Rejection is a great gift if you truly think about it. It keeps us from giving our whole heart to the wrong person who God doesn't have for us. Rejection is, in a way, guarding your heart when you have failed to guard it yourself. It is why through prayer we must constantly ask God to help us be wise when it comes to our heart, and we must constantly bind and control our emotions for they can be deceiving. God loves us unconditionally, and thanks to rejection, we remember to turn to him for he must always be our first love. In due time, God will reveal to you the one destined for you that you have been yearning for because that true love is worth waiting for. It is then you'll say, "Thank you, God, for all those rejections, for without them, I wouldn't have found the one you created for me." 

Letting Go.

Can you recall one of the happiest moments of your childhood? For many, this might be easy. For others, like myself, it may be difficult. Many of us have had unpleasant situations as we grew up and even, now. Yet, the past is the past. It happened already, so we should let it go. Yes, this would be the ideal reaction to how we see our past; however, our past becomes a constant replay in our minds.
When it comes to letting go of the past, we are the worse experts. In fact, we are experts in bringing up the past, whether it is ours or another's. But, what is the point in doing that? The only time the past should be spoken about is when it is to either rejoice in good memories or reflect on lessons learns. Thinking about my past, which is such a great one, I focus on one aspect: God. There were many instances in my childhood, teen-hood, and even adulthood where I suffered. One of them being a child and witness to an alcoholic and drug addict father, another is the attempt to take my life, while other past moments are heartbreaks by loved ones or people in general. My past is tainted with hurtful experiences, and perhaps yours is too; nevertheless, our focus should be God's mercy. 
I refer to God as the look-where-I-am-now phrase of life. Why? Because reflecting on my past and the path I was heading towards, I would not be here were it not for God's mercy,  love, and grace which He has embedded in me, and every person who decides to make Him part of their life. I should be dead, but He saved me. Yeah, I know my past is not the greatest, but I am here standing for a reason. You are here standing for a reason. Your past is simply that, the past, a chaotic tempest in the midst of the ocean which has now passed and settled. You can choose to see your past as a passing though through ones mind. I know it is not easy, hence why I say we are professionals in bringing up the past. With God, all things are possible, and we can learn from Him how to let go.
Out of all the beings in the universe, God is the most powerful in existence: he is all knowing, all present, and all powerful. Despite all these characteristics of God, there is one component He chooses to forget often: the past. In Isaiah 43:25, God states, "“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."Although this biblical verse uses the word "sin," it is still obvious that God is forgetting the past because God is forgetting an action a person has already done. Constantly, throughout the bible, God states that He shall not remember our sins, and He states that He will bury our sins, or past, into the deepest ends of the bottom of the ocean. When I think about this, it amazes me. How can the God and Creator of all the universe forget my past and transgressions against me? It is simple: God is love, and He loves me. Due to this love, He does not want me to hurt, and if I am willing to repent and let go, He is willing to forgive and forget. 
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 states, "4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Even though I believe all of the understand of love is necessary to help us go, my focus is on two main points: Love is not self-seeking, and Love does not keep a record of wrongs. Many times, when we bring up the past, we do it to hurt those around us or to remind someone that they have hurt us. It is a constant tool used in arguments to get ones way: "You did this to me, so now you must do this for me to make up for that time!" How is that love? We are not only seeking our benefit, ignoring the needs of the other person, but we are keeping a record of wrongs like if you have never messed up in your life before. That is not love, and one needs love always. 
Furthermore, the past is just a record of wrongs. Perhaps, you keep a record of your wrongs and constantly believe you are unworthy or do not deserve better because of poor or bad choices you made in the past. Let me tell you this: we are all flawed, and we make mistakes. However, the biggest mistake you can make is letting your past control your future. Frankly, that is what many of us do. We choose to not take risk because we are afraid of failure. We turn down opportunities because it is probably going to turn out bad like that other time. We are stealing our own blessings because we are letting the past steer the wheel of our life. Stop keeping a record of wrongs. Love yourself, but most importantly, forgive yourself. 
God, the maker of the universe, gave His only son, Jesus Christ to die for your sins, for your past mistakes. He gives you a blank slate to start over every time you mess up. He is the antidote for the poisoned past you have and still let to this day kill you slowly. That is what holding on to the past is: a poison inside you. Choose life today by choosing Jesus and letting go. God does not remember your past if you repent. He is the perfect example of letting go of the past. Maybe you feel you cannot do it, and honestly, without God, you cannot let go and heal. However, God is always with open arms willing to guide you. Do not let your past pave your future anymore, for if you do that, there is a gloomy dark cloud enveloping the light you desire to have. Let go today, so you can have a better tomorrow. 

<3 Claudy 

Your Heart, Where is it?

The heart. Four chambers working together to pump blood throughout the whole body. Without a strong, healthy heart, our body cannot receive the oxygen and nutrition it needs to keep functioning. The heart is the center of our life force, and the blood within it, is the key to our existence. However, the heart is more than merely an organ; it goes beyond the physical and into the spiritual. The bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23, "Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life." Clearly, our heart is the source of life, the source of our existence. So today I ask you, what flows within your heart?
As I thought about this for weeks, Guard my heart, I wondered what God meant. How do I guard my heart? I feel pain, joy, sorrow, anger, and so many other emotions. To me, that is what the heart holds, emotions. When it comes to emotions, I have several. I am an emotional basket case you can say. However, throughout the weeks, God showed me that guarding my heart was more than that. During a youth conference with Jonathan Shuttlesworth, God clearly pointed out to me how to guard my heart: you must guard what you hear and you must guard what you see. 
Anytime, I permitted myself to hear gossip. I was allowing my heart to be poisoned. The same applied when people judged or criticized me. I took their word to be true when clearly, the only word that is truth and life is that of God. When people tell you, you are not worthy and will not amount to anything, you need to rebuke those words to guard your heart. You must guard what you hear, so constantly be hearing God's word for your life. God says, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, so if someone is telling you the opposite, clearly, those are not words of truth or life and those words will only bring death to you. Do not let it be so. Furthermore, guard what you see. If you are seeing or even reading subjects that tempt you and cause you doubt what God has called you to be, which is a saint, then I recommend you stop allowing that to be part of your life.  God called you for great missions, and allowing your life to be filled by trash is something you want to avoid. Therefore, what are you permitting yourself to hear and see? If it is not edifying and helping you in your walk with God and personally, then there is no need to hear or see it. For one must guard their heart, and one does this by guarding also their thoughts. 

Now, yes, it is important to know how to guard the heart, but also to know why. Like we saw earlier, from the heart springs life. The bible says in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Where is your heart? For a long time, I gave my heart to the wrong persons. And for years, my heart was trampled on. My past "relationship" not only broke my heart but also poisoned it. I did not guard what I heard, which was negative and condensing remarks, such as me being like a cancer. I did not guard what I saw, which were constantly reading those lies about myself. It tainted my thoughts and heart with false truths that God had never said about me. I gave my heart to the wrong man, and for that, my heart, my life was suffering. For me, it was this man for a long time. However, for you, it can be anyone. Where does your heart lie? Who have you given it to? What are you allowing your heart to see and hear? 

Wherever you heart is, I will tell you this: if your heart is not in God's hands, then you are not guarding it correctly. The greatest treasure we can have in our lives is Jesus Christ. When we give our heart to God, it is in the best hands. Why? God is love, and there is no greater, unconditional, and perfect love like His. At times, we do not realize this until our heart has been shattered, but if you have placed your heart in the wrong hands, there is still time to place it in God's hands. It was in His hands that my heart was mended and healed. I know that God will never hurt me, so I do my best to guard and give him my heart. I am not saying it is easy, but I am saying it is best. I vowed to guard my heart and to love Him above all things because I know that my heart is better in His hands than mine. I exhort you to do the same vow today. Think about where your heart is and what you are allowing to go into it. From your heart springs life, and a life without God, is simply a life without love, peace, and happiness. So make the right choice and allow God to be the holder of your heart. Trust me, you can never go wrong with God. 

<3 Claudy