The Ride of My Life 5

Part 5: Financially - WHAT?

I asked myself, “How did I get here again with my money acting all funny?” You know exactly what I’m talking about. Not enough money to cover all the “little things” that keep popping up out of nowhere. Having purposefully decided to not make any new debt as I process through eliminating the debt I currently have, I then realized that it was time for me to talk about the financial aspect of this Ride of my Life. 

Debt devastates your finances and your relationship to money. I saw this plain as day -after I’d gone through yet another testing time where I had to choose between applying for credit or “tightening my belt” until my next paycheck. In the midst of that situation, I saw how debt gets its foothold in our lives. If I’d given in and decided to use debt as a way out of the situation, even before I’d earned $1 at work, it would have already been owed out. I would have been working for XYZ company to pay them instead of applying the money to my household needs. Maybe that’s why some people don’t like their jobs. Their working and working and working but the majority of the money never comes home, therefore, their relationship with money is rocky at best. 

So when God gave me the directive to GIVE, even though I felt I wasn’t in a position to give, I did. Nevertheless, that situation and others since have all worked out for my good and in my favor. I not only have money to give when it’s time to give, I Enjoy giving. I Enjoy seeing how being obedient to God has not only helped me, it’s allowed me to do what I’ve always desired deep in my heart: to be a blessing to others. 

During this time, God also allowed me to see that I had more faith in the debt being able to keep me from prospering than in Him actually prospering me. When situations occurred, my first thought would be “how much debt am I still in and how much more will this cost me?” When in fact, my first thought should have been on how God was going to direct me through whatever had come up to challenge my faith in Him. So as I continue on The Ride of My Life, I want to Encourage you to apply God’s Word and Believe Him in every area of your life: Spirit, Soul, Body, Socially and Financially. He has a wonderful plan for your life and wants you to Enjoy the Journey!

The Ride of My Life 4

Part 4: Socially - Everybody Else

A friend recently said to me, “I thank God for every job I’ve ever had!” She went on to explain that the friendships, insight, knowledge and even pain she experienced at each job were a part of her growth process in learning how to interact with all kinds of people. I agree wholeheartedly with her statement. However, I also thank God for each relationship (dating and friendship) in my life as well as my family dynamic. 

Years ago I used to work with a lady that I only knew in passing. Fast forward to present day and I see this lady at the same place I am as we’re getting our cars serviced. After we went through the process of remembering where we knew each other from, we struck up a conversation about our every day lives. Even though we only knew of each other when we worked together, we discovered that life had a way of leading us down the same path of debt freedom and maintaining our health. Just because we weren’t immediate coworkers in the past, we both remembered the other person as being nice and friendly which made this conversation even more insightful. Who knows, maybe we would have become friends all those years ago. 

As far as relationships go, I’m an optimist so I want them all (dating and friendships) to work out. But that hasn’t always been the case. At one point in my life I felt all alone because I didn’t have any one person I could consistently turn to. Then one day I prayed and asked God for some good girlfriends that I could share with and hang out with on a continual basis. He quickly answered my prayer by sending someone back into my life that I met on a Singles trip. We became fast friends. This motivated me to increase my participation with my Lifegroups and I made even more friends. My coworkers and I started getting along better at work which led to us hanging out after work. But God wasn’t finished exceeding my expectations from my prayer. He gifted me with a Mentor that has inspired my faith walk with Him to the point that I believe that with Him all things are possible. 

So in closing, let’s talk about my family dynamic. We aren’t all on the same page as of this writing. But the ones that even want to be in the same book are participating in family functions. We get together and eat, play games or just talk to each other. There are times when we know to pull back for a while but we realize that we can always come back together at any time. Which leads me to the fact that I’m still believing God for a husband and a family of my own. I’ve experienced through my work relationships and friendships that there are cycles in life. Just because I haven’t maintained a successful dating relationship in my past does not mean that I’m not capable of establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship now. I look forward to engaging life with the man that God has destined for my life. As with My Journey my story, I’m looking forward to Enjoying the Journey to Us. 

The Ride of My Life 3

Part 3: Body - Self vs Self

This time last year, I was waging war with my Doctor who wanted me to lose weight. I wanted to lose weight too, but not the way he prescribed: with the aid of pills. I don’t do pills and to have to remember to take them every day was the second reason I didn’t want to take any. I trusted his abilities as a doctor so I agreed to work with him to see if this way would yield the desired results. 

Six months in, I’d lost five pounds. During that time, I put a daily reminder on my phone so that I wouldn’t forget to take the pills each day. I included some exercises that I was able to follow for about three months. I was excited at my follow up appointment when the Doctor was happy with the weight I’d lost; five pounds down, fifteen more to go. Then something happened. I had no desire to do the exercises anymore. I started craving and eating pizza, fried chicken and anything else I felt I’d deprived myself of during those three months. 

Now what? I still had to lose the other fifteen pounds in order to be taken off the pills when I went to my next appointment in six months. I prayed. Then I looked at the paperwork you receive at the end of a doctors visit. I googled the terms listed and the one that stuck out was insulin resistant. I found a video on YouTube where this doctor explained what to do if you were diagnosed with insulin resistance. His recommendation was Keto along with Intermittent fasting. I knew Keto wasn’t for me but I’m acquainted with fasting. So I implemented intermittent fasting along with taking the pills. 

I still have a few weeks before my appointment but I can tell you that when I compare my body today with my body from last year, I am pleased with the results. Even one of my coworkers has commented on the change in my body. I haven’t weighed myself because I don’t want this to be about numbers. I wanted a lifestyle change. I knew the pills were not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But the intermittent fasting is something that seamlessly transitioned into my everyday habits. Each day I’m making progress for a healthier body and Enjoying the Journey every step of the way. 

The Ride of My Life 2

Part 2: Soul (Mind, Will and Emotions)

I almost gave up. Why? Because my mind and emotions got in the way of my believing God to provide for me in every area of my life. I know God is leading me on this Journey to Debt Freedom but what about His provision for me after I reach my goal to become debt free? Recently I was faced with a situation that catapulted my mindset back to right before God first directed me to this Debt Free Journey and I found myself believing that I would not be able to overcome debt in my life. 

The situation began simply and was easily something that “I” could handle with my eyes closed. But it grew into something that required the assistance of others and that’s when it went downhill for me. I’ll be the first person to admit that I’m a perfectionist. So allowing others into my space, especially if I need their help, is hard for me because even though I need the help, I wanted it to appear that I have it all together. 

Before I knew it, I was experiencing symptoms in my body that told me something wasn’t right. I became anxious, irritated and even started to get fearful of certain situations. By the time the migraine headaches tried to start, I knew I was too focused on Me and decided to act on the Word I knew and refocused on being a blessing to someone else. Once I took the focus off me, that’s when I started to see the way God was leading me much clearer. That’s when those around me who I allow to speak into my life: Mentor, Family and Friends started relating to me those things God directed them to share with me. 

Now today I’m at a place where my mind, my will and my emotions are all tuned in to God. He spoke these words to me: Make Room. This is the revelation I got from this Rhema word- Make Room. I had become too used to working with not enough and too little. If it was too little, I made do with what I had. If it was not enough then I went without. I needed to Make Room because God is not limited by my lack, I am. He wants me to receive so much more from Him than I'm allowing. So I purposed in my heart to Upgrade my receiving capacity and Make Room for Too Much! Not only is Debt Freedom an option for me, it’s the ONLY option. 

The Ride of My Life

Part 1: Spiritual Growth 

If you had told me 25 years ago when I stepped out in Faith believing God would direct my life that one day I would be glad about it, I would have laughed at you because I didn’t fully understand what God’s leadership looked like. The only thing I wanted then was relief from the discouragement and turmoil that was part of my everyday existence. I didn’t know what all God could do to help me but I was hoping He could do something. 

As a result, 25 years later I’m here to tell you that God did more than I could have ever asked Him to do. Not only do I have confidence in who I am, I’m able to help others see and experience confidence in their own lives. I may not know each of you that have read my words, but I know the words that I’ve written have impacted your life in some way. Motivated you to seek God’s will for your life and prepared you to Enjoy the Journey set before you. 

The one thing I want you to know about Spiritual Growth is that it’s more than just reading your bible. It’s about dying to self. It’s asking God to help you through the process and not give up hope when helping others who don’t want or know how to receive help. It’s believing God to know that we all go through something whether we want to admit it or not; that’s why we should pray for each other. It’s realizing that even though I’ve come this far, there’s still room for growth. 

Yes, my Spiritual Growth has led to the building of my personal relationship with God. In the beginning (the title of one of my first posts 😉), I wanted Him to help me get a man because the man I thought I had turned into the reason for me starting this Blog. Over the years as God has shown me Me, I’ve learned a lot about Him: His Love, His Grace and His Faithfulness. I’ve learned who He is to me and every day I wake up, I’m excited to Enjoy the Journey because I know He’s right there with me... every step of the way. 

It’s Gone!

It’s Gone! Not quite gone but only minutes away from being gone. It’s been the source of dissatisfaction in my life for years now. And today it’s about to be out of my house.  That is, if the men will get here to get it. What is it? My bed: or more specifically the mattress!

I bought it because I wanted to be like my sister with the “high” bed. I thought it would be fun to have a bed that you’d have to practically climb into, could jump up on or just lounge around in. Compared to how long I’ve had the bed and the inner turmoil it’s cost me, that fun didn’t last long. 

I’ve been feeling anxious all day thinking that getting this bed out of my house will turn out the way so many other things in my life have; with me NOT getting what I want. I’ve been casting down the imaginations that have been telling me that the guy is gonna refuse to take the mattress. I’m giving it to him for FREE! How could he turn it down?  I just called the friend that told him about the bed to see if he’s on his way: He Is!

It’s Gone! I mean really Gone! I almost cried. Not because I was sad but because it was really happening: I was getting a new start by letting go of something that once had me bound. Getting rid of this bed was symbolic of getting rid of those things in my life that held me down, made me feel stuck and intimidated me. Getting rid of this bed let me know that just because I’ve been in a situation for a while does not mean that things can’t and won’t change. 

What are you holding on to that you need to get rid of? It may not be a bed but a mindset, a habit or a relationship. Whatever that is keeping you from being the best you you can be, let it go today. A new life awaits you. 

My Truth

Recently it has become very clear that in order for me to continue to grow (both spiritually and emotionally) I must really and truly live in My Truth. That means that I’m honest with myself about what I want out of life and how I plan to go after the things I want in life; no matter what others say or do to try to contradict or stop me. And the best way to achieve my desired goals is to believe God: take Him at His Word. 

There was a situation recently that faced a group of us. Me being the one to look for the positive in the situation, I thought I’d rallied the group into believing the same game plan and we were all on the same page. I later found out that not everyone was on board. One person started out working the plan and when the second persons time came to take action, they backed off. I knew in my spirit that that right there is what causes many desires, plans and needs to go unfulfilled: failure to act out on what is heard. 

I then completed my part of the game plan and thought everything worked out fine. Others in the group seemed excited about completing their parts as well and started the process feeling confident in what needed to be done. The person that chose not to follow the group plan is quiet now. Before, they were trying to get me to see how what I shared at the beginning was not a valid option for them and how it was not going to work. My response to the excuses that were given was “but you didn’t even try!” Not trying is NOT an option. Especially if you’re believing God: He never fails. 

Now the project is over and the members of the group that followed the plan are pleased with the results. The person that chose not to follow the game plan but found an alternate plan said they were pleased as well. I know you’re thinking so why this post then? Because even though the same end results were achieved, how much more rewarding and fulfilling the process and results could have been if we’d all stayed on the same page. How many times has God given a directive but because of the excuses we make, we come up with a plan that causes us to take another route? Sure, we may get to the destination but God’s presence will be in the process and place He directed us to go. 

Comfort Zone

God wants you to be in Comfort even as He guides you out of your Comfort Zone. This morning before starting my quiet time, I heard “kneel before me”. Oh Lord, I thought. Me and these knees ain’t gonna make it on this hardwood floor. But, out of obedience to God, I prayed while kneeling on the hardwood floor. 

The pressure on my knees grew the longer I stayed on the floor. My prayer was “choppy” at best because my concentration was on the pain in my knees: not on communicating with God. After several minutes on the floor, I decided to take my quiet time position “back to the bed” where I usually am. As I climbed into the bed, I ended up in a kneeling position that just felt right. Well, what do you know?!

This kneeling position-in bed, gave me the comfort level I’m used to during my quiet time and it also allowed me to fully comply to God’s directive. And guess what? My prayer turned from “choppy” to powerful. I couldn’t help but Thank God for the revelation that He’s not opposed to my comfort when I’m in His presence and obeying Him. That when I find myself working strenuously to achieve something that He’s asked me to do, there IS nothing wrong with finding an easier more comfortable way for it to be done: He’s not requiring me to be discomforted in order to obey Him. 

I later told a friend about what had happened and her question to me was “who told you that you had to get on the floor to pray?”  My response to her was “it was what I thought I should do in order to kneel before Him.” I’ve wondered today how many hard paths I’ve taken over the years because I thought I should have done something one way when there very well could have been an easier way to do them. Now, ask yourself the same question and be prepared to find ways to obey God in comfort as you Enjoy the Journey!

Life at Work

I’ve come to realize that Life and Work each impact the other in profound ways. When one is out of balance it will truly impact the other. While on the verge of getting my Life in order, I found Work that I thought would compliment my Life. However, I soon saw Work totally disrupt my Life. 

While adjusting to being the new person on the job and not having a full working knowledge of the levels in the chain of command, I soon found myself on the outside looking in; even in the department that I was hired to be a part of. I ran into the “that’s the way it’s always been” syndrome and no one seemed willing to help me understand or even willing to challenge the system. This left me feeling as if I had to fend for myself: so I did. 

But having a Life outside of Work enabled me to stand my ground and stick up for myself even when it looked like I’d always walk alone. I knew the opposition I faced at Work was targeted at me as a result of past hurts and wounds held in place by Institutional prejudice. No one wanted to talk about it; therefore you were expected to act as if it didn’t exist. I was determined to have a Work - Life balance that was both fulfilling and rewarding. 

When I found myself facing health issues as a direct result of the added stresses and pressures of Work along with the things going on in my Life, I sought the help that I needed: Prayer, Medical and Counseling. When I was able to balance the turmoil that was going on inside of me, I felt strong enough to handle the opposition that came at me. As a result, I’m now in an environment that is fulfilling - not because anyone else changed but because I did. Sure, there are still some who choose to hold on to the way things used to be but whether or not they change will not keep me from being, doing and having better in my Life at Work. 

My Needs ARE Met

There’s no way I could have gotten to this point all by myself. But just know this, I’m HERE! My Journey to Debt Freedom has been nothing less than the unexpected. Every way I thought I would make debt freedom happen for me either fell apart, blew up in my face or left me hanging. I didn’t know which way to turn; but I did know who I could call on. 

In a bold move on my part I asked God to completely deliver me from debt. I explained how I participated with Him during the two prior times that He delivered me from debt; but this time I asked Him to do it all by Himself. Did I believe that He would answer that prayer? Was it even possible to get out of debt without doing anything? Keep reading and you’ll find out. 

Obedience is better than sacrifice! A little over four months ago I was instructed by God to not make any additional payments on the debt. Before that, my plan was to pay extra on my lowest bill using the debt snowball method, then attack the next debt and by the first of the year start to pay off my car. Well four months ago I thought God was "in error" when He said to not make additional payments on the debt. Each month since, I've thought about going ahead and making the extra payments but something has always come up and I wouldn’t have any extra to pay toward the debt. So last month I finally surrendered the "fight” of trying to do what I’d been instructed not to do. 

Well this month rolls in and my check was short -that's another story for another time. We get paid tomorrow and my check now reflects the extra insurance that I added but even though my pay increase is there, I'm not bringing home as much as I thought. Seems there was a payroll error made that won’t be corrected until my next paycheck. This morning I totally committed my Journey to Debt Freedom to God because in my mind, getting the extra income was gonna be ME handling the debt -without God's help. And all along He has been showing me that He knows this path that I'm on better than I do and He will lead me to total debt freedom! Because I haven't created any new debt, even in the midst of not making additional payments, the current debt balance is decreasing. Now I'm truly trusting God to teach me how to handle my finances and live my life totally Debt Free!

Half way there!

I’m half way to having my $1,000 emergency fund and I’m so excited! My Journey to Debt Freedom has gone slower than I originally projected. After reading Dave Ramsey’s book Total Money Makeover I was eager for ALL my debt to be gone; and by now I’d wanted to be walking in total debt freedom. That hasn’t been the case. 

I like to call this time frame my Foundation Building time because I’ve learned so much about me and my relationship with money that I’m now on a firm enough foundation where I can not only become debt free but stay debt free for life. Right now I’m still in debt but I can see that debt decreasing even though it’s taking its own sweet time to GO! I say that in fun but I know I didn’t build this mound of debt overnight. But once I fully embraced the concept of why I don’t have to allow debt to stay in my life, I wanted it out of my life.  

I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen: working overtime, applying for a part time job and sticking to my budget. Now that I’m at the half way point on Baby Step One, I’m thinking of even more creative ways to get the rest of the money for the emergency fund. A coworker and I even talked about having a garage sale. Plus I’m making sure to sow some things into the lives of others. 

I’m mostly glad that I can see progress even though things are not moving at the accelerated speed I hoped for in the beginning. What this slower pace has allowed me to do is really think about and plan for my future by counting the costs associated with each money decision I have to make. Therefore, I’ve purposed to stay focused on my desire to complete Baby Step One by fully funding my emergency fund so that I can begin Baby Step Two: PAYING OFF DEBT!

Not Now!

Have you ever been so geared up for the “next step” to happen that when it’s finally in reach something happens that suddenly puts the brakes on your plans that you’re left saying Not Now!? That’s where I currently find myself. I wanted it so bad that I could taste the victory. Only now I’m left with the question of “When will I get back to that point?” See what had happened was, I’d gotten so used to working overtime to help alleviate some of my debt that I wasn’t prepared for the day the overtime stopped. 

Granted, I was caught up on all my bills and I’d even paid off some debt. But this overtime check was gonna be different. This overtime money was gonna be mine. All mine! I had so many things planned for it’s use that would make all these months of putting what I wanted on hold worth the wait. Now there are no new clothes or shoes in my closet. That handbag I had my eye on is back on my wishlist. And don’t get me started about not being able to go to my new favorite Mexican restaurant and splurge. Yep, I was too dependent on the overtime. 

I know that now and believe me, I’m even more determined to become completely debt free. Just think, the overtime money I had my eye on could in fact be the money from my regular paycheck that would allow me to do the things I want: That’s is, if I wasn’t in debt. All the more reason to stay focused and do what needs to be done to eliminate debt from my life. 

This situation has taught me the value of every dollar I make. The importance of not having it owed out to creditors even before I receive it. That the anticipation I felt when I was about to have money to do those things in life that I want is obtainable for me as part of my being debt free. I am motivated to continue on this Journey to fulfill the promise I made to myself; to become debt free for Life.