TGIF!! I ain't mad, I'm good!

TGIF!!

Thank God It's Friday!

Thank God I'm Finished!

Thank God I'm Free!!

First things first...as SOON as I got home today I took a nap. That was the best hour of sleep I have had all week! Now let's get to business!

As I was rolling my little red cart out of work this evening (IYKYK) there wasn't a single car left In the parking lot. Everyone left a few minutes early because they were concerned about an impending storm. I had work to finished so I stayed until my tasks were complete with the full confidence that it wouldn't rain until I was safe in my home...and guess what? It didn't! There wasn't a single drop of rain until I was safe and sound in my house.

I was good...God had me covered per usual!

This blog isn't about that though...well not exactly but kinda! You see, yesterday I had an encounter with some amazing new teachers. One was a young teacher, Mr. C, who shared his fight to overcome a traumatic near death experience. This was one of those encounters where you feel like you've been gifted with an opportunity to minister and be ministered to. It was like that! He shared the struggle that he's having balancing his new normal while mourning who he once was. He expressed the desired to "be who he was again!" I expressed that he is exactly who is supposed to be right now and the journey to becoming this new version of himself is not one without purpose. Now, I am paraphrasing our conversation because It was much longer and way more In depth than that, but the point of It remains. Sometimes we have to go through something awful to become who we are meant to be. Sometimes even to learn who we are meant to be with and who we are meant to leave.

The most Important part of the journey to rediscovery Isn't the end when you become, it's the middle of the battle, the actual war zone, the place where you are actually becoming. You see, life in the middle of the battle challenges everything seemingly all at once.

So let me go bible for a second...

Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

In this passage, Jesus does not minimize the reality of the enemy’s work. He names it plain as day! Loss, harm, and destruction are real forces that we encounter in our minds, relationships, health, and even in our purpose. The enemy often starts subtly: stealing joy, peace, confidence, or hope in the form of broken relationships, health issues, and missed opportunities long before we notice the damage.

As Mr. C and I were talking, he said something profound that reminded me immediately of God's promise at the end of that same scripture. He said, "How can I be mad when I am so good!"

Let me run that back...

How can I be mad when I am so good!

This...coming from someone who just a year ago was fighting for his actual life and is still working each day to recover from what could've been deemed as a life ending tragedy! I told him he inspired my next blog post because that's a whole word! He is an inspiration all by himself because he is a literal walking, talking miracle!

Jesus did not stop with just a warning about how the enemy would seek to kill, steal, and destroy, he immediately offers a promise stating that “I have come that they may have life.”

Not survival. Not barely making it. Full, abundant life. Soooo...

John 10:10 reminds us that while the enemy is persistent, he is not sovereign. Jesus' presence interrupts every attempt to diminish who God created us to be. Even when circumstances feel heavy, life In God means restoration where things were stolen, healing where things were wounded, and purpose where things felt destroyed.

So again, How can I be mad when I am so good!

I want to remind you, if it’s stealing your peace, killing your joy, or destroying your hope, then it’s not from God. Jesus came so you could live fully, even in the middle of the fight.

So don't let anything steal, kill, or destroy your joy and don't you be a joy thief, a joy killer, or a joy destroyer!

Here's a prayer if you are struggling to find joy:

Lord, open my eyes to anything that has been quietly stealing my peace, joy, or faith. I receive the life You promised—full, whole, and overflowing. Restore what has been taken and strengthen me to walk boldly in Your truth. Amen.

If you're not following me on TikTok...come one over!

I love you! I really do because you deserve to be loved just for being you!

Love,

MichelleRena

Remember to have your cup of J.O.E. (Joy Over Everything)

Gotta love Joy!