Ignite

I love this image of a circle of matches with only one lit match, because all it takes is one person, one moment to change everything. I like to think of myself as the lit match that ignites those around me. However, I have been the damp match that refuses to ignite. I have been discouraged and paralyzed with fear. I have been complacent, and I have made excuses. I'm not there anymore, and it didn't happen overnight. I had to dry out, literally. I had to stop wallowing in tears of defeat. I had to get back in the game. I had to be irritated and aggravated enough to produce a spark. I had to ignite! I had to rediscover my passion for life. I had to catch fire, and you can too! Truthfully, I had to rediscover the things I loved, and why I loved them. Are you irritated? Are you at your wits' end? Then, you are closer to your spark than you think. Ignite! Ignite your passion. Ignite your love! 

Higher Love

"There's levels to this." We've all heard that phrase, and there is some truth to it. We know that puppy love doesn't compare to your first love. Your first love may have been a high school sweetheart. Most of us don't marry our first love. Congrats to those of you who have been able to find love on the first go round. For many of us, it takes years to ferment that kind of wine. We bite into many apples and taste a lot bitter grapes before we learn how sweet love can be. It takes a while before we even ask for a higher love. Higher love elevates our expectation of what we want and desire for ourselves. Higher love challenges our feelings. Higher love changes your perspective. Most importantly, higher love changes you.

Protect what you Love

Anything that is important to you, you value. You are willing to protect it. You buy a car, you get insurance. You buy a home, you get insurance, security alarms, and privacy fences. You do whatever is necessary to protect your investment. How do you protect what you love? How do you ensure that it keeps its value? As an author, I make sure that my work is copyrighted. As a wife, I cover my husband in prayer and speak life into him daily. We both have life insurance policies because we value our current lifestyle and understand that estate planning is a necessity. As a parent, our children are insured because their health is invaluable. You have been entrusted with your life and your blessings. It is your responsibility to be a good steward. However, you see fit...protect what you love. 

Anchored In Love

Anchoring a ship is an important process that ensures that the ship does not drift when it has to remain in a stationary position. In order to properly anchor a ship, the captain must first find a suitable location. The ship must reduce its speed in order to properly position itself in order to be anchored. Once the ship is in the proper position, then the anchor can be dropped. The anchor must be heavy enough to reach the sea bed in order to properly anchor the ship. 

I've heard the phrase "ships passing in the night." It made me think about how many times in this ocean of life have we let opportunities and people pass us by like "ships in the night." How many people live with the regret of not pursuing their "first love?" Choose to be anchored in something bigger than you. Connect with someone.

Ask yourself, are you drifting through life in search of an anchor? Have you taken a moment to just be still? Who is the captain of your life? Are you in a suitable location? Have you slowed down? What is your anchor? Are you anchored in love?

The Ties that Bind

What holds you together? Is it family, faith, memories, or hope? Is it tangible? Is it monetary? As this year comes to a close, take a moment to contemplate what matters in your life. These are things that should be your priorities in the coming year. These are the ties that bind.  

Colossians 3:14 ESV And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Shelter

Photo Credit: Frieze Photography

This is my first "Friday Love" as a married woman. So, I have decided to share the first poem I ever wrote for my husband. The same poem I recited to him before we took our vows. 

No one seems to understand our hashtag

 But me and you

No one seems to get our jokes

But me and you

And that’s exactly where we came up with it-

'Cause we will always be “Demtu”

Demtu people that people just don’t understand

Demtu people that rock out to “Classic Man”

Demtu people who break out in a dance

Demtu people who can just hold hands

Demtu people who didn’t work out with other people

'Cause they just weren’t us

They weren’t meant to be

See, He wasn’t You

And She wasn’t Me

But thank God for the lessons learned

For the bridges burned

And the scars we earned

We’re better for it

Truthfully, I don’t think we would have appreciated

This kind of joy

Without that kind of pain

Today, I take your last name

And roll away the Stone

I choose to make a Harrison home

And embark on this resurrection of our new life

Not just your best friend, but your wife

I will be your “Shelter” in this life