Are you at war? War is so much more than what we have seen happen repeatedly through history in the natural realm. War occurs daily, and the most ferocious battlefront is often our minds. Even when the  enemy is not immediately apparent or even tangible, we may be experiencing internal strife that has the potential to be more damaging than the culmination of any war that ever was, in history. However, the one thing that all wars have in common is the way in which they eventually end, which is through  what is arguably the most powerful declaration of a nation: I SURRENDER.

The wars we fight in the battlefield of our psyches are no different. There comes a time when we must lay down the armor of war and pick up the armor of peace, with those very words: I SURRENDER. 

It is only in this uttering that the divine being working within us can come forth and worry subsides into the resting place of prayer and supplication. We can be our worst enemy, causing so much damage on the physical terrain of our beings. But, if we would just surrender and relinquish the absurd idea that we control the outcome of our destinies, we can begin to build again with a spirit of solace and reflection. 

Surrendering is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it is only wisdom that allows us to know when to lay down our noisy strategical agendas and habitual self-destruction in order to hear our divine instruction in the quiet whisper of surrender. 

----Love, Peace, and Progress, 
Baria Leshea Jennings

Lingering

When was the last time you saw a squirrel laying on its back waiting for food to come dropping down to its feet?

When was the last time you pushed yourself past yourself to get to the you that you were created to be?

If the answer to both of these questions is never, then don't waste another minute, the work begins TODAY.

Lingering is not an option when your legacy is waiting on you to claim it!

Peace, Love, and Progress,

Baria Leshea Jennings

NEW TERRITORY: STAND IN THE WATER

While taking a bath one evening, I decided to sit in the empty bathtub while it filled with hot water, instead of my usual practice of filling it prior to attempting to submerge myself. Surprisingly, I sat there completely at ease and able to withstand the heat, because my body was getting exposed to it all at once.

Doing so, I was reminded of how much more difficult it is to step into a bathtub of already drawn hot water. Sitting is not even an option, because you must first bear the heat long enough to STAND. This is due to the fact that the hot water is new territory and our bodies are not yet accustomed to the temperature. So, we must ease in, and if we find the gall to submerge ourselves all at once, it is somewhat shocking to our system. So what do we do?...
If you're anything like me, you inch in, toe by toe, foot by foot, until you  are finally completely standing. Oh yeah, it's real hot right about that time, but you're in now! Therefore, you must make a decision to take the heat until the initial shock dissipates, and your brain tells the rest of your tense body that it is alright to ease into the steamy abyss. At this point, every muscle and joint relaxes into the realization that this is EXACTLY what was needed.
The same is true for us when we are approached with the opportunity to thrust our WHOLE BEINGS into the sometimes shocking territory of new ideas, dreams, and visions. How often don't we allow ourselves to get past the "big toe" test, jumping out of the water before we quite literally get proper footing?
In order to truly become successful in the area of NEW TERRITORY, we must make a decision that no matter how hot and uncomfortable it initially feels, we are going to take it! Standing on both feet, until the longing of our soul is at ease, knowing that we are EXACTLY where we need to be, doing what we are called to do!
---Love, Peace, and Progress,
Baria L. Jennings

Peace and Light

"My beloved, travel in Peace and Pack Light, because we can't take any of it with us and beyond this Earthly realm, all that will matter is the Peace we brought to others through the Pieces of our gifting."-BLJ

Not a Mirage

Sometimes life can feel like a walk through a barren desert with blistered feet and parched throats with the big picture taunting us like a mirage of refreshing, flowing water to quench our thirst and soothe our burning soles. Sometimes our dreams seem so far beyond our reach, we want to simply stop in our tracks, no matter how far we've traveled. Especially, when you are meant to lead, this walk through the desert towards your dreams can feel like the loneliest time in your life.
Oh, but if only we would keep walking, we would eventually feel the fine mist from the waterfall of hope, as our dreams become our reality. If only we would ignore any lies that lay  in our paths and keep our eyes on our own truths, we would surely be drenched in that reality before we knew it.  My friends, the bigger picture is not a mirage. It is your destiny. Stay focused and beware of distractions.--BLJ

-Love, Peace, and Progress

Heritage

"If heritage is determined by those traditions,treasures, and values that withstand the sands of time and weather the storms of generations, what will be your heritage? What are you passing down to descendants who may never know your name? What do you carry from those, whose names you never knew but faces stare at you daily in the looking glass? What will be your contribution to the steady stream of heritage, consciously and subconsciously, flowing through your lineage?"--BLJ

"Love and authenticity trumps ego driven intent any day." --BLJ

Get Off Of Your Own Foot!

I tried to move forward and wondered why I could not move. Looking down, as one normally does when they are in a state of stagnancy, I realized that my own right foot stood upon my left.

*Message!*

Elevate

"Today is the day to elevate your realm of thought. Earthly thinking can only reap Earthly results. A spiritual realm of thinking  reaps supernatural results here on Earth. Your mind and the thoughts that inhabit it will be  the only real hinderences or catalysts to your success. "

----Love, Peace, and Progress,

Baria Leshea Jennings 

Relationships

Who have you listened to today that took you three steps away from your purpose? 


Who have you lent your ear to today that brought you one step closer to your destiny?


If your list for the first question is longer than the latter, it is time to reevaluate some of your relationships.




Love, Peace, and Progress,


Baria Leshea Jennings

Big difference?????

As we walk through the spaces and places on this planet, we must be reminded that the circumstances and details of our beings which differentiate us, are not merely as important as those that unite us. You may be able to avoid those who stand on the opposite side of your philisophical, political, and socio-economical fence. But, in the end, we all breathe the same air, bathe in the same rays of sunlight,  and are searching to look into the eyes of one other human being and have them say "I hear you. I may not completely agree, but I understand your position in the big scheme of this grand Universe." 
This is the longing that connects us all. The entire human race is working out a way to have their voice radiate like the sun onto someone else's darkness, to get another to inhale their point of view in a stifling room, or to be the raindrop that quenches a stranger's parched soul.
No, in the grand space of the Universe, our differences matter not. It is recognizing the most obvious commonalities that the evolution of the human race is depending upon. 


----Love, Peace, and Progress, 
Baria Leshea Jennings

Redefine The Box

"Thinking outside of the box may be change enough for the present, but redefining the box will   carry us into the endless possibilities of our future."--Baria Leshea Jennings

Persistence and Determination

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." -Calvin Coolidge

Open the Door

"You can only fulfill your purpose if you open the door of your gifting and let God come in! When the Lord comes knocking, be hospitable. Let Him get comfortable and be sure to offer Him a plate full of faith and a cup of your gifting to moisten His parched throat. Next thing you know, He'll take over the joint and never want to leave! Folks will come from far and wide to get a glimpse of Him in your window"---BLJ

Dumb Down! :)

Dumb down a bit..."Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."  ~Doug Larson

Happy International Women's Day

Peace and Power to all of the women across the globe working to change the future of little girls' names they may never know. Today, I pray for you, remember you, and celebrate you. Forever, on the back of my life's mission I will carry you.---Love and Life, BLJ

T.K.O

Sooooo, I'm back!! Alot has happened during my absence from the official G.A.L.E blog, but most of all I"ve been reflecting, praying, and tackling the finish line of some major personal goals. Yes, that's right folks-tackling!! You didn't think anything worth having came without a fight did you?!

When we are working towards a desire, vision, or purpose driven assignment, the hardest parts of the job are getting started and finishing up. This is because discouragement will sneak through any crack of opportunity you give it! So, doing what we know we've been called to do requires us to suit up, put our boxing gloves on and come face to face with our greatest opponent: ourselves.

"Yes, your greater self must look your discouraged self in the eye and sock that liar in the jaw with an uppercut full of prayer, affirmation, and action! Give that discouraged, overwhelmed self a T.K.O. --until the only one standing is THE YOU God Made!"

--Love and Life,
Baria Leshe Jennings

JFK...revamped!

"Ask not, what this day will bestow upon you. Instead, ask what is resting in you to bestow upon this day." ---Love, BLJ

Begin.

It has been said that the hardest part of any task is getting started. I have found this to be universally true. Looking back on my own life, no matter the obstacle that had been placed before me,  I realize that a stalled start could have either delayed or aborted the entire journey. In fact, stagnant feet don't have a journey, instead they maintain a solitary position, transfixed in time. Therefore, the art of beginning is necessary to our evolutionary development as human beings.

When we are already in the midst of a challenging task, enduring and completing seem to be the most arduous and important facets of the journey. But, if we'd allow our minds to reflect on the beginning, we'd realize that the most difficult portion of the assignment is already done. To begin, requires us to choose courage, discipline, and drive when we could very well settle upon being cowardly, reckless, and unmotivated.

So, if you have chosen to begin when everything within you is fighting, know that you are already en route to whatever is divinely and victoriously yours.

If you have yet to begin the pursuit of your dreams, put away all fearful notions and make the first move. Fear will stifle and misdirect you without fail, but faith will freely release you in  the direction of all things possible!
Start the work today, no matter how hard it seems. Breathe out, breathe in...BEGIN!---Love, BLJ