Pray For Her

Colossians 1:9

New Life Version (NLV)

⁹ This is why I have never stopped praying for you since I heard about you. I ask God that you may know what He wants you to do. I ask God to fill you with the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives."

In November of last year, I attended a women's retreat hosted by the women's ministry from my church.  I was in a better place in my life, after dealing with all my heartbreak and pain from my past, but I was still not completely whole. My heart looked like a big ole block of Swiss cheese. I had holes everywhere that God was trying to deal with and I just wasn't letting Him. I admit, I was prideful and didn't think I had any areas left that God needed to clean up. Boy, did he prove me wrong.

During this time in my life, the struggle to hear God was real. I would pray, read my bible and all kinds of things but I could not feel His presence and it would frustrate me. I would cry and cry and just complain that I was tired of looking for Him and talking to the stupid wall. Man, I would tell God some things I would never dare tell my Earthly father, out of the fear that he might slap me. lol

Anyways, I felt like God was so distant. I felt like he had picked up and moved and forgot to send me one of those fancy moving announcement cards with his new address. So I prayed and looked for Him and then just gave up and that cycle repeated itself for such a long time.

Then I heard about this awesome retreat my new church was having and I decided that I was going to go and that this was the weekend God was going to show up. This was it! I wasn't taking no for an answer and I was willing to do all kinds of stalker- ish things to find where God was hiding. During this time, my friend Carol was constantly checking on me, encouraging me, loving on me and praying for me. She would remind me that God wasn't far and He still wanted my heart.

Let me tell you something, appreciate the friends who pray for you! You could have a million "loyal" friends but that ONE praying friend will change your life!

Carol was in communication with me all the way up to the day of the retreat. She wanted to be sure I was coming and she was determined to just get me there.

During this retreat they covered some intense topics. It was literally a soul cleanse. My heart was just wrecked the whole weekend.

The first day of the retreat they handed us these packets to complete. This packet was about 6 pages long and asked the most personal and intimate questions ever.

I completed the package and finished after about 30 minutes. I spent the rest of my time just sitting in silence on the floor. I tried praying but God was still playing hide and seek. I was just too emotionally worn out from that packet to go seeking for Him.

Then my friend Carol walks by, sits with me on the floor and asks me if she could pray for me. I remember she was so nervous because she didn't like praying for people out loud and it was her first time praying over someone in public.

So she started to pray and she prayed for things that only my heart knew about. She prayed with authority, love, and sincerity. She prayed like she was on a mission and she very much was. She finished praying, hugged me and carried on talking to the other girls that were there.

From that moment forward, I felt God just reaching into my heart and speaking into my life more than I had ever felt months prior.

One day, I will share all the amazing things that happened that weekend.

Anyways, that weekend changed my life and heart FOREVER!!!

That weekend also changed mine and Carol's relationship forever. God knew I needed a big sister to love me and just be there to encourage me along the way. She even gave me a tiny card that said "Contact a Carol" and  I always felt that I could do just that with her. I could contact her for anything and everything.

Since that weekend, I cannot even tell you the amount of times Carol has just been such a blessing to my life. There have been days where she sends me a prayer text and it instantly changes the tone of my day. She just loves on me so much that it's really hard to not feel God's love through her. She always so positive, encouraging and uplifting. When something is bothering me or I am struggling, I text her and she prays for me.

I strongly believe that if we all had more "Carol's" in our lives, we would have less stress and more answered prayers.

I believe that Carol's love for me is very much like the love Paul had for the Christians of Colossae. Paul was so thankful for them and so eager to see their relationship with Christ flourish. He took pride in praying for them. He took pride in teaching them. He took pride in suffering for them and with them. He took pride in disciplining them. He just loved the people of Colossae so much. He wanted them to know Jesus. He wanted their lives to be fruitful and bear the many blessings of God.

Now that is one awesome friend! That is a friend EVERYONE should want on their team. That is a friend every girl should want praying for her family and her own life.

Beauties, I encourage you to be a Paul or a Carol to someone in your life. It would be awesome if you could be that kind of friend to everyone, but let's start with baby steps.

We all need that friend who is willing to cry on the floor with us when we feel like we've hit rock bottom. We need that friend who will comfort us when we feel hurt and betrayed by other friends and family around us. We need that friend who will suffer in our pain with us. We need that friend who will pray over our homes, finances, families, relationships and marriages, when times are rough and when times are joyful. We need that friend who is willing to spend their lives just giving to our life because they simply love us.

We need that friend and we also need to be THAT friend.

Here is your assignment:

- Pick a woman you love
- Ask that friend what she would like for you to pray about (trust me, if you ask they will give you tons of stuff to pray about)
-Take 5 minutes a day or MORE to pray for your friend
- Love on them, check up on them and send them a message of love throughout the week
-Sit back and watch their lives change.

I encourage you to do this for a friend. The power of sisterhood is so strong. The power of love is so strong. Let's be the kind of women who love and pray for our friends.

Jessica Torres
Founder of Beauty of Encouragement

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

Letter of Love

Hi Ladies,

I just want to share some things with you that have been on my heart. When I started this blog, I promised that I would be 100% transparent, real and raw with you all. The reason for this is because I want you to know that you are NOT alone. I want you to know that there are other women in this world going through the same struggles as you. I want you to know that you can overcome. I want you to know that you are capable of changing and growing.

I just cannot stop thinking about you ladies. From the moment I opened my eyes today, I have thought about you, prayed for you and spoke life into your day. You have no idea how much love God has placed in my heart for you. I was literally in tears this morning as I prayed over your lives, families, hearts and minds.  I never knew it was possible to love women that I don't even know. However, God has placed it in my heart to serve you, to love you and to encourage you.  I take honor in that responsibility.

When you are feeling alone, down, sad, discouraged, please come back to this post to be reminded that you are loved. I want you to know that someone is cheering for you, praying for you, thinking of you and spending endless hours thinking of ways to bring encouragement into your lives.

I want you to know that you are special. You were beautifully and wonderfully made. You aren't an accident. You aren't a mistake. Even if your mama had you at 16, you were still born with purpose. You are part of God's perfect plan. He paid the price for YOU! To be close to YOU. To be a father to YOU. Every breath you take is because God wants you to be here, on Earth, living! 

I want you to live your life on purpose. I don't want you to have a victim mentality. I want you to step into this day with meaning and determination. I want you to shake off all of the things that discourage you, hurt you, worry you, or cause you anxiety. I want you to conquer this day.

Before you begin your day, I want you to go somewhere quiet. I want you to just start authoritively speaking good things into your life. What kind of life do you want? Then that is what you need to speak into your day.

I realize how silly this may sound but I assure you that it works. I do this everyday and it just changes my world and perspective on things. Here is what my words look like.

"Today I will have a servants heart. I will be love to other people. Today the right doors will be opened for me. Today doors will be closed that are dangerous to my life. Today I will meet the right people. Today I will cut out the wrong people. Today I will have a positive attitude. Today I am rich in happiness, health and wealth. Today I will serve God and please Him in all I do. Today I will not be defeated in my mind. Today I will be encouraged and share it with others"

Try it! Also, please share your story with us. I look forward to learning more about the beauties reading my blog.

Have a blessed day!

P.S. I am keeping today's post very light. The rest of the week I will be going in at your heart. I will be revealing some of my past mistakes with you. You won't want to miss this. I will be releasing a video soon to prepare you for Friday's blog. I'm about to expose my past to you and rock your world.

Jessica Torres

Founder of Beauty of Encouragement

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 

The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You

Beloved,

God came and really exposed our hearts yesterday, didn't He?! He really showed us how ugly we can get. Trust me ladies, I'm right there with you. He's working in my heart as I minister to you all. Thankfully we have a loving and forgiving God!

Now, clear your mind, open your heart and let's welcome change into our hearts.

Today's blog will have some of you ladies breaking up with your man, ending one-sided friendships and walking away from people who serve no purpose in your life.

Let's give a standing ovation to that!!! What a thing to celebrate.

2014 is about one goal. That goal is to better yourselves and to remain FOCUSED on all things good. 

That's an excellent goal BUT we can't do that if we are constantly being surrounded by people who drown us in their negativity, selfishness, and greed. Those people will kill us emotionally, spiritually and they will take years of joy, happiness and peace from us.

Hunny, you've got to grab that life vest, buckle it up, fight for your life, and swim to safety! Swim fast and don't look back.

People like that will take from you until you have nothing left to give. Most times you are so focused on serving and loving them that you're too blind to see their mediocre giving to your life. 

I bet you can name a few people like this in your life, right?

I battled with this for a long time. With all kinds of people. Men, friends and even family. I was allowing certain people to take and take and take until I had nothing left to give. So, when I had nothing else left to offer them they eventually left me or wanted nothing to do with me. 

There are a few examples I can use, but I'm going to use the one below because most women can resonate with it.

A few years ago, I dated a man who I had been friends with for years. I had been single for quite some time and I was getting kind of lonely. He was single and I was single, so we gave it a shot.  We dated and eventually our entire relationship became centered around what I gave and what I had to offer and what I was willing to sacrifice. I was a fool in love and so blinded by loneliness that I just didn't see his heart or his intentions. After almost a year and a half of pouring my all into this man he decided that he didn't want to be with me anymore. Yep, just like that.

We're in his kitchen and he's telling me it's over and that this is what was best for me. You know, the typical breakup line. I just couldn't believe he would end things after all I did for our relationship. I kept saying "You don't know what I need. You don't know what makes me happy."  The truth is neither did I. I didn't know what I needed and I sure as heck didn't know what made me happy.  I had placed my happiness in the hands of some human and I wanted what was due to me. I just wanted to be loved in return. I just wanted the same measure of effort, time, love and commitment returned to me.

So after an hour of begging and pleading, he takes me, looks in my eyes and says, "Later in life you'll look back and this will be the best thing that happened to you. You deserve better."

I was BROKEN. You know the kind of broken that has you crying never ending tears, leaves your stomach feeling empty and has your body thinking your heart was just ripped out of your chest? That kind of broken. The pain was so overwhelming. My heart was shattered. And the most ironic part about it all is that for months I had been telling my best friend how unhappy this SAME man had made me. Yet, I still wanted him. He was my comfort blanket and I wasn't letting go.

Loneliness will do that.  It will have you stay in a relationship/ friendship you are not happy in JUST because it brings temporary satisfaction.

It took me a very long time to heal from that heartbreak. Mainly because I had invested so much time and because it was similar to a relationship I had experienced years before. It was like history was repeating itself. I blamed it on "God teaching me a lesson" but in reality I just never took the time to wait for the right relationship, so I settled for a bunch of second bests.

Thankfully here I am a few years later and now I can see that the words my ex spoke that night came to life. Now I know that I have to take accountability for who I allow in my life and in my heart. The bible repeatedly says "guard your heart" . It wasn't just some nice little gesture Jesus wanted to share with us. It was a WARNING! He was telling us to go purchase that fancy state-of-the-art security system and protect our pretty little hearts with it because people were going to try to come in to ruin , steal and destroy it. 

Emotions have a funny way of making us believe that we need things that don't add value to our life. So, most times, you still hangout with that backstabbing friend, date that cheating boyfriend, or stay in that pointless relationship all because your emotions are telling you that you won't make it alone. All because your emotions are telling you that God doesn't have a bigger and better plan for you.

We know what we deserve and it usually doesn't come when WE want it to, so instead we just settle for the next "best" thing that comes along. Then when that fails, we are on our knees asking God why we are in so much pain. A pain we caused ourselves because we didn't patiently wait for Him to reveal His PERFECT plan to us. Instead, we rather spend years investing our time into things that were never meant for us. 

How foolish is that?

Ladies, this mentality will hurt us! Allowing the wrong people to stay in our lives WILL alter where we end up in life. It will delay our blessings and hinder us from finding true happiness. 

Examine your life. Examine the people in your life. Examine yourself. Examine what you allow and what you tolerate. 

Are there things or people who don't belong? If there are, get them out of your life NOW. Your time, heart and love is PRECIOUS!!!! Do not waste it on anything and everything.

 Cut those people and things off NOW!

But remember to do it all with love. Love them from a distance. Don't bash them. Don't wish the worst on them. Just tell them good riddance, show them the door and lock it. 

This is going to be hard,  Ladies. All change is hard but in due time it will be "the best thing that ever happened to you". I encourage you to be strong, to seek God's strength,  love and healing. 

Remember.......

HIS plan is perfection. Stop trying to control your life! He's God. He's got it handled.

Jessica Torres

Founder of Beauty of Encouragement  

Ugly Little Mouth

Ladies,

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I am so excited to pour love, encouragement and motivation into your life. Please bare with me because it may not always be perfect, but I promise it will always be sincere.

Can you believe we are already three days into the new year. Gosh, how amazing is that? A whole new year full of endless opportunities and blessings. I know that soon the New Year hype will start to dim down and you'll start feeling a little discouraged and your motivation will not be as high as it was on January 1st. That's OK, because we will all have those times and we need to encourage each other to stay focused on the goal. So, think of this blog as a place to refresh your mindset!

I encourage you to share this blog with as many women as possible. Just like you there are tons of other women out there lacking encouragement, feeling beaten down by life, and simply ready to throw in the towel.

OK, so here we go..... Are you ready for this new journey? I am and I'm on fire for change.



Encouragement- the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope


Wow, how awesome is that? the definition of encouragement is to GIVE someone else support, confidence or hope. 

Now, let's meditate on that for a minute......

Encouragement is a gift we are able to give to others. A gift we are able to speak into someones life. A gift that can support, restore hope or encourage someone else not to give up on life, to keep pushing, to keep fighting. However, too many times we take this beautiful gift and spike it with hate, jealousy and bitterness. 

Are you guilty of this? I sure am. I have also been on the receiving end of that and let me tell you, it's an UGLY feeling. 

I remember telling certain family members about my goal to open a business in my home. Immediately after finishing my sentence they started to speak negativity into my dream. It was almost as though they were just waiting for me to finish my sentence  so that they could tell me how I was going to fail. I felt hurt and upset and I even yelled at them. I mean, how could they? This was important to me. This could mean so much for my life and my finances. Without even thinking, they just started to stab at my dream as if MY DREAM was attacking them. I was mad, hurt, confused and upset. Then God reminded me that I don't need people to validate the gifts, dreams, hopes and visions HE has planted in me. I don't need people to validate my existence. He already did that! 

Now that's all nice and dandy, right? Jesus validated my worth, now I should feel free from people's negativity. Well, to be honest, I wasn't. I was enraged. I kept thinking of how my family should have been more supportive, uplifting and encouraging. In reality they weren't because they just simply didn't know how to. Generations and generations of people have this mindset of defeat. They are defeated in their minds, so out their mouth comes the same thing. 

That is when this very blog came into existence. I decided that I was going to speak encouragement into someones life every single day and I was going to be that tiny little voice that tells them "you can do it. Keep pushing through.".

Too many times we speak because we feel like it's our duty to the world. Too often we don't think about what we are about to say before we say it. Too many times we hurt people with our words and lack of encouragement.

Imagine encouragement like a gift you are giving someone. It's in the prettiest gold box with the perfect glitter polka dot wrapping paper, and wrapped around the box is the biggest, prettiest , perfect,  red ribbon. The wrapping of this gift is simply amazing and makes you excited to open your gift . There must be something beautiful inside. You can already tell because the gift wrapping is so thoughtful. So after anxiously waiting for so long you finally open your beautiful box. BUTTTTTT, You can't help but notice the awful stench coming from inside. As you make your way through the tissue paper, you feel something cold and slimy. Oh my goodness, your hand just touched a dead rat. In that beautiful box you were gifted a dead RAT!!!!! 

How do you feel? Disappointed? Forgotten? Upset? Angry? like a fool? Maybe even a combination of all those emotions? I mean, who would take the time to wrap such a beautiful box knowing it's filled with a rat?!

Has this happened to you? Have you gifted someone with something so special to your heart, only to find that in return they gave you back hate? We often gift our dreams up and hand them out to people we feel will support us and too often they taint our dreams with their poisonous words. 

It hurts, right?


So Beloved, WHY ON EARTH DO YOU DO THE SAME TO OTHERS? Why not do the opposite? 

Now, think of all the people who tell us their dreams and hopes. They are gifting us with their hearts desires and wishes, and in return we give them back a pretty little box filled with the negativity rat. We replace their dreams with our stinky opinions, our doubt, our hate and our negative words. 

It's a never ending cycle of negativity until someone breaks it. So......

Today, I encourage you to be mindful of all your words, your actions and your thoughts. Filter EVERYTHING! Speak encouragement. Speak life. BE that hope that people so desperately need! It starts in your mind and then it will pour out of your mouth. So today start by thinking positive thoughts and then speak on those positive thoughts. I challenge you to do this with me and see how it changes your day and your world. You may even change someones life, just by one thoughtful, encouraging, warm word.

Remember, your words have the power to speak life or death. Do not be careless with your words. Be accountable for what you say to others and to yourself. God himself brought things to life and ended things with just WORDS. He formed the world with words, "let there be light" and so there was. You too have the power to do the same with your mouth and words. What will you allow your words to bring to your life and the lives of those around you?

Go out there and be a spokesperson for love, hope, and all things good. Once you do this the universe will return it all back to you. 

I know we can do this, ladies! One GOOD thought and word at a time. Baby steps.

Please be sure to email us with how this new way of living and thinking has changed your day or life. We look forward to hearing from you.

Jessica Torres
Founder of Beauty of Encouragement