Devotionals for the Heart: Be You

A Word of Encouragement
A devotional by Heidy De La Cruz

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

A few days ago, I was feeling unmotivated about my writing/blogging and kind of lost my vision as to why I started in the first place.

I was focused on my numbers: the number of followers I had on each platform, the number of readers I was getting on my blog and the number of views my videos on YouTube were getting. I started to brainstorm how I could reach more people and expand my audience. I realized that Instagram was shifting more into videos/reels for audience engagements, but then I told myself, “I already do so much! I don’t have time to learn how to create reels on Instagram.”

As you can see, I was going down a spiral of negative thoughts and emotions that made me feel worse.  However, God intervened the very next day when I watched a video from Beloved Women with Christina Patterson. She was interviewing Courtnaye Richard from Inside Out with Courtnaye. And boy, did this interview come at the perfect timing for me!

Courtnaye talked about intentional rest, setting boundaries, and gave encouragement about following what God wants you to do. She said to know your identity in Christ. You don’t have to be anyone else but yourself. Know that your time is coming because God’s timing is perfect. She also mentioned comparing yourself to others online, which is what I was doing, and said remember to stay in your lane. A lot of people are doing a lot of the same thing. Do something different. Do what God called you to do. What a word!

It reminds me of the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It’s like whenever I feel some discouragement, God quickly reminds me that He is there and that I’m doing what I’m doing for Him. I cannot lose purpose when I focus on Him.

So today, I want to give you some encouragement. I want to remind you that you are where you are because God has placed you there. He will lead you to where you have to go next. Release your plans to Him, and He will establish your steps – just like scripture says in Proverbs 16:3 (NIV): “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” God made you unique and created you for a purpose. Your purpose is different than those around you, so don’t compare yourself. Be you! God needs you for what He’s called you to do. Trust that He will fulfill that purpose.

Let’s Pray: Father God, I pray for those who may be feeling discouragement right now. I pray for those who may feel lost in their purpose. I pray that you will meet them where they’re at and remind them what you called them to do. It’s so easy to fall into comparing ourselves to what others on doing online and feeling like we aren’t doing enough. But as long as we are living our purpose for you, we are doing enough. Thank you, Lord, for our unique talents and callings. Thank you, Lord, for guiding us in this life. In your Name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Hello, my name is Heidy (Reynoso) De La Cruz. 

I am Dominican-American and I’m passionate about writing! I write poetry, encouraging blog posts about personal experiences and any message that God has stored in my heart. I am working on publishing my first poetry book.

First and foremost, I am a daughter of Jesus Christ. I am also a wife and a mother. I have my master’s degree in Healthcare Administration through Belhaven University’s online course. I have my bachelor’s degree in Science with the concentration of Psychology and Healthcare Administration.

I currently work in the medical field as a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist, and I’ve been in the medical field for the last six years. I love my career!

My hobbies include writing, reading, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, traveling, and spending time with my family.

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Connect with Heidy:
Blog: https://heidyreynoso.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidy.delacruz13/
Read my poetry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidyspoems/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidyreynoso13
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidyreynoso13