As I shared in my September newsletter, I’ve been n a funk for a while. It is one thing to write inspirational messages, but it is another to practice them. I certainly kept putting one foot in front of the other with a smile on my face, giving the appearance I was being positive. However, deep down inside I felt like I have been withering away and disappearing…all because I got stuck and forgot to re-start. Like a computer screen or app, I was frozen.
Computer technology is fantastic until it isn’t, and it wreaks havoc on us, frustrating us all the while when we just want it to work properly. Often times, rebooting (turning off and on) the equipment can resolve whatever weird issue was occurring. We may never know exactly what happened, but we are grateful to have it working again. I’ve found recently how our lives can go whacky on us, too, and the only way to really get moving again is to re-start.
Re-starting our lives is more complicated than turning a switch off and on, though. It requires us to re-shape our thought process, re-design our behaviors, and re-new our spirits. It takes commitment, but I can tell you that once you decide to embark on the process, you will already feel better. You see, making no decision at all is, by default, making a bad decision. I have known that saying for a very long time yet found myself trapped in a sad loop of doing nothing about it. The more I ignored the truth, the worse I felt.
As Christians, we have an incredible resource at our disposal called the Holy Spirit, and it lives within us, guiding, directing, and even speaking to us if we will only pay attention, heed the warnings and listen. I heard the message but was uncomfortable and scared about the outcome. Somehow being stuck was less painful than making steps to improve things…until it wasn’t.
We can’t judge one another. We are all on our own timetables, and God has His unique plans for all of us. Thankfully, He is very patient and loving with us despite our hesitancy to take the steps He’s outlined for us. He only wants what is best for us, and when we choose to walk in deserts and valleys of life instead of the hilltops, He joins us. He doesn’t condemn us, nag, or criticize. He simply lets us know He is with us.
If you read by September newsletter, you learned I had my breast implants removed very recently and am still recovering. For four years, I knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t face it head on. Instead, I chased down the symptoms until the voice was too strong, and I could no longer ignore it or the illness.
I made the decision to have them taken out, and immediately, my horrible back pain disappeared. I didn’t even attribute the back pain to the implants, but the more I have opened up with other women, this is a very common occurrence. How interesting that none of us were sharing our experiences with each other. We probably all felt a sense of embarrassment or shame. All I know is the more I read online testimonies and heard from people I knew, the more confident I was in my decision.
This is the work of the devil. He wants us to feel alone and unsupported. He messes with us so that we suffer in silence thinking we are toughing it out when, in reality, we are spiraling down into a pit of despair…exactly where he wants us.
Well, with the help of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost), I am crawling my way out to the surface. I am re-shaping my thought process, re-designing my behaviors, and renewing my spirit slowly, day by day.
This one decision has given me courage to re-evaluate other areas of my life where I am stuck, and I will look them square in the eye and do what I can today. The challenge is to not get overwhelmed with all the details. God often doesn’t show us all the steps – just the next one – TAKE IT! Then the next day, He will reveal another step. Take that one, too. Trust in Him. Believe in His goodness. In my darkness, I had no doubt God had great plans for everyone else, but I didn’t believe it for myself. I’m believing again.
I hope you can’t relate with me and that you are soaring high. If, however, you feel stuck or lost, fear not my friend! God will not give up on you nor will He forsake you. We simply must get aligned with Him, and that requires tuning out a lot of noise. The world is crazier than it has ever been, and it is very distracting. We think we will address something tomorrow, but tomorrow turns into a week; a week becomes a month; a month becomes a year, and before we know it, we feel as if the way back is too difficult and impossible. It isn’t!
God’s ways are not our ways, and He can restore (and will) the years that the locust have eaten in an instance. What is impossible for man is possible with God. We have to know it, claim it, and believe it. These cannot just be words on a page. We must live them.
As always, I share my life with you in hopes of helping you avoid some of the potholes I’ve fallen in, and if you are stuck, to offer a hand up and out. We can’t keep our stories silent. The hard times give others the opportunity to bless us, and God will often work through others to reach us. In our good times, we can offer hope and encouragement to one another. Don’t let satan get a grip!
I don’t know yet where my new mindset and actions will take me, but I know God will reveal at just the right time what it is He has for me. I am praying He continues to guide you and that you not only hear Him but take the appropriate action today to move toward His glory for your life. Blessings to you!
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