Splendor

Hi Beautiful,

I'm back and so refreshed. Thank you for allowing me to take some time to rest and refocus. I have been working on some new things and I will be sharing them with you very soon.

Before we start today's blog, I just want you to open your heart and forget anything and everything that has already discouraged you this morning.

I'm serious! You will miss the whole message if you are consumed by all of your worries and anxieties.

Let it go!


Over the weekend Beauty of Encouragement had some amazing things take place. I believe that God showed up and He showed out for us. He was taking His beautiful daughters and just doing a mighty work in their hearts and lives. I had people calling me, emailing me, and messaging me about their past and how they had held it in for sooooo long and with ONE blog it just all poured out. They told me how they took all their pain and just dug it so deep into their heart for years, and some even decades, to avoid ever having to face it. Then, as they read my blog, all the pain they had stored up in their hearts, just came rushing at them like a bullet.

I was completely astonished by what was happening. I knew God would show up. That is one thing I didn't doubt at all. It was truly amazing! I believe that God is moving mountains in the lives of those reading Beauty Of Encouragement. I believe that nothing and no one can stop what He is going to do in our lives this year.

So as all of these beautiful things are taking place for Beauty of Encouragement and its readers, I start to personally struggle a bit. At a time when I was so happy, focused on what God was doing through Beauty Of Encouragement and the women reading it, I just started to get attacked by thoughts that were trying to kill, steal and destroy the vision that God has placed in my heart. My mind just starts to get consumed with negativity like, "You're not enough for something this big. Look at this person, she blogs way better than you. You will never reach as many lives as she has. You're not that special that God would use you. You're not as smart. You're going to run out of things to talk about. You're going to stop blogging. You're going to give up like you always do. You're going to fail. You're going to disappoint these women. God is not in this. God is not using you. You're going to fail and the whole world is going to watch and laugh. You're a fool. God doesn't use fools. This is too big for you."

I heard all of these things in my head and slowly they were creeping into my heart. My mind turned into a battlefield. There was a war going on between the truth of God versus the lies of Satan. I knew that if I started to accept these lies, I was going to fail you, fail myself, most fail God.

So immediately, I started to do the only thing I knew how.... 

I had to literally cry my eyes out to God last night and tell Him how overwhelmed I felt by all of this. I had to be honest with my God. If I can't be honest with the God I serve then who can I be honest with? I started reminding myself of the truth that God has promised me through His Word.

So after crying my life away and asking God to bring me peace, I quickly fell asleep. The whole night I dreamt about this blog and the women it would reach. I woke up this morning a bit discouraged still. Then I prayed again and just asked God to give me strength for what He has called me to do. I asked Him to help me trust that He will instill the qualities, knowledge and drive that I need to finish the assignment He has given me. I prayed that He and only He would be the center of Beauty of Encouragement and that NOTHING, not one single thing, would take place without His say-so.

Then, in the afternoon, I was feeling so frustrated and I desperately needed to be reminded of God's promises to me. I needed hope, encouragement and I just needed to spend some time with my Papa. So I picked up my bible and  just let God pour into me. I am sooooo HAPPY that I decided to do that.

God showed me a verse that really changed my point of view. He gave me exactly what I was looking for. He showed me what I meant to Him and why I'm so important to Him.

1 Corinthians 15:41 - The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor."

and if you aren't sure what splendor means, here is the definition.

Splendor - great and impressive beauty

And then a flood of thoughts start coming to my head. Splendor is something that radiates impressive beauty. Something that has you in complete awe.

For instance, in this particular piece of scripture, it talks about the stars.

There are various kinds of stars. Some are close to the sun while others are farther away, which determines how big or little those stars are in size. They're all so different. They have different names and they all shine so brightly. Each star is unique in shape, size, temperature, and age BUT they are ALL made up of the same elements.

I remember when I was younger my uncle would let us look into his telescope and see the stars. The experience was so amazing and different each time I looked into that telescope. All of the stars twinkled so differently, they shined differently, and they caught my eye differently. Although each one of those stars was so different, they were all SO beautiful to me and they all served a purpose in that sky. None of them were too plain or less amazing than the other. When I looked at each star individually they were beautiful, but when I looked at the whole sky full of stars, it was splendid. What a beautiful piece of work God did with the stars.

Well, guess what?

In God's eyes, we are way more splendid than any star. So if He created the stars to be so different from each other, yet, each are so great and impressive in beauty. Then why would he not do the same with us?

Of all the things God created, He could have chosen absolutely any one of them to call His children, but He chose us! So if He spent time on making the stars so unique, bright and beautiful, think of how much more time and dedication He spent doing the same for us.

He took us in the palm of His hands and beautifully made us. He picked our eyes, our hair, our body, our feet, our height, our skin color, the amount of hair follicles we have and the color of our freckles. He  was so detailed and hands on with creating us. He knew us before we were in our mother's womb and He formed us to be EXACTLY what He considers to be perfection.

So next time you compare yourself to your friend with more success, your sister with a better marriage, your co-worker with better pay, the celebrity with the nicer body, the blogger with more talent than you. Just remember one thing, when God made you, you were an original. Your splendor is ONE OF A KIND. You are different from all of the other humans in this world. He took His precious time to make you like no other. He did not make you some cheap generic version of someone else. He made you as authentic as they come.

Everything He placed inside of you was given to ONLY YOU! No one in this world will ever live and be like you. No one in this world will ever exist and be like you. No one in this world will ever walk the Earth and be just like YOU! No one!

Everything from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet was designed for only you to have. Your passions, your dreams, your goals, your life, your existence were made with you in mind.

YOU have a purpose in this world. There are things that you have inside of you that NO ONE else in this world can deliver the way that you can. There is a purpose for your life that NO ONE else in this world was called to do but YOU. These things are exclusive to only you! 

So, stop comparing yourself. Don't accept the lies that the enemy whispers to you. What God starts, He finishes and what God has placed in YOU, He will give you what you need so that it grows and bears good fruit. What you lack HE will provide for you and in you.

So tell the lies to SHUT UP and to return to the hell they came from. You don't have time to waste on the lies, when you are too busy living for the truth.

I encourage you to feed truth to all the lies that try to tear you down!

YOU are extraordinary!
YOU are exceptional!
YOU are one of a kind!
YOU are satisfying!
YOU are unique!
YOU are praiseworthy!

and in case you forgot, YOU are worth dying for. 

YOU are splendid, my Darling. Don't you ever forget it.

Never be like the rest of them, when you're the best of them. 

If today's blog has encouraged you in any way, please leave us a comment below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Jessica Torres
Founder of Beauty of Encouragement

Porcelain Throne Oppression

Hi Darlings,

Today's post will be short and sweet. Tomorrow I am bringing the fire, so please DO NOT miss out.

Today, I 'll be sharing a short story with you and then I will let you go on conquering your day.

The past few weeks I've been given the honor of potty training a stubborn 3 year old. It has been a living nightmare. 

First off, he won't go to the potty without being able to play a game on the iPhone. Second, he will spend all of his time playing a game and no time actually pooping or peeing. Third, when I talk about pooping or peeing, he starts yelling like a maniac. Fourth, I lose, he wins and then he's off the potty, peeing/pooping in his pull-up five minutes later. It really is quite the experience. 

Of course, I don't have much patience for things like this. But as we know, God gives us what we ask for, and OF COURSE I had the nerve to ask Him for patience. 

We have literally done everything we possibly can to convince this sweet toddler to use the dang potty. We've used reward charts, iPhones, lightsabers, and even Legos. We have tried it all! Not one thing has worked.

So all day yesterday, we found ourselves battling the porcelain throne once again. We went through a vicious cycle of getting on the potty, not actually using it, getting off the potty, and then pooping in our pullup five minutes later.  It was exhausting!

During our final attempt to overcome the oppression of potty training, the most heart touching thing happened. 

NO! He didn't poop or pee if that's what you're thinking.  

I was sitting on the floor of the washroom, trying to entertain this sweet angel as he is screaming his head off, and I begin to get overwhelmed with frustration. So overwhelmed that I had to turn away and try not to cry. 

Childless women are thinking I'm crazy right now but you mama bears feel my pain.

Suddenly, the little angel gets off of his porcelain throne and walks over to me, naked and all, hugs me and says "Jessica, I love you."

I swear, it was the sweetest, most loving, most encouraging moment ever. All of my feelings of frustration, anger, despair, irritation and rage just vanished away. It was then that I remembered God's sweet words, "Love covers a multitude of sins."

I wish I could live that moment over and over again. It was powerful because earlier that afternoon I was reading the book of Corinthians about love (the same verse I shared with you ladies yesterday) and I understood what it meant, but I wondered what it actually felt and looked like. And there I was, hours later, actually experiencing the literal meaning of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

Love has the power to change things. Love has the power to change people. Love has the power to change YOU!

So my assignment for all of us today is to study the scripture below and then act on it.


1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New Life Version (NLV)

⁴ Love does not give up. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride. ⁵ Love does not do the wrong thing. Love never thinks of itself. Love does not get angry. Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. ⁶ Love is not happy with sin. Love is happy with the truth. ⁷ Love takes everything that comes without giving up. Love believes all things. Love hopes for all things. Love keeps on in all things.

Go out and conquer the world, Love. Show them the love you're working with!



Jessica Torres

Founder of Beauty of Encouragement

Brrr! Baby, It's Cold.

Good Morning Beautiful,

Meteorologists have determined that the polar vortex is so powerful that it is causing a deep atmospheric depression along the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, subzero temperatures are breaking records across the US this week. Today in Chicago, we are at a frigid 3 degrees, while other states are experiencing temperatures as low as -20 degrees.  News reports are covering deaths all across America. People are literally freezing to death because of these brutally cold temperatures. All across the nation cities are declaring a state of emergency. Several media outlets have described this blizzard as "bitterly cold", "life threatening", "a real killer",  and "a serious situation".  One news outlet stated that within 10 minutes of being outside you could literally freeze to death if you weren't properly clothed. For this reason, we are being warned to exercise extreme caution when dealing with these plunging temperatures. It's dangerous out there and if you aren't properly prepared you could lose your life.

Sounds scary, doesn't it?

Yet, this weather doesn't even compete with the coldness of our own hearts. 

As I sit here and write this blog, I can't help but think of the coldness of my own heart. I can honestly sit here and say that at one time or another, my heart has been so cold that the blizzard of my own words have killed many. I often find myself asking God to change my heart and make it more like His. Daily I plead for Him to reveal the areas in which I struggle and the areas that I need to allow Him to clean up. 

Then, I go through my day being "holy" and "righteous". I become so pleased with myself and how much I'm allowing God to change me, make me new, and renew my heart. Everything seems fine and dandy and I start to take pride in how fully committed I am to the Lord. I can see how kind, tenderhearted and loving I am becoming.

AND THEN.....

My sister comes in town to visit me and the blizzard returns.

My sister and I have always had a very "special" relationship, as most sisters do. I'm her protector, defender, confidant, sounding board, teacher, supporter, and encourager and she is mine. Then at the drop of the wrong tone, attitude, word or action, she becomes my worst enemy and the polar vortex of my heart comes in blazing causing a deep atmospheric depression to those around me. I'm quick to destroy her with my words, hurt her with my actions, and cut her down as though she's my archenemy. In many ways, the way I treat my sister when she upsets me, is comparable to how the harsh, cold, disastrous blizzard treats us. After I've emptied the most hurtful words out of my heart and she's crying, I find myself fully convicted and ashamed.  Most times, I play it off with pride and act as if I don't care that I just killed her spirit with my words and actions. The moment God gets me alone, I sit in a sea of my own shame, fully convicted of my wrongdoing and shortcomings. 

As usual, when you ask God to reveal something to you, He sure does. When I ask God to reveal my heart to me and to work in me, He ALWAYS uses the people closest to me to show me who I REALLY am.  He uses people that I love to reveal the content of my heart to me. He uses them to expose the areas that need His healing power, the areas that need His forgiveness, the areas that need His strength, the areas that need His love and the areas that need His chastening.

Don't get me wrong, He uses strangers as well. However, we have a love connection with our own family and friends and the piercing of His conviction is more painful when He uses them,  because of the bond we share with these people. Which is also why we are deeply wounded when family and friends betray and disappoint us versus some random stranger.

He will use ANYONE and ANYTHING when he is trying to transform your heart.

For instance....

It's common for people to say things like, "I cannot stand "So and So" because "So and So" brings out the worst in me."

No, girlfriend! "So and So" doesn't bring out the worst in you. "So and So" just exposes the garbage in your heart, the evil in your heart and the insecurities in your heart. The reason you don't like "So and So" is because your reaction to "So and So's" actions is a reflection of your wicked little heart and you don't like what you see.

I love this illustration and scripture because it really depicts what our tiny hearts look like when they're engulfed in the filth of jealousy, deception, envy, lust, idolatry, hate, unforgiveness, etc.

The scripture used here explains how the words that come out of your mouth, whether they be love or hate, are connected to your heart and are a result of what is living in your heart. So if you want to determine if your heart is pure and good, then you would need to evaluate what comes out of your mouth. 

Do you cut others down with your words?

Do you curse people with your words?

Do you wish bad on people with your words?

Do you gossip?

Do you lie?

Do you spread rumors?

Do you curse people out?

Do you tarnish people's character and reputation with your words?

Do you speak negativity with your words?

Do you doubt with your words?

Do I hear some of you whispering "yes"? 

Don't be ashamed, Love. Rejoice! God has just exposed your own heart to you. He has revealed the truth to you and His Word says that the truth shall set us FREE. 

Be Free!

How do you find freedom, you ask? 

It's simple. 

Come to the feet of Jesus and ask for His sweet forgiveness. Ask Him to change your heart, mind and words. Ask Him to come in and do some serious housekeeping and to clean out the deepest and dirtiest corners of your heart, and then submit to Him. Let Him change you. Ask Him for strength or whatever it is that you lack and He will provide it. 

I find that when I'm not sitting in the presence of Jesus and allowing Him to be strong in my weakness, I fail, and the story above repeats itself. We are going to make mistakes and we are going to have days where we fail but failure is not a dead end road. Seek Jesus and he will reroute you back to righteousness.

Here is what your heart should be focused on.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love does not give up. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride. ⁵ Love does not do the wrong thing. Love never thinks of itself. Love does not get angry. Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. ⁶ Love is not happy with sin. Love is happy with the truth. ⁷ Love takes everything that comes without giving up. Love believes all things. Love hopes for all things. Love keeps on in all things.

Sister, it is possible for God to change you. Don't settle in your mediocre ways. Be the best version of yourself. 

The grace of Jesus is beautiful. Here's a little tip: Shower in it daily or you will begin to stink. 

Alright, now go out there and start your day with encouragement and love. This day is YOURS. Conquer it!

P.S I am so excited about Friday's blog. It's going to be the most transparent I have ever been in my entire life. I would like to forewarn you about the rawness of Friday's post. If you have teenage daughters, I would encourage you (use discernment) to have them read my post. It's going to rock your world. We will be covering sex, adultery, fornication and a few other things. This blog will be candid and real. I am willing to lay it all on the line to save another woman from experiencing the pain I went through and to prevent them from making the mistakes I have made.

Jessica Torres

Founder of Beauty of Encouragement