With the entire wolrd reeling from this global economic crisis and the possibility of losing your job is an ever present threat sometimes not worring is easier said than done. It's a daily struggle not to get caught up in what we see but to trust God to do as He says. To rely and lean on His promises, saying to yourself "He is not like man that He should lie. Neither the son of man that He should repent." Sometimes all you can do to stop from holding your head and running out the door naked is the Word of God, and someone saying to yourself that the battle isn't yours its the Lord's and to just let go and let God. Listen to this song by Dwayne Woods which has quickly become one of my favorites, 'Let Go and Let God'.
Ever wish you could call in an order of your day? You know like instead of drama, you can request that your crush finally notice you and falls all over himself trying to talk to you or for my married sisters, that our husbands finally put down the toilet bowl seat and clean the bathroom while their at it? Hm mm, how about going to work and getting that promotion you deserve and that brand new company car that comes with it? Wouldn't that be great if you could order a side of behaving children and ask life to go easy on the puberty hormones?
Man that would be awesome wouldn't it, getting exactly what you want out of life? A life with no drama. A life that is beautiful and easy. A life where there is no such thing as fat calories or oily skin. A life that would tell all of the unwanted hair on your body to stop growing as well as those demonic stretch marks. Man I would love that life. To be rich, beautiful, slim and fabulous without a care in the world. Oh, where is that menu of options?
Sadly enough I don't have to tell you that life is not that gracious and as sure as the sun will rise in the morning there will be drama. There will be days where you wish that your life was easier and that God would show up now instead of that all to familiar 'soon'. There will be days, shucks weeks, maybe even years where it seems like nothing is going right and all you are doing to stay sane is to watch crazy talk shows and look at their guests and think, "At least I'm not as lost as those guys."
Listen everyone goes through bad days. The Bible says in Matthew 5:45 that "He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Our God doesn't 'curry favor' as we say in the islands. Our God doesn't look at anyone differently so we all might as well suck it up and know that drama will be. The only thing we can control in all of this is ourselves.
Do you know that what kills us during the trail isn't the trial itself? No, it's not the bill collector calling, or your baby girl coming home and telling you she's pregnant, or you finding out that your husband is having an affair with your best friend, or even the death of a loved one. Do you know what it is? It's our emotions. It's all of the things we 'feel' during and after the big bang or the bad news. How we react will determine how quickly we overcome and how much power the enemy has over us. Do you know what's the most upsetting to a bully? It's when you are no longer phased by their attacks. Sure he's throwing his best punches but if he can't break your spirit he knows he's losing. Why kick if it doesn't hurt. He's not breaking your spirit.
It's the same with the enemy. All he is is a bully. A nothing trying to push and kick us around and when he finds what works, what pushes our buttons, what makes men hit their wives, what makes a mother drink and smoke while pregnant, what makes the young girl sleep with someone she barely knows, he sticks with it and keeps working it.
My goal in life now is to manage my reactions. How do I react when things don't go my way or when the enemy tries to push me around? I am reminded of the story of Job when he was told in like the space of five minutes that everything that he had was gone. All of his wealth and all of his children. Before the first bad news was completed the next set of bad news was spoken. How devastating, especially the loss of his children whom he prayed for and covered constantly. The Bible said In Job 1:20-22 that,
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:"Naked I came from my mother's womb,and naked I will depart. [c]The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;may the name of the LORD be praised."22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing"
Imagine if that were you? What would your response have been? To be honest I hope that I would be the one to fall on my face and say God your will and not mine, and to some point I think I have done that but by no means was my circumstance as dire as Job's.
Nonetheless, would our response be the right one?
Though it hurts sometimes and it feels like all of your faith is being stretched to the limit know that He will never put more on you than you can bear, so bear it. You have already done it, you just haven't seen it yet. What can help you to bear it? Joy. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Joy is better than happiness any day. Happiness is fleeting and based on the present circumstances. Joy is long lasting and is present despite your circumstances. Laugh out loud. Look for the laugh, look for the irony of your situation and smile. Sing until you're happy. Laugh at yourself for crying until snot drained into your mouth (sorry I know its gross but it could be funny. I found it funny). Laugh at the fact that after all the enemy has tried you still have joy. Watch a good comedy movie or hang out with good girlfriends and make sure that they know what you need, a no drama night.
It's ok to cry but it's even better to laugh. Enjoy the life that you have now, even if it seems like its the pits. The mere fact that you're alive means that there is hope. Hope that things will get better. Remember that He says, "Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning". Smile baby girl, its morning.
Welcome to The Beginning. The beginning of life after loss. The beginning of hope in the midst of despair. The beginning of renewed joy after pain. Welcome to my beginning. This is my journey and apparently the journey that many of us take. It is a journey we all take to find our place in the world, our place under the sun where joy abounds regardless of what is going on around us. The place where we smile and laugh until are abs at least show a 2 pack if not a 6 pack.
A lot of people have been to that place where we hope tomorrow is better than today but are mostly cynical after years of disappointment. Well my statement to you is don't give up, keep on pressing forward. You can make it, we can make it. Your life is only done when you declare defeat and I hate losing.
My husband always says, "Show me a man who likes losing and I'll show you a loser." Last time I checked no one likes losing.However for some of us, losing may seem like a continuous cycle in our lives or even a predetermined fate that cannot be stopped. Well I am here to tell you that you and I together are going to switch that thinking. We are winners. We were born to win and though today doesn't feel good and tomorrow doesn't look good, we will go by not what we feel or even see, but by what we know and what we know is that our destiny, our everything, our being was made in the image of God and the last time I checked a god can't lose.
Now there are three things that you must know:
1) I am not some woman writing down motivational speeches or self help crap. All I am is a woman using her life experiences as well as the stories and testimonies of other persons to compile stories, precepts and principles to help myself and hopefully others to see the world in the way the Father sees it and us in it.
2) The things that qualify me to write this blog are that:
- I am alive and my mind is working wonderfully,
- I've been counselling people since I was 16 using the wisdom, knowledge and understanding given to me by God,
- I've got issues of my own that drive me to dig deeper for understanding and peace.
3) I Am a Christian. I can't and I won't deny that. Christ has seen me through a lot of things and if it were not for Him I not sure if I would be as happy as I am today.
Now that that's all said and done. I guess the introduction is complete. All I am is a young, 27 year old woman driven by my purpose.
Much Love and Blessings
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