Before I get into my actual post, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! I know that the past year was really difficult for most of us but we made it! 🙌🏾 I pray that 2021 will be a year filled with peace, joy and blessings 💕.
The ending and beginning of a year are usually the times when most people take some time to reflect. But for me, by nature, I am very introspective, so I’m always in my head analyzing something 😆. Depending on what it is, this can feel like a blessing or even a curse at times.
Today, I decided to share on something that I have been learning for a few years now, but it’s one that I decided to fully embrace over this past year. And honestly, it was about time I did!
For as long as I can remember, I was that person who didn’t want to do anything unless I was absolutely sure. There was no space for mistakes. If I had a doubt or started second-guessing a decision, it was almost always reflex for me to abort the process entirely. I wanted things to be perfect at all times. It had to be the perfect time, place, person… But this was not a realistic or healthy way to live life. Waiting around for everything to be just right meant that there was no movement and no movement equals stagnation.
Stagnant… That’s exactly what I was for years. Afraid to move because I feared making a mistake. I didn’t really notice the extent of it until I started my journey to learn and trust the voice of God. I was that person who refused to move on anything I think God told me until I got concrete confirmation. And if I wasn’t sure then… It just never got done. I gave myself no room for mistakes which was very unhealthy. The process of learning itself involves making mistakes and sometimes, lots of it.
Now that I know better, I can be more lenient with my learning process, especially as it concerns my faith journey. I remember as a teen, in my head, I had each milestone of my life mapped out and how I wanted things to be. I even had whole outfit ideas and options set aside for special future occasions like my first date, my sweet 16 birthday, graduation ball. I can look back and laugh at how silly this was now lol. It was as if I had invisible yellow police tape around certain things and life events that I absolutely could not touch until the perfect time arrived.
If you know anything about my relationship with God, our conversations usually go something like this: “I know this is what you thought but… This is my plan”. Without fail, this has been the case with almost everything. Major life events and milestones always seemed to go in the opposite direction. It was never like the fairy tale or hallmark movies… And it was frustrating. One thing I have noticed, however, is that the purpose God has for my life always requires me to take a road that’s less travelled. This meant that not many people have walked on it. This road is the lonely one, the one that’s not very appealing. People run away from it, including me 🙋 lol… but God always leads me right back to it.
The thing about being on this road less travelled is that it is custom made based on your specific life blueprint. This means that your journey will not look like anyone else’s. We may share similar experiences with others but ultimately our individual processes are different. Because of this, when it comes to walking out your purpose, there is no place for comparison. Comparison causes us to stray from our specific paths onto someone else’s in an attempt to feel a sense of belonging. It’s important to know that we should never try to covet someone else’s process. Yes, you may see the popularity and the glamorous side of things, but you really don’t know the process it took to get and even stay there. Someone else’s process might take your life for the simple fact that you were not graced for it.
Many times, I have looked at my life experiences and compared them to those around me who seemed to have it easy… breezing through things that I have to work twice as hard, if not more, for. It is very easy to fall deep into the trap of comparison. The enemy is after our individual purpose and will use any and everything to distract us from it. I struggled for a long time with stagnation, not wanting to move unless I was absolutely sure. Part of that was because a lot of times, the things that I thought God wanted me to do, I had never seen done before. So, of course, it’s scary! But if fear is given power then I will not take the next step. This is exactly what the enemy wants.
Sometimes, we get an idea and then ask God for confirmation if it was from Him or not. This, in and of itself, is not an unreasonable request. The problem comes when we refuse to take any follow-up steps after. Sometimes God wants us to move and exercise our faith before He gives us more instructions. Yes, we may make mistakes, but are we really learning if we don’t make a few? Probably not.
God is always speaking, leading and directing. He speaks to each of us in different ways. Our responsibility is to build our relationship with Him so that we can grow to identify when He is speaking. It’s okay to not be sure but it’s not okay to remain stagnant because you’re not. Think of God as your personal GPS. If you take a wrong turn, you can guarantee that He will reroute you to exactly where you need to be. Your next instruction could be in the next step that you refuse to take.
Love & Blessings
Brittany Krystal.
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Let's B. Krystal Klearr 