Before you start reading this post, go get a cup of warm tea, cozy blanket and give yourself 5 min of softness….

SO they done done it now ya’ll…. I was asked to be the inspirational speaker at my church… of all days on Mothers Day! My first thought was.. wait a sec… aren’t I supposed to be able to REST on this day? But then I went to my spirit and it said… well you asked to grow spiritually this year walk in what you asked for….

Below is a snippet of my message. I hope it blesses someone who needs it today!

“Proverbs 21:5 says: ‘The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.’

When we first hear this scripture, many of us immediately think about financial poverty. We think about money, debt, bills, and the consequences of poor planning.

And YES, this scripture absolutely speaks to financial stewardship, discipline, and intentional living.

But today, I want us to think deeper.

Because poverty is not always financial.

There is emotional poverty.
There is spiritual poverty.
There is physical poverty in the way we nourish and care for our bodies.

And for Women especially, these forms of poverty are often connected.

For years I wore “busy” like a badge of honor. The busier my calendar looked, the more I equated it to my inner value. I began to notice people would say “I know you’re busy, but can you…” knowing I would squeeze it in, add to the pile and contort my life to meet the deadline.

What “busy” was doing to my body (expediting aging through stress) didn’t hit me until the pandemic struck. I didn’t know what true rest looked like for me, until I was forced to come face to face with idleness… and it wasn’t pretty.

After being used to my cape flapping in the wind; idleness felt so foreign and forced me to put a magnifying glass inward.

What I know now is I was impoverished…. Emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

How Does Emotional Poverty Show Up?

Emotional poverty is a state of inner depletion where a person lacks the emotional support, stability, self-worth, peace, or fulfillment needed to thrive mentally and spiritually.

It often shows up as constantly pouring into others while neglecting yourself, operating in survival mode, struggling to feel valued, or making decisions from exhaustion rather than wholeness.

🌿 Signs of emotional poverty can include:

• Chronic burnout
• Low self-worth
• Difficulty setting boundaries
• Feeling emotionally empty or unseen
• Constant stress or survival thinking
• Seeking comfort through unhealthy habits
• Believing you deserve less than you truly do

Many women are running on empty emotionally while trying to pour into everyone else. We are planning for children, spouses, careers, churches, communities, but not always planning for ourselves.

We become diligent about everybody else’s needs while neglecting our own healing, our own nourishment, and our own worth.

Hold Up A Minute….. Text Your SISTER FRIEND and say Be DILLIGENT about YOU!

Eventually, Emotional Poverty starts showing up everywhere.

It shows up in how we eat.
It shows up in what we tolerate.
It shows up in exhaustion, burnout, unhealthy relationships, overspending, and settling for less

Because when you are emotionally depleted, you often make decisions from survival instead of purpose.

But Proverbs 21:5 reminds us that diligence leads to abundance.

That diligence is not only about working harder. Sometimes diligence looks like:

• Going to therapy
• Setting boundaries
• Resting
• Nourishing your body
• Praying
• Saying no
• Healing
• Learning your worth by learning YOURSELF!

♥️ You begin protecting your health differently. Here’s why that matters:

• Studies show women may be more vulnerable to the effects of poor diet, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure than men.
• Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the U.S
• Black women are nearly 60% more likely to have high blood pressure than white women
• Black women experience some of the highest rates of hypertension in the U.S.
• High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because it can damage the heart and blood vessels for years before symptoms appear.

When A Woman Chooses Herself

When you know your worth spiritually and emotionally, you stop accepting crumbs financially.

You begin making wiser decisions.

You begin valuing your gifts differently.

You begin protecting your health differently.

You begin planning differently because you finally believe YOU are worth the effort.

Even our physical nourishment matters. We cannot separate the body from the spirit.

Ladies, I want us to stop thinking of abundance only as money in the bank.

Abundance is peace.
Abundance is emotional stability.
Abundance is health.
Abundance is knowing who you are

And all of it starts internally first.

In peace,

J

Want More Content?

The 7 Whispers Book is now available for purchase! Be prepared to make this book messy! Seventeen months into my personal wellness journey, a lightbulb hit. The 7 dimensions of health model, is an ongoing journey, not a destination. So, I chose to create the journal I wish I had. Elevating your health helps everyone in your life. This journal is filled with “quick read” nuggets and easy to follow templates that will help you swag and sway between each health dimension attuned to personal harmony