Peace

A few months ago, I sent this message to my friends: "I am officially on VACATION from stress (anything that's contrary to God's will, purpose and plan for my life), worry (about my current and future job outlook) and doubt (will I really have what God says I can have?)". I truly meant that statement and I purposed to fulfill it; not just for one day but continually. That's not to say that situations have not arisen that have tried to move me from my commitment to walk in Peace.

On the contrary, not long after making the statement, EVERYTHING seemed to get out of control. I thought I'd been challenged before making the statement but soon realized that making the statement did in fact open my eyes to the realization that no matter what was going on externally, I could control my internal Peace. My job outlook looked bleak. The friends that were mad at me before I made the statement were still not talking to me. And the things I am believing God for still had not manifested.

But one day I got up and something felt different on the inside of me. I had a Peace that I couldn't explain. Those things that I'd been chasing after but never quite able to obtain didn't carry the same weight as before. It was more important for me to maintain the Peace I had than try to figure everything out for me and for others. Everyone has issues of their own to deal with but it's not up to me to take on their issues. That's why God says to cast all your cares on Him. He gave me peace about my issues, I pray that each one of them receive His peace about their issues. 

Don't Look Back

When the time comes and you are truly ready to move forward in life, that's when you begin to realize that it's not always wisest to look back at those things that hindered you or caused you pain.  Of course, we must confront the negative issues of our past in order to heal and be able to move on but to always look back on them is not conducive for healthy growth. Looking back does not always produce the needed desire to make positive changes.

Recently, I was informed of a time when I had been deliberately overlooked in participation of certain activities. Others were invited and expected to participate, however it seems I was left out on purpose. The person who chose to not include me in the activities is now deceased, therefore, I have no way of finding out if it was indeed an oversight on her part. So what do I now do with this information and this feeling of being rejected by someone I cared about?

When I was in the fifth grade, my teacher taught us the Serenity Prayer. Her husband was an alcoholic and she was attending AA meetings where she'd learned the prayer. She informed her students of what was going on with her because she wanted us to be informed and she wanted to be honest about why some days were harder for her than others. That prayer has become a part of me over the years so when I learned of this past oversight, I simply remembered that this situation is one that I cannot change. Therefore, I walked in the wisdom that when the person was alive, I believed that she cared about me and any oversight that I found out about years later will not change my belief. 

A Different World

Do you remember the series from back in the day with the above title? Well, I do and I'm enjoying watching it on Bounce TV. The part about this show that is capturing my attention now is the fact that Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne graduated and got married. From the beginning of the show, Dwayne was interested in Denise Huxtable but due to some behind the scenes (real life) issues, he ended up pursuing Whitley. Now they are married and their happily ever after turned into him not getting the coveted job with the company he interned with; and her being fired from the job that was in line with the degree she pursued. Now what? 

That's the question I found myself asking after I stepped out in faith for a career change and although I was doing what I'd trained for, the environment was so dysfunctional that complete elimination of my department was inevitable. Now I have people in my ear (as well as behind my back) saying that I "missed" God because surely, He wouldn't have me suffer through a reduction in force when I was doing what He called me to do. How do you counter such questions? A long time ago, God told me that I didn't have to defend Him: that He fights my battles. So I leave those questions alone and just ask them to pray for and with me that I'll recover all.

As with the show, life can and does hold unforeseen obstacles, challenges and trying times. But do you just give up when something happens that causes you to have to use an alternate route to get to your intended destination? Only if you don't have a vision for your life that will help you to persevere when things get hard will you give up. When you've been given a God-given vision and things don't look the way you think they should be looking, that's when you go to God and get further instructions and directions and the proposed plan of action. So, if you are familiar with the show, you know that Dwayne ultimately got hired on with the company and he and Whitley started a new life (she was also expecting a baby) in Japan. 

Just because you reach the destination does not mean that the vision is complete. God gave me a vision about my career change and I acted out on His directions. The company I worked for and the elimination of my department did not end the vision I was given. It only prepared me to be able to do more and be more effective in my next position. Through that ordeal, I learned to not become complacent just because I thought I had arrived. When you arrive at one place, it's the beginning of your journey somewhere else. Enjoy the Journey!

Who told you you were _____?

While reading the bible, in Genesis 3:11 God spoke to Adam and Eve, He asked Adam, "who told you you were naked?" I began to wonder about the things in my own life that people have told me that I've come to believe; and how I've allowed those things to affect my life. Just because someone else said it to me, doesn't make it so. Especially if it doesn't align with God's word and what He has in fact spoken to me about my life.

I also saw something in that question. God spoke to the one that he had given the instructions to even though they both were present. So no matter what someone else says about you or to you, God is holding you responsible for what He's told you. So, who told you you were useless, fat, not worthy, poor, selfish and never gonna make it? And how have you allowed those things to affect your life? 

When I became conscious of the fact that I was believing the negative things others have told me and that I was allowing those things to hinder me from progressing in life, I purposed in my heart to not accept those comments and replaced them with what I knew in my heart described me. So, I began to tell Me that I am loved, accepted, wanted, needed, beautiful, smart and sexy.