Month: November 2018

“When Tomorrow Comes”

Is there a particular area in your life that you keep putting off until tomorrow???

One of the worst habits I have is telling myself that I’m going to get my act together now, so I will be ready when the “Opportunity” presents itself. Only problem is, I never get completely ready!

I map out my plans. I tell myself that I am going to do this, work on this project, not be idle, move more, etc.; so when opportunity comes knocking, I’m not getting ready, I am ready. The funny thing is I am an excellent planner, especially when planning for others. However, when it comes to myself, it’s a little different; and it’s not in every area, just in certain things, usually the more personal areas of my life, not so much the professional.

I hate to admit it, but I think subconsciously, a part of the reason I procrastinate is because I don’t believe the Promise is as close as it actually is.

Example: Me saying that I want to lose a few pounds before I try my hand at dating again (for me not for him). Only I never really get serious about losing those few pounds. Now when an invite comes for a date, I’m trying to starve myself throughout the week to try and get those few pounds off before the date. Has that ever happened to you? I had ample time to prepare, but because I didn’t know exactly when/if an invitation would come, I kept waiting for “tomorrow.”

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied (Proverbs 13:4 ESV).

I think we use tomorrow as a crutch, but the problem arises When Tomorrow Comes and we’re still not ready. We have to take into consideration the opportunities we’ve missed because of not being prepared. We can’t blame the devil. We can’t blame God. We can’t blame other people; there’s only one person to blame and that’s the man/woman in the mirror.

I had an “Aha” moment when I realized that even the smallest step today is a step towards tomorrow’s victory. At some point, we have to face ourselves, our shortcomings, our poor decisions and bad habits. We have to stop making excuses and face reality. That’s the only way we will be prepared When Tomorrow Comes.

So, That Settles It. This is not a “Pity Party,” it’s a “Purpose Party.” This is the day that we recognize our mistakes, own them, get up, brush ourselves off, and try it again, only better and with more determination this time. Let’s make a declaration that we will no longer put off until tomorrow what we can do today. When Tomorrow Comes we will be ready! After all, today is yesterday’s tomorrow. Are you with me?

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“Stop Running!”

I remember when I was 16, my parents bought me a Ford Mustang. I had a part-time job and a little money in my savings account; I was living the life. My mother said something that I didn’t like one night and that was the last straw! I had enough of her, so I decided that I was going to run away. As I look back, I marvel at the level of influence I had even at that age; because I managed to convince my older brother and cousin to push my car out of the driveway and down the street so that my parents wouldn’t hear me start it up that night. I got in the car and made my boyfriend go with me. We were headed to New Jersey (at least we thought we were). My plan was to go live with my older cousin. There was one issue: I had only been driving for a short while and I was terrified to drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, especially at night. So, my cousin convinced me to stay at a hotel for the night and then, if I was still determined to leave in the morning, I could try to tackle that bridge during daylight. Early the next morning, my boyfriend called his house and my mother had already begun terrorizing everyone trying to find us. She threatened my boyfriend’s family, saying that she was going to have him arrested. She was relentless in her pursuit to find her baby (ME). I was afraid at this point, because I knew that I would feel her wrath if I went home. Eventually, I gave in and spoke to her on the phone. Immediately, I could hear the fear and hurt in her voice. She cried and pleaded with me to just come home. My cousin got on the phone and yelled at me for being so selfish and spoiled and inconsiderate. I went home and my mother just held me, she hugged me, she kissed me, she cried, she begged me to never scare her like that again.

This story reminds me so much of God and His love for us. He does everything to see us happy. We do so many things to hurt Him. We do things that we know are wrong. We have the audacity to get upset when He chastises us; we know it’s for our good, but it doesn’t feel good. We don’t like it, so we run. It’s time to Stop Running.

And what about the people in our lives who, according to their ability, genuinely love and care for us? What about when they say or do something we don’t like and we decide we want out? We become distant. We stop talking or texting. We, all of a sudden, become too busy and have no time for them. Thankfully, when we come to our senses and realize how immature and petty we are, they are right there waiting with open arms. It’s time to Stop Running.

So, That Settles It. I share this because I know what it’s like to take for granted those who love us, then to look up one day and they are no longer here. Let’s Stop Running! Let’s express our gratitude for every person who is a blessing in our lives, while they are still here.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful (Colossians 3:12-15 ESV).

Happy Thanksgiving!

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“Confessions”

Confession – to tell or make known; to acknowledge (sin) to God or to a priest.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 KJV).

Repentance – to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life; to feel regret or contrition; to change one’s mind.

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away (Acts 3:19 NLT).

Recently, I was convicted about having to confess some of the same things repeatedly. Obviously, I hadn’t really repented, because if I had, then I wouldn’t have to constantly confess. I am grateful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and I don’t believe I am alone in this. We are quick to say, “God knows my heart,” and He does. He knows when we are simply making Confessions, but our hearts have not changed, which means our actions won’t change. He knows!

So, That Settles It. Let’s stop making empty Confessions and start living a Repentant life. We may feel a sense of relief when we confess (acknowledge our sins), but we are truly Victorious when we repent (actually turn away from sin).

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“Obscurity”

Obscurity – the state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant.

How long have you been doing what you believe is the right thing? How long have you been pursuing your calling? How long have you been in the shadows? How long have you been in Obscurity? How long before you give up?

One of the hardest lessons I have learned on this journey is how to embrace Obscurity. This is the place where there is no glory, there is no glamour, there are no lights; only hard work, sweat, lots of tears, and darkness. There are times you feel overlooked and underappreciated, but the drive inside of you pushes you and tells you to keep going. You don’t understand it, you want to ignore it, but that voice inside reminds you that you are not doing it for the glory, because you really are not; even though the human side says, “It would be nice for someone to notice my efforts and my hard work.” Just know that someone is watching, and they are counting on you more than you know.

What if you only impacted the lives of a handful of people, would it be worth it? I’ve asked myself this same question. If we are honest with ourselves, we know we are destined for greatness, but we have this distorted picture in our minds of what this greatness looks like, and how we will get there. We never take into consideration that it happens one person at a time.

So, That Settles It. I challenge you this week to celebrate yourself right where you are! Don’t despise Obscurity; instead use it as fuel to propel you into your Destiny. Look at it this way: Even if you impact the life of one person, that person can share with another person, who will share with another person, and before you know it you will impact the masses (it may just look different than you imagined). This is not the time to throw in the towel, this is not the time to quit, this is not the time to stop believing in yourself. It’s okay to reassess and make sure you are still in the Will of God. Once you have confirmed this is the path He wants you to take, Keep Moving Forward. Don’t Stop!

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end, it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay (Habakkuk 2:3 ESV).

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