Hello There, Kate Spade

Hi Ladies,

Before we get into today's post, I want to send an extra special thank you to a few different people.

1. Thanks to all the beautiful ladies that have been reaching out to me and are currently struggling with a broken heart. I am TRULY touched and I am praying for you all. Have peace! Keep pushing through. A broken heart doesn't last forever. Trust me, I've had a few.

2. Thank you to all the men reading my blog!!! I appreciate the texts and messages of encouragement. Thanks for sharing it with the women you love.

3. Thanks to all my followers for reading my blog. Encouragement is going to spread like wildfire in 2014. Thank you for allowing me to encourage you.

Alright, encouragement is waiting for us. Let's go get it.....

During Christmas, I always try to find a really awesome gift for my best friend. She has an amazing heart and is constantly loving on people. She loves to shower people with gifts, so she's always buying something for someone. It's the perfect time for me to thank her with something special, so I like to get her something I know she is going to love.

This past Christmas, I decided I was going to gift her with something special from Kate Spade. Who doesn't love a little Kate Spade in their life?

So I started to do a little online shopping. As I'm looking through the pictures of each bracelet and attempting to find the perfect one for my best friend, I come across this amazingly simple, sleek, rose gold, sparkling bangle that I just had to get for myself. Naturally, I quickly place it in my online shopping bag. Within minutes, I start to feel immensely guilty. Now, the bangles aren't too expensive, but when you have a mortgage and bills to pay, it seems more expensive than it truly is. So, within five minutes, I talked myself out of getting this bangle. Even though I love Kate Spade and even though I love rose gold.

I know, that's just the most devastating story you've ever heard. Isn't it? I'm sure you have been there too. We all have. We want something and then guilt just comes in and makes us delete it from our shopping bag. Whomp!

So, I purchase my best friend's bracelet and move on with my day. Never mentioning anything to anyone about that bangle I fell in love with and couldn't get.

Weeks later, about a few days before Christmas, my boss tells me she has a gift for me. I didn't put much thought into it. I figured she got me some chocolates or something small to thank me for working for her and the long hours I had recently been putting in. A few minutes later, she walked in the room with a gray box decorated with this awesome grey bow and the top of the box read the word Nordstrom. I excitedly opened the box and right before my eyes was this beautiful bangle that looked identical to the one I so desperately wanted a few weeks back. I was thrilled!  I mean it's probably some Kate Spade knock off but who really cares. It all looks the same to me.

As I'm placing my hand in the box to get a better look at it, my boss gently pushes my hand out of the way and flips over the little white tag that was attached to the bangle. To my surprise it said, Kate Spade. I was sooooooo thrilled!!! THEN, with the most joyful voice she says, "I love rose gold. I hope you like it too.". I hugged her so tight, thanked her and moments later left work for the day.

I got in my car and immediately just felt overjoyed and overwhelmed by God's love. Only Him and I knew I wanted that bangle. Only Him and I knew that I really wanted to buy it but I had to spend my money wisely and on more important things. Only Him and I.

I was almost in tears as I sat in my car. I know you're probably thinking it's just a silly little bangle. It's not like my boss bought me some fancy car, or sent me on some exotic vacation. But in some way that bangle made me feel like she did. I loved that bangle. I wanted to have a nice little designer piece. I wanted to buy it for myself but I knew being responsible was more important and staying on budget was the wiser thing to do.  But here I was a few weeks later being gifted with the exact thing I desired.

Do you see how faithful God is? A silly little bangle. He made that happen. It wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't just something that my boss guessed I would want and love. It was GOD!!! HE made that happen.

He knew this tiny desire of my heart. As tiny as it was, it was still so important to Him, so He made it happen. I didn't pray about it. I didn't say, "Oh God, why can't I ever buy what I want? ". I desired it and that's it. Just a secret wish I filed way back in the filing cabinet of my heart along with the other hopes, dreams and prayers that I thought were too "tiny" or too "stupid" to give to God. That's not what He wants us to do. He doesn't want us to store them away. He wants us to hand them all over to Him.

God loves our little wishes, dreams, hopes and desires. He goes through them daily. Some He picks up, reads, memorizes and puts back, to give us at a later time. Some, He picks up and says, "Ha, she doesn't need this. I have something greater", and tosses out. Then, others he picks up, reads, and says, "Now this is good for her. She can have this. " and gives them to us in His perfect timing.

This whole bangle ordeal really spoke to my heart. I finally realized that God wanted me to share EVERY desire, EVERY wish, EVERY hope, EVERY passion, EVERY idea, EVERYTHING with Him. Even the silly, stupid, little, pointless, ideas we have. Nothing is too little and nothing is too big for God and NOTHING is unattainable for Him. Nothing.

As I write this, in the midst of the happiness it brings me again, I feel a little shame. Somewhere along the way I forgot how important it was to share my heart's desires with God and how He truly just wants to know the deepest, most hidden, secrets of my heart that I often fail to share with Him. Thankfully, He searches our hearts when we forget to give these things to Him.

If God is so willing to give me this bangle from Kate Spade, then how much more willing is He to give us the biggest desires of our hearts, that we so eagerly long for?

Beauties, God is WILLING.

HE IS WILLING to restore your marriage.

HE IS WILLING to help you forgive that man/woman who molested you as a child.

HE IS WILLING to heal you from your hurt and pain.

HE IS WILLING to cure your illness.

HE IS WILLING to free you from the bondage of drug abuse.

HE IS WILLING to fix your finances.

HE IS WILLING to forgive you for having an abortion.

HE IS WILLING to heal your heart from the pain your parent left you when they walked out of your life.

HE IS WILLING to restore your hope.

HE IS WILLING to give you peace.

HE is able and He is willing! All you have to do is ASK.

So today, I encourage you to sit alone in private and just pour your heart out to the One who made you.

Let all your worries go!

Psalm 20:4-9

Jessica Torres

Founder of Beauty of Encouragement