failure

God loves you as if there’s only you♥️

The universe goes on infinitely far. There are billions upon billions of galaxies and more stars than you can fathom. There is more out there than we can even imagine. You cannot see all of it but only what you experience before your eyes. It is the same with God’s love, you cannot experience all of it, it is infinite. And God can even love each of us as if we’re the only ones here. He cares about your every move, success, failure, and heartbreak. God wants what’s best.

That is not to say we won’t suffer hardship or go through trials. There is no way of avoiding pain. It’s a part of life. We live in a universe where each person is unique. No two people are exactly alike. God is omnipresent and can be everywhere all at once. At times it doesn’t appear that he cares, but we have to trust in his plan even when things are not going well. We may never fully understand but seek his face in good times and in bad. He will always make a way. He will bring you through. You will come out on the other side better and stronger than before.

God is in control. The greatest physicists like to say there is a “cosmic order.” Every thought we have, every action we take is our “particles” playing out and being fully governed by physical law… says Brian Greene, world renowned physicist. There is this “divine order” with God as the greatest designer!

We do have free will to make choices, though. One of my favorite pastor’s and New York Times best selling author, Greg Boyd, has said that God sees all of the possible choices we can make and he has a plan for whatever route you take. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions and cause ourselves to be hurt. Sometimes we make the right ones and everything is great! Whatever we choose, God loves us the same. He is there to console us. Ask him to lead and guide you; ask for spiritual direction and to be wise, and to help you follow his path all the days of your life.♥️

About Zina

Zina Hermez has authored the best-selling book, Not Without God: A Story of Survival. She’s been featured in numerous articles, guest posts, podcasts, websites, newsletters, and magazines. She’s recently been featured on the Intuitive Edge podcast! She’s also been on ESPN’s “Solutions from the Huddle” broadcast and on Grace and Truth Radio World! Zina’s written several hundred articles and has taught thousands of students of all ages from many different backgrounds and cultures. She’s appeared in Christianity Today, the Suite T blog, and the Southern Writers magazine among other places. She writes on faith, science, and overcoming adversity. She also writes on health and diet and loves to help others. Her latest book, Not Without God: Hope In the Storm is live and for sale! You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Without-God-Hope-Storm-ebook/dp/B09P9T2DLT

No one is perfect but the Lord❤️

Sometimes we strive for perfection. We keep it pretty on the outside. We do our best to make the greatest first impression, we choose the right words, we go to church on Sundays, we buy lots of presents, and we gain as much love as we can for validation. As you already know, though, the truth is that none of us can be perfect. Only the Lord was perfect. That is not to say we should not strive for it, but accept the broken pieces, and the times you’ve really messed it up and failed. The times you regret what you did or said. All of those parts make up you; however, the ‘ugly’ parts don’t represent you. They just represent a time when you were ‘broken.’ We have all been there. Some more than others. Good thing God will always love you no matter what.♥️

About Zina

Zina Hermez has authored the best-selling book, Not Without God: A Story of Survival. She’s been featured in numerous articles, guest posts, podcasts, websites, newsletters, and magazines. Recently she was featured on ESPN’s ‘Solutions from the Huddle’ broadcast and on Grace and Truth Radio World. Zina’s written hundreds of articles and has taught thousands of students from all over the world spanning many different backgrounds and cultures. She’s appeared in Christianity Today, the Suite T blog and Southern Writers magazine among other places. She writes on faith, science, and overcoming adversity. She is also a major foodie and loves to help others. You can connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, Linked In, or Twitter.

Failure Is a Stepping Stone

The fact that you are in control of nothing can be a scary one, but trust the outcome will be good no matter what, you are NOT alone, you can live in peace! Know that every step is directed when you walk by faith, and in that, there is no opportunity for failure.

803c3f5c-602a-41c7-9b8f-e80f0029dbb6-e1564069014420.jpeg Sometimes miracles happen in a way you least expect. Nonetheless, they will happen to you if you PERSIST. You may be praying for a financial solution, or for restoration of a relationship. Sacrifice is a part of love, though; you may not get everything you want in life, and sometimes we give up what we want for others—I know this all too well, I’m a caregiver.

Culture teaches that we should not settle for less, and that we should not be uncomfortable. But sometimes love calls us to put others before us, and the beautiful thing is you can hear from the Spirit through other people, for me this is a big one, I feel it working through so many—I will call the people that God sends “advocates,” or friends.

It is easy to distinguish who may not be here to help us, but believe it or not, they play a role, also. When others hurt you, they provide you with a life lesson, there is something you needed to learn or gain out of that relationship.

I know it sounds crazy, but even those that hurt you are part of the plan. There is a reason you went through that, often times God will replace it with new friendships, it is in the hurt that you almost always thrive, grow, and become better!

So much of life is about your attitude, and how you deal with loss, pain, or rejection. I’m resilient. I have my moments, but I always bounce back. You have to, you cannot stay down because of any one instance. If you do, you will never know what the future holds. Happy energy draws good experiences!

So stop looking to hurts or failures you may have had in the past. Stop thinking about what you would like to do and make it happen! Stop trying to control the outcome of what you have no control over, because all you can control is how you react. Learn to find peace in everything!

About Zina

Zina Hermez is the author of the best-selling book, Not Without God: A Story of Survival. Her various stories have been featured in magazines, newsletters, guest blogs and other places around the web. She has written more than 200 articles. She works as an English teacher and has had thousands of students. She’s taught at automotive corporations and began her own teaching services, and she currently teaches classrooms at churches. Her goal is to help others. When Zina is not writing or teaching, she enjoys talking on the phone, going out and socializing with friends, or trying something a little adventurous! You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.

We are Being Renewed Every Day!

Life can be difficult. But the beauty of it is we always get a second chance. Even when we mess up we can make things right again. The verse below speaks to my soul because I am reminded daily of how we are vulnerable. It is challenging to not lose heart when so much is not in our hands. But if our “inner selves” are being renewed we must not give up! The Holy Spirit can instruct us. You can even have a direct connection with Him. When we ask to be led, he will be able to guide us and we can overcome anything. Whenever you fail, know that Jesus is there. Become closer to the Lord and remember that in your trials His love is enough! 7EF579E3-5086-4CCD-9804-6123BAF92EA7

You Can’t Stay Where You Are

I accomplished what I set out to do—become independent. I’m teaching and writing. Both are my passions! I’m able to support myself. Of course there are other things I’d like to accomplish, but they are too many to list. Maybe, get on national television? Buy a house. Drive a BMW! Material things are not my concern though. I seek after what others do, friendships, and enough love! I have known hardship. Have you ever experienced it?

What was the cause? Abandonment? Google.com defines it as a condition that is difficult to endure. I wish I had a solution, or a way to work around it. I don’t. No matter how painful it is, you have to go through it! When I’m going through it, I pray and exercise. You need to be strong enough to defeat pain both mentally and physically.

Let your vision be greater than your circumstances. It may seem like there is no way out. But you WILL overcome. As I write notes for this article on my cell phone, I’m on an elliptical. I couldn’t work out the way I do now. I even saw myself being an educator when I was young. I remember watching my teacher. He was full of passion while he taught. I thought, I’m going to do this one day. I just knew it in my heart!

Never stop giving thanks. When you give thanks to God, family, and friends its medicine to your soul. They will help you if you ask them to. Optimism is to know you need (help) to overcome. Act as if you have an emergency. What do you want to do, today? Go for it! Take simple steps. Start with something as simple as a to-do-list. Don’t sit on your dreams for years. You’ll feel resentful later.

What you will do is not what you see, it’s what you feel when you’re in the midst of pushing yourself, going beyond your limits, proclaiming it, and in the words of Eminem, “Failure is NOT an option!”

About Zina

Zina Hermez authored the book Not Without God: A Story of Survival. She works as an English Instructor and has been an educator for more than fifteen years. Her stories have been featured in Christianity Today, guest posts, newsletters, and medical journals. To learn about Zina visit: http://zinahermez.com

A Dream

Do you have a dream? What is it? Fulfilling a dream takes perseverance. Do you have the strength to persevere? There will be bumps in the road, setbacks, and disappointments. C.S. Lewis said, “Failures are the finger posts on the road to achievement.” We need to remember that. Having a dream is a beautiful thing. There is a difference between having a dream, and having the courage to follow through with it. Good things in life are not usually handed to us, we have to work for them. But in the end, the benefits will be worth it!

About Zina

Zina Hermez authored the book Not Without God: A Story of Survival and created the Spinal Cord Injury Solutions! online website. Zina works as an English Language Instructor, and has been an educator for nearly fifteen years. Her thousands of students have been from many parts of the world, and she’s worked with all ages.

Zina writes articles on faith and overcoming disability, and her stories have been featured in Christianity Today, Spinal Cord Injury Zone, SCI Access, newsletters, and medical journals among many other various publications. To learn more about Zina visit http://zinahermez.com.