Yippppideeeee doooo daaaaa! I have been natural for 2 whole years & it feels great! Its been a journey, one at which I've contemplated going back to the "creamy crack" (relaxer) on, but I'm so glad that I didn't. As I've stated in my first birthday hair post HERE, I wanted a change & I got one. I didn't do it for anyone BUT myself and that is what makes the difference. I still have yet to get a nice hair cut to clip off the dead, tangled, split ends and to get some kind of shape, but I will be doing it soon. I am so grateful that I have stuck with my natural hair journey to see what the end will bring. As of now, I will continue moving forward "naturally" in hopes that my hair will continue to grow thicker & healthier! Guess what, I used some of my OWN products from my business, Love, Nina Natural Body Butters, to grow my hair!Check out my natural hair journey HERE. Woooo hoooo for meeeee, lol!
FROM THIS: MAY 2010
TO THIS: MAY 2012
I'm truly living a BLESSED LIFE & God is not through with me yet! We must all stay in the race & never give up. YOU have more life to live! Hallelujah.....IT IS SO! AMEN.
This picture was sooooo good, I just had to share it with you all! Its speaks VOLUMES about how we look at people and judge them. How in the world can you really claim to know who I really am and you don't even know who YOU really are? Opinions and assumptions of people mean absolutely NOTHING if you do not take out time to get to know them for them. When we don't know who we are, then we stick that on others because we want them to be who WE want them to be instead of who they are. Sometimes, just because of who your "folks is" will have people labeling you. If your brother or mother is loud, obnoxious, rude, etc. and just say Jane Doe knows this but doesn't really know you, she may automatically assume that you are the same way when you really aren't! That's why we must get to know people for ourselves instead of pre-judging them based off of what others feel/say. You don't even know me enough to not like me...that's how I feel, lol!
We must know who WE are before we try to assume we know who others are. I encourage you to take out time and think about who you've written off due to your assumptions and the reason why you've done so. Ask God to forgive you for not taking out the time to get to know them yet judging based off of how they "appear". I praise God that he never keeps records of wrongs and doesn't hold what we did over our heads unlike man. Everyone is worth getting to know, but before you write them off completley, allow God to speak to you concerning them. He won't ever allow anyone to permanently dwell in your life that should not be there, that's why its important that we be connected to the POWER SOURCE: GOD!
***********
If you have some down time and your spirit agrees to, I encourage you to watch this video. Dr. Cindy Trimm speaks on knowing WHO YOU ARE and the reason why we place assumptions on people. Her message is phenomenal and my prayer is that we will see people for who they are and not what we want them to be!
U-G-L-Y YOU AIN'T GOT NO ALIBI YOU UGLY, YEAH YEAH, YOU UGLY!!!!!!
Glad the blog post title caught your attention, and now since you're here, lol, what's the first thing that comes to your mind after reading the title? Looks? Overall appearance? Face? Well, for me, the first thing I think about is a person's SPIRIT! When you have a nasty, dirty, Uuuuuugly spirit, it shows! It shows through your words, it shows through your actions, and it shows through your character. "Ugly" people tend to act "ugly" to and around others. As I always say, God NEVER leaves his children in the dark about anything concerning "them". Some people are one way when you meet them, but after time goes on, shows you who they REALLY are and if they do this, please believe them. You can be the most beautiful thing walking with the most stylish clothes, most expensive accessories, driving the best car around....but if your insides are nasty, then you are therefore deemed by the power invested within me.......U G L Y! And your alibi is the enemy!
We must check ourselves before we literally wreck ourselves. If you have a nasty attitude, then I encourage you to get yourself together because no one wants to be around someone who they have to walk on eggshells around. If your character is not of substance and purpose, then what does that say about you? It doesn't matter what you have, how you got' it goin' on, or how many scriptures you quote, etc., because at the end of the day, your spirit & the person that you truly are is what is important.
Hurt people, HURT people as I was once told and I honestly believe that. It takes too much energy to be dirty and mean towards people who you don't even know. Its not particularly in my character to be nasty towards anyone no matter how wrong they do me. I treat others how I would like to be treated and after doing so for so long and seeing that those people are not accepting of my kindness, then its time to throw the DEUCES up at em'. We as Christians must learn the value of loving EVERYONE. How can you call yourself a "CHRISTIAN" when you're not following the commands of Christ with LOVING to be one of them? If God truly lives in you, then being ugly will not even be an option for you.
If you're a mean person, I pray that God gives you the wisdom, peace, and courage to operate in love. If you've experienced, or are currently experiencing someone being mean and hurtful to you, then I pray that God will give you the strength to pray for them. Yep, PRAY FOR those that despitefully misuse you and in the end, you will ALWAYS win. Birds of a feather flock together, so make sure you're not associating yourself with uuuuugly people or you too will be deemed, UGLY! We must do better & treat people RIGHT so that our beautiful selves will shine brightly!
EVERYONE
IS NOT OUT TO GET YOU! Sometimes those thoughts in your head are just
that..... "thoughts". If people have stopped conversing with you, have
distanced themselves away from you, & don't seem to pay attention to
you any longer, then it could be one of two things: 1. God has spoken
directly to them concerning you & your spirits no longer agree
(unequally yoked) and/or 2. God may be strategically
removing them from your life because THEY are toxic to your being! Many
people go so HARD on facebook, twitter, email/text, etc. indirectly
telling people how they "feel" based off of assumptions rather than
holding a proper adult conversation directly & getting some things
straightened out. Because of this, "feelings" have now gotten involved
and you believe you're being attacked when in actuality its not like
that. It could very well just be you fighting an internal battle with
self. Before you blame anyone, do a self eval!
That's why its
important to be connected to the POWER SOURCE, God, so that his spirit
will reveal a person's true character. Only obey the holy spirit! Save
yourself some energy & remove those people from your social
networking pages, phones, etc. that God has told you to throw the deuces
up at. Keeping people around for the heck of it & trying to get
your point across a status or tweet only -hoping- they will read it, is
not worth it. Honestly speaking, they may not even be "studdin'" you
like that & may never read when you've written anyway, lol! I can
speak on this because I have been on both ends, the one feeling attacked
when it was only "me" who was attacking "me", and the one whom the Holy
Spirit spoke directly to concerning those who really were out to get
me! And God is not finished speaking yet! Hallelujah! Do better. Be
better. Feel better! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Its going on 1 a.m. and I'm still up thinking about the goodness of Jesus! God could have left me out to drown in my sea of sin, but he still blessed me with another day, another chance, and another attempt to get it right with him and I don't take it for granted! God is amazing, and the very thought of where I should & could be but am not just blows my mind because he still sees the BEST in me and continues to forgive me for my sins. I am just grateful this morning because I'm not 6 ft under somewhere. There are so many people that only wished they could swap places with me, and I just want God to know that I'm so appreciative of what he has done, is doing, and about to do in my life! Father God, thank you for keeping my family and I safe and out of harm's way. Thank you for life! Thank you for another chance! Thank you for correction! Thank you for grace & mercy! Thank you for your love and kindness! Thank you for peace! Thank you for wisdom and knowledge! Thank you for strength and perseverance! Thank you for my sanity!!!!!!
God's FAVOR is more precious than LIFE! Glory be to God! Hallelujah!
Or at least thats what I'm reminded of when I see the colors, lol! Last weekend I was in a rush to do a long overdue at-home mani/pedi, but I managed to get er' done Saturday night for church in the a.m. Before doing so, I cut off alllllll of my hard work- my nails had gotten so long and healthy, but I broke one and just had to cut the rest :-( So in these pictures, my nails are shorter than they were before. Nevertheless, I just HAD to give them some TLC, lol. I painted my toenails the Lime color. It wasn't my best work but I don't think it was the worst either being that I was in a rush. Its time for me to try some different designs....kinda' excited about that, lol!
I kinda' like em', lol! They are shorter, but still cute.
BERRY sparkly!
(Colors left to right): Bombay, Lime, and Cosmetic (pink & gold glitter)
Berries & Kiwi is what I'm reminded of when I look at my nails.
I'm not exactly who is reading this right now and where you are currently in your life, but I just want you to know that YOU ARE ENOUGH. Sure, things could be better as we ALL have room for improvement, but the enemy will have you believing that you aren't enough. Have you ever had thoughts that you weren't good enough, pretty/handsome enough, smart/intelligent enough, etc.? Those are all tactics to get you believing that you aren't worth more which is a lie sent straight from the pits of hell. Jesus already paid the price for YOU and I by dying a gruesome and shameful sinner's death on the cross though he was the most innocent, blameless being. You know, there are so many things we all go through on a daily basis that would have us thinking <less than< of ourselves. Society has told us that women need to have long, beautiful hair, clear skin, straight white teeth, driving the latest model car, a nice house, a top paying job, money overflowing in the bank, etc. to be considered "something". And society has told men that they need to be clean cut/shaven ALL of the time, have muscles, degrees and top paying positions out the ying yang, etc. to be considered that "it" dude as well. But the question I ask of you now is do you know that you're good enough RIGHT WHERE YOU CURRENTLY ARE?
Many of us would probably say NO because we feel as if we still have work and some growing to do. That is true and perfectly fine, but before we give in to what society says we "should" be and what we "should' do, we must go to the father and ask HIM what does he desire out of our lives. You don't have to dim your light, lose your self worth, go broke to impress people, nor talk, act, or look a certain way just to feel accepted by "people". Man may require all of those things and then some, so much so to the point you forget who and whose you are. But the most important thing is making sure you are living a life for Christ and HIM only. So regardless of what you've done and what you're currently doing, just know that you are not too far from God or too low or dirty for him that he can't reach down, pick you up, and clean you up again. Because he already paid the price for us, our sins have been forgiven, therefore we are made right with him! Yes, please do whatever you have to do in order to live a pleasing life unto God, but just know that giving in to the enemy/devil only lowers who you are as a person. You ARE "enough" right now to do a might work for God. Don't ever allow anyone tell you that you aren't good enough to do what thus saith the Lord and be sure that you aren't telling people those things either. God has equipped us all to do amazing things because he sees in us what man can't see. He loves you and so do I! SHINE ON!
Ladies & Gents, you can't stay STUCK & CONTENT where you are. There is always room for improvement. Many of us become paralyzed by fear and allow the enemy/devil to creep in, putting thoughts in our minds that you don't need to go any further in life. Now if the Lord says so, then that's a different story.....but "WE" are our blockages alot of time. Stop worrying about people talking about you. If people hate me now with the things I'm doing, then they darn sure as well will in just a few! You see, you can't be worried with how people will take your dreams & visions because God has given them to you and only YOU for a reason. Don't expect others to understand what he's shown you. Let them stay where they are while they watch you climb UP! You're too great to settle for "so- so". You're too wonderful to do what everyone else is doing. You're TOOOO amazing to stay stuck between good & best! God is calling you higher..........are you willing to climb?
I'm getting older. No really, I'm getting older by the minute and time nor life waits on no one! The more I think about what I'm "not" doing, the more time is passing me by and the less time I have to accomplish some goals. I still have at least 2-3 (or more if the Lord says the same) things I would like to accomplish before 2012 is over, and a plethora of goals for as long as the Lord blesses me to live...... and the half year mark is almost here. Lately, I've just been cooling it, taking a chill pill, and thinking about where God wants me to be in my life. I am proud of myself for what he has blessed me to accomplish, but I still feel as if something is missing and that there is more that I should be doing. Between working on my PhD, ministry, getting back into the swing of things with my business, encouraging women through both my personal and The SHE |in| ME (Encouragement for Women) page on facebook, and trying to be the best sister, friend, etc. that I can be.......one would think I have enough on my plate, but I beg to differ, lol! There are still some young people out there who need encouraging, some women and men who need to be inspired & motivated to keep going, and family, friends, etc. who need saving. I'm far from perfect, but I want to be used by the Lord in EVERY area of my life, even with my imperfections in tact.
I want BETTER, and I'm quite alright with that :-)
I've been doing a bit of soul searching as well and I'm trying to decipher what is the best route for me to take towards a spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and financial MAKEOVER---literally from head to toe. In one of my previous posts (click HERE to read), I mentioned that I knew it was time for a change in my life. I'm almost 30 years old and I don't want to live the next 30 years of my life unhappy, complacent, content, and paralyzed by fear among so many other things. I want to live freely, love freely, give freely, and just be my best self wholeheartedly. I am preparing myself for my husband, but even before he comes I want to have enjoyed "MY" life by "MYSELF" first and because of that, I cannot continue on as I am now. Don't get me wrong, God is and has been mighty good to me and I bless him for what he's done, but I also know that he requires more of me and that there is MORE for me to do. I don't want to limit God to a box. If I want it, I can have it....point.blank.period.
So with these thoughts in mind, all the while trying to remain sane, focused, and level headed, lol, I will be seeking God's face more on exactly how he would have me to transform into a BETTER, BIGGER, & BADDER, Shenina. I want to be fearLESS. I want to be FREE. I desire to be more outgoing, sociable, POWERFUL, caring, loving, giving, hard-working, encouraging, and discerning. I want to look better, feel better, think better, and even sound better, lol. I just want more for ME. I'm getting teary eyed right now just thinking about the transformation I'm about to embark upon. I know the journey won't be simple, but I will stick to it. I won't give up and I won't quit prematurely. God desires more from both you and I, and its up to US whether we want to receive the blessings he has in store. Its time out for mediocrity but its time in for moving up higher. I can't worry about what people will say, how they will feel, or even how they will accept the decisions I'm about to make. I want my relationship with God to become closer than ever before and I simply desire to be all who he has called me to be. Operation Transformation is about to begin shortly! I will be sure to document the journey and keep everyone posted.
Have any of you ever done something such as this or have you been thinking about it? Feel free to share your thoughts :-)
For whatever reason, the song RAIN ON US by Earnest Pugh fell fresh in my spirit while typing this post. I am about to listen to it in its entirety because I truly believe the Lord is SURELY going to do just that: RAIN ON ME! Glory Hallelujah!!!!!!! Yessss Lord....see, I'm about to start & go "in".....There is NOBODY GREATER than GOD! SPEAK LORD.
The most befitting and beneficial thing to do when you find yourself frustrated, complaining, overwhelmed, etc. is just to simply take a deep breath and count your blessings. At this very moment, I am frustrated and annoyed with some things that are going on. While I try to encourage myself and tell myself "all is well", it still bothers me sometimes that people are just "like that"- rude, inconsiderate, selfish, etc. Its like some of us have forgotten that this life is NOT about us! Or maybe its just that some people were never taught that *shrugs*. One thing I've been thinking about lately is LEADERSHIP. The key word is LEADER. If I profess to be a leader then I have to do as leaders do by making tough decisions to better the group as a whole. While it is the leader's responsibility to oversee the group, it is just as important that those who are in the group do as they are supposed to do. Now-a-days, it seems as if many "grown" people do not like other "grown" people (leaders) telling them what to do without becoming so easily offended. But my thing is, WHY are you apart of the group then? UGH!!!!
I rarely make posts such as this, but on my quest towards being more transparent.....what you see is what you get. Right now, I just don't know. Its hard trying to do the right thing and be the best leader for a group who seems as if they don't appreciate your gift. No, its not about "them", but it is about the cause I am working for. In ministry, I must continue to remember that I'm not doing it for "man", but for God! We as Christians (as a whole) can be some of the hardest people to work with which is such a shame. We can't set our differences aside to work for a better cause and that is reaching lost souls for Christ because we are too busy talking about one another, sitting back criticizing when we aren't working ourselves, and jealous of others when it shouldn't be like that. And then many of us are in competition with one another when we should be helping each other out. UGH! I could go on and on, but instead I'm going to take a moment out to get my focus back by stating some things I'm grateful for at this moment. Have any of you ever felt this way?
AT THIS MOMENT, I'M GRATEFUL FOR......
LIFE SECOND CHANCES BREATH FEELINGS LOVE SUPPORT TIME SLEEP
LORD, I JUST ASK THAT YOU STRENGTHEN LEADERS EVERYWHERE TO BE WHO YOU HAVE CALLED US TO BE. HELP US TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS THAT WILL BETTER THE GROUP AS WHOLE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY GIVE YOU HONOR AND GLORY. HELP US TO STAY ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND NOT GIVE UP PREMATURELY. THOSE WHO SHOULD NOT BE IN OUR GROUP, PLEASE REMOVE THEM EXPEDITIOUSLY FATHER SO THAT YOUR WORK CAN BE CONTINUED. GIVE US PEACE WHERE THERE IS CONFUSION, STRENGTH WHERE WE ARE WEAK, AND LOVE WHERE THERE IS HATE AND ANIMOSITY. HELP US TO BE SENSITIVE TO YOUR SPIRIT SO THAT WE CAN ULTIMATELY MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS. AMEN.
