you know you will be holding your sweet baby. You got this.

I know you can do this. I am praying for you and I wish you a happy and healthy delivery. As well as a super fast recovery.

Confront Your Fears And Struggles With These 8 Affirmations – Scripture References Included

July 30, 2019July 30, 2019 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Everyone is going through something. No matter how they appear on the outside is irrelevant to what they may be experiencing on the inside.

Life has its hard moments. Moments where you feel like you are suffocating, you feel restrained, you feel unworthy, you feel defeated, you are fearful to the unknown.

When these obstacles visit, they typically visit unannounced and typically strike very hard. No preparation, they just completely catch you off guard. Leaving you bruised and winded.

I know it’s challenging when these moments happen or when you can’t seem to break free of these demons that are haunting you. Not everyone will know what you are going through. However I want to share that everyone knows the feeling of struggle in some form or another.

I want you to know that trials and tribulations are apart of life and they help us to strengthen our faith. When you think you are alone, I want you to know that you are not alone. I also don’t want you to give up. Never give up. Progression never ends and you will always have to work to get to the other side. Hard moments, fearful moments, challenging moments…they do not last forever.

In James 1:2-4 it is mentioned that we should be joyful during the trials in our life. These times are a true test of our faith in our Heavenly Father.

The Holy Bible – James 1:2-4

2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3. knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

An Affirmation is a statement; you are declaring something. With saying these affirmations you are gaining power and not allowing your thoughts or attitude to go negative. This control of your mind is crucial in maturing and moving forward. When you find yourself thinking or behaving in a negative manner stop what you are doing and say a few affirmations to yourself. Just keep saying it, and don’t stop.

The more you say these affirmations the more they will resonate with you, the stronger your faith will become, and soon enough your armor will be indestructible. You will be able to handle anything that life throws at you.

Because remember, you are never alone in your turmoil.

With saying these affirmations I know it will provide the courage to take on whatever trial or trouble you are currently facing in your life.

God Bless You.

Confront Your Fears And Struggles With These 8 Affirmations – Scripture References Included

(I encourage you to look up these scripture references and to highlight them. There may come a time when you are reading and this highlighted scripture will jump at you when you need it the most)

I trust in and love God completely, he is the only one I truly need and will direct me where to go Proverbs 3:5-6
God is my strength and is with me always Philippians 4:13 Psalm 23:4
I do not fear, I know God will not leave me Deuteronomy 31:6 Genesis 21:22
When I am afraid I will trust in God Psalm 25:2-5
I am living on purpose and will do great things Jeremiah 32:19 Ephesians 2:10
I am a confident person that does not worry Matthew 6:25-34
Through my trials my faith with only strengthen and mature James 1:2-4
I will choose to do things that I am afraid of 2 Timothy 1:7

sunset sunshine travel wings — Photo by Julian Jagtenberg on Pexels.com

God loves you and he wants you live a joyful life. He knows what he is doing. I know it can be difficult but trusting the Lord will provide peace in your life.

I pray these affirmations will provide peace for you. They have helped me tremendously and I know they can help you as well.

Please share any thoughts or comments, or feel free to contact me.

Thank you!