Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:29-32)

A few weeks ago, I inadvertently forgot to roll the trash can to the road for pickup.  As I begin to hear the garbage trucks in the neighborhood-stopping and starting, it did not initially dawn on me.  But when it finally hit me, I jumped from the bed and rushed outside.  Realizing I had been missed, I drug my can to the other side of the street in hopes that I still had time.  I glanced at my neighbor’s can and I realized it had already been picked up too!

What was I to do?  The can was full and beginning to smell and I couldn’t imagine another week with that same trash.  In the distance I could see the truck about to round the corner. In my pajamas and bare feet, I headed in a hurry down the street to catch up with the crew- completely determined to get the trash out.  I could hear the gentleman hollering- maam it’s ok we will come back and get it.  By then my momentum was up so I continued.  Sensing my determination, he met me grabbed the can, tossed the trash and back home I went.

How far would you go to get the trash out? Not just the physical but the spiritual, emotional and financial issues of life? I hope like me, you will go the distance and do whatever is necessary to get the trash out!

Although the New Year is in a very simple sense waking up to a new day, the walking into a “new year” when bumped up against one of the most turbulent years, not only in personal lives, but politics, which then ripples to international relations, economies and even race relations opens up mental pathways of hope as we yell, “Out with the old and in with the new!”

My goals for the new year are very much attainable although less tangible than in years past.

1. Clean Heart
2. Right Spirit
3. Confidence in the promises of God
4. Renewed hope
5. Peace of Mind

With only a few days into the New Year, I have found that actively working toward reaching these goals is paying dividends.   I can’t say I’ve seen a shift in my pocket book, but I can tell you that I’ve caught up on some much needed sleep.  I can tell you that I have lost a few pounds.  I can tell you that I smile a lot more.  I can tell you that “anxiety” has no place and when it begins to rear its ugly head because my new norm is a space that he is easily identifiable, I am able to “early detect” and cut him off at the root.

This start to the New Year and these goals for the New Year are what I hope to look back on at the end to see the payoff for such.  I expect to see outcomes I’ve never seen and blessings that were there all along that I was too bogged down to see.  You may be asking yourself but how.  I stay consistent that the word of God is our instruction book.   “³⁵ So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! ³⁶ Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”  Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT.

The road map – continuous fervent prayer, study and then…..walk it out- in the authority and power of the most High God!  Happy New Year!  Happy New You!

Today is the 3 year anniversary of my daughter’s acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord of her life.  Wow…what a difference 3 years make. Often, when prior year pictures pop up it amazes me how much she’s changed.  Sometimes the reflections of the harder parts of our lives that have had a toll on her cause me to feel guilt as I consider the long term effects my choices for us may have on her.

What brings me some comfort is the hope that our village will continue to transform to support us as we continue to move forward. I know the world has discounted the wisdom of grandma, church mothers and teachers. I still believe it takes all of these and so much more to shape the future of the young girls coming along. I have purposed to keep “senior saints” in our lives to keep us balanced and to get a pice of the life treasures these precious jewels possess. As a single mother trying to navigate in the world today, seeking wisdom means seeking a tribe with folks of all ages, races and walks to aid us in victorious living.  I will not be deceived into thinking I can go it alone.  I am comfortable with other’s input and I pray for guidance to know what to do with what I receive.  I will be the first to admit that I cannot nor do I want to parent alone. Many things have changed but my view is still the same-  It truly takes a village to raise a child!!

While preparing for bed last evening, I began my nightly routines. Many of them involve a “personal grooming” of sorts as I begin to put my body in a place of rest.  Over the last few days I have been seeking God for clarity in some areas of my life and it was if while standing in front of the mirror, God gave me a fresh perspective.

I go through this routine of unwinding most days but it became clear that on days when I was later getting home, I’d rush the process and leave out a few steps to hurry and get to bed only to fail to get the sleep/rest I need.  Last night, I was purposeful.  I spent time with myself and I left no stone unturned.  One step that often gets omitted in my rushing is good face cleansing and make up removal.  As I took time to reach for my final product when I take the time to use it, last night it meant so much more.  Clinique makes a product called, “Take the Day Off.”

That’s it I thought!  In my rush to omit the little important things, I had failed to “take the day off”.  I sat on the edge of my bed and wondered how many days did I have on.  Was that why I was feeling so weighted?  Was that why I had the outbreaks?  Wow……

I’ve found that people struggle with my choices.  They think I’m too hard on myself and that I think “I’m perfect.”  What’s funny is how far that is from the truth. The reality is that I am never comfortable with where I am because as I study the word of God, I realize how much of a work in process I am.  What’s beautiful is that as long as I keep the light of God’s word on me, I have less time to point out the faults of others-that’s not my place anyway. Not everyone is willing to put in the work so they struggle with your choices.  It’s okay.  It’s freeing to live for the acceptance of God and God alone. It’s a lonely place at times but beneficial none the less.

So as I learn to “take the day off”, I realize that “each day has enough cares of its own.”  I begin to “lay aside every weight that besets me” and I begin to prepare for rest.  It’s so important because the truth is this “each day really does have enough cares” and if I am not careful, I’ll be overloaded with the things I was supposed to take off, the things I must care for the day trying to pick up the things that I’m not supposed to until tomorrow.  What about you?  As you prepare for rest tonight, will you “take the day off?”

I’m recognizing that one of the best gifts I keep giving myself is that of a “break”. When you are burnt out on a job or hurt from a failed relationship of any kind, one of the best things you can do for yourself is give yourself a “break”- a time to heal, a time to reflect not on the past but on YOU. If you are willing to peel back a few more layers of yourself, you will see so many areas of improvement and you will get clear on the things that truly matter most. When you are clear, you can choose in favor of them at all times. It doesn’t guarantee a future without let downs, setbacks, hurts or disappointments, but it does help you more quickly assess when people, places, jobs, etc. don’t serve or promote the life of peace, love and joy that you have been promised. If you desire a healthy life emotionally, spiritually, and physically, I pray that you will be willing to steal away from it all at any cost and give yourself a “break”. If you are willing, I promise you won’t regret it.

Taking a complete break from Accounting for 3 years (other than my tax clients) included not taking professional education courses to keep my CPA license active. The requirement is 80 hours every two years.  Accepting my current position in October, I challenged myself to get the 80 hours to re-activate by March 2017. On Wednesday January 18, I received a letter from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance that the 80 hours I completed in just two months (November and December) have been accepted and my status is returned to “active”. “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” Ephesians 3:20

Dywuana E Morris, CPA

As I sat and reviewed the highlight’s from last night’s NFL game between the Colts and the Jets, I couldn’t have had a prouder moment.  While the game was already decided, it was nice to see my nephew, an Indianapolis Colt, make an interception against the team who had cut him earlier this year, to seal the game’s final score which was a victory for his “new” team and a loss for the team that hadn’t quite seen his value to them.  My nephew’s journey in the NFL as been anything but commonplace.  He’s been here and there, cut at a moment’s notice and asked to pick up and move with little notice.  Our stories are quite different, yet the words “determined” and “survivor” seem synonymous in comparison.

Are you at a point where you feel like giving up?  Are you tired of the rat race?  I’m encouraging you to hold on with everything you’ve got and trust the process.  As long as you keep your hand in God’s hand, He will do what His word says He will do.

Psalm 23:5-6 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.”

I encourage you to quit worrying, quit doubting, quit fearing and definitely quit hating!  Come on in where the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is going on!

The other day, my daughter and I, in our usual rush for school headed out the door and just as I was backing out, my purse fell over from the center console to the backseat floor.  My daughter, who is always so helpful in times like these, reached to grab the purse to pick it up but in my wisdom, I commanded her, “Don’t touch it.”  Just leave it like it is for now.  She emphatically replied, “But mommy I can reach it!”  I was aware of that but I also felt strongly that wasn’t the issue.  I was confident that unless the purse had landed upright, moving it now would create an even greater disaster.  She started to lift the purse anyway but then realized the avalanche of items that were heading out of my purse to the ground so she understood my earlier request and just let it stay like it was.

Life can be this way at times.  As a nurturer and lover of people, I find myself always wanting to fix the broken pieces of friendships and to pick others up when I see them down.  Recently I learned through social media that an acquaintance from years back had had a troubled year.  I considered calling her to see about getting together over lunch or dinner but then I had to consider that with my busy schedule and what she may need based on what she needed in the past, I might best serve her by going to the Father, not just to meet the temporary needs she had but also to completely heal the emotional wounds that she has carried her entire life.

Now that I think about it, two friends came to mind this week and God impressed upon me in both situations to let prayer be the best gift I could offer them. He showed me that He wanted to be the one to pick them up and that me maintaining any other posture but prayer would serve to mess up what He wanted to do in their lives.

It amazes me how God speaks to us and it is so liberating when we get clear that His ways and thoughts will never be like ours.  Family and friends will always encourage you to pick “it” or “them” up and judge you harshly when  you don’t.  God may very well command you to “leave it” or “Let it stay like it is”.