TIME THEIVES

Where do I even begin? I seriously have so much to write about that I don’t know what to write about. Life!! I don’t care how prepared you think you are for it, there’s always something that will try to throw you off course. In my case, there have been a lot of “somethings.” I truly believe that the greatest battles you will ever have are the ones in your mind. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has a lot to juggle on a daily basis. I don’t know how anyone can survive in our society without the ability to multitask. Dreamers have to set aside time to plan out your steps to making those dreams reality. If you’re independent, you have to hold down your job to provide a stable living for yourself. If you have family, you have to be the sounding board for them and assist them in anyway possible. Relationships, whether romantic or friends, demand of your time. Anything worth having is worth investing in.  So how do you manage it all without losing yourself in the mix?

It’s overwhelming at times and there are moments when you just want to say TIME OUT! Your mind is racing… God’s speaking big things to you to fulfill and you’re clouded with all the other “real life” things that take priority. After all, those things I listed are all essential to one’s life right? It can get to the point where those “big things” that God placed in you begin to take a backseat. I often feel like I have too much riding on me to get caught up in making the kind of moves I need to fulfill my purpose at the time… but I kept hearing His voice and He won’t let it go.

So since there are certain things in life that are beyond my control… I decided to make changes to the things I could control. If you want different results, you have to do something different! So I made the ultimate sacrifice, I deactivated my Facebook account …LOL…(for the time being). Don’t worry, I’ll be back. It was just so addictive and turned into one of my best time wasters. I kept making the excuse that I never had time, I was too tired after working all day, or I had this to do for my family. Enough was enough! I decided to commit to reading more, not specifically just the Bible, but books that would increase my knowledge of the world in general. I already watched limited TV so there was no need to cut that back. Most importantly, I want to make my entrepreneur goals a priority.

It seems easy enough right? Not all the time. My mind is constantly going a million miles a minute and it often feels like I’m not going anywhere. I have thoughts of throwing in the towel, reverting back to my old ways and just doing life the best way I know how. Every time I have that thought, I hear “My life is not my own.” It’s a constant battle of the mind to ignore all the roadblocks and drive through like a runaway freight train. What helps me is knowing that there’s someone out there depending on me to live out my purpose. I may not know them, I may never know them… but it’s vital that I stay on course if for just that reason alone. I had a few movie examples to share that speak to this very idea but I’ll save them for later. I think II Cor. 6:1-13 will do the trick even better:

This is Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth after word got back to him that the people were growing weary of well doing and living life out of order…

“Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us, I heard your call in the nick of time; The day you needed me, I was there to help.

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!”

I pulled this from the Message Bible because it makes it plain. Don’t get super spiritual and try to read King James if you can’t read it with clarity. There are so many other translations that you can reference to help you actually get something out of what you are reading. I hope you get as much out of this excerpt as I did. Christianity is a lifestyle, not something you put on when you go to church. When you make your belief known, people are watching you in your good and not so good days. Don’t let life get you down to the point where you forget your post. Believers aren’t perfect but we should aim to be better than we were the day before. We must not allow ourselves to get in the way of God’s plan for us and those we come in contact with daily.

Lastly, we often set our own limits and barriers. We base our abilities on what resources we actually see but God works in ways that aren’t always visible to the human eye. We aren’t always going to see the way out but that’s where faith is put to the test. You have to make a decision. Are you really going to trust God or will you just continue to say it because it makes you sound spiritual? Open up your mind and embrace whatever enormous plan God has placed on your heart. Make a few sacrifices, whether short term or long term, so that you are making more strides towards accomplishing your goals. And by all means, stay on your post through every test or trial… remember it’s a lifestyle.

Be Bold,

Be Fabulous,

Be You

Tuesdays with Bianca