Inspiration – Life Lessons

You Woke Up Today

If you’re reading this, it means you woke up today. Not everyone did. So be grateful. Whether you woke up in good or bad spirits, you still woke up. Whether you woke up to good or bad news, you still woke up.

My take on waking up is this: 1) I defeated the devil by doing so. 2) I’m given another opportunity to show love, grace, and mercy to someone. 3) I get to soak up another day of life’s blessings. 4) I’m one day closer to achieving my goals.

“I defeated the devil by doing so“

Waking up is a blessing from God, not Satan. Satan fills us with enough stress, worry, and anxiety to kill us in our sleep. That’s why it is important to go to bed with positive thoughts. You must keep the enemy from attacking you, even while you sleep.

Natural causes of death will occur. That’s fate. But if you don’t get control of your thoughts and emotions, you’ll become a lifeless, miserable soul. You might be physically woke but dying within. Thus, God also wakes us up to give us another chance to choose happiness.

“I’m given another opportunity to show love, grace, and mercy to someone”

I believe that as long as God continues to breathe life into me, the least I can do is give life to someone else by showing love, grace, or mercy. It’s called, “paying it forward”.

You don’t realize how much of a blessing waking up is until you’ve learned that someone you knew did not wake up today. Therefore, I try to treat every day like it’s my last. I will show love to someone in sometimes the simplest ways like sending a kind text message. I will help whomever I can whenever I can. I will forgive quickly and keep it moving.

Obedience is my priority, and I lead by example. That’s my mission.

“I get to soak up another day of life’s blessings”

The biggest blessings I enjoy waking up to are God’s grace, my family, and my health. Nothing else matters more. Some people wake up to the stock market. Some wake up to social media or television. Some wake up to music or whatever floats their boat. I can’t weigh your blessings on my scale. However, some of the little things I enjoy waking up to are a bed, a home with A/C and heat, transportation, and good food!

“I’m one day closer to achieving my goals”

Whether it seems like it or not, every calendar day counts toward achieving your goals, short and long term. Weren’t we just in 2024? Aren’t we already in April? Before you know it, you’ll be paying off that debt, owning that car or home, graduating from college, starting that business, taking that dream vacation, or saying “I do” at the alter. But one of the easiest ones you can achieve is getting closer to God.

Say it with me, “I am blessed because I woke up today!”

“If tomorrow isn’t promised, then don’t take today for granted. Happiness is a mindset. You just have to demand it.”

-Bianca A. McCormick-Johnson ✍🏽

Age Gracefully, Not Hatefully

Growing older is not a burden. It’s a blessing! Do you realize how many people didn’t make it to 50 or even 40? A gray hair is a life spared. A knee cracking is what’s happening. And a little gut is what’s up!

Ain’t nothing wrong with making home improvements or renovations, but there’s no need to remodel your home. It’s not dilapidated. It’s not raggedy. And it’s definitely not old. You’re seasoned, stable, mature, and marvelous!

You know what’s the cool thing about having gray hair? You now have a new look to add to your collection. Once that dye grows out or that rinse wears off, you’ve got natural salt and pepper growing in your own head. If you don’t have any gray hairs, then you’re not officially seasoned 😄

What in the world could be exciting about cracking knees? You no longer have to bend to anyone’s demands 😃 Saying no becomes a whole lot easier when your knees start speaking for you. As long as you can bend them enough to walk away from drama, you’re still in good shape.

How does a gut make you the stuff? Every time you suck in your stomach, you’re working your ab muscles and looking slimmer at the same time 😉. Seriously though, it forces you to make a lifestyle change. That gut surely didn’t come from dieting and exercising. Either you never started or you stopped a long time ago. If you’re not happy with it, be grateful that you’re still alive to do something about it. And if you can’t seem to, then improve an area that you can to make up for it😊

Bottom line, don’t waste your precious life beating yourself up about the little changes that come with age. Change what you can, but accept what you can’t. If surgery makes you happy, then don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it. But please be careful and understand the risks that come from doing so.

There’s somebody for everybody, so you really don’t have to change a thing. I haven’t seen too many supermodels at the alter exchanging wedding vows. Sagging tits, fat backs, flat backs, and pot bellies are still winning. So if you fit the description of any, then so are you.

Love your seasoned self but hate sin, for that is the only thing keeping us from being great.

“If you live long enough to tell your own story, then you’ll make the greatest accomplishment in life.”

-Bianca A. McCormick-Johnson ✍🏽

What’s Your Purpose in Life?

Whether or not it has been discovered yet, you were born with a purpose. Purpose is your spiritual responsibility and service to society or the universe. Are you doing what you want to do or what you were called to do? It’s an important question because we were all given an assignment to complete before leaving earth.

Oftentimes, purpose is discovered within a gift. A gift is unique quality acquired naturally. Sometimes others see it in you before you do. Nevertheless, it’s up to you to cultivate it.

Gifts aren’t always as desirable as one would like, but they usually have the biggest impacts. For example, many preachers did not dream of serving in that way, but they bless so many people with their sermons and other religious or spiritual services.

In fact, using a gift to serve with purpose can actually become burdensome if you don’t know when and how to say no. You must also know when to take a break.

Talent can count as purpose as well. Though it may be a hobby for you, it can be a gift to someone else. For example, making wigs for cancer patients is a great way to serve with your talent. Cancer survivors like to switch up too. I know my deceased sister did. When she felt like having hair, she had a large collection to choose from, which was as beautiful as she.

Like gifts, talents can become burdensome when used to serve with purpose as well. An enjoyable activity can easily become a nuisance when it starts to feel like a job, and you’re not getting paid for it. That takes the fun out of it.

My husband refuses to monetize his passion for cooking or commit to a series of scheduled events. He does it out of pure love whenever it’s convenient for him.

If your purpose is also your passion and it’s paying, good for you! But if your purpose feels painful, then you should adjust your attitude about it and put the needs of others before pity.

Practice vs Purpose

What you practice could be your career or personal interest. It’s what you “choose” to do. I wouldn’t refer to a job as a practice because it may not be something you choose or like to do. It may just be something you must do to sustain a living or pay some bills until you get into your career.

You’re Special

You should never feel insignificant once you’ve discovered your purpose in life. No one else can do what you can exactly the way you do it. You are too unique and incredible to ever go unnoticed. Don’t be stingy with your gift. Share it with the world!

And remember…
“Make sense of what you do, and make every cent count.”

Something captured your interest? Don’t be selfish. Share with your friends!