#strenghth

Then it takes a turn and I mutter “What the hell are you doing,” that’s not it ,

Same as me feeling confident and I can flaunt,

But then those outsiders break in and I’m back feeling like a piece of shit.

It’s impossible to have everyone on the same page if they don’t understand.

But it’s not hard to speak my mind if I know I’m not okay.

If people don’t listen then I close my hands,

I go to my safe place and pray.

I’m not asking for you to take my pain ,

I’m not asking for you answer all my questions,

I want you to let me feel the rain,

And understand all my intentions.

I know i am worth something great,

and you’ll be there to guide me.

You expose me to so much hate,

that i just need to step back to see.

I will not give in to all this hatred,

I will remain safe and protected

remain sacred,

of the ease of your glory re-elected,

I allow to come back in to my heart,

as you shield me from all my ponder,

today is a new start,

that will be filled with laughter and wonder.”

THE TRUE COLORS BRUNCH By: Stephani Williams StyleSurrendered.com Photos By: JT Films

For the past few years, birthdays have been pretty life altering for me. The day after my 23rd birthday, I began to seriously pursue my walk with God. My 24th birthday I celebrated with many of the people God saw fit to connect me with and ultimately make the world of difference in my life. That year He also taught me that it’s no longer all about me and my birthday is to be celebrated differently. You see, if you’re following the timeline, by my 24th birthday I had already spent a year pursuing Christ. In doing so, He completely changed me from the inside out; I now looked more like Him. I could no longer be vain, no longer be selfish, no longer be prideful, many of which tend to become exaggerated on your birthday. Fast forward to this year as I celebrated my 25th birthday, God showed me how to embody His teachings outwardly for all to see.

The Planning A couple of months before my birthday I started to think about what I might want to do to celebrate. Being that I recently moved to Maryland, I knew I was going to go home to Connecticut to do something because that’s where all my friends are. Immediately I knew that it would be a brunch because I love breakfast. Then I thought, “I’m going to have everyone dress monochromatically and in specific colors” because I love fashion and adhering to a dress code. Lastly, but certainly not least, “only invite people that really know you Stephanie” I told myself. After piecing this together I was super proud of myself because it all rang true to me! Breakfast, fashion and my friends; everything I love so I’ll call it “True Colors Brunch”.

God quietly whispered to me after I made all these decisions, “But this is still all about you..”.

The Rebuke But God quietly whispered to me after I made all these decisions, “But this is still all about you…”. Now here I am… SHOCKED, in denial and then upset. Upset at myself because I knew better. I knew that God taught me how to stop being prideful and stop being self-absorbed, yet for a second I still got caught up in the hype of my birthday.

“Okay… really what are you going to do then?” “How are you going to celebrate?” “BUT I LIKED THIS PLAN!” *insert pouting face*

I began to mull it over and then the Lord dropped into my mind the “True Colors Brunch” that came to fruition. It remained a brunch because I mean let’s be real, who doesn’t love brunch? Lol. The other parts of the plan however, did a one hundred and eighty degree turn.

The Re-Planning The theme “True Colors” actually takes on two different meanings. I requested of all my friends to take a random (or so they thought) personality quiz. After a series of questions the test results give you a color that help determine driving core motives within yourself. So not only do you understand your behavior/what you do, but you better understand why you do it. The test also determined the color they wore in monochromatic fashion to the brunch: red (motivated by power), yellow (motivated by fun), blue (motivated by intimacy) and white (motivated by peace). You can read about the colors in more detail here or even take the test for yourself! I was amazed at God’s ability to take something as simple and miniscule as a dress code and make it meaningful. The test truly illuminated each of our true colors and revealed so much about how we operate in life.

… again God said, “It’s not about you”.

Then if that wasn’t enough, God completely rewired my reasoning for inviting the people that I did. When I was planning the celebration my way, I said I’d only invite the people who really knew me; again God said, “It’s not about you”. And although the list of friends remained the same, God showed me that it wasn’t about who knows me best, but who I know best. The difference being the basis was no longer who shows me love, who spends a lot of time with me or who has known me the longest, but instead it was who I know well enough to know their value, to know their character and to know the significance they hold in my life. Yup, I know right?! There God goes again, showing OUT in how He cares about every small detail in all that we do.

Then to cap off the “True Colors” theme and take it to an even more personal level, God told me to write a letter to each of my friends in attendance. I guess He just wanted to make sure I was fully recovered from my brief relapse into vanity and self-absorption. *insert upside down smiley face emoji*. No but in all seriousness, I was so inclined to follow this instruction and illustrate for my friends their true color according to the Lord. Each of their letters was rooted in a characteristic through which they live their lives. On a daily basis they walk around and the world is a much brighter place because what God placed inside of them is shining for all to see. And I’m talking hues of:

Resilience // Consistency // Promise // Selflessness // Fearlessness // Dedication //Intentionality // Optimism // Authenticity // Passion // Serenity // Elegance

The Reason The day itself was one to remember. We laughed, we cried, we prayed, we loved and we learned. God used “True Colors Brunch” to unite us and share boldly with one another some of the strongest parts of our being. The parts we should first love, the parts we need to then steward, and ultimately the parts that we should impact the world with, the way God intended. And I bet you by the end of this post you forgot it was my birthday we were discussing huh? #MissionAccomplished #NotAboutMe #WhatsYourTrueColor #AskAndYouShallRecieve #ReceiveAndYouShallShare