Love to Move....

After much thought and consideration.... I've decided that my journey has grown bigger than I could ever imagine and Google is just not able to do what I need to maintain my growth.
So as of today, Love is Here, Take it With You has moved to www.liajesyka.wordpress.com.
Please join me there as we continue this fantastic journey! I can't wait to see where we go!

Love for A Fool

Throughout my life I have fallen in love with many a fool. Maybe the better term is I am in love with love.
I have a friend, that I do love so dearly, who watched me hopelessly date and used to know exactly how long each guy was going to last in my life. It was so frustrating! He was a confirmed bachelor and all I wanted was happily ever after. What did he know about love?
Several years later, irony has had sweet revenge on both of us. He is now very happily married and I have been single for almost as long as I've known him. I refuse to use the words confirmed bachelorette.
Yes... Yet again, more the fool am I, I know. But on this day, this foolish day, I want to fool my heart, fool my brain into believing that I am not this much in love with love for nothing. Would God have wasted this gift on me? I refuse to believe that! I know that somewhere out there is someone or something needing my time and energy, my love and I just haven't discovered it yet.
What I do know is that in the last year, this is the first time in 6 years that I have not needed to search for my other half. And it feels amazing to finally know that He has everything under control, that I am where I am supposed to be. That I can just stop and breathe. Once more.... Just stop and breathe..... Relief.
I hope you are able to find what it is that your gifts are and where He is calling you to be. Pray about it. If you would like someone else to pray for you, leave a message below. And know that I am praying for you as well.

Love to Be Loved

As my bible study has been studying so much of the life of Jesus and the early church, this week, Holy Week, has been even more emotional than usual.  I know I owe you more than I am going to write today.
But today, know that you are loved and the proof of that love died on a cross for you.  For you!  Amen

Love to be Blind

Recently, I wrote about the blind man from John 9 1-3.
We are doing a little bit of independent study in the middle of our current Bible study. Each of us chose a gospel to read and learn more about the life of Jesus than was touched on in the study.
I chose John and when I got to chapter 9 and read more about the blind man, I had to think even more.
Jesus heals the blind man by putting mud on his eyes and telling him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. After the man is healed, he is almost unrecognizable to those that had known him.
Is this because the light that Jesus referenced in verse 5 was now in the blind man? Shining from his now opened eyes?
I don't know, but I know I want this transformation. I want the mud to be washed from my blind eyes. I want Jesus to open my eyes to what he wants me to see!

Love the Blind Man

Yet again I mention a conversation my friend and I had in bible study... The topic of conversation was similar to yesterday's topic: candy or ram... Was my miscarriage from God or the devil.
As I was doing my homework for bible study this week, we were studying David and Bathsheba and the fact that because of David's sin, they would lose their first child.
Immediately, Angie Smith starts talking about the women reading this story and that they are going to see a correlation between their lives and David. She says that she doesn't think this is true unless we are called to be the king of Israel.
I'm going to insert here that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins!!!
She goes on to talk about the fact that she herself has buried a child herself and knows where we are all coming from.
She then tells us to go read a couple verses... John 9:1-3
I want you to take a moment now to go read them. If you don't have a bible, look it up on Google. Read the verses a couple times. Just stop and think.
No matter if you have had a miscarriage or lost a baby or... That is the specific suffering that brought this verse into my life, but as I read it, I knew it was so much more powerful than just for women, for just this one instance in my life!
As I sent a text to my friend asking her to think of me as she read this verse, I had no clue the suffering I was about to endure. This week has been difficult in no small part starting a few hours after I discovered this verse... But every moment, every time I turn around I see God using me. I see God's miracles in a situation that could have left me 'blind' if I had allowed the devil grip of my life.
I know it's not easy to see a use for suffering... And for anyone to say to a grieving mother that there is a purpose... I hated the doctor that said something similar to me. But looking back many years later, I can see reason to the situation. Not that I don't miss my daughter every day! But I understand why God chose to take her home instead of giving her to me.
So once or twice more, read those verses. And I hope you find comfort. Know that I'm praying for you, no matter where you are in your journey, because we all suffer! I love you!

Love to Know: Tested or Tempted

One of the girls in my Bible study and I have long talked about the topic 'does God test you?' as we study one verse or another from week to week.
A couple weeks ago, the author of our current Bible study answered that question in terms that we both could understand. Since today is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of Jesus' temptation with the devil, I thought it a great time to write this.
In Seamless, Angie Smith describes the scene with Abraham as he prepares to sacrifice his son as a test. Before Isaac is killed, God reveals a ram in the bushes.
She continues to say that when the devil tempts you, it is like a candy bar is front of you...
Now I grant you that telling the difference between these situations is not always easy.
First of all, let me just say candy? Yummy! Even if I can't eat it any more, it doesn't mean I don't want it... And it's the devil offering it to me, so I'm sure he knows how to offer so that I don't realize that I'm even taking it... And that's the problem! We have to be on guard! At all times!
And Abraham was being asked to be kill the son that he had waited forever for? How cruel! But sometimes God calls us things we don't understand so that He can open our eyes.
I have no big answers to know the difference between test and tempt... Between a ram caught in the bush and a candy bar... Sometimes they will look the same... But if we are careful, if we are on guard, if know submerse ourselves in God's word and surround ourselves with His family, at the very least, it becomes much more difficult for the devil to gain access to us. And when he does, we will have an amazing support group and the knowledge to protect ourselves and say candy... Nah... No thanks!
So I challenge you over the next few weeks to find your candy, to say no thanks... Or to find your ram and tell the Lord that you are willing to step up to His challenge!
I have faith in you! I know you can do it!
Are we tested? Yes! Are we tempted? Yes! Are we strong enough? With God, yes!

Love to Live Alone

A little over 4 years ago, I was looking at moving out of my apartment at my parents and was trying to figure out what I wanted. I had been denied my own apartment based on my nonexistent credit so I had turned to Craigslist in hopes of a miracle.
I went to look at a garage apartment, 1200 sq ft with a small yard. The commute and rent were a bit more than I wanted, but it was an amazing space! I wanted it! I gave the lady my deposit even though I was meeting a potential roommate the next day.
As I was driving to meet this roommate, who BTW, I really did not want to live with... I just did not want to live with someone! I wanted my own space!
Anyways, as I was driving, I just kept praying, saying, I know what I want, but what is it you want for me? Give me a sign. Make sure I know I'm in the right place.
As soon as this wild and wacky woman walked in the door of Panera, I can't remember if it was like we knew each other forever or if it just clicked, but I know we couldn't stop talking.
She is this amazing and loud bubble of faith that I just knew without a doubt, God wanted in my life.
One of the questions of my Bible study this week was how has God challenged you and how did you respond?
I really, really wanted that garage apartment, but it would have been a struggle for me in more ways than one.
Moving in with this roommate, opening my eyes to a whole new world of how to live with God and I thank Him all the time for bringing her and her beautiful family into my life.
And another fantastic blessing of this move, I never would have ended up at my church if I had moved into the garage apartment...
So many miracles from one cup of coffee... Or chai latte :-)

Help Me Reflect Your Love

Love Lia's Road Trips

Lia took another trip this weekend, but she had company.  China, a Shar Pei, and Safari, a Dachshund, were along for the ride to New York as we headed to my mom's surprise birthday party.
My mom's best friend and my grandmother started planning this party in December and convenient enough my parents were planning on being in New York for my mom's birthday.  The one malfunction is that when my parents leave town, I watch the dogs, so I knew I was going to miss the party.  I had missed my dad's birthday a couple years before because they were in NY and I was going to miss this one because they were going to be in NY.  I was ok with it.  I get most birthdays, my siblings rarely get to see them.  So I would let them have the big party and I would get the rest.
And then I got a call from my mom's best friend saying you need to come too.  Find another dog sitter.  You are going to be at this party!  Yes, ma'am!  You don't say no to my mom's best friend.  She makes stuff happen, one way or another.  So I did my part.  I made the arrangements so that I could come.
And then Mom started saying that we were going to get hit with a massive snow storm and she was going to cancel the trip.  So I started watching the weather...  Nope, the weather looks good, Mom.  It's ok.  You can go.
Well, the weather in NY doesn't look good.  I don't think we are going.
(She was right about that one....)
I contacted my sister and said you got to help me out...  She is going to cancel if we can't tell her that the weather is going to be fine.  And we totally sugarcoated it!
I woke up the next morning to find wrapped presented for my nieces' birthday and sent messages to my sister and mom's best friend and said I think the trip is a go!!!
After they left, I went into a mad frenzy, getting the dogs ready to go (oh yeah, my dog sitter cancelled on me and I couldn't find a replacement...), packing balloons so that I could make a balloon sculpture for mom's portion of the birthday party, doing one last load of laundry, packing my bags, and dog proofing my van, and headed out the next day to transport my parents dogs across 5 states without their permission and hoped that nothing happened!  There was lots of praying going on!!!
China didn't get car sick at all.  Safari was nice enough to share her bed with China (mostly because Safari spent most of the trip on the back seat.)  And we made it to NY and only drove through an hour of snow.
As I built Mom's surprise balloon sculpture, China and Safari played with my mom's best friends' dogs and had a great time!
Just before the party was to start my mom's best friend came to get me and the completed sculpture and we walked into the party with my grandmother and it was AWESOME!
And then I was asked, "Where are the dogs?"
All in all, it was a fabulous trip.  Lia, China, Safari and I made it home last night safely.
Love is Here, Take it With You!  Lia.  I definitely think that this weekend embodied that definition in every person who knew about the party and helped plan it in any form.  So much love for everyone, friends, family, adopted family, and dogs too!

Love My Box

We all have one. That place where we feel safe. Our box. Being an introvert, I like my box a lot. It's big and comfy and has room for lots of books and movies and trips to the mountains, maybe even a best friend or two. Much more than that and I start feeling crowded, lost, out of my element. I don't like walking into a room of people I don't know and introducing myself. I don't like going to parties full of people I don't know and supposed to 'meet new people.' It's just not my idea of a good time.
Like most people, I assume, I have a mix of introverts and extroverts as friends. Semi-recently I met an extrovert who has become a very dear friend. I'm even willing to have her be one of the people I let in the box....
But she sees something in me.... Something far greater than me sitting in the privacy and solitude of my box can imagine. And she keeps reaching in and tugging on me.
Not hard... Not enough to destroy my box... But she is pulling me out... Out into the sun, into the world, into the land of extroverts.... *gasp*  OK... Maybe not that far!
Do you ever feel God tugging you in a direction that makes you uncomfortable? Are you experiencing some growing pains?
Over the last few months as I slowly feel two different parts of me combine together and a new me emerge, I wonder about His plans for me as He pulls me out of my box using my friend.
Be brave! His plans are greater than anything we can possibly imagine!

Love to be the Turtle

Yesterday I walked 1.36 miles in just under 30 minutes. It's a far cry from 12:30 per mile I recorded at the Monument Ave 10k a couple years ago, my personal best.
You see, yesterday was the first time I walked for exercise since June. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciaitis in late July and was told no more walking or running until my foot healed. Then I decided to get bronchitis (twice) and our fall season and believe me I could come up with more excuses if I wanted... I just haven't been exercising.
But I went for a walk yesterday. A very slow walk yesterday. I'm still kind of sore from a flare up in November and I didn't want to overdo it. By the end of the walk, I was tingling, but no pain, so I am hopeful. I know I need to continue to take it slow and easy, but that is not a speed I function well at, especially when it comes to exercise! Please see long list of previous injuries all from me pushing to hard, too fast...
Do you ever feel like that with God? Like you've been asking for something and He's just not giving it to you? Or you know He's trying to tell you something, but He won't just come out and tell you?
Hurry up already!
That happened to me last year without me realizing it. I received the 'Love is Here, Take it With You' gift in December, but it wasn't until the summer when I figured out that it wasn't just a gift and it was still another month before I started the blog. Even now He is still revealing bits and pieces of the journey as He knows I am ready to handle them, not before.
Patience is a virtue. How I hated that saying as a kid. As an adult, I have learned that without patience I would not be who I am. I would still be a hot headed kid.
So... One step at a time, one mile at a time, as God sees fit to reveal to me, I am prepared to take this journey.

Love to Rest

Just as I was gearing up to start the New Year with a new exercise program, PrayFit challenged their readers to NOT exercise for the first 10 days of 2016. The reason? To spend more time with God and less time focused on yourself.
If you spend any serious amount of time in the gym, the focus while in the gym is undoubtedly about bettering yourself... Whether for health or a race or vanity or... The list goes on... PrayFit's concept is that while you are in the gym or running through the woods, to also be focused on God, because He created this body, my body.
Through everything I do, I want to worship Him! And so, even as I wanted to and needed to start my exercise program with the rest of the world on January 1, I didn't...  I rested...  I submerged myself in God's word.
I started posting again and it has been so amazing. The last 9 days, God filled, His presence surrounding me has been awe-inspiring! But it has not been easy. I've wanted to exercise. I'm trying to get my life back on track and exercise is part of that! I heard a sermon years ago about lent and what you choose to give up during the season. Every time you think of it, think of the suffering of Christ and the reason we are doing this.
So during these 10 days I've treated it as a mix between a fast and lent and every time I thought about exercise, I would then think about Christ and remember why I'm doing this. If I could I would open a devotional and start reading.
And it all... Perfectly led up to this morning...
This morning's sermon was Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit anointing Him and God saying He was well pleased. This was followed by my joining the church and a remembrance of our own baptisms.
Could there be a better way to break my fast than with a remembrance of my baptism?
The thought that God is well pleased with me after everything I've been through in my life is a humbling thought, but that's the point. Jesus hadn't performed any miracles yet. He hadn't stood out in the crowd yet. No one was following Him around. And yet... God was well pleased with Him.
I want to remember that tomorrow when I wake up and when life gets difficult and when the world closes in and even when everything is perfect too.
And a secret from me to you..... He is well pleased with you too!

Love for Lyrics: Do Something

"Do Something" by Matthew West

I woke up this morning

Saw a world full of trouble now

Thought, how’d we ever get so far down

How’s it ever gonna turn around

So I turned my eyes to Heaven

I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”

Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of

People living in poverty

Children sold into slavery

The thought disgusted me

So, I shook my fist at Heaven

Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”

He said, “I did, I created you”

If not us, then who

If not me and you

Right now, it’s time for us to do something

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

It’s not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something

I’m so tired of talking

About how we are God’s hands and feet

But it’s easier to say than to be

Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves

It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”

Well, I don’t know about you

But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire

I don’t want a flame, I want a fire

I wanna be the one who stands up and says,

“I’m gonna do something”

If not us, then who

If not me and you

Right now, it’s time for us to do something

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

It’s not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something

We are the salt of the earth

We are a city on a hill (shine shine, shine shine)

But we’re never gonna change the world

By standing still

No we won’t stand still

No we won’t stand still

No we won’t stand still

If not us, then who

If not me and you

Right now, it’s time for us to do something

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

It’s not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something [x3]

Last night I attended a meeting a my church about how we can help refugees adjust to their new lives in our city.  It's something I've been thinking about since the Syrian Refugee Crisis started and one of my friends on Facebook started posting about how to help refugees in Memphis, the city where she lives.  
Sometime later I saw a news piece on a group that had purchased baby carriers and was greeting ferries of refugees and showing them how to wear the baby carriers and helping the mothers and fathers secure their children as they prepared to walk another 40 miles to safety.  My heart broke as I imagined the terror and relief that these parents must be facing on this journey to be met with people holding safety for their children.  I wished then that I had the means to provide even 1 baby carrier for them.
Then my church said they were bringing Restablish Richmond to our church to talk about how we could help refugee in our neighborhood and I knew my prayers had been answered!  I was so excited to attend last night!
Everything from last nights meeting just made me want to DO SOMETHING!  To get involved!  To help these people that are forced to flee their country!  This is what I want to do! To help in any way that I can.  

Love to Take A Pilgrimage

Today is Epiphany, the day when the Wise Men arrive at the manger, marking the end of their journey, their pilgrimage.
This Sunday in church, our pastor talked about what a pilgrimage is. She defined it as a journey to find deeper meaning and asked us to think about kind of pilgrimage we would like to make in 2016.
Now I'm sure that some people were thinking about a physical pilgrimage similar to the one the Wise Men took, but after considering her sermon and my life, I could only come up with one answer.
A journey to deeper meaning in which something changes or shifts inside of you as you go along. Just last week I was struggling to find words to describe exactly what I am doing with my love story but as I sat in church on Sunday, I knew that the journey I've been on, just as the Wise Men were, is a pilgrimage. And just as the Wise Men did, I seek love.
Yes there are differences between the stories, but I feel some similarities as well.
I know you are part of my journey, part of my pilgrimage and without you, I am unable to find the deeper meaning He has planned for me. I am excited to see what He has in store for me next!
What is next for you? Where will your pilgrimage lead you this year?

Love to Dare

Enslaved in a foreign land
9 months pregnant
The ruler of your land has decreed that if your child is born a boy it is to be killed.
You go into labor.
Your midwife delivers a beautiful son and you know she has orders to kill all boys, but because of your God he is spared and you hide him for a few months.
The danger grows greater for his life and you place him in a basket and leave him in the river, praying for his safety.
Can you imagine the amount of faith that it took Jochebed to leave Moses? Even with his sister watching to see what happened.
Can we find the courage to be so strong in our faith? What 'newborn baby' is in your life today?

Love for Resolutions

It's that time of year again. When we all start thinking about what we want to accomplish this year.
I want to make more money!
I want to lose weight!
I want to be more organized!
I want...
I want...
I want...
This week in Sunday School, we were asked if anyone had set New Year's resolutions. Out of 13 people, not a single person had set resolutions.
Maybe because we have all considered reasoning similar to what I'm about to propose, maybe not...
I subscribe to an athletic devotional, PrayFit and the entry the other day on resolutions really caught my eye. I knew I wanted to share it here, with you.
It quotes from a poem some 200 years old that is basically saying 'Lord choose for me my wealth and health and friends.'
What a radical concept that would be in today's world!
First, to think about relinquishing control of your wealth, be it the job you are looking for or that you have or the promotion or raise you need or your tithe to your church... Pray about it, all of it, trust in God to take care of ALL of your financial needs. That is a very scary concept in a world where we have to have control of everything.
Next, to pray for good health and to ease the suffering of those in pain. I have seen first hand the power of God's medical miracles and they are simply amazing if you have the faith to believe. I'm not saying that you will not have unanswered prayers, because I experience plenty of those as well and He does not promise to fight every battle for us. But that should not stop us from turning our worry about our health and the health of friends and loved ones over to Him.
And finally, this one may seem unimportant and you might wonder why I even included it. Because, in my opinion, if we are to draw closer to God then who we are surrounded with matters, our community matters. If God chooses this community for us, then the chances are it will be a Christ-centered community, and you will only grow closer to Him as you grow closer to them.
I have experienced this in the last 6 months or so as my church community has surrounded me and enveloped me and I now count several people from my church as very dear friends. Without them and without my church, my journey over the last few months would not have progressed as far as it has.
So no matter if you are or you are not setting resolutions this year, ask God to take control of your life and choose for you, to take 2016 where He wants it to go. I guarantee you'll go farther with Him driving than if you were.

Love for Prevention

One of the women in my Bible study has a medical background and has watched me struggle with my allergies and allergy induced bronchitis. She has given me lots of advice about the 3 medications I am supposed to be taking. Mostly her philosophy is that by the time I start sneezing or feeling stuffed up, it's too late and I'm already in trouble. She has long told me that I should be taking all three medications daily for the best chance of avoiding bronchitis again.
My insurance company and pharmacy were fighting over one of my prescriptions and so I ran out a couple of days ago. Yesterday, I was sneezing like crazy! This morning I decided I better use the third medication which is a nasal spray. Less than 5 minutes later, I felt it start working overtime.
I knew that I didn't develop that much allergen backup in just a few days, and she was right... I should have been using all 3 of my prescriptions to properly manage my allergies.
She also has another idea that I love. This one is about her relationship with God. Every minute not spent with God is time I'm sinning. I might not have the phraseology perfect, but I know I'm close.
Basically, we aren't perfect. We mess up ALL the time. I know I do. Every moment not spent praying, in community, in church, devotion, working towards, etc for God is time that I'm messing up.
It's time to take my prescription, to commune with God. But this prescription is life giving, for all of eternity and that is something that I can't find in any pharmacy on Earth and no insurance will pay for. Jesus is the only one who could pay that price for you and me and He did so willingly.
If time spent away from God is time I'm tempted to sin, then I want to spend as much time as possible with God. It is not nearly as easy as it sounds. The devil is very tempting, so we have to be aware and fight hard to stay with God.
One of the reasons I haven't been taking that third prescription? It was in the cupboard, out of sight, out of mind... Today I moved it to the bathroom sink so that I don't forget to use it.
I am making sure I do the same with everything in my relationship with God as well. I want Him in front of me at all times so that I cannot forgot Him, so that I don't have a moment of weakness, so that get my daily dose of God.
So today, tomorrow, and the next day, wake up and remember your daily dose of God! No matter how you choose to get your fill, He will always be there for you, ready to love you.

Love to be Alone

I thought I had beat the wintertime blues this year. It was September and then October and then November and still no sign of the depression that starts appearing every autumn. I had spent the year building a fantastic support system around myself, holding the flood gates back.
While I wasn't as happy as I had been in the summer, I wasn't sad either. For me, I was calling it a success!
And then the unthinkable...  A series of personal tragedies and mentally stressful situations all within 2 weeks and I was overloaded and overwhelmed...
Rather than falling back on my support system, I did exactly what I've always done... Relied on myself to survive... And I did, but soon I felt the depression starting to set in and knew I was in trouble.
And I did something I don't ever remember doing before. I prayed for help. The next morning I woke to the most beautiful sunrise that just took my breath away. As I left my driveway, I drove into a dull, dark gray misty darkness and I knew both vistas were a sign from God that He was with me. He had no answers, but He was with me.
That Sunday, one of my friends from Bible study that I had not seen in several weeks asked how I was and when I told her everything it just helped. That same week was our Christmas party and being able to share there.... My support system surrounded me with love that week.
The next week in church, my pastor used the new Star Wars movie as part of her sermon and it was a bittersweet moment because it made me think of my grandpapa. He would have loved to have been here to see this! He introduced me to Star Wars and is the reason I love it today. But I just felt that this sermon, right now, when I needed it, was another sign that everything is OK, here is another sign of My love for you!
Someday I am going to learn to not pull away from the people who love me when I'm hurting. But I don't think that day is today or tomorrow. I guess as long as I keep trying, that is what is important.
As I was told last month,  'as long as you recognize the signs...'  So this is me, continuing to fight for me life to me how I want it to be. And praying for the wisdom to know how to do that...

Love for a Happy New Year

I have been going through a lot of growing pains in my life personally, professionally and with my relationship with Christ through the last year. I've learned a lot. I've learned to listen to signs that He is sending my way. Sometimes they are as subtle as a hug from a friend on a bad day, but sometimes, as you are about to hear, they confirm what you have been suspecting.
If you have been here for any length of time, you have been on the journey with me as I discover love and what it means in my life and those around me.
What I have realized in the last few weeks is that I spent a lot of time learning what love is and what love means, especially after the 'God Loves You' Bible study. But does that really fulfill the message of 'Love is Here, Take it With You'?
In the month of December, I spent some time thinking about what I want to accomplish with love in 2016, and I want to try to more embody love, to project love to the world, to be love.  I immediately set out to start making some changes in my life and discovered that it's not easy!
This morning as I was reading my First 5 devotion, it talks about The Great Commission from Jesus to go and spread the Good News. How bigger of a sign can I ask for than on the first day of the new year the first devotion I read talks about being commissioned to spread the good news and being filled with the Holy Spirit! How powerful!
I have been in awe of where the last several months and the spiritual growth I have experienced. I can only look forward to the future with bated breathe as I know He had something in store for me far bigger than anything I can imagine.
Thank you for being here with me!