It could be the broken relationship; the marriage that has crumbled under the strain and stress of life, it could be the unfaithfulness of a spouse.
Maybe it's the loss of a loved family member or friend. It could be a sickness that took us to the brink.....
It could be the devastation of the loss of a job however it could have happened...
But Man, it's tough when it feels like we're on the monopoly board of life and there is a "Do Not Pass Go" and "Do Not Collect $200" season in our lives!
There are many moments where we feel like we're starting over but this Forward Friday looks at possibly changing the lens we are looking out from differently that could propel us into our future!
Putting a stop to the fear of stepping away from where we may have been once comfortable into some new journeys that would have never happened had we not had a fork in the road moment. And as always, there is always good medicine at the end!!!
Let's Get Into This!!
Sometimes, it is not as much about starting over as it is from the place where we are.
I think of the job loss/firing from some years ago and how for the better part of a year, the feelings of uselessness was pretty strong.
Until I started noticing and looking back.... Things like:
-Working at one of the most difficult schools in the system and staff advocating for me to stay until the end of the year, unbeknownst to me because in their words, "we brought calm to the environment" where there had been chaos!
This, happening in the first few months after being decimated by a firing.
-Working in another challenging environment and creating space for new people to become part of the fabric of that place.
-Acquiring and learning new tools to add to my tool box; trying new things that I would have never tried had I not had the moment where I had no choice to but to leave the place I thought I could have ended my career in.
-Starting a couple of sideline adventures that carry on into today; never would have happened had I looked at life half empty.
Relationships
-I gained a crazy, Hawaiian, Norwegian girl in Kelly who has been running with me over the past 26 years and it wouldn't have happened had I not been able to see, after licking my wounds so to speak from the previous relationship that there was life after it.
-I learned a lot over 3 years of growth to prepare me for what I have been blessed to live and walk in now.
Loss
-Most of us have experienced the loss of a family member or a friend/acquaintance and it hits us hard.
-My parents who are on the heaven side of eternity are missed terribly but, I think of so many lessons and things about them that even with the pain and sting of loss, I have found a way to move forward even when the tears come.
-For the one who is fighting back from a serious illness..... There are moments when there are no words... To be able to make it to the next day is a miracle...
-It's to be able to see that there is life to be lived even in these moments.
Now, this isn't a blind, don't acknowledge the pain of where we have found ourselves, will find ourselves.
Sometimes, the pain is acute and there could be other factors surrounding the pain that make it seem almost unbearable at times but could it be possible that when we take a minute, maybe we can see that there could be a new horizon from the place where we are.
There Is Good Medicine....
Look from the Place Where You Are...
It seems that life always has its ways of bringing us to a place where we need to make a fresh start from where we are.
There's this incredible story from the Bible and it is the story of the Patriarch of God's people, Abraham.
I find that there are so many gems to help us that have relevance for us from the Good Book.
In the account, Abraham found himself in that queasy position when his nephew Lot chose the best land in the area, leaving Abraham with the scrappy land or leftovers.
I guess he thought that he was dealt a bad hand!
But God didn't abandon Abraham. Instead He showed up and gave Abraham a bold new vision.
It's quite interesting to what God told Abram after he had parted ways with Lot. He told him,
'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are.'
It's that phrase, "look from the place where you are," that speaks to me.
That's the point of a fresh start out of where we are at, a new beginning because of the lens.
Sometimes, God Himself will allow some life to bring us to that point occasionally.
We might be there right now.
Maybe it's the habit that keeps us from moving forward.
Maybe it's the dream, (starting a business, writing a book and the list is endless) that we've struggled to find footing to see become a reality but it's still there, burning on the inside.
Maybe we are standing on the brink of a new road, family has crumbled, marriage/relationship has failed, the job we loved has been taken away in however form it was, we are in a new place and we're trying to move but this "New Stuff" feels quite unfamiliar.
Did we ever consider that even in the middle of all of that, God could be telling us to get started right now. This could be our new beginning!
It's interesting to note that after God told Abraham to look from that place, the next thing He told him was, "Arise (Get Up-Shake off the feelings, Open your spiritual eyes), walk about in the land through its length and width; for I will give it to you.”
Could it be just a possibility that this week's post is coming at the right time for God to be encouraging us right now?
To get up and get on with our dream or vision, our assignment, our life, because He is going to help us?
Our part is to walk it out.
Many times, doing what we need to do isn't so simple.
It may not be easy. It might take some time.
We might have to fight off the negative self talk, the wallowing in the past of regret, hurt, disappointment but maybe it's time to trust God and go after whatever it is.
Look from the place where We are right now - and go!
I know that it excites me that in spite of many past disappointments, today, I am not only just standing but moving forward in different avenues that I could only have dreamed of years earlier!
Yes, some of those moments marked me but they didn't define me and the growth of walking new roads has been more than a blessing!
Real Talk:
Pain is real and it makes no sense to minimize or trivialize some of the things we go through but........ We don't have to live in the pain forever... But it takes a step....... and We can!!
And I know there is more traveling to experience as I look from the place where We are!
Walking the road to new places!!!!!
Dave
#ForwardFriday #LookingFromWhereWeAre #NewRoads #Betterdays #NewBeginnings #Blog #Speaker #DifferentAvenues #GoodMedicine #Adventure #BetterDays #LivingHope
Comments