Even when it feels like you have nothing, you have everything

Have you ever felt like it wasn't enough, no matter how hard you worked or the effort you put in? 

When we are going about our day, the motion of life gets to us. It can feel like we don't have enough and that we live in lack. But, looking at our circumstances can blind us from seeing the blessings in front of us.  

It's easy to focus on the things we have lost and the things we don't have yet. We say something like, "I don't have anything," but in reality, we have everything we need. I often tell my viewers to change their perspective on their situation because how we view it can significantly affect the outcome. For example, if you get a flat tire, you have two options to look at the situation you can murmur and complain and say, "woe is me; everything bad happens to me." Or you can say, “things happen, but I'm going to get this fix, and I won't let this hiccup ruin my day.” When it seems like everything can work against you, you must look beyond the circumstance and see the outcome you want. Practicing turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts will produce positive speech. 

How do you transform your thought process from a negative to a positive mindset? 

Even when you have nothing, you still have everything. I say this because when it seems, things aren't working in your favor, you still have everything you need in Christ. For example, last week, I was looking at my funds, thinking of everything I needed to buy and bills, and saying to myself, “I'm working so hard, and it's still like I don't have enough.” And immediately, God said, hold up, Hailey, you have everything you need, just take another look. Focus and budget yourself for what you need right now and what can wait for another time. It was easy for me to immediately go into a negative spiral and stuck mentality, and I began to speak negativity into my life. But when I shifted my thought process and realized I had enough, I had to prioritize what was a necessity and what was miscellaneous. As a result, I began to feel better about myself and my life. Shifting your thoughts when you go into that negative spiral and self-talk to transform into a more positive mindset is literally stopping it in its tracks. When those thoughts come, say no and speak positively to counteract the negative. This takes practice, but the easier it becomes, the more you begin to practice. For more on shifting negative thoughts to positive thoughts, read https://mrsmindfulness.com/the-four-keys-to-overcoming-negative-thinkingfor-good/.

Could you still trust in God if you lost all your possession?

    Although it's essential to work towards goals and have ambitions if all those things disappear, could you still remain faithful to God? First, we must remember that God is our main focus in our lives. He is the provider of everything we need if we choose to see him that way. It's about getting to a place in your relationship with God where you trust him completely that if you lose your house, car, friends, and money, you will still have faith in God. Like the story with Job, he lost everything. But he weathered the storm and continued to trust in God, and in the end, God blessed him more than he had before. Because Job understood that even though he lost everything necessary to him, everything he truly needed was in God alone. Referring to the example above of when I was going into a spiral over my finances, I concluded that at the end of the day, nothing else matters but my relationship with God. As long as I focus on that and continue to deepen that, he will take care of me because he is everything to me, and that is one thing that can't be taken away.

    God knows all the things we are ashamed of and embarrassed about; he wants us to learn from them, grow and become better people. Not let those things hinder us from his love and keep us bound in fear and shame. He wants us to know even with all of our guilt and things we think are too horrible or evil for God to solve, he can handle our mess. When we feel like we have nothing, we have everything in him. The beauty is that we don't have to carry those thoughts, feelings, or burdens he wants to take for us. When we are feeling lost, empty, confused, or stressed out, that is the time to say,  Lord, I give this to you cuz I can’t handle it. He will give you the strength you need to talk to that family member, give you the funds and resources to pay your bills, give you relationships to edify you, and give you the want you need if you let him. But despite our feelings and circumstances, we must remember that God is always by our side. And if we trust him and make him our everything, everything else will be taken care of.

    As I conclude, I'm going to leave you with this scripture  "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be  added unto you."Matthew 6:33. No matter what, put God first; he will provide everything you need and worry about. You will begin to see that you have more than enough because you trusted God and believed in his promises. So let's practice positive self-talk and begin to let God be the head of our lives. May God be with you and give you peace until next time. 

~Mahalia 💓💓