Peace Pieces? Am I at
T
or in
WRITTEN BY FELECIA WILLIAMS | OWNER OF MY SPA MY WAY
o forgive others, even when it is hard to do. To continue to help without a thank you. Showing up when needed, but not invited when desired. Accepting others even when you are blamed. This is faith. Morning after morning and restless nights without sleep do not deter you. You continue to wake, walk and welcome life’s new journey with open arms, mind, and spirit to still so that you have the opportunity to ask again; Am I at PEACE OR IN PIECES? As I approach my fifteenth year in business, my ninth year since my divorce and struggle with health problems, I continue to fight every day. I keep striving to be my best self, and I keep succeeding. As the gospel artist Marvin Sapp reminds me each morning as I open my eyes to his songs in meditation and prayer. Strength isn’t about how much you can handle before you break; it’s how much you can endure after you’ve been broken.. I struggle with this article because so much has happened in the last year. Fighting to reopen my business and stay open, being more concerned with my employees surviving as I determine how much more I should fight, struggling to take care of myself and the ones I love. You know the feeling. So I wonder; Am I at peace or simply in pieces? In a world where the voices seem to just get louder, the hate gets more intense, and
hope becomes more hopeless, how do we as women continue to fight the current and swim upstream? Do we stroke harder, swim faster, or give up the fight and pray we float in the right direction? When drowning and feeling overwhelmed, just stop! Don’t fight the negative voices, the whispers, ugly looks, Facebook posts, twitter comments, and self doubt. Then ask yourself what do I do? The answer may be to accept where you are, address the foolishness along the way, or simply plan a new path for your next destination. Either way, you must determine if you are at peace or in pieces. And if you are the latter, determine what course of action to take. Regrets, failures and mistakes are the many pieces that require continued work to achieve a lasting peace. Work to transform your brokenness into something more beautiful than you could ever imagine. Take your mess and your mistakes and create a masterpiece. As you begin to sketch your ideas along the way, allow your journey to be your canvas and God to be your paint brush as you create your masterpiece called life. Brokenness
isn’t
an
excuse
to abandon your mission. It’s an opportunity to use the pieces, trust your vision and the gifts God has given you to find your PEACE.
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