#purpose

Faith. Hope. Purpose

~ authorlasharnda ~ Leave a comment

As I write this blog, we are entering Holy Week. As usual, this time of year always inspires me to reflect. I cannot help but think about the sacrifice and resurrection of my Lord, Jesus Christ. Amid my pondering, I am compelled to share a message of encouragement with you all.

We are blessed with the gift of life, with divine purpose and intention. Life is meant to be lived positively and purposefully; we should embrace every moment with gratitude and determination. Despite our challenges, we should cast aside blame and excuses, for they only hinder our progress.

Instead, let us embrace ownership of our lives, recognizing that we have the power to shape our destiny through our thoughts, words, and actions. Remember Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” With faith as our guide and God’s grace as our strength, there is nothing we cannot overcome.

As we approach Easter, let us reflect on Jesus Christ’s ultimate act of love and sacrifice on the cross. His resurrection symbolizes hope, renewal, and the promise of new beginnings. Let this be a reminder that no matter how difficult our circumstances may seem, there is always hope on the horizon.

So, my dear friends, I encourage you to embrace your life wholeheartedly. Seize each day with courage and conviction, knowing that the One who created you loves you unconditionally. I pray this Holy Week that we will allow faith, positivity, and purpose to drive our actions, for in doing so, we will unlock the full potential of our God-given talents.

May this Holy Week be a time of reflection, renewal, and recommitment to living a life that glorifies God in all that we do. Remember, it’s your life—own it. No blame. No excuses.

Live Your Life!

~ authorlasharnda ~ Leave a comment

live your life

Recently I was thinking about all that had occurred during 2020. I indeed can find a lot to look back on with dread. Like you, I can regret all the things that took place, whether personal grief, political anxiety, or professional and career halts due to the pandemic. I can complain, or I can be thankful for what did not happen. There were times during the year that I must confess; I did not know what to do. I just took one day at a time, refused to let fear control me, kept trying to do my responsible part, and continued to live my life..

As we end the first month of the new year, I think about things that I have said to myself since I was young. I think about the books I have written, and what has struck me most was the title of one of those books: It’s Your Life, Own It. No blame. No Excuses is one that I reflect on most because never has a title meant more to me this past year.

At the beginning of 2020, a few months before the pandemic hit, I knew that 2020 would be a year of change for me. I loved my job but not the environment. I realized no matter how much I tried; my values did not align with others. I decided that I could stay and become more miserable every day or leave at a good place on my own terms. I decided to do the latter, even though I did not know what I would do next. By the way, I had just sold my house and moved into a lease that would keep me in the area for one year. Almost immediately after I resigned, I went home, and the state went into lockdown. So, talk about uncertainty and second-guessing myself. During that month in quarantine, I read a lot, played on the Internet, and rested. Also, during that month, my mind played games with me—did I make the right decision? What now? Maybe I should have given it more time, etc. Do you know what I did when that would happen? I would remind myself that I had prayed about my life, I had thoroughly thought through my decision, I had made a decision, and I had to own it—the end.

Whew! Doing what I did could be somewhat disturbing and certainly anxiety-ridden for anyone. However, what could I have done about the decision I had already made? I could not reverse it, so I had to live with it. I could do one or two things: sit and sweat it, dread what I had done, and worry about a choice I had made. Thereby ensuring I would live in a state of negativity each day. Or I could embrace my decision. I could look to the future, believe that I had done the right thing, and be open to what was next. Thereby ensuring that I would probably attract positive things to myself. The latter is what happened.

Amid a lockdown, the most perfectly suited position just showed up. In the middle of quarantine, opportunities were still there. At least three came my way, and I chose the perfect one.

just live

I share my story not to brag on me, but to help you see that your life is yours and attitude means everything. Do not allow what the crowd may say about the economy, stop you. Do not let what your family may tell you about your limitations limit you. Please do not allow what you tell yourself about how others see or treat you, become your self-talk. Believe that your future is yours. Trust that you have what it takes and take the steps you need to achieve what you desire.

Never forget God along your life’s journey. I have never stopped believing that He has a plan and purpose for me. It would be best if you did not forget that either.

A New Year. There Was a Lesson in the Challenge…

~ authorlasharnda ~ Leave a comment

When I hear someone try to tell me that a challenge I am facing will help me grow, I challengeswant to say hogwash! However, at my age, I can honestly say that many of my challenges have equipped me for greater things. I know, I know, you might say that I am only saying that because I haven’t faced what you are facing. That may be the case, but you never know what people go through. We don’t really share our deepest troubles on social media. At least I don’t.

Anyway, I would like to share a little about what I have endured over the last year and point out along the way that repeated challenges can get to any of us. Trust me, they have gotten to me. As for me, however, I choose to move beyond them. I learned long ago not to hold onto stuff. If you allow your challenges to get the best of you, you will most assuredly become beaten down, you may get despondent and decide to check out altogether. Counter your challenges. Find joy elsewhere, and I don’ mean in a bottle of drugs either. Find it in a walk, a run, with an animal, at a spa. Just find it.
I find joy in Christmas. The reason I love Christmas so much isn’t because of presents; it is in the people I get to share life with. The hustle and bustle of Christmas can be exhausting, but I always feel joy this time of year. This past year has been one of the most challenging I have experienced in a very long time. Things I thought I was done with years ago, visited me again but in grand design this year. I had not felt the sting of a person trying to demoralize and marginalize me in such a long time, that to experience it at this stage in life really shook me. I had to take stock of my life over and over again. I kept telling myself, “You must be crazy. You don’t need this. Why are you subjecting yourself to this?” I would ask God repeatedly if I was doing the right thing by remaining quiet, ignoring the actions of others, and staying the course. When I was about to throw in the towel, I would get an impression from God that I was supposed to stay the course. What I heard from God was this: “LaSharnda, don’t give up. I didn’t make you that way. Besides, trust me. I am teaching you a lesson. There is always a lesson in the challenge.” So I said, “Ok, Lord.”
At one point during the year, I felt that I was at my wit’s end. I was on my morning run, suddenly, a scripture began to play in my head over again. The scripture was Isaiah 43: 19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Well, of course, I felt God was about to break the cycle I had been experiencing. I waited and waited, and nothing happened. I got discouraged again. Too many things gave me hope throughout the year, only to get my expectations up and dashed back. To this day, I still do not know what God is doing in my life, but what I do know is that I am a different person today than I was a year ago. I know that I have learned some powerful lessons through my challenges.
Challenges can cause flight or fight, and even the strongest among us can get to the point of flight. Don’t feel bad when you finally throw your hands up and walk away, but before you do, I want you to ask yourself, “What lesson am I supposed to learn in this?” Take your time, pray, trust God, and trust yourself. Look at the challenge and determine what brought it on and decide what you can do about it. You always have a choice; you don’t have to put up with anything. However, you may learn to trust God more and rely on yourself less.
If you decide to stay the course, you may find that He is equipping you for something far more significant and even better than what you had before. The skills you develop during the challenges are skills you will take with you to the next level. You may also find that you are stronger, tougher, and brighter than you thought.

Learn from the past and look to the future.  God is about to do a new thing. Can’t you see it?

 

Passion & Purpose

~ authorlasharnda ~ Leave a comment

passion and purposeI just released my 4th book. Yay! I never dreamed when I was a young girl that one day I would write books.  I am not claiming that my books are on the best seller’s list, that’s never been a dream, but I have always felt a need to minister, whether speaking to one person or to hundreds.

I want to encourage you to do the same.  Many times, people won’t do a thing for fear of being criticized that their work isn’t good enough or they don’t want to be the subject of scrutiny when others “like” something or someone else better. I say, So what? If you look at them, I wonder just how “successful” they are in their craft.

Look, dig deep inside of yourself. What are you passionate about?  Take that and dissect it and then tell me, does anything get your blood pumping? Okay, does it add value to others?  My new book, Passionate and Purposeful Work: A Biblical Perspective, was not written to move millions, but it was written out of a deep passion to see Believers do what God has called them to do where ever they are and especially at work.  My purpose? To continue to minister to others where they are. To help others by giving them tools they can start using right now. Today.

Can you do that with your passions? Of course, you can.  Maybe someone made you feel that you have absolutely nothing to contribute by sewing quilts, I say, yes you do.  Or you have little value cleaning offices, yes you do. Or you cannot be passionate about watching kids or spending time with the elderly. If anyone thinks that, they are dead wrong.  Whatever it is that you have a passion for, take it and use it for the glory of God.

God has a plan and purpose for you.  If you don’t know what it is, ask Him. He will reveal it to you. Don’t isolate yourself and listen to what the enemy tells you—which in most cases will be him reminding you that you do not have what it takes.  So, if you feel any of these…

Not pretty enough…
Not tall enough…
Not thin enough…
Not smart enough…
Not successful enough…
Not patient enough…
Not creative enough…
Not a good enough parent…
Not educated enough…
Not talented enough…
Not organized enough…

Remember, you don’t have to be more than God has called you to be, because God is more than enough and will work through you. Plus, Psalms 139:14 says…” we are fearfully and wonderfully made.” That’s good enough for me.