Im devoted...are you?

Everyday I try to start my day by reading my two devotions: the Gaby needs Jesus one and my couples devotion. Devotions act as my breakfast and give me the energy needed to get through my morning. It has become my habit no matter what is going on and it is like that morning coffee I just have to have! My favorite devotion is "Jesus Calling" and I read it almost everyday right on my Kindle. It is a breathe of fresh air among devotionals. It is narrated as if God is truly speaking to me alone.  
So why do I keep talking about devotionals? The truth of the matter is that we all have our daily devotionals and we have all formed habits that are engraved in our routines. All of these devotionals vary according to interests. Did you know that the word devotional by definition is strictly related to spiritual or religious worship? So why is it that we confuse our devotions? We are sometimes devoted to worrying about tomorrow, devoted to money, devoted to work, and the devotions go on and on. Where we spend our devotional time shows what our hearts are devoted to. 
There is no reason to beat ourselves up for we are all human, but we are certainly not of this world. I invite you to focus on today and see where you are carving your devotional time. See if you make time to be devoted to God and how do your actions align with that. God gave us the gift of today and that is where we need to devote our time, energy & attention. 
This morning my devotion on "Jesus Calling" was about God reminding me that He is always with me so I must not worry about tomorrow. My couples devotional today was about finding joy in every situation.  Devotionals are uplifting, inspiring & fill you with God's presence in your life. Tomorrow is the start of a new month, I invite you to start a daily devotional and see how God starts to move your heart. 
Suggested devotionals: 
"Jesus Calling" (Christian bookstores or amazon.com) 
Www.biblegateway.com (they have men, women & family devotions)
Crosswalk.com (they have a great devotional for students) 

There are so many resources to look into. Today commit to reading one and go from there. For those who already read a devotional, kick it up a notch & tell someone (friend, coworker, neighbor, etc) about what you read today; be a walking testimony of what you read. Let us find joy in our devotionals! 
Xo 

24

Hey bloggers, happy September!  Time sure flies and I just celebrated a new year.  Thank you to everyone for the amazing and abundant love on my birthday and everyday!  My day consisted of taking care of myself for a change.  I decided that this year I would guide my own day and chose to do what felt good for me.

 The night before my birthday, my hunny & I went to go see a firework show for Labor Day and it was beautiful.  It is important to do things out of our normal routine in order to mix things up.


Another must-do for my birthday, was to get a manicure. I am a very girly girl and I got a french manicure in honor of my hubby. I usually pick my nail color based on what I know my husband likes =)


On the actual day of my birthday, I got dressed up and did my make-up to my liking.  The first stop of the day was to Sephora (my favorite beauty supply store) and as I was checking out, the make-up artist says to me:"Can I tell you something? Your make-up is really good.  It looks exactly like something I would do."  I had a pure joy attack!  I have been working really hard to learn different techniques and skills and I finally experienced reaping what I sowed.  That was one of the highlights of my birthday.

Birthday dinner: my good friend gave me a gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings.  I have been there many times and I love that you can play poker or trivia while eating.  We had an assortment of food and my favorite thing was the honey-barbecue wings!  It didn't hurt that I had a handsome guy as my birthday date.

Following dinner we went to have dessert of course! I'm not a huge cake lover, so my birthday treat was homemade ice cream.  My other good friend called a local place by where I live and bought dessert just for my birthday.  It was a sweet surprise and gift.







Finally, my birthday could have not been complete without a nice glass of Char!  I was saving this bottle of wine for a special occasion as it is a bottle given to me by my sisters.  I love that the label says "wine sisterhood."


I had a blessed long weekend and I am thankful for all my many blessings.  Year #23 was not easy, but it was meaningful.  I decided that my birthday would be my "New Year" and I would start fresh in every aspect of my life.  God has given me so much, that the least I can do is work hard, love others, and truly appreciate what I have.  I have also vowed to sweep any and all negativity under the rug and throw it away.  Time for a new rug!
Hope YOU have a beautiful September! Xo