My journey has been all of these things:
Terrifying,
liberating,
motivating,
paralyzing ….
I’ve felt:
lost,
happy,
scared,
like I was wandering aimlessly and
without use.
I have learned that God has a plan for my life and He can work it out if I’m moving in a direction…..any direction. I read a quote the other day which said, a parked car is impossible to steer. So as I’ve journeyed through all of the emotions, I’ve always moved in a direction. In the last 15 months, I’ve come to many closed doors. I’ve beat myself up, I’ve rejoiced when I could clearly hear and see God’s vision and I’ve learned to stop and listen.
The journey has been one I honestly thought I would never take. I always thought I’d be right where I was, an owner of a fire protection company doing the accounting and marketing. But God had a different plan. My journey has taught me so much. Life without stress IS possible. And when the stress melts away (which it did, but extremely slowly), I found a new me. It’s like stress creates this film around us which prevents people from seeing the real us and WE are unable to see clearly.
I had lunch with a precious friend several weeks ago. When Charlotte saw me, her first response was that I looked radiant. When she last saw me 2 years ago, I was in the midst of some of the worst stress I’d experienced. Now that it’s all lifted, my world is very different. I see things clearer, I take life slower, I enjoy the little things, I listen AND hear God more clearly, my God-given gifts are pushing to the surface and I’m recognizing them in ways I never thought I could.
It is an exciting time for me and the fear and terror of stepping out of my comfort zone have mostly left me. Is it hard to step out and not have a steady paycheck? Heck yes it is. Can I say at this point that it’s all worth it? Ummmm, mostly. I still get caught up in the thought that a regular paycheck would feed into our retirement and make it possible for us to travel more and do more. Am I 100% positive that I’m exactly in God’s will for my life? Nope, not 100%.....maybe 97.5%. But what I do know is that as I move forward and go in a direction, God continually props me up and veers me one direction or another so that I stay mostly on the course He has planned for me.
As I was typing the above, I envisioned a parent helping their child learn to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. There’s the unsteadiness and the tipping over and catching with the feet and the exhilaration and fear all at the same time. Well, that’s me right now. I’m that kid on the bike for the first time without training wheels just trying to balance that bike and make it go forward before I fall off or it falls over with me. What I do have is my faith. God is there to pick me up and get me going again, to steer me away from oncoming traffic or away from the parked car on the street. He has been faithful to be by my side the whole time and there is a peace in knowing this. God really does bring the peace that passes all understanding.
This is the first time I’ve taken a look back since I’ve started.
Thanks for the encouragement that comes every time you 'like' a Facebook post or reply to my blog or any number of ways you. I hope your journey is every single thing I’ve gone through and more. I know that as you pray for guidance to make the next big step that you will clearly hear God’s voice for your journey. Learning to trust God…..to truly trust Him with no safety net, has been the biggest lesson in all of this for me.
I’d love to hear about your adventure.
Sooooo, what do the crystal upholstery tacks (picture above) have to do with anything? I would not have imagined even two years ago that I'd be doing something as wacky as using crystal tacks to attach board games to the ceiling of my very own showplace. A place where I'm inviting other artists to show and sell their original work. My journey has most certainly taken me to places I never imagined. Please mark your calendar for May 11th at 11 AM and join us as my fellow artists and I journey to the next level and ask ourselves....'How Did We Get Here'?
Terrifying,
liberating,
motivating,
paralyzing ….
I’ve felt:
lost,
happy,
scared,
like I was wandering aimlessly and
without use.
I have learned that God has a plan for my life and He can work it out if I’m moving in a direction…..any direction. I read a quote the other day which said, a parked car is impossible to steer. So as I’ve journeyed through all of the emotions, I’ve always moved in a direction. In the last 15 months, I’ve come to many closed doors. I’ve beat myself up, I’ve rejoiced when I could clearly hear and see God’s vision and I’ve learned to stop and listen.
The journey has been one I honestly thought I would never take. I always thought I’d be right where I was, an owner of a fire protection company doing the accounting and marketing. But God had a different plan. My journey has taught me so much. Life without stress IS possible. And when the stress melts away (which it did, but extremely slowly), I found a new me. It’s like stress creates this film around us which prevents people from seeing the real us and WE are unable to see clearly.
I had lunch with a precious friend several weeks ago. When Charlotte saw me, her first response was that I looked radiant. When she last saw me 2 years ago, I was in the midst of some of the worst stress I’d experienced. Now that it’s all lifted, my world is very different. I see things clearer, I take life slower, I enjoy the little things, I listen AND hear God more clearly, my God-given gifts are pushing to the surface and I’m recognizing them in ways I never thought I could.
It is an exciting time for me and the fear and terror of stepping out of my comfort zone have mostly left me. Is it hard to step out and not have a steady paycheck? Heck yes it is. Can I say at this point that it’s all worth it? Ummmm, mostly. I still get caught up in the thought that a regular paycheck would feed into our retirement and make it possible for us to travel more and do more. Am I 100% positive that I’m exactly in God’s will for my life? Nope, not 100%.....maybe 97.5%. But what I do know is that as I move forward and go in a direction, God continually props me up and veers me one direction or another so that I stay mostly on the course He has planned for me.
As I was typing the above, I envisioned a parent helping their child learn to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. There’s the unsteadiness and the tipping over and catching with the feet and the exhilaration and fear all at the same time. Well, that’s me right now. I’m that kid on the bike for the first time without training wheels just trying to balance that bike and make it go forward before I fall off or it falls over with me. What I do have is my faith. God is there to pick me up and get me going again, to steer me away from oncoming traffic or away from the parked car on the street. He has been faithful to be by my side the whole time and there is a peace in knowing this. God really does bring the peace that passes all understanding.
This is the first time I’ve taken a look back since I’ve started.
Thanks for the encouragement that comes every time you 'like' a Facebook post or reply to my blog or any number of ways you. I hope your journey is every single thing I’ve gone through and more. I know that as you pray for guidance to make the next big step that you will clearly hear God’s voice for your journey. Learning to trust God…..to truly trust Him with no safety net, has been the biggest lesson in all of this for me.
I’d love to hear about your adventure.
Sooooo, what do the crystal upholstery tacks (picture above) have to do with anything? I would not have imagined even two years ago that I'd be doing something as wacky as using crystal tacks to attach board games to the ceiling of my very own showplace. A place where I'm inviting other artists to show and sell their original work. My journey has most certainly taken me to places I never imagined. Please mark your calendar for May 11th at 11 AM and join us as my fellow artists and I journey to the next level and ask ourselves....'How Did We Get Here'?
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