I believe this has probably been the most difficult piece to write mostly because you sometimes have to walk through a thing in order to speak on it. Every reaching hand is not a helping hand and every itching ear is not a listening ear. Some people are just present to watch you drown. They may be seemingly cheering you on but really they are cheering because of your downfalls and hang ups. Simply put, everybody is not your friend. And sometimes you forget the one thing about the people who actually are, they are human. Oh how it hurts stings and pains to have to go through the turmoils of life but even much so when those who you need to turn to are either nowhere to be found or giving you all of the wrong advice or worse seemingly cares less about your problems because they have their own. No this article is not about friendships so much. This is about faith. Faith in God and not man. Man will forever disappoint, neglect, and let you down but God changes not. Sometimes we make relationships, jobs, even friendships our idols. We run to our coworkers about problems at the office. We run to our partners about our raging emotions. We run to our friends about our partners. We talk to anybody, everybody who will listen but we forget to talk to the all seeing and all knowing creator about the problems we face. As a result we come up empty and dissatisfied. It rings true when it rains it pours. The times you depend on people the most is the time people seem the least dependable. Not always because they are bad people but because they are human. God is the source of your supply. Your supply of peace, joy , freedom, and whatever else you may need and it seems foolish to bypass your source for someone or something that leaves you feeling empty. It is important to learn to go to God about your problems, your mistakes, your troubles. He won't throw it back in your face when he gets angry like your friends may. He may restore some relationships and friendships but sharing those issues with others can in fact hinder the restoration as they attempt to remind you of everything the person ever did wrong. This goes back to forgiveness. We are to forgive as we would have Him to forgive us. This does not mean that every relationship or friendship will go back to being the same but the act of forgiveness restores peace. But more importantly in this transition I learned to trust God wholeheartedly without doubt or fear. This is where the growing pains come to life. It hurts to stretch and grow and develop but it is necessary for your future for your purpose. It hurt when we were teething we were uncomfortable cranky and it seemed there was nothing anyone could do but we needed those teeth to grow so we could digest the food we would soon be able to receive and after eating many delicacies we are grateful for the temporary pain. Pain indeed is relative. It is relative to growth. So I fought with this. I questioned everything. God I'm not fit to write this blog. Who really wants to listen to me? Well I had been given an assignment and while I danced around it I continuously had to live through it. Everything seemed to go against what I HAD PLANNED FOR ME. Yes what I HAD PLANNED. Silly me. To think that my plans were exempt from being torn apart. God why me? I'm trying to live right; I have a good heart; I do right by people even the ones who've wronged me. What am I doing wrong? Lord why did you let me come this far and everything else just exploded. I was almost to my destination. Why did I have to reroute? Oh it hurt yall. Everything I prayed for and had it felt like I was losing it one by one. I tried talking to people and it would help for a moment then I would feel down again. I had to learn to cast my cares on the Lord for he cares for me. I revisited the meaning of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The things you don't see that is what you believe God to perform. The things that seem impossible is what you believe Him for. He knows your needs and even your wants the key is to just trust that in His timing and His will that everything will work together for you. Hope, hope is the trust that something will happen or believing that something will occur. The inkling that something good will happen, that's hope. When you become anxious you get wrapped up in the fear of the future because you are unsure of what's going to happen. When you become depressed you fear that nothing good will happen or you began to lose all hope. Talking to the Lord about it and letting Him lift the heavy load and carry your burdens you can focus on Him and less on the situation. Most times that is all he asked us to do. Let some stuff go. It is one of the hardest things for our minds and hearts to do. Let go of the worry, fear, and YOUR PLAN for your life. Obedience is truly better than sacrifice. Because being obedient and letting go is better than holding on. He has better, greater for our lives and our struggle to see that causes us to put a death grip on what's familiar and we miss out on what is greater. Even with the story of Abraham and Isaac when he was told to sacrifice his son in his heart he had to be obedient. He could have tried reasoning with God attempting to change his mind but in his heart he submitted to the Lord even though he couldn't understand he knew to trust God. In the end there was a ram in the bush. It just gives me peace knowing that God always supplies just what we need. Even when we don't see a way how. He can stop us in our tracks and reroute us because he wants his very best for us. I often would think along the lines after a few hurt feelings if don't nobody else have me, I got me. The truth is even when I don't have myself and even when everything is falling apart and I lose hope, when I'm weary God carries me. He has me even when I don't have me and that's love. It's been nearly a year since I've written and it seems I'm a bit behind time but I'm continuously learning God is in time and on time and I have to trust his timing and his plan for my life. "His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts," oh but I thank God they are not because even I will disappoint my own self but God he faileth not. Be Blessed.
Sometimes in life situations and circumstances seem to get the best of us. Even when we are almost at a goal the finish line still feels so far away. When we almost reach the end of the tunnel the light still seems dim. Deadlines for school, work, bills and everything else seem to be piling up we may feel discouraged or defeated but today don't let it be so. Keep Pushing! For the results will produce for you. You'll look back later and be glad you did. You'll look back later and see that the hard work or persistence was all well worth it. Not just in daily tasks but when life is not only throwing rocks at you but bricks you have to keep pushing and keep pressing because it must be something spectacular about you something marvelous if you had to go through the things you've had to face. Yet every trial every test and every situation has made you stronger. This too shall build your strength. This too shall create your character. This too shall give you wisdom on how to handle it better next time. This too shall pass. But you just have to keep pushing. It doesn't matter whether or not you're faced with the constant thought of giving in as long as you don't give in to it. You don't want to give up halfway and you surely don't want to give up when you're just a few steps away. Keep moving, keep pressing, keep pushing! Be Blessed.
It's so difficult at times to feel like you have to walk alone. There are times when it seems everyone else is on track yet you're struggling to get ahead. You're putting your all in yet not receiving much and a lot of things seem to be taken away. I'm often reminded that I can't be like everyone else. I can't place myself in a box of conformity because I was never created to be ordinary. God will meet you wherever you are and speak to your heart because as long as you're in the way you're blocking him from moving. While some things seem ideal we have to know whether or not it's just something we want or if it's what God approves of. I don't want to do anything out of his will. I don't want that job, car, relationship, or whatever else if it's not beneficial to my journey. Stumbling blocks are now my stepping stones because I realize what's coming is too great to compromise. If I'm in his will I'm not worried about what problems I have because I know how magnificent my God is. It's simple you can't fit in when you're born to stand out. That doesn't qualify you as better as anyone else it just puts you in a representative position. You represent those things of Christ. It doesn't mean you will never have fun but be careful to analyze the definition of fun. God much like a parent wants what is best and what may feel like punishment now is only a blessing in disguise. What may feel like loneliness is simply protection. Don't fight it. Embrace the times of solitude for those moments build your strength.
It is the first day of the month. A new start, a new beginning. But it does not necessarily take a new month or the first of the month for that matter to start anew. Every twenty four hours is a brand new chance. You can begin doing what you've always wanted or finish what you started long ago. It does not matter how far away from that goal it seems, you have to start somewhere. I hope and pray that this month marks prosperity and ingenuity. That dreams will come to life and visions will become goals. That every negative word plummets and every positive thought begins to surface. This is your day. This is your time. Be Blessed.
Holding grudges.... the easiest thing to do in life. It is so easy to not speak to the person that has wronged you. It is so easy to frown at your ex best friend. It is so easy to devour the reputation of your coworker. It is so easy to put those down who put you down. Why? Because you seek revenge; you seek justice for their actions. But vengeance is not yours. God has the last say so and he has been more than merciful with us. We have said some ugly things and we have did our wrong. It is always easier to see others' faults greater than our own. It is not that we have to pray for the downfall of others but pray that God has mercy as he does with us. Once again it may be really easy and greatly convenient to hold grudges and be spiteful but all it does is make you bitter. The more you participate in ugly acts towards others the uglier you become on the inside. The anger, bitterness, resentfulness, and all of the feelings that may have accrued from disappointments, hurt, rejection, loneliness, and fear. It tears you down the longer you hold on. So what they lied on you? So what they stopped being your friend? So what they stabbed you in the back? So what they left you? Them doing what they did pushed you to be where you are. They helped to propel you into your future. They served their purpose. Now it is time for you to serve yours. Focus on what you have to do in life. Worry about you and let God take care of the rest. Your purpose is too great to worry about what other people have going on. As I always say I don't have time to waste time. Don't waste time on seeing what they said about you, entertaining the gossip, or stalking people around the city. Live your life. Put God as the head and you follow his lead. Let that hurt go! You can't start healing until you prep the wound. Don't keep adding to the pain by deepening the wound. Heal first! Yes it takes time but God is capable of healing without scars. He can mend broken relationships. But most of all he can give you peace. He can calm the storm. But it is up to you to let go of what you cannot control. Be the bigger person. Do the greater deed. Forgive. Move past the past. Let God work! Be Blessed.
Patience is one of those words that no one ever wants to hear. We want everything right now. We want fast results. We want it as fast as we think of it. Sometimes things we pray for and things we seek after come swiftly, other times they don't. It is not a bad thing but it teaches us discipline. It teaches us to appreciate it when it does come because we've waited long enough for it. Sometimes it teaches us how we can get further in life simply by being patient with people. True enough we are human but being human is not an excuse to not try. Being patient with others is the greatest lesson because God has been patient with us. He waits for us to get ourselves together. We go all off track but he still keeps us. We seem to forget all about him but he still blesses us. We think we have it all figured out but he still guides us. I can only imagine having to deal with myself, listen to me sound like I know when I really don't, see me react when I should walk away or simply be quiet, go down the wrong path when by now I should know the right way. I simply cannot fathom having to deal with me. I'm still a work in progress. I still have my days. I still have my doubts. I still have my struggles. Still God is forgiving. Still God is loving. Still God is there. He is still keeping me. He is still blessing me. He is still just. He is still God. And if I know that he can be patient with me and I am to be a reflection of him surely I can display patience towards others. It's not about being a pushover; it's not about being right. It's about being humble and in his will. If I was blessed in my mess surely he will bless me for doing what is right. And besides the blessing it's all about doing what is pleasing in his eye sight and as a reflection I must be like him because my actions will always speak louder than my words.
Congratulations! Good job and Excellent work to everyone who has successfully gotten out of the bed this morning and decided to take on the day! It is indeed a task to do daily activities and to put forth the effort to go to work, go to classes, or provide for and cater to your families. The fact that you have made it this far is a testament in itself. If no one told you today you are appreciated and you are loved you are. Your contribution to society and the world as a whole is vital. Your loving heart is needed. Your nurturing spirit is needed. Your warm smile is needed. Your kind words are needed. Your life serves as an inspiration to others. You are the motivation for somebody else. You are the example for somebody else. Remember whether you know it or not someone is always watching so be the model that you want them to see. Have a blessed day people!
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