Have you ever been afraid? Have you ever been embarrassed?
Yea, me too.
I know and believe that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. I know and believer that we are created in the image of God to fit perfectly into what He has planned for us. I believe and I trust that He has designed me perfectly to win and be victorious. I know that I just have to keep going.
But … but what happens when you look at who you are and evaluate your present situation and what you see just doesn’t line up with what you know and believe to be true? What do you do when you find yourself in unfamiliar territory? A territory where you don’t even have and example to follow or even view for encouragement?
Have you ever gotten to a place full of inner confusion that leads to the thought of, “It’s not supposed to be this way”?
Yea, me too.
You see for that past several years I have been in a personal battle. Yes, I’m one of the one’s who fights a battle that no one knows anything about. Well, at least no-one knEw about.
About 7 years ago I received an autoimmune diagnosis. It scared me at first because there was no-one that I knew that dealt with anything like that and I had no idea what it even meant.
I don’t like bad news so I stayed away from doctors for awhile after that until my job at the time became too stressful and I began having difficulty typing. I figured out a way around that and thought I was all good but then moving became difficult. Difficult to the point of relying on a wall to hold me up while walking or the assistance of a family member.Y’all, I was in bad shape but I was too afraid to ask for help.
Why was I afraid?
Honestly, I didn’t realize that it was fear until about 2 weeks ago and when I realized it was fear, I began asking myself why? Why was I afraid?
After a few days passed, I was doing the dishes thinking trying to figure it out and in that moment, (I believe Jesus was being graceful and answered my question), I knew the reason with full confidence. I was embarrassed.
EMBARRASSED? Me?
Yup, Me. I was embarrassed because I had no idea what it was. I was embarrassed because I couldn’t do what I used to do, move how I used to move, or even work how I used to work. I had plans and this hindered my plans and I was embarrassed about that. I’m a dreamer y’all. Most people know that I have big plans and ideas and now…Now that’s all they would ever be.
Have you ever had thoughts like that? Like you can see where you wanna get but you don’t see how you can even make it happen?
I was embarrassed because all I could think about was all the things I planned and wanted to do. You ever ask God “Why me”?
Yea, me too.
A few months ago, I had gotten to a point where I was just overwhelmed and just threw my hands up as a sign of surrender. And when I say surrender, I mean give up. I felt like I had nothing else to give. You ever gave up before?
Yea, me too.
I was tired. I was tired of waking up with joint pain due to inflammation. I was over going to bed tired only to wake up tired. I was tired of trying to maintain my energy, balance, and movement. Trust me, I’ve walked into more walls than I care to tell and fallen face first more times than I can count.
Then my husband brought up the idea of trying Juice Plus. Our friends from Texas had been telling us about it for about a year and half but we never explored it. But I was at a point of “Sure. Whatever. Let’s do it.”
I mean I knew it was a vegan capsules filled with whole food nutrition and simply be taking it, I was receiving the recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables without having to spend way to much money on food that usually went bad before we ate it. I knew that I needed to change my diet in order to change my life. I knew I saw in our friends what it was doing for them. So why not. So I did it. I started with the fruit and veggies capsules.
Guys, the other side of why not is nothing less than amazing! All those things that I said I was tired of that led to me wanting to give up, are no longer. My inflammation is gone. My energy has increased. When I sleep, I’m actually resting and waking up has gotten easier. My balance has improved and I can walk through the house without needing the wall as a guide. My embarrassment is gone. I’m no longer embarrassed or afraid to tell people about my battle. Is it still a work in progress? Absolutely! But though this instead of crying why me, I find myself asking “Why not me?”
Is it a quick fix, piece of cake? Ha, I wish! It’s a constant work but I am so grateful God chose me. None of this is a surprise to God and I believe it’s all a part of His plan. I’m just here for the ride.
When you think of your battle and you think that you’re all alone please know that you’re not. You’re not alone.
I would love you pray for you! Down in the comments let me know! You can shared what your battle is. You can share if you’re in a battle, or you just comment “ME”.
If you would like more details about Juice Plus send me a message and let’s talk. You can also visit my page to browse and shop, www.cbillups.juiceplus.com
#DreamBigLiveLong
God is faithful! God is good and He has a plan for your life that He designed you perfectly to walk out and complete. No matter what it looks like or how it feels. No matter what “they” say and no matter what you’ve seen. GOD IS GOOD and He’s got this. He’s got you!

In Love,
C.B.