Life With Purpose

What is Purpose?

What is the purpose of life? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? I have. Every person who has ever lived has asked at least one of those questions. Sometimes it takes a journey to find the answers. I was hoping to find life’s purpose in the popular book “Purpose Driven Life". You know the best-selling book that everyone was snatching off the shelves hoping to find purpose. Personally, after reading it I was disappointed and still confused about life’s purpose. Maybe I need to read it again lol! I remember trying to be a shoe designer spending hours on end surfing the web for a shoe cobbler in Massachusetts, aaauugh. That was so frustrating and such a waste of time. Then I got this bright idea to start a record label and name it “On Time Records” smh. I was desperately trying to find purpose and fulfillment in something. Thank God, within the last five years I’ve come to an understanding of Purpose.

Just recently I read the book of Ecclesiastes written by King Solomon in the bible. I came across this passage of scripture which so simply summarizes life’s purpose. "Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty” Ecc. 12:13. Hmmmm, duty means obligation or responsibility. Wow, it was kind of an aha moment for me. I've been having a lot of those lately. The book of Ecclesiastes is an interesting read because it’s crude, comical and bluntly explains how this life is super short and "meaningless" without knowing and living for God. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, Luke 10:27. That would be your whole being. God should be everything to us and our desire should be to please and obey him in the earth, this is our main purpose! When you really think about it, achieving success, obtaining wealth, and indulging in sexual activity is what our world enjoys. Sporting designer handbags, purchasing luxurious homes, whipping expensive vehicles, rockin’ fancy shoes, and owning the latest gadgets make us feel important and successful, maybe even purposeful.
 
I remember last year, my husband and I had our spiritual mentor over for dinner. The Lord has blessed us with a lovely home and we give God glory for his blessings. Our mentor is a humble servant of God. He’s also an outspoken Italian man with an authoritative and commanding voice. He sat down at the dinner table and said, “Ty! Troy! This is a beautiful home! Just Beautiful! But it’s all rubbish in the sight of God! LOL!! I will never ever forget that!! We were like, well thank you, I think? But he was so right! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having success, wealth and material items, it’s a blessing!  But it doesn’t last and should never be more important than knowing and following the will of God. Material things wear out, break down, lose value and become outdated. We put so much time, energy and money into obtaining these luxurious lifestyles when it only gives temporary pleasure. As the old saying goes, “only what you do for Christ will last”!

Jesus said, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me" Matt. 25:35. Basically, Jesus is saying these are areas that are very important to him and should be very important to us. There is purpose in giving back and helping those who are less fortunate than we are. Make a difference in someone’s life by giving generous donations like money, food, clothes etc. Spend some time with the elderly or send a letter to someone you know who may be incarcerated. Share your talent without "always" charging a fee. The love of God can be shown through your good deeds.

Jesus also said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything I have commanded you" Matt. 28:19. Yes, Christ gave this command to his 12 disciples, but guess what? We are his disciples too! Our world is filled with people who don't know God or what he's all about. As Christ’s disciples we are responsible for doing our part as Jesus commanded. Do you see how our lives are full of purpose? Its really not about you! It's about loving God and helping others.

You do your part by using the natural gifts and talents that are inside of you. We ask ourselves what is my purpose? I've learned that whatever comes naturally or effortlessly for you is the area you need to tap into and learn. Take classes, read books and exercise your gifts. USE THEM! lol! If you have a gift to sing or write, begin to sing about the things of God or write about things that will inspire people. If you have the gift to gab, look into motivational speaking or some type of public speaking. God can use your voice to speak to the nations. Maybe you have an administrative gift, God can use your organization and multi-tasking in ways that you can't even imagine. If you're a mom to little ones, your purpose is to pour into them Godly teaching and live by example. Raise them to be children of purpose. When you put God first, give back to others, and use your gifts for him, God will direct your path by presenting opportunities that will lead you to a purposeful and fulfilling life.

Blessings,
Tytenisha

Guest Blogger Tiffany A. Wilson

Dreaming About Mr.

   

Thinking back, I’ve always been a dreamer. The rapper Nas said, “I know a billionaire that has everything, but a family.”* This is sad to me, yet this lyric points to my belief that every human being is created to love and be loved. Therefore, at the core of the billionaire, the millionaire or the working class guy or gal there rests a commonality, a weight, to experience love.

 

When I was a teenager, I, like many other girls dreamed of the prince charming guy, rolling up with Levi’s on and the promise of the white picket fence. I can vividly recall pitching this white picket fence idea to my first love. He would snicker at my dream, like hmm?!? And, I would gaze into his eyes, like umm!!! Despite our youth and lack of agreement, I seriously believed that we could “make it last forever,” in my best Keith Sweat voice! Well, my fanciful high hopes for my teenage thug love were quickly terminated. Although, the relationship fizzled, the core of my desire to be in a loving relationship was still alive and well. Unfortunately, I wrongly placed my desire to be loved on Mr. Gansta, Mr. Wangsta and Mr. Pranksta. I can laugh now, but gosh living it was brutal.
 

Now, over two decades later, I can reflect back to my teens and say, “Why was I dreaming at such a young age for commitment and the white picket fence?” No offense to my parents, but they didn’t represent an example of commitment and marriage, yet I wanted it! Huh? In short, I’ve come to learn that the dreams of Mr. that were bubbling up out of my heart were more of an internal thing than an external thing. Externally, I wasn’t sure if a man could be trusted for the long term, yet internally there was this pull to do it differently, to dream beyond what my eyes could see.

 

Well, did mind over matter work? Did my dream come true? Nope, not yet! Instead, I have experienced love in two majorly grand ways: First, the love of God and second, the love of self. Sorry, wish I had at least a firework sound for you, but this is my wonderful truth. Believe me, I use to wish I had the quick love story, like girl, one day I was rushing through an airport and BOOM! Mr. Enchanting popped up and said, “slow-w-w down beautiful.” Nah!!! Instead, my love story has been a hard knocks road to self-discovery, gripped with God’s loving, but heavy hand guiding me to restoration. See, I was so low that I had to cry out to a God that I didn’t really know existed to save me. I was minutes away from depression winning, but God had other plans for me. Hallelujah!!! God said, “not only am I real, but I’m going to reveal myself to you in such a personal and supernatural way that you’ll naturally go tell others.” Like the Samaritan woman at the well, I can’t help but say, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did” (John 4:29).

So, I write today to say thankfully, love has not escaped me…love found me and when it is time, Mr. Wow will find his Ms. Good Thing.

 

Believe God Lovely People, xoxo Tiffany

Facebook: TwentySomethings

*NAS, Song: The World’s an Addiction.

Tiffany Wilson is the facilitator for “TwentySomethings.” by Christian Talk Therapy, a weekly empowerment group that encourages young women to LIVE and LOVE well, using godly principles as our guide. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Divinity at Palmer Theological Seminary.

Having been a teen mom, and raising her now 24 year old daughter as a single young woman, Tiffany knows what it’s like to struggle, to battle feelings of inadequacy and a distorted self-image. However, with continuous self-development and God’s grace she has overcome many of these obstacles. Tiffany’s passion is teaching young women and those at a disadvantage life skills and how to identify and live out their authentic selves. Although, she’s a native of Boston, Massachusetts – Philadelphia is where she currently lives and calls home. 

Please use TiffyTalks@yahoo.com or tiffy@christiantalktherapy.com

 

  



God Has Not Forsaken You

“And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 15:34

 

Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross and suffered a slow, painful death for you and me. Many of us can relate to Jesus' question about feeling forsaken. At one time or another we’ve all felt forsaken, abandoned, forgotten and rejected.

Even though Jesus spoke those words, he knew that God had not forsaken him. He understood he had a purpose to fulfill that required tremendous suffering and separation from his Father for a period of time.

Have you ever felt alone and in a state of pain and suffering for a long time with no relief in sight? Just like Jesus, you probably felt abandoned or forgotten about. We'll never experience the kind of torture and pain that Christ suffered but we will go through challenging seasons in our lives that may seem long and agonizing. People are experiencing painful marriage and family issues, horrendous health problems, difficult financial situations, and horrible tragedies. Many have asked God, why am I going through this?  Why did this happen to me? Why does this hurt so bad? When is this going to end? I’ve prayed, I’m trusting and believing in you, where is the change?

I myself went through a season of depression, because of loneliness. I wanted a meaningful relationship with someone who really loved me and shared the same faith and ideals as I did. All of my girlfriends were getting married and having children. There I was 29, single, still a virgin and no prospect in sight. I attended one of the largest churches in the city and not one man asked me out on a date! I would say, “God I'm a good person, I try to live right, I’ve kept myself, I'm not dating just to be dating even though everybody else is!”  Why are you making me wait so long? I felt embarrassed because of my age and felt I should be building a family by now. Those feelings and thoughts consumed me and made me feel worthless. Even though my friends were getting married, a few of them married for the wrong reasons in which some are unhappy today. I still felt sad and left behind. I felt God had forgotten about me and my sacrifice and it hurt.

“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”, Hebrews 13:5. Even when we feel alone God is always there. I had to believe that! During that time of depression in my life, I stayed connected to God through lots of prayer. I kept myself busy with church activities and my pursuit of a gospel music career. I cried my way through many nights but I held on to His word. In time I was blessed with a wonderful man of God, and no he did not come out of the big church I was attending lol!!   

God is Sovereign. He’s in control of everything that happens in our lives.  Yes, we will experience difficult times, but there’s always purpose in our pain and suffering. Character is developed which changes you and makes you a better person. Faith is increased which gives you a stronger belief and trust in God. Eventually we will enter a place of peace and blessings all for the glory of God. There was purpose in Jesus’ suffering. Even though he was in pain physically and emotionally it was only for a time. Christ’s suffering resulted in “our” restored relationship with God and now we have eternal life.

 So how do we get passed feeling forsaken by God? 

 

• Trust in God: Its ok to feel defeated, angry, hurt and forsaken for a time. As we read, Jesus felt forsaken for a quick minute. For us it takes time to press through those emotions, but after awhile you have to make up in your mind that no matter how difficult or painful your situation is, you’re not going to give up on God. When you give up on God you lose peace, you lose hope and the outcome may not be what you hoped for. Christ could have easily said Lord, I don’t’ want to give my life for these stubborn, materialistic, selfish, unbelieving people. Had he given up, we might not have a restored relationship with God today. Put your trust in God. No one wants the best for you more than God.

• Praise and Worship: Let me quickly say that praise and worship is not "just" about music, singing, dancing, etc. It includes those things but it's also about knowing God intimately and living a holy life. I will save that piece for another post lol! In this paragraph I'm focusing on music and verbal adoration. Sometimes it's difficult to open your mouth and verbally acknowledge Gods goodness and grace in your life when the hurt is so great. God loves to hear sincere worship and heartfelt praise. Find yourself some good music that gives God glory. Let the words and the music saturate your heart and mind. By the end of those songs you will have a mouth full of praise and worship to God despite what's going on in your life. "Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and make music to the Lord in your hearts. Give thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" Eph. 5:19 

• Prayer and Scripture: Find some alone time with God to pray even if it’s only 5 or ten minutes. Pray to God about what you’re struggling with. Tell Him how you feel. You have to stay connected and be honest with God. Find scriptures that relate to what you’re dealing with and personalize them by putting yourself in them. Speak Gods word everyday until you feel a peace inside and confident that God has not forsaken you.

 

 

Blessings,

Tytenisha

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD for short, is a potentially devastating "anxiety disorder" that often sets in after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatizing event, involving either a real or perceived danger of impending death or severe injury. PTSD can occur as a result of a physical assault, sexual abuse, a natural disaster, and participation in combat or any other form of trauma.

When someone suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, their internal fight or flight response is no longer functioning properly, so they tend to perceive danger or impending disaster where there is none. Even in the safest situations they may feel distressed or frightened. PTSD was first diagnosed in combat-weary soldiers as "battle fatigue" or "shell shock," and has been getting a lot of public attention recently due to the large number of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan afflicted with the disorder.

PTSD Can Affect Anyone at Any Age:

PTSD however, can affect people of all ages and occupations after many types of traumatic events, and is now known to be a result of chemical changes in the brain rather than any sort of weakness or inherent character flaw.

Shortly after any sort of natural disaster or other trauma, most people will develop some sort of symptoms of PTSD, like not being able to stop reliving the event in their minds. Common reactions to trauma involve feelings of fear, anger, anxiety, guilt and depression. In order to avoid developing full blown PTSD, immediately after a traumatic event is the best time to act.

How To Prevent PTSD? Talk To Someone:

Even though you may not want to talk about the trauma, relive it, or even think about it, that is exactly what you must do in order to effect a healthy recovery. Some people prefer the support of family and friends, while others prefer to talk to a mental health professional, minister or spiritual guide of some sort. It really doesn't matter, as long as you talk to someone

The best way to prevent PTSD is to face your fears and deal with your emotions quickly and openly. Grit your teeth and rip off the Band-Aid. While it's normal to want to avoid re-living a traumatic event, a consensus of mental health professionals all agree that the most important thing to do after a trauma is to face the memories and deal with them. Trying to push them away will only cause symptoms of PTSD to increase in severity and duration.

Avoid Common Pitfalls:

Getting support for emotional trauma can help to keep normal reactions to stress from worsening and becoming actual post-traumatic stress disorder. Early emotional support can also keep you from turning to other, less healthy coping methods, such as alcohol abuse, over-eating and excessive sleeping. An objective listener can also help to reassure you that what happened was not your fault, and help to assuage any feelings of survivor guilt or culpability.

Once you have thoroughly worked through your fears, guilt and other issues surrounding the traumatic event, you should get back to doing what you normally do on a daily basis as quickly as possible. A sense of normalcy will help you, finally put the event behind you.

PTSD is real, and it occurs more frequently than we realize. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and it can be avoided or lessened by getting help early on after being exposed to a natural disaster, assault, or any other sort of distressing situation. Don't wait until it becomes a debilitating illness that takes over your life.

Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.

Salvation Prayer

"Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior"

Jesus Christ is the son of the one and only true living God. He was born in the earth, died and resurrected for you and me so our relationship with God could be reconciled forever. Yes, our relationship with God was broken for many many years until he sent his son Jesus. "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him (Jesus) will not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16

God desires to have a personal relationship with us as a father to a child, which is why humans were created. He wants a relationship with people who will love and obey Him by choice, not by coercion. In the bible, the first humans we read about that God created were Adam and Eve. God prepared a perfect place for them to live called the Garden of Eden. It was Adams responsibility to care for and cultivate the garden. There were many trees in the garden for them to eat from. God commanded Adam not to eat from one specific tree in the Garden called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". If he did, the consequence was death. God is not a tyrant or a trickster he is full of love and so are his commands which are for our good. God allows everyone a free will. We can not have a free will if we're never given commands and choices. Unfortunately Adam and Eve disobeyed the instruction of God (which was their choice) by eating from the tree that was forbidden. Sin entered the world (Romans 5:12) and our relationship with God was severed because of Adam's disobedience. Read about Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 2-3 click here.

God is holy and pure. He can't have a relationship with sin. Because God is so merciful and compassionate, he already had a plan set in motion for you and me to be reconciled back to him. The plan was to have Jesus Christ come into the earth and die taking all of the sins of the world upon him. Blood had to be shed from a perfect, sinless sacrifice and God chose his only son Jesus Christ for the task. Yes Jesus died, but God raised him from the dead and he is alive seated at the right hand of God in heaven. What an awesome, powerful God to serve.

The Salvation Prayer is the most important prayer you will ever say in your entire life. Whether you believe it or not, heaven and hell exist. We no longer have to be separated from God or fearful of death. Jesus suffered abuse, torture, ridicule and was crucified unjustly so that you and I can be saved. Accepting Jesus Christ into your life guarantees your soul will go to heaven when you die.

Salvation means eternal life. The Salvation Prayer comes from this scripture. Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved". This is how you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is very important to believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and he has risen from the dead. God looks at the heart not lip service or outward appearances. He knows if you are sincere or not by looking at your heart. Are you ready to receive the free gift of salvation?

SALVATION PRAYER:

Father God, I repent and ask you to forgive me of all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. I believe in my heart that Jesus died and God raised him from the dead. Jesus come into my life. Be my Lord and Savior, Amen.

Congratulations and welcome to the body of Christ! Now you need to find a good bible believing church that will help you mature in your relationship with God. "Take your time" and visit a few churches in your area until you find one that is right for you.

Lastly, purchase a good bible that you can read and understand. Reading the bible will give you a better understanding of who God is and how to live a Godly life. There are many bible translations you can choose from at Christian Book Distributors. The NLT Life Application Bible is a great start. 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about receiving Salvation or just to let me know that you accepted Christ into your life. Leave a comment below or e-mail me at purplelinencoats@gmail.com.

 

God has wonderful plans for you!

Blessings,

Tytenisha

My Face Was Dark

 "Is this the face of disobedience?"

 

In 2008 I had a dream. In the dream a man said, "You are called to teach the word of God". In another dream a man said, "You are called to prophetic ministry". I'm pretty sure that man was God. Shortly after, I began to have a series of 'being in school dreams" which meant I needed to be educated in the areas I was being called to. So, for the last five years I've been on this amazing and difficult journey of studying the bible and understanding my place in the prophetic. For those who may not know, prophetic ministry is to be a mouth piece for God. My area of the prophetic is in dreams and visions but it also includes teaching the bible and being an encourager and prayer intercessor. In 2012 God was nudging and challenging me to test the waters. For a long time I battled with yes, no, maybe, what will people think? Finally, I created this blog which is a culmination of what I was called to do and a step in the right direction, I hope! 

As a young child singing and writing were the first gifts I discovered. I passionately pursued a gospel singing career in my late teens and twenties. When I got married I decided to put the music career on hold to focus on building a family. I used to think singing was my ONLY purpose in life until I had those dreams. Is singing still my passion? It sure is. I still write songs and sing when asked to, but it's been several years since I've considered pursing a singing career, until recently. This is when I discovered SOMEONE was not pleased with my decision.

A few months ago, the world was inundated with everything Beyonce. The National Anthem, the Oprah interview, the Super bowl, and her much anticipated documentary. I watched all of them lol!! Illuminati speculations aside, I surprisingly enjoyed her documentary because of her transparency and her passion for music. I was drawn to the creative side of her because I am creative as well. Beyonce's focus and drive absolutely inspired me. After watching the documentary all I could think about was doing my music again. I quickly sprung into action looking for photographers to take some current photos. I was considering learning how to play chords on the piano so I could sing my own songs. I became consumed with how to market myself and finding gigs to showcase my talent. This went on for about a month with no progress and no call backs. I was frustrated and annoyed. I wasn't writing, I wasn't studying, I was just stuck. Then I had this dream:

"I had a dark skinned face. I was looking in the mirror. My features looked different. My hands and body were still brown but my face had a dark complexion. I told God I would accept it if that is what he wanted. I wasn't upset or angry; I just wasn't used to this. I knew I wouldn't stay this way for long".

 

This dream did not sit well with me. I became very sad and cried a lot. I asked God to give me clarity on this dream. I needed to understand the meaning, and quickly. In my heart I felt God was not happy with me but I had no idea what I did. One night I was watching John Paul Jackson on YouTube. He is a modern day prophet who is gifted in the area of dreams and visions. He was sharing his story on how he avoided the prophetic call on his life for a long time because his passion was to be a successful business man. He talked about knowing God's voice, heeding to his call and doing God's will. Boom! There was my answer! I honestly felt my "dark face" dream was about me following my personal desires and not the will of God for this particular season in my life. That same night, I came across an article called The Obedient Heart on John Paul Jackson's website. This passage from the article completely sums up my dream:

 

"If we refuse to do what God wants, evil begins to show its face in our lives. This is a case of simple cause and effect. The closer we are to God, the more we look like Him. The further we are from God, the less we look like Him and the more at home we are with darkness". 

 

Is that powerful or what? I know it seems so extreme, but it got my attention! I was moving in disobedience all because I felt the urge to start this music career again, when God didn't tell me to. My mind shifted from teaching, writing, and studying to singing, playing the piano and taking pictures lol! I had to repent and ask God to forgive me for doing what I wanted to do. Does this mean I will never be able to do anything musically? No, God would not give me gifts that I'm not able to use. This is not the time or the season for me to run after that desire.

 

I share this experience to encourage someone to stay on course. If God has given you an assignment or has called you to do a certain thing, do it! Stick with it! Many times the assignment God calls us to starts out exciting and purposeful. Once the excitement wears off and the results don't seem to be the same, we begin entertaining other opportunities and that's when we get into trouble. Doing the opposite of what God has called you to do, no matter how great you think it will impact the kingdom of God, is considered disobedience. God will always communicate with you when you are moving off course. It's up to you to hear it, receive it and hopefully respond with an obedient heart. Show God you love him by obeying him and trust that the plans he has for you are greater than what you could ever imagine or think.

 

"Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them" John 14:21.  

 

Blessings,

Tytenisha

 

 





How To Forgive

"How to Forgive"

Forgiving someone that caused you pain is one of the most difficult things to do. Many of us have been wounded, mishandled and touched inappropriately by the hands of someone we loved and trusted. Some have been lied on and treated unfairly. Many have been abandoned or physically and emotionally abused. I could go on and on, and you know what? We are entitled to feel angry for the things that have been done to us. Forgiveness is a process that does not always happen overnight but it's imperative that we learn how to forgive.

Dictionary.com says forgiveness is to cease to feel resentment against someone or to pardon an offense or an offender. "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins" Matt. 6:14-15 Can you imagine God not forgiving you for the things you've done? You might be saying, "well he's God and I'm not! It's not hard for him to forgive". I hear you, but if you are a child of God, unforgiveness is not an option for you.

"But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you" Luke 26. Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us. That command alone is a struggle, because it seems so unfair that people can be so evil and spiteful and seem to get away with it. Yet, as children of God we are commanded to forgive and pray for those who hurt us. One good thing is we don't have to like the person/s who hurt us, but we have to love them. For an interesting read on love check out my post "What is Love".

When we hold on to unforgiveness bitterness moves in. Did you know one of the meanings for bitterness is hatred? A heart full of hate is not going to change what happened to you instead it will destroy you. The person that hurt you is somewhere laughing it up and enjoying life to the fullest, while you are angry, depressed, physically sick and stagnant in life because of them.

Let me briefly add, not only are we to forgive those who hurt us, we are to humble ourselves and ask those we've hurt to forgive us as well.

Steps to Forgiveness:

• In your quiet time, speak to God with an honest heart letting him know how you feel. Keep it real! If you're angry and you hate someone and you wish they would get hit by a mac truck, tell God that. Unload your frustration on God.
• Ask God to change the way you feel and to help you forgive those who've caused you pain, even if you have to ask him daily.
• Begin to pray for those who've hurt you. Your prayer may not be genuine in the beginning and it may just be one word, that's ok. Forgiveness is a process but you have to start somewhere. Eventually your prayer for the person will increase and come from a sincere place.
• Pray he or she doesn't hurt another person the way they hurt you. Pray that God would help them change. Pray for their happiness, health and salvation. 

Release the person/s to God and let Him deal with it so that you can be free to enjoy your life. When you forgive and pray for your enemies you are choosing to obey God's word. I believe this pleases God. It shows Him that you trust He will not let the unjust pain caused by another person go unavenged.

"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord. Instead, If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:19-21.

Blessings,
Tytenisha