Sometimes in Life, Two Negatives Do Not Always Equal a Positive -- But That's Okay..

"But you belong to God, my children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." - 1John 4.4

So throughout the past couple of months, I have learned that life is a pretty hard place -- It's not as soft as I thought it would be. Let's just say, it's been pretty easy until now. Being a live-in nanny you get the perks: you don't have to pay for rent, you have no bills, free food, and many others. Now, living on my own, life is hard especially when you want to keep up with your faith.. OKAY, OKAY I have an advantage with this one, I work at a Catholic school. But only 8hrs out of the day is spent there, and let's just say teaching is not like a walk in Vatican City.

I know that I am preaching to the choir when I say this, I mean look at me -- early 20's, low starting salary, still not able to cook for one, and every $20 that I happen to come across I find it more beneficial to spend it on a night out than towards student loans. I GET IT!! But still, in order for this thing we call life to work, there's one person we need to put before all, the Lord. Yes, I said the Lord, not your landlord. (I'm funny, right?--haha)
Anyways, back to the topic of this hard life we are meant to get through. I'm not saying to spend that $20 on some nice tacos -- PLEASE, by all means, buy the taco. But while you are eating those $20 tacos, maybe spend 20 minutes praying. When you spend 45mins getting ready for that hot date, spend 45mins on the rosary. When you decide to stay out until 12am at that really nice bar with the really nice drinks and the very hot bartender, maybe you could at least make it to that 12pm mass that has the really funny priest and the nice lady that sits in the front pew.
I am not saying to change your life, but to improve it. We get dealt many negative cards throughout life -- too many to count. But sometimes, JUST SOMETIMES, a couple of our negative situations in life can turn out to be a very positive thing.

So GO on that date, GO out with your best friends, and GO spend $20 on a taco. Life has a lot of negatives to not do these positive things, but sometimes we need to remember where our positive situations come from in the first place. Bless the one who gives us those precious few things to be happy about!!

"You Will Never Run" - Rend Collective

-Erika

There are so many beautiful reasons to be Happy..

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." -Ephesians 4.2 

One thing that I have realized over the past years is that there are so many beautiful reasons to be happy. People come and go in your lifetime, and you have no control over it. I like to think of that as one of the many blessings that is placed among us all. 
This isn't a post like my other posts, but yet a piece of joy that I have found

comfort in recently. If you have kept up with some of my posts over the years, you would know how precious my relationship with my mom was, and how I cherish the few moments I have with my close family and friends. With everything that has happened, I thought it would be harder for me to open my heart & love again, but yet it's not. I have learned that this life has thrown many obstacles my way. If I choose to dodge every single one, what point do I even have running in the race of life at all? Sometimes we have to move, jump over, or even go through many obstacles that we confront. Whether those things are meant to be positives or negatives, it's something that we all have to endure one way or another.
One way that I look at it is that we have a choice; we can either laugh and enjoy the good times over the bad times, or regret the laughs that we didn't have while the going was good. So many times I think that I have to have this "perfect life" and everything has to be a specific way; but why? Why are we forced to live life one way or another? I see myself as a butterfly in people's lives. I come and go, but many times you don't know I'm there. I like that when you do notice me, I can put a smile on your face. And when I am away, I am a happy memory. Many times, we strive to always be liked and remembered, but sometimes we forget that life on this planet is soon going to end, and we don't decide when it does.

All I know is that I try to live by these few words of wisdom:
When there is a happy moment, smile.
When there is a funny moment, laugh.
When there is a sad moment, cry.
And when there is a sorrowful moment, pray. 

We don't choose the happy or sad moments in our lives, but we can choose how we deal with them. Whether I am a butterfly in your life who comes and go's, or just a happy memory, I hope I made you smile. I hope I made you laugh. And I hope that I encouraged you to pray. 

We don't get to choose the people that we meet in our lives, but yet we do get to choose how to make those moments count!!


-Erika

It doesn't matter if you're black or white… or asian, hispanic, etc.

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." -Galatians 3.28

Okay, so let us talk about the topic that has been on most people's minds lately: RACISM. First, let's look at the definition of the term:

racism - both prejudice & discrimination based in social perceptions of biological differences between peoples. It often takes the form of social actions, practices or beliefs, or political systems that consider different races to be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other, based on presumed shared inheritable traits, abilities, or qualities. 

Please inform me, if anywhere in that definition, it says HATRED AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE ONLY.. Seriously, with our society today, when we hear the word racism we automatically think hatred amongst blacks against whites. I'm guilty of thinking the same thing too sometimes, but then I catch myself. I'm not saying that there isn't hatred against black's (I've been there and lived through that), but we tend to think if people are not like us, they are beneath us. Why is racism such a big topic today when we seem to come across as this "new and improved" society? It's because we are not a new and improved society when it comes to racism.

If we look up at the verse from above, it says that no matter who you are, we are all children of God. So are you going to disrespect your brother, make fun of your sister, and treat them like they are the dirt beneath your feet.. NO. You're answer should be NO! 

It's weird to think, as a black female mixed with any and every kind of race you could think of (I'm not kidding), I have to face a daily fear of being treated differently. I recently had a talk with a friend, and she asked me "Do you fear you will get treated differently because of your skin color when you're out in public?" and I so casually said "All the time." Why is that?

Why do I fear walking into an all white store? Why do I fear going to a certain part of town? Why do I fear the thought that I will be treated differently based on the color pigment of my skin? It's because that is what we were taught. 

We were not born to hate. We were not born to think that one skin color demands more prestige than another. We were all born to love each other like they are family, and that's what I do. 

I hate to think that one day my children will have to face this fear of hatred. Whether I mary a black, white, hispanic, asian, WHATEVER kind of person, my child will be looked at differently, not so much in a good way. 

I have a challenge for anyone who reads this: BE NICE! That's all you have to do. Treat others with the respect you would want to be treated. Base your friendship on the quality of someones character, and not by the color of their skin. You may say that's too good to be true, but that's it..

"I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Lets just say, I'm not letting him down!!

-Erika Watson

All You Need is Love..

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12.2


In today's society, I've notice that in order to 'be somebody' you have to be put into a specific category. Especially with today's elections going on, you either have to be one extreme or the other:

    - Democrat or Republican, Black or White, Straight or Gay, Virgin or Not, Married or Single -

WHAT!? Now, excuse my opinion, but WHO CARES!? Why do we have to be one extreme or the other. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all try to categorize each other to fit this somewhat 'norm' we have in our head. Now lets be honest, who knows what the norm is?

The reason that I bring this topic up, is because it's been very relevant in my life today. Who am I to say that everything that I do and believe is the right way.. I'M NOT! I'm going to say it.. I'm just going to do it.. I'M A VIRGIN? Why are people afraid to say that? Why does someone get looked down upon for believing and practicing what they want? Why does saving yourself for marriage make you seem like a prude? It's because, as a society, we have learned that there is something wrong with that person if they are different ---- NEWS FLASH, God made us all different for a reason. If the Lord wanted us all to be the same, believe the same thing, and act the same, don't you think He would have made us the same?
  *TIME OUT*   Let us take a moment and let that sink in --- GOD MADE US ALL DIFFERENT FOR A REASON!! He wanted us to choose to love Him, to choose to practice the faith of following His path, and to CHOOSE to put Him first before all. Does that mean I can't be your friend if you think the opposite.. Ummmm, no. I DON'T CARE!!

WOOOOAAAHHH Erika, you just said you didn't care if someone didn't believe in God? Okay, I lied, I do care. I care enough to say that I'll pray for you. I'll pray that you will someday have a strong relationship with Christ like I do. I pray that you will have a genuine true friendship with me. And I pray that I can be a positive role model, through Christ, as your friend.
It's funny, people think I'm weird/different from today's norm. People think that what I believe in can't possibly be right. I'm of mixed race (haha - DUH), I'm Catholic, I'm a democrat, I believe that anyone and everyone should be married no matter the sex or gender, and I believe that Christ died, rose from the dead, and will return again. Why is that so wrong? This topic has made me doubt some things that I have believed in my whole life.

Lets get down to business; why am I writing this post now? I recently had a conversation with someone saying that, through my religion and family, I did not have a choice in what I believed in, and that I was forced to believe my faith an morals. They said, if I didn't grow up in the Catholic church, I wouldn't think that sex was such a sin before marriage --- NEWS FLASH, again --- You're correct. My faith is the building block of how I live my life, but I'm not going to force that upon anyone else. God said to love your neighbor as yourself. If I believe heavily in my faith, why can't I accept others for their belief? It's about accepting and loving one another. Is that not what Christ did to those who didn't believe in Him at first?

I'm not saying believe in what I believe. I'm not saying that you have to be Catholic to live a happy and long life. And I'm not saying that if you don't save yourself for marriage, you're a horrible person. NO, that's the exact opposite. All I want for you is to accept and love your neighbor as you would love yourself; no judging, no categorizing, just simply love.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." -1 Samuel 16.7

-Erika Watson

This One's for You.. Thank You!

"Be Joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5.16

I feel like I always start off my blog post by saying "I haven't posted in awhile", but I rather say that every time than to not post at all. ANYWAYS, this is one's for you - YES YOU!! I feel as though I have not expressed how grateful I am to have each and every one of you in my life; especially those of you who have kept me in your prayers. This blog is an ode to everyone who has supported me in my life; THANK YOU!!
First, thank you to my family. Thank you for keeping up with me, whether I'm on the east coast, west coast, or down south. Whether I'm laughing up a storm or crying down a river, you have never left my side. Through wedding, funerals, births, and deaths, my family is there to comfort me through the good and the bad. I don't know what I would do without the continuous support from my parents, sister, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
To my friends, THANK YOU. It's by chance we meet, by choice we become friends. -And honestly, I'm truly blessed that y'all have decided to be my friends even after all this time! Whether I've known you since grade school, met you randomly through a college organization, or have sang ridiculous songs with you by a camp fire, thank you for being there and making me smile. I'm honored to call all of you my friends.
To my camp family. SERIOUSLY, what would I do without you? Camp started as a fun summer job, that then turned into my summer home away from home. Who wouldn't want to work at a place like this? The director acts as a second dad, the other counselors as my long lost friends, and those few friends that I'm honored to call best friends, truly act as my second, third, and fourth sister. Camp has taught me how to be selfless and learn how to 'let it go'. [pun definitely intended] - THANK YOU!!
To my second family, yes that's you my nanny families. What would I do without your love for each other, and your love for me. From Meridian to Oxford, Rocklin, and now DC, I have been blessed to work with such amazing parents and children. All of these families have taught me so much about who I am, and the mother that I want to be to my children.
All in all, this ones for you. For the young I've changed diapers for, to my family who have seen me at my worse, and my friends who still continue to call on me when needed. Christ asks us to be joyful always, through the good and the bad. Knowing that His blessings come through anything and everything, shows that Christ is present in every minute of our lives. I can not imagine not having all of you in my life, and I'm so thankful that our paths crossed when they did.
Below is just a little slide show thanking those who have helped me become the person I am today!!

-Erika Watson

Be Not Afraid..

"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." - 1Corinthians 14.33

There have been many times when I start off a new post that I know exactly what I am going to talk about, but with this one, it's just not coming to me. I knew that I needed to write a post though, so here are two reasons on why I should probably write one now: ONE - Because I haven't written one in awhile & TWO - There has been a lot of things laying heavily on my heart. --so I thought that was good enough for me--

As a lot of you may know I have been discerning becoming a full-time missionary for LifeTeen. What a lot of you don't know, is that I have been questioning this discernment. Whether it be family issues, cold feet, something that I'm just not suppose to do, or the Lord testing my willingness of faith, I've been having doubts. 

You may find this funny, but the first step is admitting you have a problem/doubts. A friend told me, in order to conquer our fears and doubts, we must admit/say them out loud. If not, it will slowly build up inside to where one truly does not know how to deal with such massive confusion.  With that said, I HAVE A PROBLEM!! Yes, I said it, I have a problem. And it's not my crazy dancing and wild hair either. I have a problem with doubting myself, and being afraid of what has yet to come. So many times, I find myself afraid of the 'what if's' in life instead of the enjoying the 'right nows' in life.

Which brings me to my bible verse of the post:

 "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." - 1Corinthians 14.33

I feel as if we are constantly reminded of this, yet we don't stop to think and pray on it. I took some time over the past week to just think about this verse; when I woke up & right before I went to sleep. So many times through these past few weeks, I have just felt 'confused' always wondering WHY? Someone would ask me how I was doing, and instead of saying "I'm good." or "Everything's okay" I would just say, "I'm confused. Like really CONFUSED." Instead of praying for clarity, I struggled and forced prayers that asked God "What should I be doing with my life?".  Instead of asking for the journey, I was asking God for the destination. THAT'S NOT LIFE PEOPLE, IT'S JUST NOT. And to think, I probably could have figured this out a bit sooner..

I'm not saying that I have everything figured out just yet, believe me, I DON'T. I am still a bit confused, but I'm confused with the hope for clarity. I have found peace in the decision of waiting for the destination and enjoying the journey. You may ask me "So Erika, what is  your plan?" [First off, if anyone asks you this question, ANYONE, they need to reevaluate that question, ask themselves that same exact question, and see if they have an answer for it. BECAUSE NO ONE DOES.] Buuuuuuut, if anyone does ask me that question, I will simply tell them "I don't know" not with a confused state of mind, but yet one with a bit more clarity than before. 

Last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST (because this may involve me coming to you one day), if you ever need to admit your doubts to anyone, just know I'm here. And if anyone has any words of wisdom or clarity on the subject matter, please let me know.
Know that God is always there to listen, but I'm always here too!!

- Erika Watson

I got married without the Wedding.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." -Philippians 4.6

NO, I did not go and get eloped at a drive through chapel in Vegas. And NO, I

do not have some boyfriend that I've been secretly dating for the past couple of years (and believe me, you would have known if I did). Instead, I committed my mind, body, & soul to the Lord. So YES, I have committed myself  to a divine being before committing myself to man of 'this world'.
It took me awhile to figure out that I needed to take this step before I continued my search in hopes to find a future husband. First of all, it wouldn't be fair to me or the man that I would marry, if I didn't find myself through the Lord's teachings first.
You may ask, "What does this involve Erika?" Well, let me tell you. It goes along with the same vows that one would take at their wedding:

I give you my hand, my heart, and my promise to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of my life. 

Now, lets be honest, some people may think I am crazy. I AM. I am CRAZY for
the Lord. With marriage bonds, one can not fully seek out the intentions of others and cheat on their other half. This will be REALLY hard for me. Each and every day, we tend to cheat on the Lord. Who is this other person you may ask. Well, the devil can be one sly being that wants to break the bonds that we have with the Lord. Therefor, I am fully committing myself to be pure for the Lord. 
Let me just first tell you, this will be the hardest thing that I will have to encounter, and I encourage others to take up the challenge. If we turn our views of our relationship with the Lord into something that each and every one of us want to pursue at some point in our life, such as marriage, then I believe that our relationships with the Lord will be stronger than ever.
There are many different relationships that one can have with Christ, it just depends on the view point we take during our time here on this earth.
So go, take up your vows with the Lord, and build a stronger relationship with him than ever. 

-Erika Watson