Beloved,

Good news! God can get anything to you that He wants, if He wants, however and whenever He wants to!

That sentence came out of my the other day as I was sharing a testimony with some ladies at my church. It was a small, but yet amazing little thing that God did for me that just made me smile, and reminded me of how He hears even our smallest prayer! 

Let me share it with you.

Like most women, my closet is stuffed, and at times, overstuffed with clothes (despite how much I give away).  But no matter how stuffed our closet, there is always something, that one thing, that it NOT in there that we truly need. (I can hear the AMEN'S)

Well that's where my testimony begins.

A few weeks ago, I discovered, that of All the black sweaters I own, and of all the styles and variations, I didn't have a particular style that I needed. So of course you know what my mission would be that day; GO FIND THE SWEATER! But before I went on my excursion in search of the sweater, I prayed a simple prayer (as I always do) "Lord, please lead me to my sweater". Sadly, after going to several stores I came back empty handed.

I was not as distressed over the sweater as I was in feeling that God didn't answer my prayer, because typically I ask before I go out and He leads me to what I need. So I was feeling like I must have missed Him. Anyway, I let it go and kind of forgot about it. After all it's only a sweater.

The other day, as I was taking another sweater off of the rack in my room, I pulled a black sweater off that is exactly what I prayed for. Problem is, I didn't put it there. So after about 15 minutes of just standing there staring at it, I realized how it must have gotten there. A friend from out of state had stayed in my home last week and it was clear that she had left it there.

"Well look-a-here, GOD HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYER!!" I thought, I couldn't believe I was holding that sweater in my hand.

So you know I did what any good friend would do who found her friends garment left behind, I PUT IT IN THE CLEANERS SO I COULD WEAR IT! 

Later that day I spoke to her to let her know that she had left her sweater, and that I had put in in the cleaners, but that she could have it back.  To my surprise she chuckled and said "you can keep it, God must have had me buy it for you". She went on to share that after buying it, she realized when she got home that she had already purchased one just like it and had forgotten all about it.

It was at that moment I realized, God can get anything to you that He wants, if He wants, however and whenever He wants to! So if you have prayed for something and it seems like God did not answer, be encouraged by this!  This time it may not come from the place you expect, or by the means you expect, but He will get it to you! I'm a witness!

Stay Blessed and Encouraged!

Sharon Dean

What Are You Attracting?

Beloved,

You are a precious gift to the world, and should be handled as such. It's time to create some space between you and the folks who can't see your worth and don't value your existence.  You are the reason I am writing this blog.

On a whim I decided this morning that I would begin blogging. It was born out of my frustration with limited characters on twitter, and the overcrowded, always moving news feed on FaceBook.

Don't get me wrong, I love being a part of the social network community. I have learned a lot, and am privileged to connect with people that I otherwise would be out of touch with. There are varying opinions about social networking, and understandably, many have concerns for abuse or improper conduct.

In my opinion you attract in social networking the same thing you attract anywhere else you happen to be.

We attract people to us for one or all of three reasons:

1. We attract people based on where we are - Our stage of life
2. We attract people based on what we are - That is at our core, the essence of who we are
3. We attract people based on our career path

WHERE WE ARE

When a person hasn't fully come to understand who they are, they will often take on the image and characteristics of others. As a result, they attract people to them who are not truly like them, but mirror their current behavior. As they begin to grow in areas of their life that no longer fit the characteristics of these people they have attracted while they didn't know who they were, the others begin to criticize and and attempt to verbally assassinate the potential in the individual who is beginning to understand who they are.

Don't be alarmed when you realize the stages and fazes of life are a depot for dropping off and picking up new passengers to ride the train of life with you.

You are not all that you will become,  you do not know all that you will know,  and you have done all that you do.

If you feel yourself changing for the better, expect changes in the type of people you will attract. It's not to say that anyone else is bad, it just means you're growing. When I say attract I mean just that. Not you running behind someone in hopes that association with them will make you feel better or more important. It is in being better and understanding your own importance that you will attract the right people.

WHAT WE ARE

Each of us possess a unique essence. It is who we are at the core of our being. It is what we are.  It is the truth about us. It can be used for good or evil. It is our choice what we do with it and how we handle it.  A person with a loving heart can choose to love what is forbidden or they can choose to love what is good, right, and proper.  I believe this is only the first layer of our essence, and that there are two (or) more layers that make up the whole, with the second being how we process the information.

Here's what I mean; The idea of monogamy may have the same and yet distinctly different meaning to a heterosexual and homosexual person.  At the core they are both drawn to the concept of commitment and loyalty, yet in their thought process their convictions are not the same. Likewise, two businessmen who work side by side, may agree that hard work will pay it's reward, but may not agree on the process of hard work which determines if it will lead to honest or dishonest gain.  The thought process of our essence causes us to attract people of like mind. When we find someone who thinks like us we become comfortable in their presence. We find it easy to be around them. Your closest friends and confidants tell the rest of the world a lot about who you really are. If you have no close friends or confidants that also tells who you are.

The third layer is the motive and action layer. Several people may run a marathon race, yet each will have motives of their own. One runs strictly for the cause, while another uses it as an opportunity to optimize physical fitness and endurance, and another to gain popularity, notoriety, or photo ops.

OUR CAREER PATH

Doctors attract other doctors for camaraderie and dialogue, the same with clergy, athletes, musicians and so on. The list is endless. Each also attract an opposite. Meaning, doctors attract patients, athletes and musicians attract fans, and clergy attract followers. The more notoriety you have in your field, the more people you will attract. As fans, followers, clients or colleagues.

The truth is, the people we attract help us to see either where we are, who we are, and what we should or should not be doing.

Just something to think about... What Are You Attracting?

Sharon Dean