Did my open door close? ‘Failure to Launch’ Part 2

Time began to drift by and certainly I was content feeling as though I had said enough to convince God that I was not cut out for what He was asking (I shake my head at myself as I look back). 

About two months later I felt led to begin a website ministry and though God inspired the devotionals and sent traffic to the website and the number of people who accessed the Prayer of Salvation grew I often wondered if my fear of being off camera had encouraged the website. Long story short a year later there was such an urge to create videos that I could not help myself and had to move; so I did what I should have done before and yielded my will to God. 

Now I had often wondered if my seeming delay might have caused me to miss the season for the video ministry or if I needed to go through the year of the website ministry to become more prepared to share the videos.  Whether or not I find myself able to answer that question I have certainly through my experience with Him in this particular area of my life become more bold because of God.

Soul Searching

Now come with me as I engage in some soul searching. You do not have to be in ‘ministry’ to ask yourself some of these questions for they are relevant to many situations in our lives.

• How do you know the door that was open for you has now closed? 
• What has given you the impression that you missed the opportunity?
• What standard are you using to decide that you missed the opportunity? 
• Is it because you are doing it now and not seeing the results you think you should have? 
• Are those results that you desire what God intended for you? 

Just because you don’t have 1000 views on your video doesn’t mean that God’s purpose isn’t being served.  Just because they have not ranked your book a bestseller on their list doesn’t mean your story isn’t touching lives! 

Just because you have not been able to pay off your car yet like the others who took the job the same time as you doesn’t mean you missed your opportunity to be debt free. 

The truth is there is a timing to everything and often our timing and God’s timing do not match up.

Now here is what you do if indeed you 'failed to launch' and that season has passed for you.

How do you respond to your failure to launch? 

1)      Repent about your procrastination and disobedience.

If God says do it, move on, stay put and you choose to do otherwise for whatever reason and even if only for a moment it is still disobedience. I became familiar with the fact that delayed obedience is still disobedience

2)      Review the revelation you received or the vision you had for your life.

Is it still one that you might chase after now? Is God pointing you in a new direction? Will you need to revise your vision?

3)      Renew your commitment.

This may be through seeking a new revelation from God or yielding to the very thing He had shown you in the past. It may simply be choosing to have an attitude of availability as it relates to working with God, working on yourself and making time to work for you.

Side note: Many people are so used to helping others and being there for others that they forget to be just as kind to themselves. 

4)      Restore your confidence in God and in your abilities to do what you are passionate about doing

Lessons learned

• Just because God speaks to us about what He is going to do in our lives now does not mean it is to happen right away (it may be decades away). Sometimes the only thing God requires of us at that particular time is our, "Yes!" - our commitment to the task of which He spoke and a readiness to trust Him in spite of not having all the details.

• A door that might have been opened in my past may not be relevant now in my present. To chase an opportunity that is no longer for me is to go after something meaningless and to create an environment of frustration. 

I would love to hear your thoughts:) Feel free to leave your comment below!

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Until next time,
EJ
Onward & Live IN purpose

Did my open door close? ‘Failure to Launch’

When I began writing this post I did not want to reference a particular personal experience I had that led me to these thoughts a few years later. However, whenever I tried to write around it I found myself unable to freely write and painfully aware that without the inclusion, somehow, of this experience, the post simply would not be complete. 

As I share my experience I hope it will bring some relief to the tug-o-war existing in your heart because of experiences that have left you feeling dejected and unworthy [as though you cannot get anything right, like you are not good enough and as though God has given up on you] and that unquenchable, impassioned, raging desire to do God’s will and to be used of God!

Your thoughts may be running wild about the possible things I might have endured that would have warranted feelings of despondence and disillusionment, I will leave you to your imaginings but when you are done, let us look at procrastination (smile)! I often liken procrastination as a 'failure to launch' and I will use those words interchangeably here.

We have all at one point or another found ourselves fully persuaded of something we need to do; to leave a relationship, to move across states, cities or countries, to do something that God has instructed, to further our education, to change jobs, to stop drinking etc. but we often allow fear, insecurities, feelings of unworthiness, our current circumstances that we see with our natural eyes and/or the negativity of people around us to become stumbling blocks or hurdles in our paths to progress. 

Almost two years ago, I was experiencing a few changes in my life. As I navigated the emotional turmoil the death of a friend was causing, I began to seek God more so that I would be able to lean on Him for strength. My husband and I began a special prayer period where we chose to pray about at least one issue that would have been found in the subject of the day’s local or world news .We decided that there were others who were hurting as much as we were and that instead of focusing on our own pain we would pray for others who were hurting too. It was in this posture of prayer that I decided to be silent one day and asked God to speak with me about me.

It is true that, God says that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) and that if we seek Him He will be found by us!

He spoke to me in a special way then.  

                                                    Think about it. 

What was the last thing that God spoke to you about? Did you do it? When was the last time you made up in your mind to do something? Did you follow through with it? If not, why? 

At the time I was investing so much time on Facebook to play games to distract myself and God spoke about the fact that my presence on Facebook was to become more productive and to be an avenue to share my faith. My friends on Facebook would have realized, without any forewarning (smile), that I started sharing videos with my experiences and or devotionals that I had received in some of my quiet moments with God.  When God spoke with me about it, I was both willing yet apprehensive. Not because I was afraid to share my faith, those who know me know I am a Christian; it was the fact that I had to share it through videos. I was content being behind the scenes and I viewed posting videos as too ‘out there’ for me. I found myself trying to persuade God several times how that was not the best thing for me to do because of my personality and how He had to have known that though I am not shy I preferred to remain behind the scenes and dodge any extra attention. (As if I knew me better than He knows me!)

This post continues here, Did my open door close? ‘Failure to Launch’ PART 2 

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Until next time,
EJ
Onward & Live IN purpose

Dealing with Difficulty

The people around you and even your current circumstances may make you feel as though you are a failure, that you are not good enough for the dreams you have, that you will never grab hold of the things God has placed in your spirit.
Refuse to get discouraged, lift your head up above your situation so that you might SEE more clearly and not be infected by the negativity in your life. SEE with not just your physical eyes but with eyes of faith so that you might keep pressing forward.

When I am afraid [anxious, confused, hurting, disillusioned, dejected] I will trust in God Psalm 56:3

You can check out the video blog below which speaks about, "Dealing with Difficulty". 

Join in the conversation and share the ways you have dealt with challenges in the past. How has your methods changed and how has your strategies changed you?.

Thanks for reading and watching:)

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Until next time,
EJ
Onward & Live IN purpose