Tell Them More: Faith Changes Everything

By Pauline Cooper

When you are born toa teenage mother and a father who was abandoned by his family what can the possibilities be for you?
Fighting through confusion to try and understand life, chaos, and worse. A shaky life, no doubt – one where life’s lessons are beyond difficult.
Early on you realize that life has challenges.
And, we don’t come into life with an instruction manual– but we learn from personal experience, and by observing the lives of others.
But, the most valuable lessons come from personal experience.
Although plagued by considerable troubling situations, abuse, health issues, alienation, and the confusion you must steer through to figure out life without the help of others.
Trust is the key element needed for one who has lived such a difficult life. We must trust in something beyond ourselves, to get through life’s difficult moments.
That began my love affair with Faith. Faith that has been my steadfast guide which pulled me from the jaws of death, turned on my ability to fight for my life and sustained me during my personal hardships when I felt alone and in despair. Faith helped me fight and win the many battles I’ve fought.
Tell Them More – Faith Changes Everything reflects my personal struggles that I’ve overcome through Faith in God, Faith in myself and Faith in others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pauline Cooper
• Release date: Apr 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310581762

Book preview

DAY 1

Feeling Alone But

Never Lonely

Many grew in well-structured homes yet they are lonely, then there are those that grew up in single parent homes, has siblings and feels alone. Many are married or in a serious relationship and experiences that deep pervasive type of loneliness. In retrospection, loneliness is a common intervention, welcomed by anyone that, do not understand the value of a Joyful Spirit.

Many of you are hesitant to return home after a workday or outing, because you feel imprison in your own homes. The world could be a lonely place to exist, if you do not know how to be joyful within yourself.

To invite peace and joy into one’s life, sometimes requires a change in your perception and becoming more self-reliant and taking full responsibility for structuring your life. You should be willing to discover the things that, adds joy to your life and indulge in it, passionately so. Never be afraid of welcoming joy, because you owe it to yourself!

Too many persons are guilty of blaming others for their shortcomings. It is time to take responsibility for the absence or lack of joy in your life. In many instances, blaming others is an act of selfishness, however, it is not exclusive for every situation. A great percentage of you do not understand or believe that, joy resides within you and you can tap into it.

When you are dependent on someone, to do for you, the things you can do for yourself, you are not only setting yourself up for disappointments, you are also setting limitations within your life. You are free to choose, what type of life you are desirous of living, which tells me that, it is your choice to continue living in someone’s shadow or to break forth and explore your fullest potentials. You never know what you are capable of unless you challenge yourself and go beyond the norm. Why not do some extraordinary things, anything that will usher joy into your life.

I am not saying that, you should despise the company of others, because it is healthy to socialize. What I am saying is, if you are unhappy, irrespective of the type of relationship you share with others, the problem is most times your inability or refusal to be joyful and not because of anyone’s inability.

If you have a deficit of inner joy, know that, human presence will only provide you with temporary joy and you need more than that. You need a joy that stays with you for all seasons. Your inability to operate outside of the person that, you hold responsible for making you joyful, would breed dissatisfaction and disappointment. It is great if you can aid in someone’s happiness, without the burden of responsibility.

Every person is blessed with the ability to be joyful, yet we spend so much time, looking for reasons to be the complainant and dissatisfied. When you lack the ability to be joyful, it transfers into the lives of people that, you associate yourself with. It is called Transference of Spirit. Have you ever observed a person that is full of worry and dread? It is undisputed that, their presence kills joy and changes the entire atmosphere. I refer to such individuals as joy killers. You might say that, no one could kill your joy, but wait until you are in the presence of, close relatives or acquaintances and they are always angry, complaining and crying for no apparent reason, I assure you that, they would kill your joy. Do not underestimate the power of negativity, but be assured that, it could be dispelled with a good measure of positivity. You must, guard your joy with everything within you; never miss an opportunity to laugh heartily and dance freely.

After getting divorced, I became persistent about pursuing something that I love, because I knew that, I was fully responsible for securing my joyful state and I was determined to do whatever it took. For many years, dancing was the only thing that made me extremely happy, so I indulged as often as possible. I eventually joined a dance class and would attend every weekend, after which, I took my daughters dancing with me. The first night we danced, I realize my daughter Jenessa, had a natural flair for ballroom dancing and I vowed to take full advantage of it. Whenever I felt down-spirited, I turned the music on, held my girl and danced. I still envision, the eagerness of my grandson Jomol, as he watched us and waited in anticipation, to be lifted up and spun around. His endless giggles brought immeasurable joy to my heart.

From a life full of dread, I rigorously transformed my life, into one of sheer joy. I became addicted to joy, because being joyful kept my thoughts positive. Now, I purposefully engage in every joyful experience, my life affords me and you should too. Be assured, it does not take a lot to be joyful. There is joy in the simplest acts, when it is done passionately. I encourage you to find that one thing, that adds joy to your life and pursue it rigorously. I reiterate, now is the appropriate time to welcoming and sustain your joy.

Possessing a joyful Spirit, makes sickness bearable, burdens lighter, your situation less depressing, dispels darkness and allows you to walk through your storm, with confidence. Know that, your demise is less complicated when your attitude is readjusted.

You defeat the purpose connected to joy, if you refuse to be joyful in trying times. Our attitude in the midst of calamities, usually determines the duration and end result of all dilemmas. I encourage optimism in the midst of discouragement, which better prepares you for, the change in your season

Do you know that, you baffle your enemy, when you display positivity during your trials? Yes, when you act opposite to the expectation of your perpetrators, they would question the noticeable change in your attitude. I urge you to, maintain calm during the storm, when you do so, you would see clearer and make better decisions.

When you possess a joyful Spirit, it helps you to endure sufferings that, you once felt was impossible. If you believe this, you will see the importance of staying connected in ALL seasons. In spite of the magnitude of your storms, you should maintain your joyful state and continue believing, ONE DAY IT WILL END! Your season of pain, suffering, calamity, financial distress, marital problem and abuse, all have a life span.

The absence of joy makes you unapproachable, miserable and anti-social and that in itself causes many to be leery of befriending you. I know there are many of you whose facial appearance conflicts your true persona, all because you lack joy and peace in your life. Disconnecting from your joy is likely to give the wrong impressions about you and can rob you of some great opportunities.

Joy live within you, but cannot be externalized, unless you master the art of being joyful. Let your joyfulness permeate the environment that you are in, let it be known, seen, felt and transfer to your associates.

Joy is a Godly virtue, that affords you divine connection, divine protection and divine favor and it will strengthen you. I encourage you to choose JOY! Tell Them I am guarding my joy.

DAY 2

The Choice Is Yours!

Although our visitation bears similarities, our responses are often different. After the most grueling situations, some individuals seem contented, remaining in their broken state, whilst many welcomes transformation. Know that, you have the responsibility to chart the course of your life.

We can testify to different types of hurts and disappointments, which made us feel so brokenhearted. After some visitations, your trust has been broken and your faith shattered. Because of said, some of you are dwelling freely in the realms of hopelessness. The question is, do you want to heal, let go and win the war that’s raging against your destiny? If yes, then you must be willing to transform your mind and believe there is greatness attach to your destiny. Overcoming your hardship, eventually transcend into one of the most powerful testimony and increases your wisdom to treat with future catastrophes. The time has come for you to possess a winner mentality, instead of wallowing in your misery.

Ask yourself, ‘are you prepare to live within the confines of your pain and confusion, or are you brave enough to transform your adverse experiences, into something meaningful?’ Sadly, many of you believes, that you are broken beyond repair and that no one could manage your mess. If that is what you believe, then there is little or no hope in conquering your ills. You must understand, anything broken can still be useful and can transform into a brand new state, but it is a process. For example, you might own a car that, was totaled in an accident. Naturally, you gave up on it. Then, you heard about a repairman who is interested in your car; he wants to secure the useful parts. Which tells me that, those parts will become valuable to another man’s car. Same thing with broken lives. It does not matter how broken you assume that you are, your life is still valuable. Be assured that, you can transform, heal and become a better person, but first, you must release the broken pieces, for transformation to take place.

I love the process call transformation, because, it makes you more beautiful than your former state! Just think about a house that appeared irreparable, but someone with keen eyes and a plan, bought it and then hired a construction company to do the job. After the process, is it not, more beautiful than its former state? Yes, it is! At that point, everyone has great admiration for it and the previous owner regrets that, he gave up on something that still had value. When your life is transformed, your perpetrators will get an opportunity to witness it and acknowledge that, your life has value. That realization will make them live in constant regret and secretly wishes, for a chance to make it right.

When you choose transformation over devastation, everything you put your hands to, prospers. Ps: you must never lose sight of your value, while going through adversities!

Have you ever noticed man’s responses to natural disasters? In the midst of devastation and despair, they are compelled to start the process of rebuilding and restoring their lives and structure. So too in everyday life, plans must be put in place for restoration, in the midst of your calamity.

Joel 2:25 says ‘And I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, and the consuming locust, and the cutting locust, my great army which I sent among you’. Be assured, God restores and His promises are yea and amen.

Sometimes, our interventions could be likened to, that of a caterpillar eating a leaf. He latches on the leaf and eats a little bit of it every day, so too are the characteristic of our perpetrators, they take a little piece of us every day, their purpose is to devour and dehumanize us, periodically, but thank God that, He has a plan for every broken life. Maybe you went insane, turned a junkie or an alcoholic and everyone including yourself, may have given up on you, but God’s plan to restore you is forever available. I reiterate, you are never beyond repair. Be assured that, you are qualified