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I recently started a new position at work. Yay me! ?? Once the excitement of the position wore off I was like – what I’m the heck am I going to be doing? ?

I’ll be working in the compliance department, but guess what? I don’t have any prior compliance experience, so I’m going to need reinforcement help outside of my trainer and mentor to calm my mind and my heart when I may feel overwhelmed with new information. So, who do you think I’m calling?

I’ll be calling on the Holy Spirit, who’s also known as our helper. I mentioned before I know God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all part of the Trinity which work cohesively together, but just like the three branches of government all work together, each branch has a separate role and responsibility. (Side note – I heard the three branches of government example on someone’s IG story and I thought that was a great way for me to explain the Trinity)

Anywho, back to the Holy Spirit, he’s our helper.

Have you asked the Holy Spirit to help you lately?

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” John‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

This week, I’m changing to Throwback Thursday to Throwback Travel.
Five years ago on April 15, 2016, I took my first trip to another country.
If it wasn’t for, I would not have made it on this trip, because I was ready to go back on the plane after the first 30 minutes of arrival. She was an amazing friend, kept me from booking a flight out and she assured me things would be okay.
Interesting fact: I wrote my first blog after this trip. I’ll have to share it with you all soon. My blog title was: Curbside Chronicles.

My trip to the Dominican Republic was a trip to remember for sure. I call it my worst/best trip.  I’m grateful it was such an interesting trip filled with both highs and lows because it expanded my love for travel and prepared me for some of the worst scenarios that I may experience with traveling. I can’t fit all this entire trip experience into one blog, but I’ll give you a few of the highlights from DR.

Trip Memorable Highlights

1. I forgot to tell my bank I was traveling out of the country and they froze my bank account.
2. I was trying to unlock my bank account and incurred over $150.00 in roaming fees.
3. We road motorcycles aka moto-taxes with a total of 4 people on them.
4. We hung out with some locals and ended up in a questionable area.
5. We came back to the hotel and learned the doors were locked, so we set on the curve and waited we found a side entrance.
6. I had the best homemade chips and fresh smoothies in my life.
7. We traveled to another city by bus in another country and honestly had no idea where we were going.

Whew…that was a fun trip adventure.

What’s your interesting travel story?

This blog started from a conversation with a few friends and I wanted to share it with others.

I remember when I was younger in elementary school and a friend would say to me, I’m not this person’s friend, so you shouldn’t be their friend either. “

Sounds familiar? Lol.

But the reality is – that’s not even my hurt. You can be friends with someone and another person may choose to not be friends with them because of their experiences. But whatever happened between others should be for them to resolve and it shouldn’t be hurt you carry as your own. 

Sometimes, you are mad at others not even realizing you may have limited information from one party. Usually, we aren’t even familiar with all the nuances of the situation and we carry other burdens like they are our own.

I’ve also seen this happen with children as well when their parents have an argument or if their parents divorced. Kids are sometimes forced to select one parent over another.  It can often be an awkward situation for the child, when they can be loved by both parents. 

Take a moment to think about the hurt you are carrying. Release that hurt to God and breathe again. 

“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Y’all ever have conversations with yourself? Okay, maybe it’s just me. Let me give y’all an example. ? So, if I have to have a conversation with someone about something I’ll play the conversation in my head before it takes place. I’ve already prepared myself to receive a negative response- when the conversation hasn’t even taken place and to be honest that may not even be their response. ? My assumed negative response may even be from a prior experience that had nothing to do with that person. ?

I was listening to a podcast a few weeks ago and a couple discussed this and as I listened I was like yikes that’s been my reaction in a couple of situations. I could relate to so many of the things they mentioned and how my body and brain automatically prepare for a negative situation without even knowing all the facts. This sounds crazy even when I was writing it. Lol.

Part of getting better comes from you doing the work. The great news is that I’m aware of my behavior and I take it to God.

The Bible is clear on bringing every thought into captivity. So when I think of a negative thought, I don’t dwell on it and I replace it with scripture. Also, I’ve started allowing people to answer questions themselves without assuming the worst. And guess what y’all – it’s been such a positive experience. Woosah.

Question of the Day: What is something that you have acknowledged about yourself that you are working on?

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬