Things I Wish You Said

Hey guys. It's Bre. If you follow me on my personal Instagram account, you'd know I recently posted some pictures with the caption "january gems 💎". Well, today, I want to do the same, but instead of posting a photo dump, I want to share some of the cold, hard truths January taught me.

No season of life is perfect. Even when you FINALLY get what you want, there will be always be something you wish was just a little better. For example, I am so blessed and excited to have my job. If you tuned into our podcast (specifically episodes 103 and/or 96), you'd know how excited we were to land our first job. God so clearly led us to our workplace; however, if I'm not careful, it is very easy to allow myself to complain about silly things. Although it seems like small things, these small things are like little ants that could completely infest my thoughts and alter how I view my job if I'm not careful. Here are some examples of things I could complain about, followed by the truth of the matter. I encourage you to make a list of your own with a situation you are facing.

Negative	Positive
I get tired of commuting every day.	I get extra time to listen to my favorite songs, podcasts, and radio stations.
The office I work in is either super cold or hot and humid.	I'm thankful for a supervisor who does her best to accommodate for everyone's temperature preferences.
I worry about what my coworkers think of me.	I may not always represent Christ perfectly in my interactions with others, but God sees my heart. I also have the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort me in my interactions with others.
I'm not as good at counseling as Bailee.	We are different, and that's okay. We each have our different counseling styles, and what a blessing it is to have someone so brilliant and talented as my twin sister.

Conflict means you are doing community correctly.

I think so often in life, we try to eliminate any negative emotion or experience we have. However, I believe there's always a blessing in the brokenness. Here are some examples.

Brokenness	Blessing
Fight with a family member	Having family to fight with
Feeling guilty for not spending enough time with family and/or friends	You have people who care about you. Likewise, you care about others.
Discouraged because you're still single.	It's a beautiful thing that although we know it won't be perfect, many of us desire relationships and marriage. Even though we know our future spouses won't be perfect, we are still excited to be with them. This is reflection of how God loves us. Even though He knows we will fail Him, He still delights in us.
Awkward situation with a coworker	In the gap between good and growth, God can step in and counsel you.

See what I mean? It truly is all about perspective. As my mom says, "Positive attitudes bring positive results." There's no point in ruminating on the negative. Although it's not always pleasant, thank God that you have siblings to argue with, coworkers that get on your nerves, friends to fight with, and silly situationships to drive you crazy. It's all part of this beautiful, crazy thing we call life.

Here is a video from one of my favorite mental health professionals. Definitely give it a listen to learn how to rewire your brain and replace those negative thoughts:

https://youtu.be/LSBJoUSUWp0?si=L9Mw2QTNyqrk_o4c

Dress to Bless

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Dress to impress," but I'm more of a fan of the saying "dress to bless." The Holy Spirit dropped this line in my spirit this morning as I was doing my makeup, and I'm so glad He did.

I love putting together cute outfits for work, but it can sometimes be stressful to navigate my personal style and my convictions. Add a dress code to the mix, and things get even more complicated. This morning, God met me in my mess (literally- you should've seen the pile of clothes on my bed)) and assured me that it's okay to find joy in things like fashion and beauty. What's not okay is letting the opinions of others weigh you down. The only opinions that should matter to you are God's and the wise counsel in your life.

In my opinion, it's not a bad thing to be mindful of others when you are choosing your outfit. In fact, doing so can help you pick the most appropriate outfit for the occasion in question. The problem lies when you let the approval of people determine your view of yourself. For example, I think we've all had a day where we dressed super cute, but no one seemed to notice. If you are solely dressing for the approval of others, this can make you feel overlooked or feel like your day was a waste. However, if you are living for an audience of One, you will never have to worry about "wasting" a good outfit because you have approval from the King of the Universe.

That's not to say getting compliments from people is a bad thing. In fact, the Bible says that kind words are sweet to the soul for a reason (Proverbs 16:24). Just today, a coworker told me my shirt was the perfect shade of pink, and yesterday a client complimented me on my cheetah pants. Both of these compliments put a smile on my face and made me feel seen. Clothes were originally a curse because of Adam and Eve's actions, but God allows us to experience His goodness amidst the consequences of the garden.

If you're interested in color and fashion psychology like I am, you'll enjoy this article:

https://aestheticsofjoy.com/does-wearing-colored-clothes-change-our-feelings/

That's all for today. If I could leave you with one thing, it would be this. Find your confidence in Christ alone. Anything approval from the world is just icing on top :)

Want more? Visit this link to order our devotionals, listen to the podcast, and read our other blogs: https://linktr.ee/happiesthere?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZI2iLnwFfPSC0bmZQx5sqyPOoYqVItqmS6E0RsPsMMxlb8qmDbiP69-q0_aem_wrAF8qu-kyhBju6xpQxByA

Love,

Breanna Chavez