When Choices Meet Consequences

Two people. Different choices. Similar results.

I watched with interest this week as two people made life-altering choices that may produce very similar results. One person is facing serious legal ramifications, forever affecting the course that his life takes, as well as his long-term productivity. The other person – though not entangled with the legal system – has made a decision that will forever affect the productivity of her life as well. Both are unprepared for their perspective track – too young to be caught up in a system that’s neither kind nor fruitful.  

I’m sure that neither started out with their current situations in mind. At some point, their dreams were larger than life. At some point, they believed in overcoming the odds that may have been attached to them.

Ironically, they were just getting started — young enough to believe that dreams do come true and potentially had enough time to accomplish them. 

Now, however, whatever trail they were blazing has been derailed by their choices, undoubtedly pulling unwilling family members into the mix. The direct path to succeeding against odds suddenly became a roundabout, which is not God’s best intention for our lives. His desire is that wisdom and knowledge guide our decisions at the outset so that we walk unencumbered and reach our full potential.

What happens to the potential that is locked within them – untapped right at this very moment – but awaiting birth? What about their dreams?  Are they lost forever or just delayed?  The reality is that it’s out of their hands. They no longer have an option to choose what happens immediately because the consequences of their decisions come into play and are outside of their control. Most times, the full consequences and accompanying resolutions come over time. So instead of being where they should be when they should be, they are far from the original plan.

When we rob ourselves of our potential by making choices that are not good for us, we miss out on the full manifestation of God’s blessings that comes with being in the right place at the right time.

We also miss out on the opportunity to bless others fully with what God has blessed us with.

 

Dreams With Wings

I cannot begin to count the number of times that a dream slipped through my hands because I didn’t act upon it. It lingered in my mind, danced in my head, waiting to be birthed. I’d chew on the idea, noodle on it and chew on it some more – all in my mind, of course. Finally, the dream slipped away – avoiding recapture. Over the years, I would repeat this routine and another dream would get away – all because I was afraid to move it from conception to something concrete. 

Fear – that dreaded word paralyzed me. Whether it was the fear of failure or the fear of success, I had a tendency to sabotage my own work to avoid putting myself out there. I did not realize that the gifts that God placed in me were necessary and sufficient for the work He had for me. Instead of being focused on the outcome, I placed more emphasis on my fear, which resulted in so much wasted time and unproductive years.

The turning point in my life came with the realization that fear could not co-exist with purpose.  If I wanted to be used of God for His purpose, I could not allow fear to be my banner. By empowering fear, I was defeated even before I began to walk in purpose. 

Then, I had to replace my fears with the truth of God’s Word. What did God’s Word say about me? As I began meditating on, thinking about and pondering who God made me to be, over time, fear slowly released its grip. After all, who was I to question how God would use me for His glory?

How many times have you awaited the manifestation of a dream only to have someone else successfully implement the very idea that you had? How many times have you chased a dream and the closer you got, the farther it slipped away? Just as you’d given up on your dream it became someone else’s reality.

But today, you can move toward your dream life by acknowledging, taking responsibility for and then putting aside all the hidden factors affecting your ability to be successful. You know the ones — those that rise to the top for no apparent reason, sit on your shoulder speaking critically of your every move and prevent you from seriously gaining a foothold on your dreams.

By opening your mind and heart to the person whose real thoughts and emotions are not open for public viewing, acknowledge the fact that it’s the real you who has to be reckoned with, dealt with, and confronted. Once you acknowledge what’s on the inside, you can begin to strategically and honestly deal with the hindrances lingering within. After all, you cannot successfully address what you don’t know.

Nor do you have a right to hold the real you hostage.

When Passion Meets Purpose

At some point and on some level, I knew that it would happen. Somewhere along this journey there would be a day of reckoning where I would discover God’s purpose for my life. I would realize why God carefully and deliberately created someone like me –with strengths and weaknesses in tow–to carry out His work. Although this seemed to manifest at an inconvenient time (in my opinion), the truth is, I was fearful of stepping unprepared into unfamiliarity. Of course, this also resulted in having ongoing conversations with God about what He thought was best for my life and how I wasn’t qualified for the work.  After much going back and forth on my part, I finally gave in, not wholeheartedly, but inch by inch. During this time, I had very little peace about moving in another direction, and constant reminders about what I was not doing. Then, God removed some of my distractions, which quickly pushed me into a no-excuses zone. Ironically, at the root of the direction in which He was leading me lay a long-ago passion that buried itself deep within my being.  Just recently, it began rising to the surface. So all the nudging I started receiving months ago eventually led to where I am today, where passion has finally met purpose.

What about you? What’s your passion? What has God spoken to your heart about doing that you keep putting off? How are you marrying passion with purpose to glorify God in your life? What’s hindering you from moving forward?