Our Unique Life

Kassie Marque & Friends

Unapologetically Me: 2016

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Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful brown-skinned girl who dreamed of being an explorer and donning rainbow colored hair.  That girl had dreams out of this world and knew she would achieve them.  She had all the love and validation she needed from God and her parents.  She had pretty amazing friends with hopes and dreams of their own.

Then adulthood happened.  She soon saw the limitations others placed on her life.  She saw the hurtful things people do and say when they’ve been hurt.  She saw the extremely hard work required to achieve her dreams.  She saw her parents suffer while her father had a minor stroke and her mother passed away in the hospital.  She saw that hate and racism still existed in the world.

But this young woman learned a few things from her mother.  Perserverance. Strength. Love. Hard Work. Trust.  Hope.  She knew that this too shall pass, and her reward will be in Heaven.  Despite all she had seen and experienced, she had a heart to help others through life’s mess, through the pain, and through all of the hurt.

So from this year on, I’ve decided to be unapologetically me.  That is the only way I can truly enrich the lives of others.  God has called me to be a ‘light’, and who am I to hide this person God has created.

I dedicate this year to being me unapologetically.  A woman God is perfecting and sharpening to his liking.  He has placed dreams in my heart, and I will achieve them.  I will use the talents and gifts God gave me to help others in this world.  I will focus on the positive and pray for the negative that I see in the world.  I will continue to treat my body like a temple, not trashing it with bad food or substances.  I will speak the truth in love.  I will be confident and have faith that the Lord is working this all out for my good.

This year, I will unapologetically be the woman God has called me to be.  I will not shrink to make anyone else feel better and I will not tout myself more highly than I am.  I am a strong, black, smart, talented, caring, big-haired, romantic, inquisitive, beautiful young woman.   I will live the calling God has for my life.

I challenge you to do the same.

Much love,

Krystal Antonique

  

The Sweet Life

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In my woman’s study bible, I recently fell upon an excerpt about bitterness.  It proved extremely relevant to what God had been revealing to me and it tied in nicely with my recent study of Ruth at a weekly morning bible study.

The scripture focus Hebrews 12:15 states, looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.  


Bitterness can truly take a hold of your life creating an environment of perpetual hurt.  To be completely honest, when I lost my mother I let bitterness take hold of certain areas of my life.   Instead of growing stronger, I allowed the actions of others affect me while I was grieving making me bitter and resentful.

I’m thankful for the Lord not letting me wallow in this area for too long and my amazing husband, my father, and a close mentor for telling me the truth in love.

When I think of Ruth, I often think of the content woman who married a wise man of God despite being in a foreign land.  What I often forget is the struggle Ruth had to go through and the leap of faith she made to follow her mother-in-law Naomi on a long journey to Bethlehem.  Ruth also had to trust the Lord to care for them.  After she lost her husband, she took on Naomi’s God and customs.  She also was obedient and went to Boaz. In the end she married a man of God who loved her and provided all that she needed.  Ruth did not ruin her life by becoming bitter.  In the end, God created something special out of her marriage with Boaz.  Their lineage led to the birth of Jesus Christ!

Here are a few ways I learned to have the sweet life:

Thankfulness.  We all have reasons to be thankful.  I remind myself of all of the times God has brought me through in the past and all of the genuine people he has placed in my life.  God has placed me on this Earth for a reason and that I have His work to do.  He hasn’t forgotten about me, and I’m truly thankful for that.

Grace. Remember the grace that God has given you.  I am not perfect, and I should not expect anyone else to be.  My mother always told me not place the same expectations on others that I place on God.  This has proved so helpful reminding me that while people may fail me, God NEVER will.

Forgiveness.  This is a must.  Instead of struggling to make up your mind to forgive, just make the decision.  This will bring you closer to the Lord and remove the unnecessary weight from your life.

Love.  Ruth allowed her love for Naomi to cause her to abandon all that she knew and go to a new land.  The Lord also tells us to love those who hurt us.  Love is the only way for redemption and to truly please God.

I encourage you to read the book of Ruth.  While it is a short book, the message covers a multitude of topics.  I’ll leave you with this scripture:

Above all else, protect your heart, for everything you do flows from it.  Proverbs 4: 23

Much love,

Krystal

The Benefits of Waiting

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There are a lot of things that I want to discuss on this topic but I figured it would be better for now to show you some videos instead.

The Real – The Benefits of Waiting

This video starts off a little rough but I want you to focus on what Tamera is saying and some of the responses of everyone else. The video ends with Tamera saying that sex isn’t everything in a relationship it is just the icing on the cake. When you wait until marriage to have sex you can get to know your partner on a deeper level (once again take note of what Tamera says on this) and it is easier to discern whether God will support that marriage or not.
With this being said, God created sex to glorify him. When you do it in His timing it is sooo much better.

The Real – Tamera on Waiting to Have Sex

Just a short video on showing Tamera and her husband seeming to be equally yoked and waiting until marriage.

Why It Is Good To Wait Until Marriage

The physical and psychological effect sex has on a male, female, and marriage when you have sex before marriage.

God’s Perfect Spouse For You & The Perfect Relationship He Intends For You To Have

This is the best video of them all that my mom referred me to. It explains not only why good marriages last but how to pin point a problem in marraige…go to the source. God created male, female came from the flesh of a male, male and female produce a family, families make a community, communities make a nation (I might be missing one step but you get the point). If there is a problem with the nation, go back and look at the communities. If there is a problem with the community go back and look at the families that make that community, If there is a problem with the family go back and look at the mother. If there is a problem with the mother go back and look at the father. If there is a problem with the father, the father should go back and reconnect with God who is perfect and can fix any problem. A father who is a man of God is like a man who is holding an umbrella (God’s protection) over his family and future generations protecting them from the rain (evil).

The video also discusses the characteristics of a man that is ready to marry. He links this back to Genesis when God saw Adam and said that it was not good for him to be alone. Adam in the Garden of Eden (which means in God’s presence) needed a helper. The video highlighted that not all men need a woman because they are not ready and do not yet have the characteristics of what Adam had when he was in the Garden of Eden. The men who do not need a woman yet needs God so he can gain the characteristics God needs him to have to be able to be responsible for a wife and children. Let me elaborate on this by first listing the things a man ready to be married should have. (You should pray that your husband at the very least comes with these characteristics because they are characteristics of a man who God knows is ready for marriage and will not hold it from him.)

1. Self confidence and image in God. He shouldn’t find confidence in materialistic things. No matter what seems popular around him his value is found in his image in God and who God wants him to be.


2. A man that is always and loves to be in the presence of God. You should always meet the man you marry in the presence of God. This does not mean you meet him in church. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose again we now able to have the Holy Spirit in us which means we can always be in the presence of God no matter where we are. Therefore, you and the man you meet should/can be in the presence of God when you meet without meeting at church. Church is a place for you to grow in Christ not a place to find a man or woman to idolize above God.

3. A man who works and loves to work. No explanation needed other than if he doesn’t have a job he should be vigorously looking for one like the movie with Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happiness”.

4. Can cultivate…bring the best out of and improve you. He shouldn’t be pushing your buttons all of the time and making “not yourself” or frustrated or not the person God wants you to be. He definitely shouldn’t be asking you to be the old you. Even if the old you seemed better. He should be helping you become a better version of yourself (A New You). The version God wants you to be.Always  looking forward not backward.

5. A protector. He should not be beating on you or making you feel unsafe ever. The man you are marrying is essentially trying to take the place of your father. If you have father issues then think of your heavenly Father as your father whose place your husband can never take. Your father should be the protector of your family. As safe as your father makes you feel that is how safe you should feel with your husband. If a man does not give you that sense of security don’t expect him to give it to you and your children when you are married.

6. Knows the Word. It is ideal to be with a man who has read the Bible front to back but if he hasn’t at the very least He should have a huge interest in the Word due to his desire to always be in the presence of God. This is the most major way he will protect you and your family by having that strong relationship with God. It is also important for him to be able to teach you and his children the Word.

7. The last thing the speaker says is Real Men Worship. Your future husband should not be afraid to recognize that his success came from God and praise god for it. To go even further, your future husband should willing and anxious to show your children (and you) how to worship God. side note: I’d like to think there isn’t a particular way to worship just as long as he encourages you and your children to worship. For example, my parents, if I remember correctly, sang gospel songs on the way home from a date once.

I will elaborate on what women naturally are and should be doing when married on my next post.

Kassie Marque

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