Let Go and Be 5-Star

I let go the foolishness of other people’s toxicity levels. If a person wants to live their life at a 2 star-quality of life, let them be who they want to be…but you do not have to stand for their 2-star review of you. Live in your 5-star quality purpose. PERIODT!

I was talking with a dear friend about relationships. This friend ended a relationship simply because it was like pulling teeth with her partner to want better out of life and make healthy lifestyle choices. My friend tries to operate her life at a 5-star quality. Though life is hard for my friend, she perseveres and moves forward. That’s just the way she’s been raised: to live fearfully and wonderfully made by her Creator, to have self-pride, to carry herself well, and to be resilient in spite of her circumstances…5-star living and nothing less.

Life is not perfect but you have to give it all you got.

But her partner functioned at a 2-star. Now, I am not talking looks. I am referring to the quality of life you bring to the table. Your values, your confidence, your goals, etc. etc. When my friend (5 star) got together with her 2-star partner, there were moments of contention. The two star criticized my friend’s 5-star living as if she was vain and self-absorbed…but that could be far of the truth. Her two-star partner has had past relationships with other 2-stars so my friend, the 5 star was so different. So it just created problems and my friend left the relationship cause it was too much.

I’m not trying to judge or put anyone down. Here is my point: every person has a choice in life on whether to rise above or stay stagnant. Whatever you chose is whatever you chose but just know people may not understand your choice. Don’t let a 2-star’s insecurities affect what you are trying to do.

Don’t let someone’s low star quality affect what you are trying to do. Whether you are at 3 or 5 or at least striving for that, don’t let people shame you into a lower level. Yes, you are human and you are allowed to feel emotion BUT if you have the fight in you, don’t let anything nor anyone downgrade you. NEVER!

Let the 2-star BE the 2-star…just not in your presence.

Blissfully,

Bianca

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The Art of Letting Go

It’s hard to let go things that you can’t control. I am learning there are things and experiences that can’t be helped to be honest. I am only in control my reaction. Sometimes situations call for letting it go.

Yes friend, let it go. **Insert Elsa singing “Let It Go”**

Energy is wasted when you try to solve something that is out of your hands. It is not giving up. I used to think I had to care about everything and everyone’s opinion of me. NO! LET IT GO. I pack on the anxieties and emotions of everyone/thing and forget myself.

I have had to learn it is not necessarily me per se. Sometimes it is another person’s insecurities, worries, and hurts put on me. Sometimes the situation is beyond my control and I just happen to be there. I am responsible for me and my sanity. Call it being selfish…but I can only take care of me in a situation.

You may ask: how do you let it go, Bianca? I take inventory of the situation. Did I add to this issue? What is my role in this person’s turmoil or situation? If I add to it, can I make the situation better? If so, how? ( Pretty much: I try to think and/or act to make the situation better, if possible.)

I find that most of the times, even with my best intentions and best efforts, situations don’t go as expected. I just have to remind myself that I did my best. Sometimes my best is not enough but that does not make me a terrible person. I have to let it go; it’s not my burden to carry. I am constantly learning and evolving in my “let it go” moments. I’m not perfect but I am intentionally learning to prioritize myself.

So yes, the art of letting go is REAL. Don’t let everything in life overwhelm you. It’s not worth your sanity. Take inventory of the situation and figure out where you fit in. If you have no part, don’t insert yourself. Let it go.

Blissfully,

Bianca

Keep Climbing

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It seems so hard to climb.

To stop would be to quit.

To keep moving shows my fight.

Fighting with each step and each reach.

Though I slip, I’ll hold on.

Though I fail, I press on.

The journey seems so long.

But I have made it so far.

I can’t go back.

I just can’t.

Blissfully,

Bianca

A Leap of Faith

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It’s ok to be scared but leap. God’s got you. In this past week, I had to choose whether to leap in faith or let my toxic pride cloud the help I needed.

I knew what I wanted to do but it was just terrifying. I asked God for one thing and He gave me something different. He likes to do that.

I am a cautious person so I don’t like surprises nor uncertainty about what is next. I am a type A planner, control freak through and through. But, that’s not faith. It’s fear. Fear is quite the monster. Fear is a thief of life itself. You can either give into it or fight with faith. Toxic pride creates a control freak mentality over everything and I get so frustrated when things are different than my plans. My anxiety goes through the roof and the past mistakes creep up. I am on edge. Fear cripples and eats me alive.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.-Hebrews 11:1

Faith in action is hard. It’s not a noun but a verb. It’s a daily exercise and practice. Faith is going into the unknown but it is also knowing that God is ever-present leading and guiding you. He knows you (and I) are scared but He’s a Comforter and Sustainer. He will not let you fall no matter how many times you (and I) think otherwise. Breathe. Inhale and Exhale. It’s scary but God’s got you. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

So I just wanted to share that. It’s ok to be scared. We are human. Every day is a battle. But just know God is with you even in the unknown places and decisions we need to make. Leap in faith. When God puts faith inside of you, all things are possible. With that comes surrender to self and pride. Fear does not allow you leap, faith does. Trusting God takes faith not fear only. Living takes faith not fear.

So leap in faith.

Blissfully,

Bianca

Your Story Matters In The Valley

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Your story is not yours. It’s for the next person.The older I get, the more I realize God uses my experiences not just for growth but for others. You never know who you will inspire or motivate.

I am almost used to bad news…it’s just life. Recently, I just got news that was not too good. It hurt. But, I am not giving up. Though I have this setback in my life, my inner circle still believe in me and said how they are inspired by my perseverance and positivity. I love my inner circle.

Don’t ever think people are not watching you cause they are. Especially as a Christian, people are watching how you live and carry yourself, not just your preaching. They are watching your reaction to difficulty and setbacks…like is she really who says she is. It still amazes me how God uses my faults as inspiration for the world. I always thought people would appreciate and be inspired by the wins. However, God can use the losses as well.

It is hard to walk through the valleys, not much people see you. Few see the struggle, tears, anxiety, and sweat. You are walking through the mud and rocks. You’re falling down. You have missteps. You get lost. You think you made it but you are still in the valley.

The mountaintop is beautiful; you are seen by everything and everything is looking at you. The sun is shining. It’s clear.

I wait for that moment. But while in the valley, my testimony is still being formed and curated. You can still find strength and speak in the valley. It shows you are learning something. It shows it is possible though you miss a step, get lost, or scrape your knee from a fall and still keep going.

The mountaintop does not come unless you are in the valley. So keep going. Keep walking in the valley. Keep speaking.

People are watching.

Blissfully,

Bianca

I Thank My God For Every Circumstance to Be Content

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.-Philippians 4:11-13

Not every circumstance is perfect. There are good days and bad days but each day God gives you is a blessing.

I have been saying for a while, I am in the in-between season of life from law school to real world. Well now, I am in the season of adjustment and adapting. I am still working towards being a licensed attorney by taking the Bar in another jurisdiction. After failing the Bar for a second time, I really had to take a step back and reevaluate this plan I imagined. My plan was not working. But the problem was, it was not God’s plan up until this point.

The big question I struggled with was: Am I content where I am? The truth was: I wasn’t. I wanted my come-up and it was this elaborate plan to get my independence on and live it up! I thought it was better for me to live away from comfort permanently.

But I realized that God gave me the opportunity to be content and independent from my family when I was in law school. I learned a lot about myself in Florida being a young, independent law student in that season. I was content with my life there and God allowed that time for me.

Now, after April, I had to learn how to get that content spirit back because I just wanted that life again. But as I started to look around, I saw that I had provisions to be content about that I did not have in Florida.: First off, I had my support system with me instead of six hours away. Second off, I had my basic necessities: food, clothing, shelter for FREE (can I get an amen?). Third, I had my church home and pastor who is one of my mentors close by. Fourth, I still had the same talents and gifts I had before but I just needed to tap into it where I was.

Sometimes, you have to really look inside yourself and pray for God to reveal the joys you forgot you had. I wrestled with that this past summer but now I am in a better place looking to the future. I am still grinding and hustling but still growing in contentment. I have been more active in finding the joy in the present. I take each day at a time.

I learn contentment every day. Every second, every moment. Whether I am serving at my church, serving my family, or serving my community, I learn the peace of contentment that surpasses all understanding. It keeps me balanced and sane.

God is holding my moments: today, tomorrow, and forever. I just have to learn to be present and thankful in every season.

I encourage you to find true contentment in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You can never go wrong with His love and power. He has never steered me wrong though I steer myself wrong. His grace is sufficient in everything. His peace can be your peace.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It is daily to exercise your contentment muscle but you can do it. Speak of your blessings (even as simple as waking up), talk to God (He is listening), and be thankful. It will not fail you and God will not fail. Therefore, I thank my God for every circumstance to be content.

Blissfully,

Bianca

Conquering the Test

Don’t worry, no pop test here. Trust and believe, I would not blog to give you readers an exam. But life surely gives us tests. Lots of tests. You have either survived a test, are about to enter a test, or will enter a test down the road. It is inevitable but manageable in God’s eyes.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.-James 1:1-8,12

In my favorite book of the Bible, James, he is writing a letter to the scattered tribes of believers. They are being persecuted for their faith and it seems helpless. The tests are actively crumbling and discouraging these early Christians. But, James chooses to encourage and strengthen them with how the testing is not for pain but for growth.

Trouble does not last forever but you cannot fight with your own strength. God’s strength and power covers the multitudes of trials, pains, hurts, and disappointments. Perseverance comes from daily wisdom and walking with the Lord.

I wish I could say you get instant answers and be fine but it’s not. It takes the faith where you cannot see but believe. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.-Hebrews 11:1. The reality is that faith is relying on something greater than the physical. In James, it says to believe and not doubt because you will be susceptible to the worldly chaos of life.

Jesus was tested but he followed God’s wisdom in His Word. It is about staying in Scripture and knowing the truth of your struggle is NOT in vain but for a great purpose.

I am in a season of the in-between. I have experienced two steps forward and ten steps back in repetition…constantly. Even in the setbacks, I always have to remind myself that the struggle is greater than feeling defeat and hopelessness. I do believe my miracle and blessings will come TENFOLD. God has not brought me this far to leave me. I have survived and endured through so much. And the Enemy has not taken me out. I am still the Daughter of A King. And in the great words of Jacob, I will not let go until you bless me. (Genesis 32:26) The Enemy is working hard because something greater is on the horizon. I have seen God use my tests for someone else down the line. I have been able to pour into others. I would not have had the ability had I not gone through what I went through.

Conquering the test of life is ALWAYS beyond the visible. God is in the inner-working. He knows the grand scheme of your struggle. It is to prune and to shape your character. I will say again, nothing is in vain.

Do not give up. Keep going. You will pass the test and conquer.

Blissfully,

Bianca

A Conqueror’s Secret Weapon

And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?-Romans 8:30-32

You conquer because God is on your side. All of us encounter opposition. It’s inevitable but you know what? You have something that prevails overtime against any foe: Jesus Christ. Jesus already conquered sin and death. He gave Himself for humanity. Which means whatever obstacle, in Jesus’s name, is handled.

Let that sink in for a moment…

You already have whatever God has in store for you. God knows the desires of your heart. He knows and supplies all of your needs.

You conquer because He conquered. Keep going. Keep fighting. Keep persevering. You will make it.

Blissfully,

Bianca

Back To Basics: Don’t Give Up!

Sometimes situations seem hopeless. It feels like no matter what you try to do, things just don’t work out.

Disappointment, pain, anxiety, depression, jealousy, and helplessness.

You try. You cast your net to opportunity hoping for something but you come up short.

I know that feeling all too well. The easy thing is to give up. But God says “No.” Every valley, trial, and setback is TEMPORARY. It won’t last forever. God says, “To everything, there is a season.”

There is a time to learn and grow. You just need to keep trying. Try each day. Cast your net. If you get nothing, keep trying.

EXAMPLE YOU ASK? Why of course…

I have tried and tried to find a job in the legal field for a while. I prayed and applied. Pray and applied. I have lost count at how many job applications I sent. After send came the same news, “Thank you for applying but we decided to move on with another candidate.” Rejection after rejection. It was enough to crush me. But I kept applying no matter how bad I felt. My mom would even say “Keep casting.”

I say keep casting as reference from Peter, the fisherman in the Bible. Here is the passage: Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”  He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.-John 21:4-6,11

You see, I was not alone. Peter, as a fisherman, was struggling with opportunity but Jesus would not let him give up. The result was TEN-FOLD. I mean he got enough to have a fish fry in the village.

But back to my story, I casted one more application at the end of July. And God delivered TEN-FOLD. By August, I had a job. YES! A JOB! One that God designed for this season. I still have to pinch myself that God did this.

God is looking for trust and obedience. It does not mean that you will understand everything. I went in with a little faith but God says if you have the faith of a mustard seed, that a tree could be uprooted into the sea (Luke 17:5-6). Even in our small faith, God plants perseverance and endurance in us but we have to be willing to go our own selfish desire and pride. We have to cast our nets by faith.

Don’t give up. Embrace the season. It is a lesson. You will get where you need to be in God’s timing. Keep at it. Keep casting.

Blissfully,

Bianca

Back to Basics: Work At It

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Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.-Colossians 3:23-24

No matter how mundane you may feel your life is, you have a purpose. From the littlest thing to the biggest task/project/chore you can think of, God wants you to WORK for him. Yes, taking out the trash for the glory of God. Who knew!?!

I was talking with my mom about my mundane life and she rebuked what I said. Like WHOA, mom. But she was right; I was complaining about my mundane schedule and life. But my mom explained how the little things matter to God. God sees the devotion, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears and honors that. He is saying, “I’m proud of my child. Keep going!”

So whatever you are working at, towards, or through, go for it. Do it for Jesus. God sees everything from the big to little. He honors hard-work, obedience, and unyielding trust in Him. Your work will pay off. Remember that fire starts as a spark. You need to give the work your all. Nothing happens overnight but if you work at it, God will work it out for you.

Blissfully,

Bianca