Having to walk away from people that you love and care about…
Stepping away from an addiction…
Leaving a job, ministry, or school…

Whether healthy for you or not, walking away from some things and people can be a very difficult and overwhelming task. If you happen to be in a season of transition where you feel God calling you away from one thing and pointing you in another direction I want to encourage you. Keep reading ;)



1. It’s okay if you find it hard. It’s okay if it hurts. It’s okay if you’re sad.
When you have found security, peace, love, comfort, and happiness in certain people, places, and things walking away from that into the unknown is scary. “Where will I find this feeling again?” “How do I walk away?” “What if I’m not ready to deal with the reality outside of this?” “What if I don’t want to walk away?” are some of the questions you may ask.

The truth is it is hard to walk away from what’s known. It does hurt emotionally and sometimes physically to give up the security of what you know or were beginning to know so well. It can be sad and may take you through a momentary grieving and detoxification process.

But the reality is, if God is nudging you to move on and forward he will add some ease to the difficulty, he will replace the pain with comfort, and he will restore your strength through his joy!

Make a list of what you will miss about what or whom you are walking away from. Can God provide you with those items? (This provides some serious perspective) Truth is, everything that we are looking for in man, drugs, alcohol, shopping, food, money, our jobs, churches, etc has already been provided. God has already given us everything we need through him. You need peace? He is that! You want joy? He gives that! You need attention? That’s not going anywhere. You want validation? You find it all throughout the bible. Do you want security and stability? You’ll find it as you become grounded in his word! You want money? Well you have access to everything God has and what he gives is always better than money!

God can be our everlasting everything, we just need to sit back and receive it all from him knowing that trusting it to come from people, places, and things will only bring momentary satisfaction.

2. It’s okay to still want whatever it is.

Forbidden fruit is always more desirable. Adam and Eve struggled with it and so do we. But we do have freewill and must make a choice remembering that each decision comes with an outcome be it positive or negative. Stay in prayer, in your word, and keep your thoughts focused on how great God is and where he is taking you! Constantly thinking about what you need to walk away from keeps you there way longer!

Weigh the costs. Are you willing to forfeit your future even momentarily to stay where you are comfortable knowing that when God moves you from something he always has your best interest in mind? If the answer is yes, by all means remain stagnant. But if not I pray you gain the courage and boldness to move forward!

I don’t have a perfect formula for walking away from the things that have our hearts, spirits, minds, and/or flesh wrapped up. I struggle with it every time I have to! But I do know who to direct you to that does have the perfect answer for your individual need!

One thing I can appreciate about loving Jesus is that He is the one love I’ll never have to let go of.  So whenever I have to walk away from someone I love, something I crave, or feel I need to move forward I know that he will be there to assist me every step of the way loving me the same no matter how many steps back I stumble or leaps I take forward.

You see God knows our individual needs and situations and has the best blueprint on what to do next. Again I encourage you to pray and get in your word. Allow him space to speak to you in whatever manner you guys connect and then be obedient to what he is asking you to do.

Your obedience is better than sacrifice. If you have been led to move forward then you have to work on letting this go so you can get to that. Who knows, there may be a time in the future that God will allow your path to intertwine with someone or something again (IF IT’S HEALTHY, PUSHES YOU CLOSER TO GOD, AND IS IN HIS WILL FOR YOU). But then again it may not. My prayer is that you will be okay with either of those endings, standing firm on what God has called you to move forward from and in!

All my love!
Mel

I had plans to post about something else this week but I thought let me hold off. This is only because I want to share about an event I was privileged to be a committee member and volunteer for. The first annual Royal Summer Tea that took place yesterday August 24, 2013.

My heart is called to pregnant teens and women who have experienced abortion in the past and need assistance in understanding that grace applies to them as well. One of my spiritual mothers introduced me to a ministry a couple of years ago and I have been volunteering there ever since. The organization is called His Nesting Place and they run a pregnancy center and home for unwed mothers as an alternative to abortion. They live life to save the lives of the unborn. (His Nesting Place on Facebook)

Many people feel some kind of way when hearing about pro-life ministries. I must admit that has been me at different points in my life BUT when I am able to experience first hand the lives that are saved (both child and parents) by this ministry, there is no way I can be mad at what they stand and fight for…LIFE. They have been in operation for over 30 years and have housed thousands of women and their children since opening their doors.

Yesterday the first annual summer tea was held in Rolling Hills Estates in one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever been in, in my life. God really blessed His Nesting Place with absolute favor as the owner of the home opened up her beautiful garden in order to put this fundraiser on. 

With over 120 guests in attendance His Nesting Place was able to raise funds and spread awareness about the issue of abortion in America. I feel that the testimonies that were shared by a few of the young women there were touching and resonated with the spirit of everyone in attendance. Which made me feel that I should reach out to my readership on the issue. 

Even though abortion is one of the procedures performed most on women in America it is still a super touchy subject. I just want to hit on it long enough to tell you that: 

1) There are always alternatives to abortion no matter what the situation is. 

2) God has given you the gift of free will! As you exercise it make sure that you are properly and fully educated on the decisions of abortion, parenting, and adoption both in the natural and in the spiritual. 

3) Men or women, if you have had an abortion in the past and are having difficulty dealing with it, whether it happened 2 days ago or 37 years ago, you are not the only one. God wants you to know that there is restoration for you. The guilt, anger, sadness that may be associated with it no longer has to be. Silence surrounding your abortion choice can be the loudest pain in your life. If you are ready to talk about it with someone please do! Not only can you contact me at the His Nesting Place Pregnancy Help Center or through my private practice www.YouCanTherapy.com but you can also find a network of counselors throughout the US and internationally via www.SaveOne.org. 

Freedom is yours if you want it! You have to take the first step…Repentance. That can happen strictly between you and God! Then, if you’re ready there are plenty of people, including myself, ready to help!

Love, 
 Mel

When you are finished reading today's post download a copy of my newest e-guide "Encourage Yourself: My rant turned e-guide"! The link is at the bottom of the post =)

In December I left my job with a very stable community mental health agency in Long Beach Ca. This leap of faith has caused a whirlwind of events and emotions that are molding me into a completely different person than I was 5 years ago when I began working there. As I follow my long lost dreams and attempt to find who I am and what I need at this point in my life, I am grateful that God remains unchanged and kept/keeps his promises.

A couple months back several doors opened for me that put me in great position for exposure, a new course of financial stability, and what I perceive as a joyous course for my life. Two months later I still have not walked through those doors. Matter of fact I’m pretty sure I was duped—Like the bird that thinks a door or window was open and flies *smack* into the glass. That crash stuns you for a bit 

One thing I appreciate about being a child of God is that if we allow for it, there’s always growth, movement, and positive change. Once we think we’ve hit a certain level of awesomeness or even a brick wall, He opens another door and shows us brand new opportunities, visions, and dreams that are greater than we could ever imagine. It’s only a matter of walking into the new, which is often unknown and frankly, scary.

In the last two years my world has been flipped upside down with constant change. Some were easy to handle while others, eh not so much. As a creature of habit and one who does not always work well with drastic transitions it has been a serious adjustment. Walking by faith is no joke.

One thing I remember in vivid detail is praying for God to