I often wonder what it must have felt like for Mary, a young mother and Joseph her betrothed to undertake a journey to Bethlehem in obedience with the Roman Census decree only to find that there is no available lodging. How infuriating that must have been! Mary is pregnant with what truly is a promise, a possibility, a vision but it is a living breathing thing that is unfulfilled potential and passion because it has not been birthed.

How many of us have stepped out on faith on what we thought was our purpose only to encounter a stumbling block?

The Hebrew Bible does not tell us much about the trip to Bethlehem, but we know that Mary and Joseph found no lodging available when they arrived. Most of us like to know what awaits us at the conclusion of a journey. However when it comes to giving birth to what is inside of us, when it come to attempting to carry out our purpose given to us by the divine, when it comes to stepping out and working on our vision, there are so many unknowns. The process between a promise and a possibility is often fraught with problems.

Have you ever gotten so close to seeing a dream realized or a goal fulfilled, only to find yourself still short of your dream, your vision? Did you give up? Often what seems like a denial in our life is just the universe transitioning us behind the scenes, away from the limelight so that we can safely give birth to our destiny. According to the Christian tradition, the stable represents where humanity and divinity met. It was where the divine had chosen to dwell among men. I wonder how many people walked by that stable, not knowing what was truly inside. I wonder how many people would have been repulsed to have to give birth in what was considered a lowly place. How many people have walked by you, dismissed you, counted you out because you did not have all of the tools they deemed necessary?And how many did not see you or your worth, failing to realize that there is a wealth of treasure hidden in the most unlikely places!

Our religious world faiths and texts often reveal what is overlooked, the personal treasure, the gifts, the talents, and the ideas so many  people have inside. You can rest assured that people will be sent your way to assure you and reaffirm to you that which the divine has placed inside of you.

This Holiday Season I challenge you to take your focus off the outside world and look within. Find the hidden treasure within you, unlock it, cultivate it, protect it, and whatever you do, do not give up on it. You are going to need the help of the divine to give birth to it, but you first have to discover it. The journey may be difficult and you may find yourself weary at times, but I promise you the journey will be worthwhile.

This article was written by me & originally posted on: http://healthyblackmen.org/2011/12/23/holiday/

A Special Thanks To My Dear Friend Demann Crawford, and a special thanks D360 Photography “Bringing Visions To Life”!  D360 Photography has undoubtedly been an enhancement to the character and vision of this post. You can find Demann at the following sites: , http://twitter.com/D360Photography, & http://www.modelmayhem.com/734380

Use each experience as a lesson.

A lesson to learn from, and grow. Use it as a stepping-stone in moving forward. I have found that the people and experiences in my life are a mirror image of my thoughts and consciousness.

We have the power to control what manifests in our lives and we control that by the power of our thoughts. You can choose whether to bless, curse or affirm joy and wisdom in the lives you touch and impact.

Our friends, relationships, and the environments we foster are all attributes (extensions) of our thoughts and values of self; “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 27:19)

I learned this lesson the hard way. I used to define myself by what others thought of me, how they felt about me, whether they thought I was cute, fun to be around, etc. In the end it didn’t matter what they thought if my own reflection of myself was flawed.

I was becoming too dependent on the opinions of others and forgetting not only about my own feelings but those of my heavenly father also.  I started exploring why I seemed so addicted on the approval of others, why the voice of “others” in my life, had more weight than my own voice. What I discovered truly disturbed me.

We allow the voice’s of others in our lives to weigh more than our own when we lose sight of who we really are.

How does one find that inner voice? Well this is where the journey truly starts, and it’s the journey I’ve been on all semester as I’ve embarked toward the closing of my undergraduate academic career.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven… – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Yet we are often told that there is a blessing in everything we walk through in this life. Arguably, the birthing process for a woman in labor must be one of the most painful experiences in her life, yet this extremely painful experience has the potential to produce so much joy.

When I experience an event in my life that causes me pain or discomfort I immediately listen to my friends recording of him speaking in tounges. Why? His recording ushers me into the presence of God. We as human’s run into a lot of issues trying to understand pain and it’s purpose. I have asked God to help me find the blessing in each painful and uncomfortable experience. I stopped trying to understand everything, I stopped fighting, I stopped crying because I am standing on God’s promise that everything shall work for my good. I am determined to fight like I already have the victory. Do I like pain? No. I am never going to stick my hand up in the air and ask God to give me a headache, but I am determined that daily I shall worship him. As attitude or praise and worship certainly makes pain more bearable. 

Everything in our world, except for fitness experts tell us to avoid pain at all costs.  The older I get the more I am starting to believe that maybe the fitness experts were on to something with their expression “No Pain, No Gain”.  I am the first to admit I hate pain, I hate everything pain represents, but I respect how God uses pain for his purpose in my life. Yet no matter how much you run from pain, before your life is over you will have experienced your fair share of pain. People will let you down, you’ll be disappointed, that opportunity you were depending on will fall through… many things will cause pain.

A few biblical characters had some interesting things to say about pain.

1. …she was greatly distressed and prayed to the Lord. . .-1 Samuel 1:10 – Hannah

2. ….. I had heard of Him, but now my eyes have seen Him . . .-Job 42:5 – Job

3. ….I would have despaired unless I believed . . .-Psalm 27:13 – King David

4. ….there is a balm in Gilead . . .-Jeremiah 8:22 – Prophet Jeremiah

5. …I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing. . .-Acts 7:55 – Stephen The Martyr

6. …. about midnight [they] were praying and singing hymns of praise …-Acts 16:25 – Paul & Silas

7. .  . .just go and sin no more . . .John 8:11 – Woman Caught In Adultery

8. …But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing….-Luke 23:34 – Jesus The Christ

After doing a little digging I ran across two interesting  verses in Psalm 119, 67 & 71.

67: Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word….

71: It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes…

We must get to the point where we can see the blessing in pain.

I believe that there truly is a blessing in pain. Pain, though uncomfortable causes us to check ourselves, our actions and our responses to life circumstances. Pain opens our eye’s and forces us to see what sometimes we would avoid. Yes pain is painful, but if heeded correctly pain can prevent us from experiencing more pain!

Pain can be the best teacher; and I believe God allows us to experience pain just so that we can remember our own humanity , lest we become too prideful and forget about how much we need him. Through pain God humbles us, comforts us, teaches us and restores us and therein lies the blessing.

I love him, because he first loved me, and he purchased my salvation, out of Calvary!

Knowing how to approach the throne of grace and receive love from the one who loves us unconditionally and one who has the power to rescue us. God hears our cry, God see’s our tears, and he understands our pain!

You cannot continually live in a state of “Almost”. Almost saved, Almost delivered, Almost healed, Almost set free, Almost got the job, Almost blessed, Almost saw the dream, Almost wrote the vision… Your state of “Almost” is almost over; and God is getting ready to complete that thing! Finally you’ve reached a place where you can see God’s hand moving and your state of “Almost” is almost done.. Wait on the Lord & be of good courage!

-Rodrigo Zaxembi Cruz

 It is with the mind that we seek the Lord and it is with the mind that we serve him.

 It is with the mind that we submit to his plan, purpose, and will for our lives.

 You may find that most of the battles you fight, both spiritual and physical deal with the mind.

The enemy, Satan seeks to destroy your mind. Your mind houses the seat of your actions, thoughts, decisions, emotions and if the mind can be destabilized he (the enemy) will gain a foothold on destabilizing your life.

It is with our mind that we sometimes place limits on ourselves and others.  

It is our mind that God constantly admonishes us to renew.

It is our mind, which must be constantly purged of negativity, bad mindsets and our own insecurities and doubts.

You must recognize that your situations, trials, tribulations and test’s don’t affect your outcomes; but your response to them does.