A New Beginning

In life, you will experience many new beginnings. Sometimes you may have to start over due to no fault of your own; such as a job downsizing. Other times, you may have planned a brand new start for your life; such as returning to school in order to change your career path. In either case, it's how well you are prepared for the new beginning that will determine your outlook on life.

You may be wondering, how can I prepare for my job being downsized? It's all in your perspective on how you see this reduction in force affecting your life. If you think it's the end of your livelihood then it probably will be. If you see it as an opportunity to begin anew and try something different, then the many new career options that are available to you will put you in a position where you have choices of the path you will take. 

Now that you have seen how your perspective can affect your outlook about a job being downed sized, you will be able to apply that same principle to other areas of your life. Are you missing out on the many new beginnings in your life because your perspective has been off? If so, I'd like to encourage you by saying that when I stopped seeing the negative things (I've gone through 3 job downsizings in four years time) that have happened to me as stumbling blocks (the end of my hopes and dreams) but stepping stones (additional time to prepare for my dreams to come true), my whole outlook on life has been changed. 

Never let your situation 

Tell you who you are

God has a better plan

Where you'll outshine the brightest star

Now's the time to keep your head up

And trust Him with your heart

Cause often what looks like the end

Is always a brand new start

Vacation

Now is the season for vacations, even if you have to enjoy a staycation at home. That means transitioning from what you were doing (working) to what you will be doing (relaxing).  In my own personal life, a transition is taking place. However, this coming week, I'll be on vacation.

I'm taking this time to relax because I have been laboring to give my best on my blog and I want to continue to encourage and inspire you. That being said, once I get back to work, my time allotted for posting to my blog will be altered. I thoroughly enjoy writing and sharing and I've even been "informed" that to not blog is NOT an option :)

I've decided that in this transition, I will also be making changes to my blog. Where I used to post once a week, I will now post once a month. You can follow me on Twitter @M924life to see when a new post has come out. I appreciate your continued support and look forward to Enjoying the Journey as I Possess the Land.

What People are saying

Thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you some of the feedback I've been getting about my blog. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I'm enjoying hearing what People are saying.

Gone Bubbly!! You and your international follower!! I read your post.. I really liked it.. A lot of women will be able to relate to your blog and it's very therapeutic.. I'm glad you are doing this.. ( I could have wrote this on your post). Yes!! Very transparent open and honest.

Wow your story brings tears to my eyes. It will make a great book or even a love movie - I'm  just saying. 

Don't ever think it's too late. You will have a relationship in due season. Your story can help so many others out there with similar stories. You can stop someone from committing suicide because they think something is wrong with them. 

I am very proud of your resolve and your confidence in being able to share with the world your journey. I have not been able to keep up, as I would like, but it has been both refreshing and an eye opener to just how much I do and don't know about my best friend. It has also caused me to ask myself, " could I be this open and honest with someone?" Keep moving forward and I look forward to both reading and talking to you in the future. 

Thank you for your pearls of wisdom in your blogs!!! They are truly encouraging!!! Keep 'em coming!!!

I generally like to respond back to comments so to follow is what I am saying:

I decided to write my story after an incident with a guy online. I wanted to tell my story because I refuse to let anyone else steal my voice. I'm not gonna lie, I to have said men aren't worth the time of day that you give them. But the more I see men (people) the way God see's them, I realize that someone can say the same thing about me. However, I know I'm worth getting to know -flaws and all- so I don't discount people by my past experiences with someone else. I pay close attention to how they treat ME now. No, I'm no longer on any dating sites - I prefer face to face interactions and I'm enjoying them. If you know someone that can use encouragement about relationship issues, please let them know about my Blog. I hope to encourage and inspire others to believe that it can and will get better. Even if you have to navigate life by yourself for a while.

Lord, Help me to Listen

Just like the fortune from a fortune cookie, a word from God can make you feel all good inside but what about its deeper meaning? When God speaks instructions, confirmation or correction to you, do you really listen or did you just hear what was said? To listen means to take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request. In Luke 5:4-5 KJV when Jesus told Peter to let down his nets for a draught and Peter let down his net, did he really listen to what Jesus was directing him to do?

I found in my own life times where I've just heard what was spoken to me and often afterwards I've seen the vast potential that was forfeited because I didn't completely listen to what I'd heard. I'd taken that immediate zeal and moved out to accomplish what I thought needed to be done. However, on this side looking back, even though I had good intentions, I didn't see the overall picture and something was inadvertently left undone. That's when I realized I needed to see ALL of what God was saying in order to do ALL of what He said to do. So now even before I step out and just do something, I ask Him to help me to listen so that I can not only hear what's being said, I can fully act out on what was said.

Knowing that God doesn't move in my life apart from His word (or a Word from Him) has helped me to stay focused on what is being revealed to me. A year ago this time, I entered a season of great challenges: companies closing and/or downsizing, friendships being tested, hostile work environments and not having enough for basic needs. Through it all, I maintained my stance to fully listen to God's instructions. As I continued to trust God, He opened doors that I could not see. Not only that, He closed doors that I tried to go through which I later learned would not have benefited me one bit. Which brings me to my point, as long as you earnestly seek to actively listen to and participate in God's plan for your life, He won't allow you to fail.

Thank You!

Have you ever had a day where it felt like Christmas, the Fourth of July and your Birthday all rolled into one? Well, that's how I feel right now. Why? Because even though things haven't changed on the outside, I've pretty much been changed on the inside. What changed me? The Word of God. This season of my life that I'm currently in forced me to look back over my life and realize that God didn't change, my situation did. So why am I thanking you? Let me explain. . .

I was listening to a teaching series by my Pastor titled Keys to a fruitful life. In the series, he talked about how God does not give us fruit; He gives us seed. We are to take the seed and plant and cultivate it so that it grows. Well, needless to say, I was looking at the fruit of my blog audience and not the seed: Those of you who position yourself each week and take the time to read what I write. For that I say "Thank You!"  

Not only have I been blessed by what I write, I've been getting comments from You about being blessed by what you read. 

When I took my eyes off the fruit I didn't have and started concentrating on the seed I did have, my whole outlook changed. Now, I'm not just talking about my blog here. I'm talking about my life as a whole. As a result, things started changing in my favor. I now have options I couldn't see before because my focus was off. Now, I can pick and choose the way that I go because God's word has opened up avenues for me. So again, "Thank You!" for being a part of my journey, my story.

His Wife and Their Mother

My journey to becoming his wife and their mother started in 1998. I was totally on board with God's way of doing things by then. No longer was I seeking my own agenda but I wanted what and who He wanted for me. I'd been back in church about four years by then and I had begun to realize that I'd come back to church but I wasn't allowing Him to lead my life. I still wanted to do some of the things I'd done before but with His help, many of those plans failed. Now here I am, a young woman living for God and seeking a godly mate. I tell people all the time that my desire to not engage in premarital sex had nothing to do with knowing what God's word had to say on the matter. His word just happened to line up with my desire to no longer give my body to men that hadn't given themselves to me. We were totally on the same page.

I was in a church environment that allowed me to see God's plan was for me to have a husband; not just some man. But he didn't manifest in that arena. Years later, God led me to the church I attend now. At this church He opened my eyes to not only becoming a wife but also to becoming a mother. I've always wanted to have more than one child, so twins was on my mind. One day during Sunday morning service, my Pastor talked about increasing the church membership. He jokingly talked about women having more than one baby to help speed up the process. While sitting in my seat I thought, "well I want twins, that should help". Right after I had that thought my Pastor said something like "and don't just think about having twins, have five or six". There had recently been a lady at the church that had sextuplets. My immediate response was "no way am I having five or six babies". But three stuck in my mind and on that day my triplets were born. Now all I had to do was find the husband to make my dreams come true.

Needless to say, it's been a total of seventeen years and that dream has yet to come true. Not only am I using these precious days to straighten out my thinking, I've come to realize that there are some things that I want before marriage; God-centered dating. I want to date, be romanced by and get to know the man who will be my husband. I am not running out of time and everything does not have to happen quick, fast and in a hurry. I want us to grow together. Get to know one another. If we know early on, great, if not, we can continue as friends (if that's what we both want) until we are sure. I know God has already spoken and the end result will be good and very good. But now, I'm ready to Enjoy the Journey!

I can't hide much longer if I want to be found

The bible says that "He that finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtain favor from the Lord" Proverbs 18:22 NKJV

So how come I haven't been "found" yet? There are many outward reasons (many of which have absolutely nothing to do with me) I could name but what I want to talk about are those inward reasons (those things I've noticed and recognize as hindrances) that keep showing up. They are things that stop me in my tracks at the mere thought of being in a committed relationship. They are things that I usually have to talk myself from the ledge about when faced with a new relationship. What are they? Questions!

What if he's really the one? I've had plenty of experience with men who were not the one for me. So the mere thought of a man actually being the right one for me is sometimes scary. Because of failed relationships, it's actually intimidating sometimes to put aside doubts that the man I'm interested in really wants to work at making a relationship with me work. 

What if the relationship doesn't work out? The thought of having a failed relationship is just that, a thought. No one expects for their relationship not to work, but sometimes they do. This not knowing if he'll be willing to stick around to work out any differences we may have often hinders me from trying to understand exactly why he wants to leave. 

Can this really be a reality for me? Recently, I saw a newlywed couple at church. They were all over each other. It was so sweet. If she wasn't touching him, then he was touching her. You could tell that there had been a shift in their relationship from the prior times I'd seen them. Before, they were careful not to touch or bring undue attention to themselves because they were not legally married. But this time, they didn't care who saw that they held hands or embraced. Something about their relationship had changed and they didn't care who knew. In my own life, I've pondered when would I experience that change in my relationship. To go from not knowing if this would last to being absolutely sure that I'd met the right person.

I've determined that I will no longer hide behind questions that keep me from moving forward in my relationships. I want and desire to be found, therefore, I'm positioning myself to be in a place where he can truly find me: with an open heart and open mind ready to receive him into my life. To be the woman on the outside that I truly know lives on the inside: a woman who is unforgettable, loving, passionate, captivating, creative and has a witty sense of humor.