Do It Afraid: My Journey from Georgia to Texas

 

What's up, wonderful, amazing, sweet, and lovely people?

How are you all doing today? I hope you're having an amazing day and that you're not letting anybody steal your joy!

Welcome to MaryamsJoyfulLife.

Today is a beautiful day, and I am so excited to be back! I've taken a little break from blogging for the past couple of weeks. It wasn't completely intentional, but it was probably partially intentional. I've been so busy preparing to move from Georgia to Texas that I just didn't have the energy or inspiration to keep blogging.

There was so much to think about—the packing, the planning, the emotions, and the transition into a completely new chapter of life. At times, blogging felt like one more thing on my already full plate, so I gave myself permission to take a break.

But I'm back now, and I'm so glad to be here with you all!

We finally made the move, and now we're officially in Texas!

Today, I want to share something that happened to me before and during this journey. It's something many of us face: fear.

For those of you who know, driving from Georgia to Texas is no small trip. Depending on where you're leaving from, it can take anywhere from 18 to 25 hours. I had never driven that kind of distance before, and honestly, the thought of it overwhelmed me.

I started asking myself all kinds of questions.

"Can I really do this?"

"Should I just fly?"

"Should we hire someone else to move everything?"

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became.

After looking at the logistics, we realized it would cost a lot more money for someone else to handle everything. Still, the fear remained. I kept thinking about the distance, the responsibility, and everything that could potentially go wrong.

But instead of allowing myself to stay stuck in worry, I started praying.

I committed the entire move into God's hands.

I prayed, "Lord, help us. Be with us. Guide us. Protect us. Thank You for Your mercy and grace."

When moving day finally arrived, I was definitely nervous. But at the same time, I was excited. My sweet man had already been in Texas for about a month and had prepared a place for us. I was excited to see our new home and begin a new chapter.

Georgia had been my home for years.

I went to college there.

I got married there.

I got divorced there.

I had all of my children there.

So leaving Georgia felt both exciting and scary.

As we drove, there were moments when fear would suddenly hit me. I would find myself staring ahead and thinking, "Oh my goodness, what am I doing?"

The fear would come out of nowhere.

But every time it did, I prayed.

I spoke the name of Jesus.

I would say, "Blood of Jesus."

I would remind myself that I was covered and protected.

I kept praying throughout the trip, throughout the journey, and throughout the drive.

And guess what?

We made it.

God saw us through.

His mercy and grace were more than enough.

Looking back now, I'm still amazed.

Sometimes I think, "Wow... I really did that."

How did I do it?

I know it was by the grace of God and because I kept moving forward despite the fear.

I didn't wait for the fear to disappear.

I moved anyway.

And that's the encouragement I want to leave with you today.

Maybe you've been wanting to make a change for years.

Maybe you've been wanting to move.

Start a business.

Take a trip.

Go back to school.

Apply for that job.

Launch that dream.

But fear has kept you stuck in the same place.

I want to encourage you today:

Do it afraid.

Don't wait until you feel completely confident.

Don't wait until every question has been answered.

Don't wait until fear disappears.

Take the step anyway.

It's better to move forward with fear than to stay in the same place wondering "what if" for the rest of your life.

You might be surprised by what you're capable of accomplishing once you start moving.

Pray.

Trust God.

Take action.

And watch what happens.

Fear may show up, but it doesn't have to be in charge.

Today, I encourage you to stop procrastinating.

Take action on that dream.

Take that vacation.

Start that project.

Make that move.

Have that conversation.

Whatever it is that God has placed on your heart, pray about it and go for it.

You are stronger than you think.

You are more capable than you realize.

And with God's help, you can do more than you ever imagined.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and spending a little time with me.

I'm so happy to be back, and I can't wait to share more of this journey with you.

Until next time, don't let anybody steal your joy!

With love,

MaryamsJoyfulLife

Give Without Expectations

 What’s up, wonderful, amazing, sweet, and lovely people? How are you all doing today? I hope you’re having an amazing day today and I hope you know that nothing is stealing your joy. Welcome to MaryamsJoyfulLife. It’s a beautiful day today, and I’ve just been sitting with a thought that’s been weighing on my heart lately: what does sacrifice really mean?

What does it mean to sacrifice for those you love?

One thing I know for sure is this—sacrifice is not easy. It is not convenient. It is not comfortable. It is not something we naturally jump into with excitement. And yet, even with all of that, I also believe the reward is great. The reward is beautiful. The reward is massive in ways we may not even fully understand in the moment.

Over the past months, weeks, and even years, I’ve found myself sacrificing a lot. And I won’t lie to you—it has not been easy. There have been moments when I wanted to quit. Moments when I said, “You know what? I don’t need to do this. I don’t have to do this for this person. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

But even after saying all of that… I still go back.

I still help.

I still think through the situation and ask myself: What if I don’t help them right now, knowing they have a need? What would they do? Where would they go? How would I feel if I were in their shoes?

And the truth is—I’ve been in those shoes before.

There were times in my life when I needed help and the people I expected to show up… didn’t. I had to figure it out. I had to find a way. I had to pray. I had to call on God. And God made a way for me when I couldn’t see one.

And then I remember—there were also times when people did sacrifice for me. People showed up when I needed it most. So I think about all of that when I’m faced with the decision to help someone else.

But let’s be honest—our minds don’t always make it easy.

There are thoughts that come in saying, “They won’t help you back. You’re wasting your time. Don’t do it.” And there’s this whole inner argument happening. Chaos in the mind. Back and forth. Give or don’t give. Help or don’t help.

And then I calm myself down.

Have you seen my latest vlog?

And I remind myself of this truth:

If I help right now because I see a need, even if they never help me back, God will still raise someone to help me when I need it. God will still make a way for me. God will still open doors for me. God will still provide for me in ways I cannot even predict.

Because at the end of the day, my life is not dependent on people—it is dependent on God.

So instead of focusing on whether or not people will reciprocate, I choose peace.

Because it is honestly stressful to live your life calculating who will pay you back and who won’t. You cannot control people. You cannot force people. You cannot give just so you can receive something in return. And when you try to do that, it often leads to disappointment, frustration, and chaos in relationships.

We’ve all seen it. We’ve all experienced it in one way or another. Helping someone and expecting something back… only to be disappointed.

So I had to learn this:

I do it as unto God, not unto man.

If they help me back someday, fine. If they don’t, I will be okay. Because I trust that God will make a way for me regardless. I trust that God will continue to elevate my life and bring beauty out of every season.

That is what sacrifice really means to me.\It means giving without holding expectations over people’s heads.

It means opening your heart, even when it’s hard.

It means trusting that God sees you, God knows you, and God will take care of you.

And yes, sacrifice takes courage. It takes strength. It takes real guts to give when you don’t know what will come back to you.

But here’s the encouragement I want to leave with you today:

When you sacrifice and give, it is never wasted. It comes back. It may not come from the person you helped, but it will come back. God has a way of bringing blessings—good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

So don’t worry about who will return the favor. Don’t let that steal your joy. Don’t let that stop you from being kind, loving, and generous when you are able.

And at the same time, be wise. Ask God for guidance. Don’t put yourself in a harmful situation trying to prove something or trying to please people when you don’t have the capacity. If you can do it, do it. If you can’t, it is okay to say no. You are not God.

Sacrifice is not about losing yourself—it’s about trusting God while still walking in wisdom.

So today, I just want to remind you:

Sacrifice is not easy.

Don’t stress about who will or won’t reciprocate.

And trust that God will always send the right people into your life at the right time.

Let your heart stay open.

Let your peace stay protected.

And don’t let anybody steal your joy.

I Stopped Before I Did Something I Would Regret

 Humility, Wisdom, and Letting Go of Pride

What’s up, wonderful, amazing, sweet, and lovely people? How are you all doing today? I hope you all are having an amazing day today, and I hope nobody steals your joy. Welcome to MaryamsjoyfulLife. It’s a beautiful day today, and I’m super excited to be here with you all. God is good!

Today, I want to talk about humility. Humility and flushing away pride.

Recently, I had a difficult experience with someone very close to me — a family member. During a conversation, there were misunderstandings, hurtful words, and disrespectful things said that I honestly never expected to hear. It hurt deeply because this was someone close to my heart.

At first, I was ready to respond publicly. I filmed a whole video about the situation. I talked about how I felt, expressed my frustration, prayed during the video, edited it, and got everything ready to post.

Have you seen my latest vlog?

But before I hit that “post” button, I paused.

I started asking myself some hard questions:

Am I proud of this video?

What am I truly trying to gain from posting this?

Will this help anyone?

Or am I simply trying to satisfy my ego?

How will this affect the people I’m talking about?

Is this coming from wisdom… or from anger?

And when I sat with those questions, I realized something important:

I didn’t need to post the video.

The truth is, I was acting out of hurt, anger, pride, and emotion. I realized that just because I have a platform doesn’t mean I should use it to react emotionally. Sometimes pride makes us feel like we need to prove a point, defend ourselves publicly, or expose people just because we can.

But wisdom tells us to pause.

Wisdom tells us to think before we speak.

Wisdom reminds us that not every battle deserves an audience.

I realized that making that video would not bring me peace. It would not heal me. It would not make my life better. It would only temporarily feed my emotions, and later I probably would have regretted it.

So I chose differently.

I decided there are some things I can handle privately and quietly. Some decisions don’t need an announcement. Some healing happens in secret. Some boundaries can simply be set without broadcasting them to the world.

Now, if there’s ever something I truly feel led to share in a mature and wise way — something that could genuinely help others — then maybe one day I will. But I refuse to speak from a place of spite, bitterness, or emotional heat.

I want to lead with wisdom.

The Bible says wisdom is profitable to direct. And that’s exactly what I want guiding my life — not pride, not anger, not ego, not revenge.

Sometimes wisdom sounds like: “Just wait.” “Don’t react yet.” “Don’t let your emotions control you.” “Don’t let pride make decisions for you.”

And honestly, sometimes wisdom says: “Let them.”

If they misunderstand you, let them.

If they think they’re winning, let them.

If they want to talk, let them.

But you?

You stay focused.

Do not waste your precious energy trying to prove yourself, get revenge, or show people you’re stronger. Use that energy to actually become stronger. Use it to grow. Use it to heal. Use it to protect your peace and your joy.

How often do we allow people — people who don’t even live with us, people who may be miles or continents away — to control our happiness and steal our peace?

We cannot keep doing that.

We have too much to be grateful for to allow emotional connections, drama, and negativity to consume us.

I’m learning to keep my focus and be more reasonable because I don’t want anybody to steal my joy — and I also don’t want to be the one who steals my own joy through emotional reactions.

So today, I want to encourage you with something I heard from Mel Robbins in her book The Let Them Theory:

“Let them.”

Let them think what they want.

Let them misunderstand you.

Let them underestimate you.

And you? You continue becoming who God called you to be.

Lead with wisdom. Choose humility over pride. Choose peace over proving a point. Choose healing over emotional reactions.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. You all are amazing, sweet, and lovely people.

And remember: Don’t let anybody steal your joy.