Was it ever from God?

Recently, in the past 12 months, I have found myself struggling in this one area of life. One area that I thought would boost me to the next level but I just could not find a way to get to the next level I was looking for. Then, the something happened. Something I had been preparing for, looking, searching, praying for was in my hands. Like a grand prize from "Wheel of Fortune." I prayed and prayed and asked those around me to pray about it. And God had answered my prayers. So I proceeded to attempt to move on to the next level, even though I wasn't even finished with the one I was on. Let me think about that for a second...
What do you mean move on with with closing those doors? What do you mean you wanted to just skip right on to the next thing, without even bothering to finish what you started in the first place. Talk about being impatient. I jumped at the first thing that I thought would help me get pass what I was going through. Hoping it was the answer to moving me forward. Putting my faith in something that was of this world, something I couldn't take with me when I went on to the good ole "Pearly Gates." I put more faith in this job being what would deliver me than I did in God, my own Father, who had never ever forsaken me and had always provided a way out of no way? Really? Looking back, all of these struggles have led me to ask, was it ever from GOD? God's gifts also known as blessings, are effortless victories. What God blesses us with, we do not have to put up a fight to keep it, to hold on to it because HE has ordained it for us.


So, lets back track, prior to the last year, I have had victories that you wouldn't even imagine. 4 years ago, I started on a journey. I trusted Him for it because I knew that no matter what, He would keep me and watch over me as I went about my life making mistakes.
My first mistake, not consulting Him about this major decision. I can't lie, I had a relationship at the time, I knew better than to go without asking Him. But did I??? Nope, I just made my decision and that was final. Once things started going sideways, well, not in the way I thought was "right," I couldn't understand why I was having such a hard time with what I thought was a blessing from God. So I made up in my mind that I had the perfect plan to get out. I was going to just move on with the first opportunity that came. Ha, who was I fooling? I tried it, and I was snatched up within a matter of time. See, one thing I learned and I have had to deal with is, you can't start and not finish out on the journey God has planned for you. Nothing is on my time, it is on GOD's time. Who am I to say when I am done with what He has planned for me? So as I take this next few months to focus on what God's will is for me, I hope to continue to grow in my faith, and in knowing that I must complete my assignment from God before I can move on to the next one. Otherwise, I can be sure that I will lose a battle that isn't mine to fight. What God has for me, it is for me and only me. When He decides it is my time, He will let me know. Until then, I just have to get through this storm and trust that on the other side, He will be waiting to blow my mind. I just have to endure and be patient. It is all a part of the testimony...Lord, your will be done.

Do You Doubt the Value of Your Education?

As I scrolled through the daily news a few days ago, I ran into an article posing the idea that college is a waste of time. In the article, the young man thought that putting his talents forth without a higher education was more important than taking time out to be educated. He received an internship to pursue his desire to be an entrepreneur instead of going to college. People have plenty of reasons not to go to college. This opportunity that the young man in the article earned is great but one thing we must not forget about many of the entrepreneurs that we know of today is that...THEY WENT TO COLLEGE. Whether it was for four years or one, they took the opportunity to explore the option. They might not have liked it but how many of them would have been as successful without the entrance into college, at some point?
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That is all well, it really is but for those of you who have a college degree, have you ever doubted or found that your degree was not worth the heartache, headache, blood, sweat and tears put into those four years for a piece of paper with your name on it? In all honesty, I cannot say that I have not doubted my degree. Though I am fresh out of college, about a month free of a 15 credit hour week, I find that many of my peers are jobless, grad-school-less, and clueless as to their next move. I myself have been blessed with a great job that will open many doors for me as well as give me the opportunity to do what I love, public service. But for those many peers and fellow graduates, graduating college means a whole new world of worries, woes, and lots of bills...So, what exactly does a college degree do for me? (As I can only speak for myself)

Coming from the place I was raised in, I am grateful to have the opportunity to get out of that town and experience life, uninhibited and uncensored. Going to college was the best thing I could have done for myself and my future family. I gained so much knowledge in and outside of the classroom, much which would not have been offered had I stayed at home and just worked straight out of high school. For me, college was a huge step into a life that I know I could have only through the access of the network that matriculating through a higher degree could offer. The invaluable lessons I've learned, the people I have met, the classes I have taken, all make me the person I am today. Now college may not be for everyone, I can attest to that, but everyone can have a shot at making that decision for themselves. Had it not been for the support of my family and friends, I could have easily taken the route back home and in Back Yard University, much like many of my peers from high school. Not to knock their decision because to each his own, but for me, going back home was not an option. No matter how bad college was going, I never considered going back home to what I knew was comfortable. College forced me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to look deep inside and reflect on what I really needed to gain from the experience. For many, college is a step that is not an option. For some, college is a way to gain access to education. For some college is their key to unlocking many doors to opportunities that will be afforded to them later in life. For me, college did all of that plus more. According to statistics, I was not supposed to be there. According to me, I had no choice but to make it happen. No matter what happened in the course of the four years of undergrad, I know that I am better, wiser and more prepared to go forward in life and do what I was born to do, make a difference...

What has your degree done for you?

Life After the Storm

So, I am starting again with my bible reading and decided that there was no place better than to start from the beginning. Genesis sets the foundation for the works of God and his mercy. Here is just a piece of information I received from Bible Study last night that I feel compelled to share with all of you.

Alright, if you can recall that in Genesis 6, God commands Noah to build and ark.
... Now if you remember, God is displeased with everyone at this point because they are being disobedient to His word. God had planned to destroy EVERYTHING that He had created BUT Noah found grace with the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:7-8). So God goes to Noah and informs Him that He is going to destroy everything on earth and instructed him to build this ark. God gives Noah step by step instructions to follow in how to build this ark. God tells Noah that he must make one window and one door for this ark (Genesis 6:16). Once the ark is built, God tells Noah to get two of each animal and seven of each type of bird... God instructed Noah to get his family and all the animals and get on the boat. For forty days and nights, there was a rain and it wiped out everything on earth. Then Noah sends out a raven after the flood subsides, the raven never returns. He sends out a dove and the dove comes back because he has no where to plant his feet because the water hadn't completely dried up. After seven days, he sends the dove out again, this time it comes back with an olive leaf in its mouth. Noah sent it out again after seven days and the dove did not return this time.

Ok...What does all this mean?

Here goes. Noah followed God's direct instructions. He did not deviate nor question God's commands. That one window that he was instructed to put in, ended up being his window of opportunity after the storm was over. God knew what He was doing when he was telling Noah what to do. The storm does not sneak up on God therefore, God prepares us with the everything that we need in order to prepare for that storm, so when it hits, we will not be completely faithless or even afraid of our circumstances. Now, with this window of opportunity, God provided it, but He did not tell Noah when to open it, Noah waited til the time was right and decided to open it himself. We have the capabilities and abilities to pursue that window of opportunity that God gives us...Thats one of the reasons we all have different talents and contributions to provide to the world because we were all MADE WITH A PURPOSE. Stop waiting on someone to give you a chance of opportunity and CREATE ONE FOR YOURSELF.

With that, when Noah let out the raven and the raven did not come back, it was a sign that the raven was uncommitted, flying high, and had no intentions on giving back to the person (community) who kept him so that one day he would be able to fly high without a care in the world. Noah did not get upset about the raven not coming back. One thing God does is giveth. But He also taketh away. In other words, just because something or someone is no longer a part of your life, God doesn't do this out of His own satisfaction, He does this FOR YOU. Storms come to separate you from emotional baggage that you may be carrying around. See what God did for Noah. He took away the raven, and gave him a dove.

Now, when Noah let out the dove, it came back when it didn't have a place to put his feet down. Noah reached out and guided it back into the ark but seven days later, set him out again. This time it brought back a small olive leaf. That leaf represented proof of life after the storm, hope, anticipation, and expectation. With that being said, we need to be patient with ourselves, our situations, and other people because nothing happens overnight. God repositions you over and over so when the storm is over, you will be in the position to serve your purpose. God wants us to use our advantages for the advantage of the disadvantaged...He blesses us, so why don't we bless other people with our blessings?
See, it's the small things in life that count. Seriously...If we become that little olive leaf, our small moves are just as significant as the next big move.

I will leave you with these last words:::
*The other purpose that this window served was, when Noah looked out, the only way he could look was UP. To the heavens, to God. Yes, that window of opportunity, its there, you just have to open it.**


And the one door: Remember that we all must enter through the same gates...Since there is no such thing as competition UP THERE, why not help someone in their quest to enter in the same gates that we hope to enter through.