Things Are Not Always What They Seem

Sometimes it can feel as if God has left us. Especially when we feel alone and scared. Life can be so incredibly hard at times. When we feel alone, however, we are usually going through a trial that will help us to grow. Regardless of how we feel, God is there with us. He doesn’t leave us during the hardship, but He walks with us—and sometimes He even carries us.

Right now I feel as if I’m in the middle of a storm. It hurts and I want the pain to stop. On the other hand, I want to endure every moment so that I can grow and so that God will do great things with my life. The struggle I am in right now is preparing for me the blessings that my heart desires. This trial will help me to become closer to my God, stronger, more compassionate, and obtain more wisdom. 

While I know all of these things it is still hard to endure the hardships in my life. I want to go through the trials quickly, but sometimes we have to stay in the eye of the storm until it transforms us. When it gets to the point that it feels as if it will break me that’s when the strength occurs. God will never allow it to break me, if I trust in Him. He will, however, push me to my limits to show me that with Him there is no limits. 

Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

We are all so much stronger than we realize. The God in the valley, pushing us through our trials, is the same God who pours His blessings upon us. And His love for us is the same. Just like with our children, sometimes He is harder on us because He has big plans for us. During the down moments, when we just want to quit and accept defeat, we need to remember our dreams and the prayers that we have asked God to answer. 

The trials of today produce the blessings of tomorrow. Hang in there. God has big plans for you. When this trials passes and you see the blessing, it will all make perfect sense. Every time I get discouraged and think that I can’t do it anymore, I remember how God turned a fractured elbow and months of pain, into one of the greatest blessings of my life. However, when I lay in my bed each night, unable to sleep and in extreme pain, day and night, I couldn’t see at the time any way for God to turn it into a blessing. A few months, and a thumb later, I completely understand. And I’m so grateful that even when I begged, He didn’t pull me out of the fire. He helped me carry my burdens and pain and then rewarded me for my efforts. 

We serve an amazing God! One day I will be able to share this story of overcoming and tell you how God turned the trial I am currently in to an amazing blessing. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Stop! Just Stop!

Why do we feel the need to hurt other people? This is something that I may never understand. It breaks my heart to cause pain to someone else. So often we forget that our words and actions cause scars. We might say something in a joking matter and it might not seem significant to us, but to the person receiving the criticism it might be devastating. 

Teasing and bullying are a real problem. Every time that I do a school visit or sit with someone who has suffered from the attacks, it breaks my heart. Especially when the good natured, kind person starts to change. This happens so often. 

We have to figure out a way to help these children. Body shaming is a real issue. Kids are being bullied for being overweight and they are also bullied for being underweight, being too smart and not smart enough. When they are already self-conscious about it, then it just makes the bully’s voice stronger and louder. In all reality, even if the child appeared to be perfect, her or she would be bullied for that as well. 

As adults we need to be the example. Our children are watching and listening. They see how we treat other people and hear what we say about others. In so many ways, they mimic us. We need to make sure that we are setting a good example for them. 

When we see a troubled person, we need to remember that something caused him or her to be troubled. Something or someone caused their heartache. Instead of labeling them or shunning them, we need to show them love and kindness. If we wish them well in our heart and ask God to help them, I believe that they will feel it, and God will help them. If words have the power to harm, they also have the power to heal. We need to remember that one person can make a difference. 

What if we all committed to respond with love, in every situation to every person. Can you image the kind of difference that we could make? We might not be able to change the world, but we could certainly change the little part of the world that we live in. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

When God’s Plan Aligns With My Purpose

Sometimes it can be so hard to figure out what to do. We tend to over complicate things. Every time God opens a door for me and brings something new into my life, I go through a period of questioning and doubting. First of all, I want to make sure that I’m on the right path so that I can do His work. Secondly, I know that I will need His strength and guidance to do anything great with my life. I always want God to be in the arrangements of my life.

Last April, I was presented an opportunity to become a Beachbody coach and help others. I had been thinking about it for years, but when it would come up, I would dismiss it. This time, however, it got my attention and I prayed about it for weeks before I signed up. Right away the resistance showed up, and tried to get me to quit. This should have been my first sign because I have been fighting against the opportunity, instead of embracing it. 

Every time I would decide to go all in and give it everything that I’ve got, something would happen. In July, I broke my elbow and had to heal. In October, it was hand surgery. Then, I had to deal with overuse in my right hand and arm while I was healing. Throughout this process, I have learned that the enemy will not leave us alone while we do God’s work. It doesn’t get easier. If we don’t quit, however, we will get stronger. 

My dreams make me cry. I have conversations all the time with people who are in the same place that I was in a few years ago. Some are in pain, battling disease, and losing hope that they will ever get better. I’ve been there. I know how it feels to be consumed with pain and feeling hopeless. I also know how it feels to overcome it all. And I want to do everything in my power to help others overcome their hardships as well. 

Finally, I believe in what I do with my whole heart. Last week, God gave me a moment and showed me a little glimpse of what this business could do for me, as well as others. It is so much more than doing a workout and drinking a shake. It is about friendships and truly helping others through their hardships. What an amazing opportunity! 

Now I can see that He has been preparing me for this for years. The books, the speaking engagements, the struggles and hardships have all been part of this next step in my journey. God amazes me! I am so grateful fro His guidance, love, and protection. I love it when He blesses me to take a step back and to see where I was, to see where I am now, and to look into the future, by an eye of faith, and see where He is taking me. 

While I know that the journey won’t be easy, I also know that my God will walk with me every step of the way. Do you want to join me?  

Love and blessings, 

Candida 

Overpowering The Bad With The Good

The voice of heartache and drama is loud. It screams at us and wants to overwhelm us. When we tune into the negativity and bad news, then it will establish our mood for the day. 

I used to start my day with the news. Hearing about all the bad things happening in the world, however, was not an effective way to start my day. The doom and gloom stayed with me all day. It consumed me. So I made a decision. I stopped watching the news. 

Now I start my day by reading my Bible and with prayer. I want God’s word to establish my mood for my day. I have no idea what is around the next corner, but my God knows. So I ask Him to help me with whatever comes my way. 

The devil wants us to feel overwhelmed. He tries to cause us stress and make us miserable at every occasion. When we start feeling this way, we need to find a quiet place and talk it over with the Lord. He will help us see our situation with a new perspective. 

My goal is to continuously keep my eyes on the Lord and to seek His ways. In this world of strife and sorrow it is hard. The enemy comes at us in many different ways. He will steal our peace and joy if we are not careful. That is why we need to watch and pray, and protect ourselves against him as much as possible. 

When we learn to pray more, take our every problem to God, and trust Him to take care of us, then we can live a more joyful life. Bad things will still happen. We will still have heartache. It just won’t have the same profound effect on us. The closer we get to God, the stronger we become. 

Romans 12:21 (KJV)

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Love and blessings, 

Candida 

Overcoming The Resistance

The Resistance always shows up. Every time I decide to change my life, break through my limiting beliefs, or do something differently the struggle appears. The moment anything becomes hard, our natural instinct is to quit. If we can keep going, however, regardless of the obstacles, then we can break through the resistance. 

By now I should be used to it, but it is still hard for me to overcome. The resistance causes me to doubt, so I usually slow down or quit for a while. It took me seven years to get my books published because after every rejection, I quit. The rejections broke my heart and made me doubt my abilities, so instead of persisting I would usually cry, tell God that I couldn’t do it anymore, and stop writing. Now I can see that I stood in my own way for years. I don’t want to stand in my own way any longer. 

Once I develop the correct mindset, however, then I can break through the resistance. It’s all about what we believe. If we believe that we can’t do it, then we will not be able to do it. The same is true for our positive beliefs. If we believe that we can do it, then nothing will stop us. 

So how do we break through the resistance and change our limiting beliefs?

1. Show up every day. 
2. Create a plan of action.
3. Take action.
4. Repeat

For me, writing was not just something that I mastered in a  few attempts. It is still a struggle for me. Every book starts out with a blank page. It’s a skill that is simply honed by writing. We get better at whatever we want to master by doing it. As the saying goes, quitting won’t speed up the process. I’ve been writing for ten years plus, and 179 consecutive days, and this was the first morning that I actually looked forward to writing and enjoyed the process. Usually, I fight against it. 

Breaking through our limiting beliefs is hard. But so is regret. We don’t know what we are capable of until we try. What is holding you back? Don't quit on your dreams!

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Why I Love Easter

Since the beginning of time, the enemy has tried to destroy God’s people. It all started with Adam and Eve. Even though they sinned in the garden, God devised a plan to save them. Once they sinned against God, He didn’t just cast them away, but He loved them enough to help them. He has that same love for us. 

From the beginning, the world tried to destroyed Jesus. Even when they witnessed the miracles that He preformed. On the day our Lord was crucified, I’m sure they thought that they had succeeded. After all, our Savior was dead. What they didn’t realize, however, was that He gave His life as a ransom for our sins. No one took His life. He wasn’t defenseless or powerless as He hung on the cross. The nails didn’t keep Him on the cross. It was love. He knew that we needed Him. So He endured it all for each and every one of us. 

On that third and appointed day, Jesus overcame death and showed us that we can, too. He came out of the tomb. What a glorious blessing! Even death couldn’t hold our Savior. One day, as we close our eyes in death, we will open them in Heaven, and spend Eternity with our Lord. His sacrifice is our blessing. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to praise my Lord. Every stripe and every moment of agony was endured for us. My mind can’t even fully grasp His love for me, but every once in a while my heart gets to feel that amazing love. 

Today, as the devil tries to stand in your way and give you a million reasons why you shouldn’t go to church, cry out to Jesus. He understands, and He has grace for your every need. God doesn’t expect us to overcome the devil on our own. That’s why God gave us Jesus. He will stand up for us, help us, and love us through it all. 

Happy Easter!

Love and blessings,

Candida 

7 Ways To Stay On Track During Holidays

Eating healthy can be especially challenging when the holidays arrive. Food is often used to celebrate everything. It’s so hard to find the perfect balance of enjoying the holiday with family and friends and not sabotaging our progress. When we go overboard and eat too much, especially sugar, it just makes us feel bad. Planning ahead is my key to success.

Since I am gluten and dairy free, it helps me to avoid lots of the candy and other treats. But I decide before the holiday arrives that I will not allow myself to go overboard. The more sugar that we eat the more we want to eat. Instead of allowing myself to have an “unlimited” supply of candy and sweets, I decide before I go what I will eat. Tomorrow, I will have a serving of chocolate or candy. I will enjoy it and then it will be over. I will not make bad decisions and sabotage my progress. I’ve worked too hard to feel better to make myself sick again with bad decisions. Because I know that one bad day of eating, can make me sick for a week. It’s just not worth it to me. 

So here are my best tips for enjoying the holiday, while still staying on track.

1. Decide beforehand what to eat. 
2. Measure out portions. 
3. Exercise some time that day to burn those extra calories.
4. Drink more water.
5. Enjoy the treat without guilt.
6. Get away from the food. So often we snack without even realizing it. 
7. After the holiday, discard the leftovers. Don’t take home extra servings of cake or candy. 

With kids, I know it can be tricky. Just try to make the best decision for them as well. They don’t need tons of candy either. Sugar is highly addictive. So just beware. Once we are mindful of our actions, it just helps us to make better decisions. 

Have a wonderful Easter!

Love and blessings, 

Candida