"He Changed Me"

When I look back on my life and the places that I have been and the things that I have been through, I can honestly say that it had not been for the grace of God I would not be here today. I was born the daughter of a Preacher, a man who loved God and made it a practice to be a living testimony of the Word of God. I was taught the books of the bible at a young age and I knew much of the bible by the time I was a teen. Then life hit, the time when I could choose to do what I wanted and for some odd reason, the bible was no where in the picture. I lived a life of sin and disobedience with no thought of the consequence. When life got hard I knew how to call on God but, I rarely did. I hung out in the wrong places, with the wrong people and walked around with my head held high like I had nothing to be ashamed of. From the life I lived no one could tell that I came from a family grounded in church and when I look back I wonder how I made it. I came close to death so many times from car accidents, to being physically abused, to being robbed but, God had mercy on me and kept me. Who is this man that would love the unlovable, save the lost, and keep someone who didn't want to be kept? I remember being reintroduced to him, riding in the car looking out of the window with tears flowing down my cheeks and I fixed my eyes on a sign that read, " I love you" ~God. I thought to myself, "you love me"? That day our love began. I would talk to him every chance I got and it was his pleasure to show me how much he loved and cared for me , you see love is an action word and God is an action God. I didn't have to go all out of my way to see that his love was very real. Slowly but, surely God removed the negative people from my life whether they moved away, went to jail, or decided they no longer wanted to be around me if they had to go, they did. The more I talked to him, the more he answered and soon we were inseparable. I yearned for him, longed for him; I just couldn't get enough of his love and kindness. I had trusted many people in my life, most of whom disappointed me; I had befriended many people yet, most became an enemy but, since I have given my life to God one thing I know will always be is that no matter what happens, MY God will take care of me.

"In Your Face"

Women hating on women, although this may be a taboo subject it must be addressed. Hating between women doesn't just plague women who aren't fond of one another but, it is also common now a day among friends. It happens in the lives of women from all walks of life and it is a debilitating situation that can keep women from progressing into the people that they were intended to be. It is common to see women on television fighting with one another and keeping continuous drama stemming from personal relationships and extending into business relationships. It is sad to say that when some women see another woman doing well, they are quick to search to find something wrong with her. Ladies, what is wrong with genuinely being happy for a successful person whether a man or a woman? The road to success is already rocky enough for someone trying to excel in life and we as women just add to the problem when we don't support one another. Whether this means patronizing someones business, referring their business, or lending them a hand in your area of  expertise. When did women stop complimenting one another? When did women become enemies with one another just because of what one has? Contrary to popular belief hating is overrated. When I see a successful woman to me it's like looking in a mirror, where there are dark places in my life, it is like a glimmer of hope. What could be better than to see a woman defying the odds and doing what you would like to do with yourself? It is my hope that as my blog continues we actually grasp the concept that we are all God's daughters and what more does a father want for his daughter than to see her happy and living a successful, fulfilled life. My blog is a community for women to learn to heal, to learn to be accepting, to learn to appreciate, and to learn to grow. "His Daughter" is the beginning of a Sisterhood. Though it may be hard, we will learn to be more accepting of others by truly becoming more accepting of ourselves, flaws and all. From day to day, blog to blog we will dispel the hate and excel in love. There is strength in numbers and it starts with each individual woman reading my blog. That's right you, complimenting yourself grants you the permission to compliment another woman. Ladies, its time for us to succeed with force one business at a time, making a change within ourselves as a True Daughter of God.

"How to Calm A Raging Storm"

Have you ever gone through such a rough time in life that it seemed like God had forgotten about you? Have you prayed and prayed for something to happen and the longer you wait the more you begin to think that God doesn't hear you? I'm certain that we have all experienced a time where it seems like one bad thing after another happens. This brings me to Job, a man who loved God with all of his heart and God so trusted Job's love for him that he allowed him to have every earthly possession taken away and yet, Job still trusted God. I cringe at the thought of having to go through what Job endured. I tremble when I think of what Job's wife said," Curse God and die". In the world we live in today, our life is determined by things even to enhance the Kingdom of God, we need materialistic things to get that done. So, what do you do when your well seems to have gone dry? What do we do as Christians when we face a true wilderness season? Biblical principals would be to pray, to give, to be obedient, and to believe but, what do you do when you have put all of these things to practice and nothing happens? Does this sound like a familiar place? If it does, know that you are not alone, as sure as you are living there will be a time when you will face enormous trials but, the God that we serve will always show up. Think back to the last situation that you went through, the situation that you were sure was the worse thing you had ever experienced and look at you now. If God brought you through that, he will surely bring you through this. How wonderful a God in his infinite grace and mercy, meaning his grace is EVERLASTING, that he will forgive us of our sins and adopt us into his kingdom, then what wouldn't he do for you? I know that your situation may seem grim and the resources may seem low but, never give up on trusting and believing God's Word. God's word says, " He will never leave you nor forsake you" , (Deuteronomy 31:6) so therefore, it's not a matter of if he will take care of your problem but, when. Our true test doesn't come when all things are working well for us and we are proclaiming how good God is but, when things are piling up against us and we can still praise him and thank him for the things that are going good. You may have lost your job but, you're still alive. You may being having financial difficulty but, you have your health and strength. You may have lost a loved one but, you still are here and you have wonderful memories to remember them by. In everything give thanks. The enemy would sure love nothing more than to steal your joy, he would be so happy if you would stop believing and stop praying but, remember when the tide is high and the storm is brewing you must begin to pray even harder. We will not be defeated by the tactics of the enemy because if God is for us, who can be against us? As Children of God we will all go through a season where we have to fully wait on God, when there will be no one else will can call on and this may just be the test of your faith. It is time for us to stop relying on ourselves and our resources and start FULLY RELYING on God. So tonight I encourage you to remain steadfast and unmovable, be confident in God and in his Power. Pray without ceasing, Praise without Pause, Love without limits, and By all means Believe that if God said it he WILL do it. That in itself is enough for me.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

"God's Love"

Dear Daughter:

 Before anyone ever thought of you, you were in my thoughts. I dreamed about you and put deep thought into every intricate detail of who you would become. Your laughter and smile, your skin and your bone structure, your mind full of desires, and every strand of hair on your head I molded personally. With my hands I put my all in you and with my very being I breathed life into you. I watched from a far as you took your first step and I sent my angels to protect you from the harshness of the world. As I sit on the side of your bed and watch you sleep peacefully I whisper my plans for you in your ear. Hearing from you melts my heart and spending time with you is one of my favorite past times. Daughter, you are the apple of my eye, I orchestrate every beat of your heart in sync with the rhythm of my will. I took my love for you and placed it in the heart of the man you will call "husband". I whistle lullabies to you through the birds singing and run my fingers through your hair as the winds blow by. I see you when you're hurt and when you cry I count every tear. You are part of me, you belong to me; You are my child and I am your Father. What I want you to know is that I will always be here, I will always love you, and I am longing to hear the most wonderful word to me, in your sweet, precious voice and that's when you call me, "Daddy". 

~GOD

Just when you think no one cares about you or you have no one to talk to, remember that God, our Father loves us and that he is always there for us..."His Daughter".

"Entertaining a Stranger"

Have you ever met someone and immediately had a bad feeling about that person, how do you treat this person? Do you tend to judge someone by their appearance or how they present themselves in public? Now look back over your life, have you ALWAYS been a person worthy of being treated well? Are you a person that has never made a mistake or been bound by sin? I met a young man today in front of a local grocery store, at 1st glance he was either drunk or on some type of drug. When I approached the store he greeted me, I smiled and said, "Hello" then he followed me into the store. He told me his name was Michael and as I shopped, he walked side by side with me making jokes and talking really loud but, before I became impatient and reported him to the store employees, I took a really good look at him. Michael wasn't trying to harm me, he was just lost. My mind began to wander and think about what if this was my son, how would I want a stranger to treat him? I choked up when I thought of the hurt that this young man must have been carrying around that seemingly the only person  he could talk to was a stranger. I stayed in the store longer than I would have and asked Michael about his family, he told me that his dad would drop him off at the store and would come pick him up when he called him for a ride. What I found out was that Michael was neither drunk nor on drugs but, had a mental disability that effected his speech, motor skills, and decision making. When I began to check out Michael called his dad for him to come pick him up and when I exited the store, his dad was right there waiting for him. I learned a lot from Michael today, what if I prejudged him and called the store security on him, would he lose his love and innocence for people and stop being himself? Would rejection cause him to be down on himself and would he just stay in the house and never associate with the outside world? Spending time with Michael humbled me, I thanked God for a sound-mind, for the ability to articulate myself when I need to. We have to be careful to not be so quick to judge someone because they are different than us, because they are going through something that we know nothing about, or because they are caught in sin. Who are we to judge? Michael may not be a college graduate, or have the ability to carry on a great conversation but, Michael had laughter; he had peace. Tonight when I say my prayers, I will pray for my Michael and I will also thank God for gracing me with Michael's presence. In that short time I learned a lot from him, when I walked outside and saw his father waiting on him; it reminded me of our relationship with God. God doesn't hold us back because of our disabilities, he takes us where we need to go and he allows us to be free to be ourselves but, when we need him and we call him...he is always right there.

Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor, Therefore love is the fulfillment to the law.

If you are not sure of your relationship with Christ or would like to speak with me directly regarding building a relationship with Christ, Please contact me. The best choice you can make in life is accepting Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior. ~Lady Melissa E. West

"Objects Are Closer Than They Appear"

While riding home from church, I looked in my side view mirror and read the saying “Objects are closer than they appear”. This saying made me think about our ride through life, how there are many ups and downs. We all have been created for a purpose, there is something burning deep down inside of each of us that pushes us towards a certain destination. Many times in life there are so many trials that we can’t see the big picture, we get so distracted on the problem that we would rather quit than to keep going. As women, we have so many different hats that we wear from being a mother, an employee, and wife just to name a few. Sometimes we become so overwhelmed that we allow our daily routine to overtake our genuine purpose. Think back to the saying in the side view mirror, that’s how our life can be, our purpose can be closer than we may see or think yet, due to life’s circumstances we continue on a barren path. If you have a gift don’t keep running from it, believe that you are here to be a successful and prosperous woman. Although you may not know how your gift or dream will come to pass trust that it will and even if the road becomes rough and even though the terrain may be rocky the reward may be just around the corner. Remember “objects (DREAMS) are closer than they appear”.

*Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

If you are not sure of your relationship with Christ or would like to speak with me directly regarding building a relationship with Christ, Please contact me. The best choice you can make in life is accepting Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior. ~Lady Melissa E. West

"Back By God's Demand"

Welcome to “His Daughter” a blog created to help women reach down inside themselves to find their passion. My prayer is that through this blog you will find the determination and the will to reach your purpose.

Are you in a place in your life where you feel unfulfilled? Have you done all of the conventional things that you believe would make you feel successful yet, you still have an emptiness inside? Can you look back to something you started years ago, something that made you happy inside yet, it didn’t yield the finances that were needed for you to survive? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I urge you to pull out that old thing and go back. We were created with a gift, something that no one can do like you and if you aren’t doing it, chances are you are wishing you were. Hey, you don’t keep wishing you had done it, don’t keep allowing yourself to ignore it; go out and do it. Be all that God created you to be…step out with no regrets.