Are you like me? Are you wanting to know everything you need to know about your gifts, talents and passions tomorrow or even if it could have happened yesterday that would be great. Yay, me too. It’s frustrating knowing where I want to go and what I want to do, but being stopped by what I don’t know. The reality is I need to take a deep breathe and trust God, knowing I am exactly where I need to be mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
This does not mean you don’t keep growing what you know. It doesn’t mean you don’t continue on your journey and you might as well throw in the towel now. No, that is not at all going to get us going forward. If we try to speed up the process we will miss something and usually the things we miss matter. If you miss a small piece, but it is a key piece, it matters. If it’s a giant piece to the whole puzzle, it matters. Rushing and pushing through often leaves a void of experience and experience matters as much as the knowledge. It takes time to line both of the them, they will meet and one may surpass the other at various times, but they will catch up to one another. Then experience will propel you where only your knowledge could not.
What do you do in the mean time? How do you pace yourself?
First – I had to learn to live in reality. To enjoy science lessons with my kids, Netflix in the evening relaxing with my husband and relishing in knowing I am the daughter to the King of Heaven. I had to stop and enjoy the roses, plants some roses and enjoy them with those around me. Running towards tomorrow faster was only making me tired, frustrated and angry. This affected my relationships and left me feeling hollow in all aspects of my life.
Second – I had to cry and grieve over the reality I was not academically at the professional level I wanted to be. I had to get over the embarrassment and frustration. It stunk, but living in bondage to my wanting was not going to help me go forward. I had to allow myself to go through the grief stages.
Third – I had to have a heart to heart with myself and reevaluate if the direction I was going was really the path I am suppose to be on. I didn’t want to waste any more time on anything but what I was put on this earth to accomplish. I want to utilize my gifts, talents and passions to the utmost.
Fourth – Keep learning, keep growing, keep connecting. Continue taking one baby step at a time. I sat in on a one day seminar and during the seminar the teaching I realized how many hours I had put into our blog. Way more than I had realized. It was satisfying knowing I had put time, energy and direction into an area I wanted to keep growing. It also affirmed to me to pay attention to where I a spending my time.
Fifth – Look for mentors who are already positively and effectively going the direction you want to go. Pray about the people God wants to connect you to. People who will speak life into your personally and professionally. Ones who will pick you up, help dust you off and brainstorm. They may be in your life for a hour, day, month or year, but thankful for the time the Lord allows them to be in your life. Be a blessing to them as much as they are to you. Don’t take, give back as well.
Sixth – Do what you can today and let go of tomorrow. If there is one thing I have learned it is to hold on to tomorrow loosely. No matter how many times I have tried to schedule and plan our day, some how it gets shot to hell and it doesn’t look anywhere near what I wanted it to. What gets done, gets done and I need to trust the Lord with the rest.
I am right where I need to be and the Lord is going to get me wherever it is I have yet to go.