If You Think You're Ugly, You Probably Are

by Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

Identity: Part I

You are what you think and what you speak. Why? Because from the abundance of your heart, the mouth speaks. And when you open your mouth and say you're ugly, worthless, unlovable, and all those other degrading things, you believe it in your heart.

Sure, others say bad things about us, and we tend to believe them after hearing it for so long, but we don't have to. It's a choice we make. Every time.

Friday in Focus ~ The Narrow Path

by Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:25-27

My husband and I love to hike. We will travel an hour or two to hit some of the "local" trails, we love it so much. Thankfully God has placed us in the vicinity of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, where trails, rivers, and waterfalls are plenty.

As I considered this verse this morning, I thought about how narrow the hiking trails we love tend to be. It's the narrow ones that are surrounded by

It's Okay to Want to Escape

by Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

Life Lesson #6

I think my kids were still knee-height when a close sister-friend of mine mentioned that she couldn't wait for her kids to grow up and move on in their lives. I think my jaw dropped and I stared stunned.

I feel that way too.

It was nice to know I am not the only one. I'm not alone. I'm not crazy. Others think the same things I do.

But let me clarify: we're not wishing our children's lives away. No. We value and treasure the time we are blessed with their presence in our homes.

But we also have hopes and dreams for what life will be like when we have an empty nest.

Because sometimes life is overwhelming and we really need sight of the future in order to make it through today.

And sometimes, we just need an immediate escape route ... for a short time. Like locking ourselves in the bathroom and counting to ten or whispering a quick prayer for patience and the ability to push on. Or taking our chosen summer reading and heading to the back porch. Or putting on headphones and tuning out the noise.

Because if we don't take time for ourselves every once in awhile, we'll eventually crash. Melt down. Fall apart. Ugly cry.

And that doesn't do well for our children, our husbands, our friends, mothers, sisters, or us.

So hear me today: It's okay to want to escape. You're not alone. Breathe deep. Take a time out. And find some semblance of peace so that you can move forward. No one will hold it against you. At least not me. Or any other woman out there who knows exactly what you're going through.

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One Simple Way to Gain Favor

by Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

Life Lessons #5

I recently returned from teaching at a Christian Writers Conference. One thing I love to do is to encourage other writers. Other people who are chasing their God-given dreams. I was blessed with the opportunity to share my writing journey with the small group of women who were taking my class this year.

At its core, my message to those who dream of being something bigger is this:

No Place To Hide by Lynette Eason ~ A Book Review

by Alycia W. Morales

Summer is just around the corner and for some, this means compiling a summer reading list. One of the books I would pick to be at the top of my pile is Lynette Eason's new release, No Place To Hide.

There are two reasons I love the latest from Lynette.

1. The chapters are short (just a few pages each), so the reading is quick. And the story's easy to follow, despite ...