#WriterRevelations: The Great Christmas Miracle and What I Learned in 2017

     There I sat upside down and the blood rushing to my head, as they pried and prodded my teeth, recommending high quality but less than affordable dental treatments. I would love to get everything fixed within my mouth and have the perfectly aligned teeth, my wisdom teeth out and teeth free of plaque build up. Yet, the reality is you can't always get what you want, and it isn't a priority right now to have all this extraneous dental work.

Plus, even worse was that my dental insurance expires like Cinderella's pumpkin carriage at midnight on January 1, 2018, and to top it all of, as I sat in the dental chair, I was still between jobs. I have actually successfully gotten two seasonal jobs this holiday season but they left a lot to be desired and were temporary so I moved on to find a better opportunity.

I have been praying and praying for a financial miracle since I lost my job in September. Then, by God's great grace, on October 17, I was hired for the first job, and used that paycheck from one day's work as a tithe to show God that I was faithful in believing his great grace could provide the job for me.

Then, on November 13, 2017, I was hired for the second job and again used my paychecks as seeds to sow to continue in faith toward the job that was meant for me.

In the meantime, I just continued to be diligent toward the completion of my novel, Kickflip My Heart. And somehow, God not only gave me the words but the plot lines to complete it and it ended up after a good editing to be 40,655 words. I have never written that much in a fiction project in my life but with God's help, the impossible became possible.

Not only did I write 1697 words in one sitting today instead of 1078 but #KickflipMyHeart is officially done being written. I will be editing it this week but it finished at 40,619 words. I did it everyone. I wrote a complete YA novel. I am over the moon right now! #amwriting pic.twitter.com/B1gxrReTq6

— Chelsea DeVries🦋 (@ChelseaDeVries) December 10, 2017

Then, like God rewarding me for being obedient to him, I received a call Monday afternoon asking me to come in for an interview Friday for a hostess position for one of my favorite restaurants.

I arrived for the interview right on time and entered the building and introduced myself to the girl in the front, and it turned out that the manager I was supposed to meet wasn't in and the guy who called me for the interview would be interviewing me.

Before I even began the interview, he asked me if I wanted something to drink.

I was already impressed by his hospitality. I did the interview and although I felt my resume was lacking for the job position based on my experience, God made something out of nothing.

He asked me when I was available to start, "Whenever you need me," I eagerly stated.

Then, he said something that made me aware of God's glory in my life:

I can tell that you have the personality to deal well with people. Just the way you came into the restaurant and introduced yourself,  your patience, and you aren't even nervous sitting across from me now, that I believe you would make a great hostess!

So not only did I complete my novel after a year and a half of work, and never having written 40,000 words of fiction before, but I got a job out of the blue. My Christmas wish came true!

So no matter what your Christmas looks like right now, I pray that you get everything your heart desires this Christmas but even more so, I pray that everyone who reads this blog post comes face to face with Jesus this Christmas and is full to the brim with his peace that passes understanding and joy unspeakable.

Say this out loud right now: "Father, I thank You that I am furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation. You have fully supplied and completely decked out my life. I receive every need fully supplied, every debt totally wiped out, and I have more than enough to help others, in Jesus' Name!"

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Until next time,

#WriterWednesday: New Poem Fresh Off The Press

            Out of the Woods

Tired of not seeing the forest for the trees

when it comes to you

I would cut down every tree to get to you 

but you would only call it wasted paper.

I tell everyone you are my world,

the sun, the moon 

all while diminishing my own star

in order to keep you shining.

Why do I hold on 

when you leave me

standing in the cold

with nothing to cover me

but a single feather.

Loving you is tough

lust and leather

that doesn't withstand

the weather;

my skin sweats 

and sticks to you

uncomfortably.

Cubic zirconium

when I wanted

a diamond ring

on my left hand.

A green remnant

reminds me that 

all that glitters isn't gold.

To have and to hold

Nothing holding me

but fear and unbelief

Not even

a prayer and sacrifice 

can save me

Religious ritual;

no faith.

I hold your picture in my hands

so hard I bleed

but you have no interest in phlebotomy.

Or me.

It's you I idolize yet

all you ever do is cut me down to size

Loving you is no prize

And frankly my dear

I'm tired of all the wasted time.

~Chelsea DeVries~

#WriterRevelations: What Are You Worth? (Self-Worth)

I know I'm not the only one who has days where you start to lose control of the thoughts and the things that bombard you and your mind. They come in waves and they are creepy crawlies in that you don't detect them at first. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you are insanely happy about something in your life. Maybe you just lost 15 pounds, you finally conquered a massive fear (this year I conquered driving and riding roller coasters), you just started dating someone, or you just published a book. These are all made up scenarios but it seems like the instant life is going good, the bad thoughts creep in to shake things up from the inside out. And then one day, you look in the mirror and you are confused with how things have gotten so off-course.

Truth is: A true sense of identity and/or self-worth must come from within the inner workings of your spirit being.

Before getting serious, let me give you an actual anecdote from my real life. As you may or may not know, I recently became jobless and recently, my family and I had a very huge falling out. Things were said back and forth that were negative, belittling, shameful, and aimed at cutting me down to size according to the perspective of the person who was saying it.

It made me feel hopeless and broken but I chose to forgive anyway because one truth life has made abundantly clear is that oftentimes, someone cuts you down to size because somewhere along the line, something they dealt with, had to go through, or even a wrong thought pattern made them feel hurt they couldn't bear alone and people handle or hurdle the pain that presents itself to them along the journey of their life.

That's why I chose to forgive because I knew the person or persons words and actions were done out of this handling of pain. They feel like they were unfairly shamed, made to feel small, or even worthless. Yet, they aren't even aware that this isn't the entire truth at all. It's not even partially true because your feelings matter but they don't have any basis in truth.

People work long hours and sacrifice their families to gain the approval of an employer and feel valuable at the office. They get in debt buying clothes, cars and houses hoping somehow those things will make them feel more important.

If you trust in Jesus and made Him your Lord, you've been made the righteousness of God. 

Tweet: But have you ever let his sacrifice settle the nagging question of your self worth? #WriterRevelations: What Are You Worth?

A grandson of a preacher I consider to be my spiritual father says it best:


Tweet: The price paid determines the value. The price paid determines your value. #WriterRevelations What Are You Worth?

Until next time, remember, the price paid determines your value. Forget everything except Jesus!

In Christ Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea

xoxo

#WriterRevelations: How and Why Discontentment sets In

September 25, 2017 I decided that I was willing to lose the job I've had for two years. This year alone working this particular job was like trying to live in a house that was situated on an area highly-prone to weekly earthquakes. Some weeks you would only feel tremors, other weeks the 8.1 or higher magnitude waves would shake the ground you were standing on, and you didn't know if this would be the death of you. Financially, some weeks were harder than others but somehow God took care of me throughout this year alone following the signing on of a new client as of the end of January 2017. Before this, this job was as stable as any other freelance gig. You do the work; you follow the instructions of what the client wants in terms of writing or social media management and you get paid. Sounds simple, right? Yes, it was. And I was grateful to be paid for my writing, no matter if it wasn't exactly enough to live on.

 Yet, I never recall a time since graduating from college that my financial resources were completely depleted. God always found a channel to give me exactly what I needed even if it wasn't enough to move out of my parent's house, and be completely free of the impossible expectations I feel I have to meet in order to be loved and accepted by my family, or anyone for that matter. This was where the discontentment seed planted itself in my heart, and as long as things were not changing for me, job-wise, I let it fester. Then, just when I blogged that everything was secure again, I was going to be paid for my 3 weeks of work, plus work a few weeks in October, the client canceled the contract with us, and decided to move on. No explanation as to why but for about a day, I was a little hopeless. Although, I remembered how I felt like a clean slate would be the best place to begin again from. So I accepted the client's decision, despite not at all knowing where I was going to get money to pay my monthly bills let alone buy beauty aids, Christmas presents, and some treats for myself.

 The slate was completely wiped clean. And I've never felt better. It turns out my discontentment wasn't due to the fact that I have to live with my parents or my interferring sisters who care more about my mediocre life than they do about me living my destiny and just being happy with my current life, no matter how unstable it is. My discontentment began to grow leaves and sprout up when I started working for this client. Without going into too much detail, I can honestly feel a weight has been lifted off my chest and I am content to see what God has in store for me next now that my only source is Him, and Him alone.

If left unchecked, this dissatisfaction will infect every area of my life. So for today, I plan to keep my focus on all the blessings I have in Jesus. I will thank Him for who he is, for what He has done, and for what He will do in the future. And I hope that will bring me one step closer to learning the secret of being content in any circumstance...and keep me from my own fall.

Some examples of those blessings I have in Jesus:

1. Joint Heir in Christ

2. Forever Forgiven for any and all sin

3 Righteousness of God in Christ

4. Healing of my body, mind, and emotions

5. All things richly to enjoy

6. A roof over my head

7. A bed to sleep on

8. A/C

9. Running water that is safe to drink

10. Never Knowing Hunger that isn't satisfied by proper nutrition

11. Wi-fi

12. A Smartphone

13. My laptops

14. My ipod

15. Gym equipmet

16. Paper and pens to write

17. A printer

18. DVDs

19. Clothes

20. My dogs

21. Extra time with my parents despite being in my mid-twenties

22. Pandora

23. Coffee 

24. Hulu

25. Netflix

26. Laundry Detergent

27. Soap

28. Deodorant

29. Razor

30. Shampoo/Conditioner

I could go on because I could even go further to name all my friends, all my friends via social media, or this blog, or even The Smart Cookie Philes, and all the celebrities I've met.

So really discontent is a lie from the pits of hell and now that I've seen it in the garden of my life, I've pulled that weed up from the roots and not allowed it to destroy all that Jesus died to give me.

   So no matter what happens next, my trust and all I dream is in the hands of my God, at the feet of Jesus, and I refuse to take a thought or care about it.

Now I am not trying to be political here but there has been some recent division regarding whether one should stand during the national anthem. Now I tend to lean one way but for the purpose of the various people reading this post, I will not air my views about this issue but I want each of us to get quiet and join me in the #TakeAKneeChallenge:

Make a list of all the things in your life in this moment that are holding you captive, things you need to see with new eyes. Then claim the promise of Jesus over those things, and rip up the list. He has come- you are FREE!

So in this somewhat uncertain season of my life, I choose Jesus every single time because I would rather be content in Him than discontent in the pleasures and promises of this world. If, like me, you are in a severe drought season, your slate is completely clean, and you are in immediate need of provision of some kind (healing, deliverance, or even monetary provision), please know this is your direct confirmation from the throne room of heaven that the promise is about to manifest in your life. Get ready for your YES to come raining down!

Until next time, 

In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea

xoxo

#WriterRevelations: Rely On the Source (Manna From Heaven)

Boy, it always amazes me how much God uses my life to preach and teach to my readers. After two months of very few updates, I am back with three new posts over the next month!

It's been almost a year since I got fired from Wal-mart. And ten months since I quit working seasonally for UPS. Yet, I've managed to work as a freelance writer for the span of two years. And no matter the client, I've always done my best work because that's how I am when it comes to writing, it's my best work, or I step back and wait for it.

The same goes with these blog posts. I pray, pray, and pray for a word for you guys and then magically the happenings in my life seem to mirror the overall theme I receive during my Bible study and then I sit down to write. You can bet I pray about plots and subplots for my novel as well. If I am going to write it, I always bring it to the throne room for the final anointing so God can use it to minister and encourage his children.

I used to blog about my daily occurrences but this year, God asked me to start a new series called Writer Revelations: A writer chick using the Bible to explain and challenge people to live their best life. So anything I want to be silly about or less than serious gets posted elsewhere (mostly Twitter), and here is where I present what God wants you to know.

You don't have to be a Christian to receive these messages. Whatever faith or denomination you subscribe to, as long as you believe in a higher power, these words of encouragement will work to make a difference in your life.

And if you don't believe me, that's fine. I will just preach this to myself. LOL.

Since the beginning of the year, I've been planning a short trip to Disney in order to give myself some hands-on experience in the parks so that my novel reads authentically. Plus, I figured it was a grad trip I could give myself for getting past 20,000 words in my WIP.

Come the end of August, things were looking like I may or may not go. Then, my mom happened to write to her cousin via social media and ask if she could get us $79 tickets for our trip. Yet, she asked when we were planning to come out, and it turned out she was off that day, and because she is a Disney World Castmember, she could get us in absolutely free.

God-wink #1.

Then, came the news of Hurricane Irma, and people everywhere started to panic. Prior to this news, Panera Bread notified me that I was chosen to receive a free Daily Bagel From Panera.  

 I bet you are thinking, "Ok, what does that have to do with anything?" As you may remember, I was kicked off food stamps back in May, and have struggled with that for the past four months, so God provided manna for the month of September so I would remember who the source of all things really is.

Yet, since the Hurricane was heading for my home state, Panera was closed for a week, and my trip truly looked like it wasn't going to happen. There was nothing that I could do except one: it doesn't get enough credit but it's probably the most vital thing we can do at anytime in this life.

Yet, Irma came and left without my house suffering severe damage other than our front fence falling down. We never lost power, got flooded or even evacuated because we have faith in the Source.

My faith was high and I was floating like a leaf in the blistery, hurricane force winds. Yet, the day following the aftermath, my boss of two years wrote me saying he did not know when he was going to be able to pay me. I got a little concerned. Here I was heading to Orlando, about to spend every dime I had managed to save starting with my tax refund at the beginning of the year, and my boss was making me rethink this whole trip.

To make a long story short, I ended up choosing to trust in God despite the fear of lack and poverty that besought me, and God rewarded me for it.

I went on my trip and had a killer time. For a full 25 minute video of the whole experience, please check out my #WaltLife VLOG.

This trip proved so many things to me but basically #1 is that

If God cares about the number of hairs on your head, what makes you think whether you go on vacation or not does not matter to him? So, whatever you perceive as fun, God cares about that.

God showed me that with my trip because every little detail of it was taken care of and I was able to just enjoy being in the moment for the first time in a while. Plus, he cares about the fate of my novel which boggles my mind because it's just this glorified Ryan Sheckler Disney fanfiction that I started when I was 14 but he has turned it into best-selling material that will speak to people from all walks of life which I can further praise him for.

I came back from my trip to find out that not only did I still have a job but my boss is going to pay me the full amount he owes me for 3 weeks of work, plus he even agreed to let me work two weeks in October after originally thinking he would need me to take a month off.

Thank God for his infinite love!

Sometimes I feel that ever since I started working when I was in college, it is easy to start to look at your self and your efforts and think of your job as your only source of income, provision, or prosperity but God has proven this year alone, that he still is REIGNING as the Source of all every time he rains his love, favor, and blessings on me.

My next post will go into this further but there has never been a month since being fired and prior to working at Wal-mart where I lacked for food, shelter, or a bed to sleep on. And even more amazing is when during those really hard months God will give me extra manna to buy that whatever I have my heart set on: whether it be a gift for my family member or dogs (I love to spoil my dogs in case that wasn't clear) or my favorite artists new album, or even a new athletic outfit to workout in.

MY God is so AMAZING to me because he CARES about it all.

The Lord is inviting you and I to trust Him and live in both the adventure and security of a life of faith.

Until next time remember,

In Christ Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea

xoxo

#EncouragingDadsProject: Laughing In the Face of Trails

Honestly, I’d say I have a great sense of humor. If there is one thing about me that people can find likeable, it would be that. Yet, I inherited that trait from my father.

When I was young, he was always doing outlandish things to make me laugh, and he taught me the greatest lesson: life is easier to handle when you can laugh at it.

Eventually he had me memorizing jokes to tell my friends. I was so young that I didn’t even realize they were a bit too crude for my age group. Yet, I did happen to make people laugh, which ends up making the people around you feel as if you’re easy-going and you can find the good in life to focus on.

About a year ago, I went out with my dad and he happened to go to a barber shop. He said he had been going to that barber for many years but the shop was empty and the barber was way too quiet that it almost seemed as if he was only a mirage and not actually a person. When my dad and I got back into the car, he goes, “I swear that man was so old he may have been a ghost.” I said, “What?!” and busted out laughing. Then he goes, “Yeah, I think he’s a ghost barber.” We both laughed so hard we were tearing up. We even kept laughing all the way home. To this day, every time we drive by that barber shop, if one of us says “ghost barber,” we both start rolling in laughter.

So whether your dad is a bit of a hardworking man or imaginative like mine, you should find time to spend with him and something to laugh about because life is short and tomorrow really isn’t promised to no one.

Another example would be from my childhood, we used to have a hammock in my backyard. My dad and I would lay in the hammock and read The Terrible EEK! Retold by Patricia A. Campton. It’s a Japanese story but my dad would read it in such a way that we would both laugh and laugh. I even recently gave him a copy for his birthday.

These days, I don’t always agree with my dad but if I give him a little time, I know he’s going to make me laugh or try his best. And there’s no medicine better for when life is full of sadness, violence, hatred, and evil. Laugher is truly the best medicine and I wouldn’t know at all what it tastes like if it weren’t for my dad.

Before I go, here’s a joke I came up with myself:

What did the corn cob say when it was getting undressed?

Aww shucks. 

#EncouragingDadsProject Top 10 Piece: An Extraordinary Moment Arranged By My Dad

June 3, 2005. The day was charged with an excitement unlike any other because today was the day my dad was taking my sisters and I to the opening day of Lords of Dogtown. A movie about “skateboarding back in his day” was how he described it. I was peeking through the curtain of fourteen years of age. I was just absolutely stoked to be going to the movies with my dad who up to this point was actively involved in my life, teaching me to ride a bike, and soon he would start teaching me how to drive. A driver of some sort most of his life, my dad always was a dreamer and it was one thing I admired about him. He saw things through child-like eyes despite the fact that I was his first born, and he was my father.

                Yet, that movie awoke a fire in me that has yet to be extinguished. Not only did that movie entertain me and strengthen my bond with my dad but it caused me to relate to skateboarders on a whole other level. I saw the way they were rejected from popular society (even in the Dogtown era) and how what started out as a niche became a movement. As someone who was rejected by the popular kids most of my life, I empathized with that commonality: being true to yourself no matter who approves of you, and it’s why I ended up falling in love with skateboarding altogether.

                Fast forward to October 2005, my dad heard a radio advertisement for this event called the Dew Tour and one of the professional athletes named in the ad was fifteen year old skateboarding heartthrob Ryan Sheckler. My dad heard that and he said, let’s go on a family trip to Orlando and see this guy skate in person. There we were, October 15, 2015, sitting in the hot sun, establishing a good old fashioned Florida sunburn and I was wondering when Ryan was going to make an appearance. Finally, after walking in and out of the festivities, hoping to catch a glimpse of this rare breed of teenage boy. None of the boys at my school were as driven and ambitious as Ryan was when he skated, and I couldn’t help but admire that about him. It also helped that he was cute; we finally stood next to the skate course because they announced the prelims were about to start for skateboard park.

                All of a sudden, I was just about to turn to my dad and ask him if he’d seen Ryan, when out from under the skateboard park course crawled out right in front of the barricade where we stood, none other than Ryan himself. My dad instantly knew it was him, and yelled out, “Hey!” to Ryan. Yet, Ryan just nodded at him before looking over at me, and he kept his eyes on me as he walked up the embankment to get to the top of the ramp. I was floored. Was he really looking at me and not looking away? This young Phenom. Throughout the rest of the event, my mom kept nudging me and telling me Ryan kept looking at me.

                Overall, that first Dew Tour experience was a fangirl experience like no other. Thanks to my dad’s courageous “Hey,” I wrote Ryan a fan letter and we corresponded regularly over the next six or so years. I went on to star in a movie alongside Ryan (Street Dreams), have his mom set up a private meet and greet at the hotel because she recognized me, and Ryan even had the chance to meet my dog Geniveve on March 6, 2011. I’ve always been grateful to Ryan and his mom for being so gracious towards me and my family.

                Yet, it never would have happened at all, if my heavenly Father never set it up for my dad and I to bond over the sport of skateboarding, Lords of Dogtown, or even had my father hear that late night radio ad while long-haul truck driving. It’s something that is unforgettable, an experience like that and it’s all thanks to my dad.

                So fathers everywhere, be sure to recognize when your daughter has a dream or a goal, or even a celebrity crush, and go all out for her, because you never know if your daughter will end up being friends with a professional athlete thanks to your efforts.

An actual shot of where I stood on October 15,2005 and how close I was to the action.  

Fabletics :Unboxing (6 months strong)

https://www.fabletics.com/invite/TSCPhiles/

Dud Day At Busch Gardens: A VLOG

Birthday{ Book} Haul

#WriterRevelations: The Power of Being Positive (Social Media)

Lately, it seems to me that the trend on social media is to be negative, pessimistic, or bragging. Or all three if you are really popular on social media. Here I was hoping that those rude and hateful posts would go away following the election of 2016. Yet, here we are, in 2017, and people are really becoming as the Bible says they would in 2 Timothy 3.

I have started to post less on Facebook (or as I call it Fakebook) mostly because people don't see my posts or they just ignore my posts on there. I've heard from others that it's not just me and it has to do with the algorithm Facebook encrypted into its server in 2015. Now Twitter seems to also be suffering from the same problem, and that makes me even more sad because I really enjoyed tweeting. I have been an avid user since when it started up in 2009, and I even helped celebrities like Ryan Sheckler learn about it.

Now everyone uses it and I feel as though people ruined it.

It used to feel like a safe space but now, I get all types of judgement from whatever I post there.

The social media platform I never expected to like was Instagram. What I had heard from the media was that Instagram was full of Selfies. The media once again hit us with a bit of fake news.

Actually, the nicest, most sincere people I've never met (and some I have) are on Instagram. People will support whatever you post there and guess what was even more surprising?!

Positive people thrive there!

I went from starting my Instagram with 200 followers and now I have almost 800, and I truly believe that the sole reason for that is because I always post motivational and positive quotes.

In college, my walls were covered from ceiling to floor with motivational and positive confessions and quotes because

The funny thing was I caught a lot of flack for it. Some people were actually truly hateful toward my #positiveonly vibes. One guy I was friendly with once said to me,

"You truly believe and see good in everything?" 

I replied, Yeah, it's better to be that way.

He retorted with, "No, it's not. It's not realistic. It's better to see things for what they are instead of for what they can be." 

I've been through some serious shit and I'm sure most people reading this have too in some way, shape, or form. Or maybe you identify with being hated on for who you are. Let this post be your motivation to keep on being that same positive, extremely valuable, love-worthy human being no matter how people treat you. Turn it into a positive: Keep being a light.

We all do it. That subtle offense we take when someone ignores our text, our post on social media, or the major offense we take when someone questions or argues with us via our posts. Whether it's on social media or in real life, you are better to just love people and pay no mind to whether they give you recognition. Besides, that offense comes from our pride, and pride is a deceitful little beast we should all tell more often to be quiet and remind ourselves that it isn't all about ME! 

Stop being so gosh darn selfish and I promise you, good things will start chasing you down and your positivity will attract all the right people but even if it's slow in coming, God always loves you and that's a great foundational truth to build your life on. 

Last month I wrote about diligence and I have to update you all that I finally faced my fears and drove on the real road. For all the shenanigans, check it out here.

If you are having trouble facing a fear, call to mind Moses didn't think he was the right person to deliver the Israelites from out of Egypt but God knew he was not only called but chosen:

And I'm not saying I never have a sad day but I choose to never let a sad day define me or ruin God's great plans for me, and sometimes I even take my frustrations and use them to further motivate me. When life is difficult and you don't know where to turn or who to talk to, start with this confession, write it out on Tumblr, and talk to God or a close friend. And always remember, suicide is never the answer!

Until next time, remember I love you and pray for you daily!

Choose encouragement over offense and you will live a long and happy life, I can guarantee it!

If you read this blog and it gave you positive vibes, please feel free to share it or the graphics with your social media network. Let's create a wave of #positivevibesonly and see how it ripples around the entire world!

In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea

xoxo

#WriterRevelations: The Keys To Success (Christian Living)

Dear Lord, I'm so sorry. Some how I had all these intentions to post a blog last month but the month flew by and before you know it was Hazel's birthday.

If you're interested, here's some videos:

Hazel's 5th Birthday!

Hazel's Fifth Birthday Extras

Have you ever felt discouraged about trying to live the Christian Life? If your efforts to make a difference in the world seem fruitless, following the Lord's example could change your outlook.

How was he so effective? Scripture tells us that Jesus did not speak or act on His own initiative but instead depended on His Father abiding in him to do the work (John 14:10). And we are to do likewise.

Even though we may pour great effort and long hours into ministry, these alone won't produce fruitfulness. It's far more important to minister as the Lord intended.

What comfort this should give us!

Until next time, remember:

In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea

xoxo

#WriterRevelations Diligence: How To Take Dreams and Make Them Come True

As most of you know, I recently lost 15 pounds despite having a thyroid disorder. I started practicing healthy eating habits and rigorous exercise habits as well. Yet, it's been a rough five months of the year thus far, in all other areas. I was stripped of my food stamps because they found a false excuse to kick me off the program. Then, I haven't been hired for any other jobs since November when I worked for 1 day as a UPS golf cart driver for their seasonal deliveries. Even worse is that starting in April, the agency I freelance write for started to get scattered with my pay, and even cut some weeks from my work calendar so I would literally have to stretch whatever money I did get for two weeks instead of the usual one.

Needless to say, I started to feel that although my health was in tip-top shape and I felt more energized, confident, and experience more joy, I was wondering why I seemed to have hit rock bottom, so to speak.

So I brought my life before the feet of Jesus and sobbed in his presence asking him to show me where I was missing the mark, and asking him that my life MATTER for His Glory.

I realized that starting in April, I began to go driving but God asked me to go driving every day in order to conquer my fear of it. I have had my license since September but after what happened with the UPS job, it made me feel insecure and that I lacked the overall motor skills necessary to be competent enough to operate a motor vehicle.

So a month has gone by and I have only gone once every now and then. Yet, God showed me that because I lacked diligence it was affecting all other areas of my life.

My writing was also another area that has suffered from lack of diligence and God has asked me to write one scene a day at least in order to complete the 40,000 words needed to finish my YA rewrite.

Companies will hire those that appear to be hard workers and diligence is an in-demand trait. Yet, just because you hold a college degree or have the five years of supposed needed experience doesn't mean you are a shoe-in for whatever job you are pursuing if you are looking for employment such as myself.

I suddenly came to the obvious conclusion that if I want a job, I must be diligent with the tasks God has given me right now.

I've always believed that I was a diligent studious persistent hard worker what with IB (3 years worth) the publication of my first 2 novels, and obtaining my college degree but now I see that although I have an impressive resume, one thing employers can see is that I lack diligence.

What is diligence? 

According to Vine's Bible Dictionary, it is the process of working, an endeavor, or business. An earnest zeal or the haste accompanying this work, business and/or endeavor.

Webster defines it as: Constant or persistent to one's work or industry.

Yet, starting today that is about to change.

Already went driving and went to apply for a full-time job.

— Chelsea DeVries🦋 (@ChelseaDeVries) May 30, 2017

Plus, I did not write ( I consider this to be my writing for the day) yet I did story map so I know where to pick up from tomorrow.

So take this as word of warning; Maybe you are wondering why it seems to be taking forever for your dreams to come true like I was?

Examine your life and lay each area before the Lord, allowing him to show you where you need to focus, and where you are holding to things to tight, casting all your cares upon Him because He cares FOR YOU!

Before I leave you with a final thought, I apologize for taking over a month to write you a new word of encouragement. I am trying to build my Youtube platform so I was focused on making videos for a little while but I will purpose to be diligent in writing you here more than once a month, as well as c
ontinuing with videos for Youtube.


Until next time, remember:

In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea