PRESS PAUSE

Have you ever felt like your life was on pause? That God (or someone) is holding the remote control of your life and refusing to press the play button? I have, and I feel like I’m currently in a season of “pause”. Don’t get me wrong, Kaiya is on the way to high school and that’s exciting but that’s her life. What about me? I still have dreams and goals that I want to accomplish but I feel stuck at this moment. Now I’m not the sit around and wait for manna to fall from the sky type of person at all. I believe in making things happen. One of my favorite scriptures is “Faith without works is dead”. James 2:20 Sometimes I have more works than faith and that’s where the confusion begins. I have been trying to upgrade my life for the past several years. I now have what is considered a pretty decent, stable job that is in the field I received my associates’ degree in, however I’m still unsatisfied. This job is a simple “comma” on my resume and not a “period”. My dilemma is getting to the next stage, which path should I take? There are no shortcuts.

If you are at a crossroads feeling indecisive about how to bring your goals and dreams to fruition, I have a few tips:

1. Pray. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:6-7

2. Research. Spend some time in a quiet place where you can contemplate your next step. Are you planning a vacation? Want to finish school? Start a business? If the answer is yes, you will need to look online for vacation deals, scholarships or grants for school or starting a business. Networking is also important. Do you know someone who planned an awesome trip or is going back to school or just launched a business? Talk to them! Some of the best tips come from word of mouth.

3. Have Patience. You have no idea how much it pained me to write the word “patience” ~smile~. As it is often said, God isn’t on our schedule and we can’t rush him. Also as parents, or just adults with responsibility, sometimes life gets in the way of our plans.

4. Write it down. When you write your plans down, they seem more concrete. Habakkuk 2:2-3 (The Message Bible) says “And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time.” Remember that writing your plans down is a guide, so please remain flexible. Some things may change which is the nature of life but having that outline of your plans can help you to remain focused. I like this quote by Arnold H. Glasgow: “Happy is the person who knows what to remember of the past, what to enjoy in the present and what to plan for in the future.”

Maybe there are some who feel frustrated that life isn’t as fulfilling as it should be; this prayer is for you. Heavenly Father, I pray that you give my dear sister your peace that passes all understanding. Please guide her to the path that you have for her. Bring to her remembrance any dreams, goals or visions she may have hidden so far in her memory bank that she forgot about them. We know when we seek first Your kingdom and righteousness all things will be added to us. Please remove frustration, doubt, confusion, regret and depression. We thank You because you have heard our prayer and we love You. In the matchless name of Jesus we pray, AMEN.

Dear sisters, stay encouraged and I want to leave you with this quote from Martin Luther King Jr. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”


See you in 2 weeks,
Jennifer

I'll be back on Wednesday, August 25th, hope to see you then!

Thursday's Blog: Ponnie starts her new monthy blog "Saga of a Homeschool Granny" be sure to check it out!