Please Lord, No More

Please Lord, No More

Any time I am feeling down, I pull out my journal and reflect on some of my better times. This time I came across a scripture I previously found important to write down: Psalm 119:71, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (NIV).

Long pause.....

When looking for something uplifting, this most certainly isn’t what I would be looking for. When going through the most difficult times, it is hard, no, almost impossible to come to a mental place to say it is good to be going through it. Most times we want someone, something to rescue us.

It’s even more disconcerting when something happens that seems unjust: a car accident, being laid off, an illness, anything that shifts your life in an unexpected direction.

How can it be good to be afflicted?

I have heard many people who consider themselves atheists say, “If there is a God, why would He allow suffering?” Lord knows I would love to have a clear, cookie-cutter answer to this question. However, in my 35, almost 36, years of life, I have learned these things:

• Suffering has caused me to self-evaluate.
• Hard times made me choose between crawling underneath my covers and refusing to face life, or finding the strength to overcome.
• After seeing others suffer, I was strengthened by their story.
• After I have suffered, others were strengthened by my story.

I have absolutely said in the midst of difficulty, “Please Lord, no more!” It sometimes felt like things couldn’t get any worse, but did. I would imagine that in the spiritual realm my spiritual frame must have muscles cut like a massive body builder. I could not imagine one more thing happening that would require me to have faith to get through. Each circumstance required me to trust that everything would work out without having a clue how that would happen.

But ultimately, your pain has purpose. (I winced as I typed that). It is not easy to tell a person who is being afflicted by hardship that their pain has purpose. But it does. One guarantee in life is that there are no true guarantees. Death, illness, foreclosure, eviction looms at everyone’s door, no matter how secure or healthy things seem to be. However, our faith must tell us that no matter what comes, God’s love was present before the pain, will be there during the pain, and will be there forevermore. Even our foolish mistakes serve a greater purpose! It is difficult to understand how an affliction could be good during the trial, and sometimes we don’t fully understand its purpose after the trial. What is most important is that you rely on your faith in God’s word to see you through.

Allow your faith to turn, “Please Lord, no more” into, “Please Lord, no more….but I trust that you love me, and there is a greater purpose in this that I am unable to see. Thy will be done.”

Peace.

If you have any comments, questions, or prayer requests, please contact me at: faithfrfr2014@gmail.com. Also,you can go to my website SherondaLBarksdale.com.  Follow me on Facebook at Sheronda L. Barksdale, Entrepreneur and Life Empowerment Coach, Instagram at: sheronda_l_barksdale, and Twitter at: @SherondaGB.

Empowerment

Empowerment

I am a life empowerment coach. Every woman who is willing to fight to see her vision realized, I believe, is a Vision Warrior. Seeing your vision to your path is not always an easy task, so my work is to empower women to see their vision clearly, then fight for it to come into fruition.

But what exactly is empowerment?

Empowerment is defined as:

“to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means; to enable or permit.”

It may sound strange to some, but sometimes we need permission to be everything we desire to be.

So often we have experienced things in our lives’ that make us believe we cannot achieve what we want out of life. Pathology, traumatic events (rape, abuse, etc.), and self-doubt tells us things like:

• You don’t have enough time to do that.
• There isn’t enough money.
• You aren’t smart enough.

My purpose in life is to empower, give authority to, authorize, enable, or permit every person I work with to see their vision to their path. I have been through numerous life experiences that have required me to find my God-given power to survive and excel. This process has taken a lot of time at times, and some things I continue to have to remind myself. I am now equipped with the tools that will help those who are in need of this type of encouragement without having to take all of the years it took me to acquire this strength. Soon after our work, all of those negative thought patterns will sound like:

• I know that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, so I will find the time. 
• Although I don’t have a lot of money to invest, but I can start somewhere.
•  I am smart enough to achieve anything I put my mind to.

Empowerment is a necessity for anything you want to do in life. Being a great parent, starting a business, or developing an exercise regime all requires you to believe that you have the power to do it. Yet, it can be difficult to convince yourself that any of it is possible. I would love to be your life coach, but if this is not something you can do right now, surround yourself with people and things that are encouraging and uplifting. This way, you can begin to recognize the beauty and talents that were specifically assigned to you, and you can begin to act on these things. You have the right to be empowered!

Peace.

If you have any comments, questions, or prayer requests, please contact me at: faithfrfr2014@gmail.com. Also,you can go to my website SherondaLBarksdale.com.  Follow me on Facebook at Sheronda L. Barksdale, Entrepreneur and Life Empowerment Coach, Instagram at: sheronda_l_barksdale, and Twitter at: @SherondaGB.

References:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/empowerment

Photo by: Omoleye Adeyemi

What is a Life Coach?

What is a Life Coach?

                I am a life empowerment coach, which essentially is a life coach who empowers. Many people do not know what a life coach is nor the benefits to hiring one. This blog intends to give a better understanding, and will hopefully encourage you to find a life coach that will suit your needs.

                A life coach is a person who encourages someone or groups of people in areas they may be struggling with in life. There are many types of coaches: fitness, nutrition, career, motivational….the list goes on. I specialize in personal and spiritual growth, time and stress management, relationship/couples coaching, and motivation for women and teens ages 13-18. My belief is as a life coach, we should always guide our clients into making decisions that best suits their life, as well as ensuring the client feels so empowered that they can encourage and empower themselves in the future.

                I use many techniques when working with clients, and the technique is always based on the client’s need. One technique I do like to use with every client is the development of a vision board. A vision board is a visual representation of what we what our goals to look like. For example, if your goal is to have a better marriage, you would create a vision board that displays what this looks like to you. You would then post this board in a place that will allow you to intentionally look at it daily as a reminder of what you are working towards.

                I also like to dive into any pain, unforgiveness, or frustrations you may have experienced in the past that may be causing a hindrance in reaching your goals. Many years ago I was a victim of two separate sexual assaults (one a family member, the other was through a date rape drug). After experiencing these things within 3 years of each other, my self-worth was extremely low. It took many years to regain my value. If I had the opportunity to have a life coach, the healing time would have been cut drastically. My desire is to help people to heal from their pain in order to reach their highest potential.

                There are things that a life coach should not do. A life coach is not qualified to diagnose. My degree is in Counseling and Human Services, so I have been educated on how to identify many psychological disorders such as suicide, depression, and narcissism. However, I am not a licensed counselor, so I cannot treat anyone for any psychological disorder. My duty as a certified life coach is to refer anyone experiencing these symptoms to a qualified professional. Also, a life coach should not impose their opinion on your life. They can make suggestions, but you should never feel pressured to do something that will not accommodate your life. A life coach should push you past your comfort zone, but you do not have to do anything that will be a detriment to your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or financial health.

                Now what does having a life coach have to do with faith? The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). As a life empowerment coach, I want to encourage every person I work with to have faith that they can reach heights that seem imaginable. The work each client does calls for them to believe in what is seemingly impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matt. 19:26). Your faith, along with your hard work, will bring your vision into reality.

                Now that you have a better understanding of what a life coach is, I hope that you will find a coach that is best for you. I am currently offering a discounted rate which can be found on my website: www.SherondaLBarksdale.com. When you contact me, you will receive a free 15-min consultation that will help determine if we are right for each other. I look forward to working with you to see your vision for your life realized!

Peace.

If you have any comments, questions, or prayer requests, please contact me at: faithfrfr2014@gmail.com. Also,you can go to my website SherondaLBarksdale.com, follow me on Facebook at Sheronda L. Barksdale, Entrepreneur and Life Empowerment Coach, Instagram at: sheronda_l_barksdale, and Twitter at: @SherondaGB.