New Eyes

I remember several years ago, when I first began my weight loss journey, standing in front of my living room mirror berating myself for not being skinny enough. I was relentless. I had no mercy on myself. I told myself that I was "fat, ugly, never good enough, a waste of time, stupid, etc". In that moment of self-degradation, the Lord quietly asked me a simple question that changed not only the way I saw myself but of how God sees me.  He simply asked me, "who are you to contend with your maker?" I was dumbfounded...speechless. In my self loathing attempt to boost my motivation for weight loss, I had failed to realize that I am a reflection of Christ and all that I do either glorifies or minimizes who he is in my life.


Berating myself with degrading words was no different than me hearing those same words as a kid. Isn't it funny how those things come back to haunt us? Unknowingly we participate in the subjugation of our own self worth. Yikes! After much repenting, I had to face the truth that I didn't want to see or couldn't see that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. I am a beautiful masterpiece in God's creation and to see myself as anything less was an insinuation that God had somehow failed in making the woman I had become. Humble pie was on the menu for sure...and I ate a lot of it that day. So, I plumped my newly appreciated body on my couch and cried. To see myself as God saw me was not going to be easy but I at least wanted to try. It all had to start with truth.

See when you believe lies for such a long time you tend to lose the ability to decipher between them and the truth. The truth always dwells between memory and reality. The truth set me free that day. I was free from self-inflicted pain and torment. Truth opened my eyes to a determination to never dance with the devil again.

Fast forward years later and I still struggle with my weight but not from a place of failure or hatred but from a place of responsibility and health. I now see myself as beautiful and loved regardless of the shape my body has taken. I choose to see with new eyes and to leave the negativity in the past...right where it belongs. I choose to take hold of a new perspective and to live my life for the audience of ONE who is well pleased.

I encourage you today to reevaluate those ugly thoughts you have of yourself. Recognize their source and put those lies to rest once and for all and then pick up your pretty head my friend and choose to love yourself...kindly. God is on your side!

In His Love,
LaToya Brown, LMSW

Where There Is No Light

My friend called me one day after the Grammy's Awards to tell me that Queen Latifah had married over 15 gay couples. I sensed the outrage within the Chrsistian community within hours. Should there be an outrage? Absolutely, if you disagree with her actions or the movement by gays and lesbians.

I believe there is something that we as Christians are missing. The world is supposed to be controversial - mean-spirited - intolerant. They are not believers in Jesus Christ. They are supposed to do what sinners do...sin.

So, could the current state of our world be an indicator that the world is getting darker...more evil? I don't believe so. The world is not getting darker. We as believers are becoming dimmer.

Darkness can only exist where there is no light. So, if you are bothered by what you now see in our nation perhaps it's because you...we...failed to shine a light.

I invite you to let your light shine once again!

Visit www.latoyabrown.com to read more of LaToya's impact in her world.

God Is In The Unplanned!

Over the past few days I've thought about the plans that we make as humans and the expectations that we have for the outcome of a matter. I regularly organize events and community outreach to only find that many people don't show up for one reason or another. It is easy, at least for me, to become discouraged when things don't work out as "I planned".

 I have all my hopes and dreams packed into a little package called "me" without considering God - sometimes.  Far too often I think that every part of my life should be planned, mapped-out and understood, not realizing that God specializes in the unplanned parts of our lives as well. 


It is in the unplanned portions of our lives where God shines the brightest. If we could do it all, we wouldn't need him. He wants us to make plans, but these plans must include his purpose. So, before you jump 2014 off with a good start I encourage you to make it a God start and include him in the process.

 To see how God shines bright in LaToya's life click here

All Things New

As you all can I see I put my pen down for awhile. I was feeling as if my words had no voice and that I was wasting my time by writing encouraging post. For what seemed like a very long season, I moved from one direction to the next trying to figure my life out - trying to find my next step. I met with a wonderful young woman today who encouraged me to write again...this time about my story.

She reminded me that my story is compelling, healing and powerful. I must say that she SPARKED a passion and desire in me to not only write again but to speak more loudly. I believe that I have something that the world needs to hear. I promised myself today to never walk in the silence of my own fears but to continue to be the conqueror I've always been. My story is not of victim hood. It is a story of truly overcoming every obstacle I faced and beating all the odds. It is my story of healing through sexual abuse, teen parenting and poverty. I overcame and so can you.

I was molested at the age of nine by my step-father. I struggled for many years with homelessness, sexual assault and self-hatred. I was pregnant by the age of 12 and had my first son when I was only 13 years old. I later had a second son at 14 and my third son at 17. Many had given up on me and many counted me out. I was expected to fail, to be on welfare for the rest of my life and to be a horrible parent. I am none of those things.

 In spite of the verbal, physical, emotional and sexual abuse I suffered I attended school every day and was able to graduate with my class. I later went on to college and graduated with my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, a Bachelors in Social Work and a Masters of Science in Social Work. I was determined to be more than what others said about me and more than what I thought.

To hear more about LaToya's story visit her page at www.latoyabrown.com

I was recently honored by Pat Smith's Treasure You -Second Chances for Overcomers event in Dallas Texas this past weekend. It was an honor and pleasure to be featured among national and local female overcomers. It was a stark reminder that I have overcome and should shout it out to the world.

To learn more about second chances visit http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/society/01-21-14-pat-smith-robin-roberts-treasure-you-celebrating-second-chances-overcomers/

To view comments about overcomers visit http://www.ohsocynthia.com/2014/01/pat-smith-honors-second-chances.html

It amazes me how God never forgets the story. God never allows us to forget how far we've come. He did that for me this weekend. He reminded me of not only His love for me but also of his acceptance and support of my dreams. I was greatly humbled and appreciative.

So, with that in mind, I've decided to write and speak again. I'm writing again because you deserve to heal and you need a friend along your journey who can help guide you to the healing place. I will be honest with you...I pull no punches. Life is what it is and I believe in transparency at all cost. Only the truth will set us free.

I want you to be free. You are worth it. You are stronger than you realize and more powerful than you ever believed. You have what it takes to make your life different. If you will decide to be better, then you will soon find that your life can be not only different but whole.

Nothing is Final Until You Give Up...

In HIs Love,
LaToya Brown, LMSW