This past week or so, the same theme kept presenting itself to me. No matter how tough life gets don't give up!
This same message came in many forms....
I met a woman who had went through a bad divorce and tried to take her life several time, but thanks to God and her family she was unsuccessful and then got herself together.
I met another woman who went through a divorce and had then struggled to keep her home. Instead of giving up she came up with a creative way to keep her home. She rented out the rooms that her and her daughter didn't use and now she can breath. Even though it was hard to give up her privacy, she still has her home for her family.
Then I received a book from a friend that talked about not giving up on your dream of owning your own business. Most people give up in the first year, but if you keep going and keep focused on the big picture, you will reach your dreams.
Finally, the sermon at church this week was on having dreams that you pursue and focusing on your vision and passion that God put in you. He also said that most people give up when the work begins to get hard and never reach their dreams.
My pastor said something so powerful and yet so simple it impacted me so greatly. He said something to this effect: The mundane man is the man who believes only what he sees, only what is immediate, only what he can put his hands on. He may be a truck driver, a banker, a college president, a clerk, or a junk dealer, - his occupation does not matter. The mundane man lacks depth. He lacks vision. The poorest of all men is not the one without a nickel to his name. he is a fellow without a dream.
No matter if you have money or not, if you don't have something in your life that you are working towards, then what are you doing? Why aren't you doing something? Is it because you are afraid to fail?
Another speaker, actually a college grad, referenced another quote that had me searching for the source. Here it is... Quite powerful, so be open to receive... Ready?
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.
Source: A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson, as quoted by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech, 1994
Well, alright then..... If ALL of us were born to be great in different ways, why do we give up on ourselves so easy? I know I have so many times, it's pretty embarrassing. But another thing that came up in all of my experiences this week helped me shine light on my WHY and probably yours.
We lose focus on our vision or dream because we get caught up in the small things.... Troubles will arise, that's just life. My Pastor, Dr. Stanley Long, said it best today. We should change our perspective on the problems that arise while still keeping focused on the Vision. View these troubles or issues as stepping stones towards our dream. If you lose your passion and forget the vision, go back to where it came from and ask to get that fire back.
So, this week, I challenge all of us to change your perspective of the troubles in your life and keep your eye and passion towards your dreams. Don't give up, no matter what. If you are one of those people that think your problems are too hard to overcome, remember there is always someone else who has it worse.... It's not always going to be easy, but one day in the near future, you will reap the fruits of your labor.
If you don't know what your dream or passion is, I think it's time you take a pause and really spend time with God and yourself to figure it out.
Post your thoughts...
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Must-Have Recipe of the Week
Pan Seared Salmon in a Creamy Wine Alfredo Sauce
This recipe is so quick and easy. I came up with it one day when all I had was frozen salmon and garlic alfredo sauce and decided to give it a try. Serve over rice with sautéed broccolini for the perfect meal ready in minutes.
1 large salmon Filet, cut into 4 pieces
garlic salt
ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 Tbs. of capers
1 jar of garlic alfredo sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup of white wine
1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse the salmon well and remove any bones. Using one of the lemons, squeeze lemon juice all over the salmon. Season with garlic salt and black pepper and set aside.
While the salmon is soaking up the seasonings, prepare the sauce. Preheat a small saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drizzle some olive oil in the pan, then sauté the shallots for several minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Next add the alfredo sauce, juice of the remaining lemon, white wine, capers, and red pepper. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. You may need to adjust the amount of lemon juice and white wine based on your own taste preference.
While the sauce is simmering, preheat a skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and sear each piece of salmon on both sides, then place in a casserole dish.
Pour the prepared sauce over the salmon, cover with foil paper, and bake for 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the salmon.
Remove from oven and serve over rice immediately.
This recipe is so quick and easy. I came up with it one day when all I had was frozen salmon and garlic alfredo sauce and decided to give it a try. Serve over rice with sautéed broccolini for the perfect meal ready in minutes.
1 large salmon Filet, cut into 4 pieces
garlic salt
ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 Tbs. of capers
1 jar of garlic alfredo sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup of white wine
1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse the salmon well and remove any bones. Using one of the lemons, squeeze lemon juice all over the salmon. Season with garlic salt and black pepper and set aside.
While the salmon is soaking up the seasonings, prepare the sauce. Preheat a small saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drizzle some olive oil in the pan, then sauté the shallots for several minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Next add the alfredo sauce, juice of the remaining lemon, white wine, capers, and red pepper. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. You may need to adjust the amount of lemon juice and white wine based on your own taste preference.
While the sauce is simmering, preheat a skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and sear each piece of salmon on both sides, then place in a casserole dish.
Pour the prepared sauce over the salmon, cover with foil paper, and bake for 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the salmon.
Remove from oven and serve over rice immediately.
Sorry about the spelling mistakes... That's what I get for typing this at 1 am. I've corrected the errors. Thanks to my friends that are providing excellent feedback and are helping me grow.
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