I was sitting on my therapist’s couch when a lightbulb went off. It was already the second week of January in 2020 and I still did not have clarity and direction for my life. The past few months had been filled with restlessness and frustration, plagued by thoughts of where I thought I “should be.”
New Perspective
Pouring my complaint out before my therapist, she gently reminded me that someone with my life story and background shouldn’t be where I am today. Even though I felt like I was barely treading water, she pointed out that in many respects I was already ahead of the game. So, to calm the storm within and gain a vision for this new year, I began to consider all God had rescued me from, delivered me from, healed me from and provided for over the years. My perspective drastically changed that day.
In the weeks after, I continued to reflect on what was said and on my life’s challenges. I began to see an emergence of special gifts from God: self-awareness, knowledge, experience, a deeper relationship, new vision, trust, and undiscovered talent. All of the gifts God has granted me with in various seasons of life were tools I would need to continue in the work. Not only for God but for my purpose in the earth to be fulfilled. It was as if He was whispering to me “You already know.”
Reflect and Review
This new perspective moved me from restless and frustrated to confident and peaceful. Seeing how faithful God has been in my life helped to shut out the noise and bring clarity. Are you having a hard time shutting out the noise? Does it seem like there are many good avenues, but you just don’t know if they are God’s avenues? If so, I challenge you to do two things:
• Review – Now take the seasons of life you just reflected on and pinpoint what you gained in those seasons. What “gifts” did God give you in each season that you did not have before? Write them down and see what you “already know.”
God has given you direction, it just takes some unearthing. He has been preparing you through your life experiences for what He has for you next. Now it is time to take what you already know and move forward.
Done is Better than Perfect
This unearthing can seem like the easy part when compared to putting feet to the vision and taking those first steps. I recently heard the phrase “done is better than perfect” and it set this perfectionist free. God isn’t asking for perfection. God is asking that you be available and willing. Just start right where you are. As you take that first step to pursue God’s given vision for 2020, trust that He is walking with you in the process. He has given you everything you need to succeed.
