“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
It is alleviating to know that making the right decisions in
terms of our food choices contribute to our well-being. Eating well must be a lifestyle choice to live
a healthy life.
When we eat well our body feels better. When you eat healthy, you build a strong
immune system that helps us fight disease.
People with strong immune systems barely feel the symptoms of certain
viruses and even if they get sick, they get well more rapidly again because they
eat nutritious dense foods.
God created the seeds and plants for us to eat. Eat well and take good care of yourself. And remember, we are in this together.
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
“Again,
truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them.”
~Matthew 18:19-20 New International
Version (NIV)
Pastor Jose A. Tejada Praying to and with the people (this picture was before social distance due to COVID-19)
I
fell in love with God when I was just a little girl. It was my Godmother who planted the seed in me. I don’t remember exactly at what age, but I
know I was very young for I still did not know how to read. She used to take me to church with her and I
could observe with the passion that the people in the church used to praise God
and the name of Jesus.
I could not read the Bible at the time, and I remember asking God to help me to learn to read so that I could read His book. I don’t recall exactly how long it took between the time that I asked God to help me to learn how to read and the time I actually started reading, but I have a vivid memory of me being in church and being so happy because when the pastor said to open the bible in a specific chapter, I found myself reading along with the pastor and all the members of the church. I was so happy that I could read. I could read the word of God. And of course, I could read anything (in Spanish at the time).
I developed a special love for God since a very early age. And that love has never leave me. As a little girl, I developed a communication with God. As I grew up, I visited my Godmother less often and also church. But the job was done. The seed for the love of God had been planted in me and even when I might have gotten myself away from the house of God, God was watching over me. As time passed, I found myself missing God. Missing to reconnect with Him again. I realized that nothing in this world could fill the emptiness I was filling. Only God could.
And to my amazement, God always found a way to remind me of his love. Sometimes, He reminded me of his love thru a classmate in college. She would invite me to visit her church. At another time, it was thru a hair stylist, who told me about an event that would take place at a church near me. I did not even realize it until I started writing this article. But God was using people to remind me of his amazing love. And after many bumps, and ups and down, I made the decision that I did not want to live my life without God. I accepted Jesus as my savior and allowed God to be my guidance in my life.
I learned to talk to God about everything. When I would feel upset or frustrated about something I would talk to God about it. When I need help on something I talk to God about it. When I am happy, I talk to God about it. I talk to God daily about everything. God is with me. I share with Him my true feelings and emotions even though I know He knows exactly how I feel; I still try to articulate it to Him. I also meditate on His word. This spiritual connection with God is life to my soul.
God
listens to your prayers. God listens to
you, whether you pray alone or with a group.
But something special happens when two or more people pray together for
the same cause. Let’s you and I all pray
together for COVID-19 to stop spreading.
Let’s pray in the name of Jesus Christ for the healing and prompt
recovery of those who are sick. Let’s
pray for all humanity, for the healing of the physical body, for the healing of
the soul, for the healing of the mind, and for the healing of the spirit. Let’s pray together. And remember that you are not alone. God is with you. God is with us.
Here
is the verse again:
“Again,
truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or
three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
“Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened,
and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
~Joshua 1:9
NYC Public Library 2020
The whole world is
facing a major crisis. A virus that
started in China and was announced in the news towards the end of December of
2019 known as the Coronavirus, has by today’s date (March 24, 2020) taken over
the whole world. EVERYONE, one way or
another has been affected by this virus, which has become a pandemic. And what’s worst, we don’t know how long this
is going to last.
Because of this
pandemic, people are dying everywhere.
People have to be isolated and stay in quarantine in order to help stop
this virus from spreading. People are
losing their jobs. We are living a time
of uncertainty. Yes, these are indeed
difficult times, and we are all in this together. And because of that, I started asking myself
some questions: How can I help shine a
light in the middle of darkness? How can
I help my fellow humans when I have to stay physically distant from them?
I thought about the
Word of God, which is my companion and strength in the good times and the
challenging times. The Word of God has
been so powerful over my life. It has
helped lift me up when I’ve felt most down.
This is why I decided that for the days to come, I will share with you a
verse from the Bible every single day for the rest of the year 2020. I will also include you in my daily prayers. I will pray for you to stay healthy and if you
are not feeling well, I will pray for your health and prompt recovery. I will pray not just for our country but for
our entire world. This is our planet
people. We all live in it. And we can see that there are no real
frontiers. There are no real borders.
Everyone is feeling this.
Right below is the verse again. Meditate on it. And remember that you are not alone.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.”
“I learned that COURAGE was not the absence of fear, but THE TRIUMPH OVER IT. THE BRAVE MAN is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who CONQUERS THAT FEAR,”
~Nelson Mandela
There is a big mess in my apartment in preparation for the big move. I’ve been getting things ready and have neglected the writing a little. But I can’t wait to get my fingers back on my keyboard and type my fingerprints off of them. Ok, that’s obviously an exaggeration; what I am simply trying to say is that I miss this moment…my writing moment. It feels very special to me. It is like a therapy and it allows me to share things with someone out there.
Pretty soon, I will resume back to publish posts more frequent. I am making some major changes this year: moving, taking my career to the next level, focusing more on wellbeing and redefining success in my life. Since the beginning of this year (2015), I knew I was making some changes and it is now happening. The book Thrive by Ariana Huffington helped to reinforce my decision. It is a great book and she touches so many important points about life and about what success truly is. I will share more about these changes in upcoming posts but for now I just want to say that I am grateful everyday and I am looking ahead.
I wish you all that you can find in your hearts the courage and the discipline to make those changes you’ve been wanting to make and you know are for better. I myself, am a work in progress, but it’s a beautiful journey nevertheless.
Querin Explores 