Seasons of Life

For so many years, I mean like over a decade, my winter season felt as if I was dead and I was just drifting from day to day, year to year, with no hope in sight of change.  I will die just existing in the doldrums of life.
Finally getting enough energy to walk through my counselor’s door years ago to hear her say that I was almost dead, was no surprise to me.  I felt dead.  It was a last-ditch effort to get my life back by trusting her, from the many hurts and pull myself out of the isolation I allowed to overtake me.
While it it did not come immediate, each session brought light to my dark mind of insecurities and struggles of placing one foot in front of the other.  So many times, I have been thankful that our bodies (my body) has the ability to maintain itself when we give up.  Meaning, the heart beats on its own and the lungs breath in and out without being told to.  Otherwise, I don’t think I would be here and at this time in my life.  I had no energy to make it happen.
As we go through the actual seasons each year, our lives do, too.  As my Pastor will say, if you are not in a trial now, you are either coming out of one or you will be going into one.  My thought to myself each time he said that was ‘just great’ in a sarcastic tone.   It does not matter who you are or what you do, we are not exempt of struggles and we all experience seasons in our lives.
Being reminded of the seasons today in a post that I read, I realized I am not in the dead-winter season, as I once was, which felt good to grasp and realize that changes have happened within me.
While not in the lively spring season or the flourishing summer but perhaps in the transititioning autumn season and I am okay with that.  At times I catch a glimpse of the others and I get excited.  Thank God I am not where I was!
My mind constantly reminding me though, knowing winter will come again.  Those thoughts are just the enemy to destroy any joy. With that, I have a choice of having fear hit my mind or I can praise the Lord of where I am and be joyful.  I choose the latter, it feels good to be alive.
No matter what season you or I may be in today or tomorrow, the Lord is still with you/us.  In the winter months, the root system grows deep and He is allowing that in each of us as it comes.  Trusting Him to strengthen our faith and trust in Him to help others do the same.

Stepping Out

4cc16ae2-9540-4633-a6d5-d7482f7288f2What am I doing?   It seems like everything is happening all at once and it is putting me to a place out of my comfort zone in many ways. Help me Jesus!

If this all falls into place, it will be a miracle, more ways than one.   How do I get myself in such quandaries?

The one part of me, knows I can pull this off and make it work and it will be nice and a great accomplishment.  Complete faith and trust in the Lord.  The other part that arises is FEAR hearing myself scream inside, ‘What is happening.’  Oh my!  The struggle is real. 85dcac31-8a3c-499e-aa14-86f842b494b2

I have dealt with fear all my life and even tonight I wanted to call a halt to it all.  I cannot do this.  I need to talk to my counselor but that won’t happen.  The points of I need, I want, the what if’s, the panic within balloons and wonder if I will pop from the anxiety.

It is at that point, I must bring it back in and realize I can do this, I can try and if I fail, the world will continue to carry on, I will still have a job, God will still love me, I will learn what to do or not to do next time, etc.  Life goes on!

bible verses about stepping out in faith Lovely Bible Study How to Step Out of Your fort Zone in YourStepping out and putting my feet in the water is overwhelming but I either go forward or remain stuck.  I’m tired of being stuck.

Somebody push me!

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Good Isolation

E0F55AC4-B2CE-4AB6-82AF-28767BC86EA7Lord, what is happening?

For years upon years, I had been so hurt, accused, lied about and lied to, betrayed, and it came to a point that I totally shut down, became a hermit, isolated myself besides going to work.

I had always been a strong, independent individual because I had to be but it came to a point, I doubted my very being.  Who am I?  Maybe I am bad and everything said about me was true, but I tried and did what I felt what was right in God’s eyes.  Realizing Satan was successful in his plan to isolate me, and I was too weak to fight.

I quit a lot of social events, made excuse after excuse of not attending church, changed jobs because of stress of the one and with that it was as if I was walking blindly into the new job, questioning that, too.  With that move, it was a God thing!

So many things started to line up and I felt I was getting stronger but needed a push, which was when I started with my counselor.  I did not make that decision in haste but with prayer, research of many and of her and more prayer.

DF52497E-40A8-4AD2-8244-DBDFA6DC6148As we discussed and as time went on, my isolation became less and it was nice to feel life once again. The door of the dark despair of isolation was opened.

Here I am again though but a different type of isolation.670EF6A5-2313-471C-A160-172493557C6F

Now, it seems like everyone is leaving me.  Two of my best friends moved out of state.  Now who am I going to meet for lunch or shop with?  My counselor took a leave of absence and may or may not return so I really feel lost, my office moves in an office area of being off the beaten path in a large building and seeing nobody for hours on end and not to forget, there are no windows.  Where is everyone?

56CB1D04-D5BC-4388-BC37-71CADB88EE5CLeaving work one night, yes at night because I am so alone in there and no windows, I lose track of time.  I realized I am yet again isolated.  It kind of stopped me in my tracks, questioning the Lord what is up with this.

I get a grip and my wings start to flutter from being in a cocoon for so long and yet I feel as though I am back in it, kicking and pushing through the emotions and fear but yet there is peace.

Sometimes I feel we are alone to put our focus totally on the Lord, and I understand that and I am doing just that although I fail.   What is the purpose of this aloneness and walking alone?  There a lost, blind feeling in my steps right now.

FBFA9104-AE45-4C8C-9E75-2E2D27F3F122Perhaps He is carrying me yet again.  I have to hope for just that as I did years ago.

I will not give up and if you are in this journey, too, don’t give up.  He knows who you are (I am) and He knows where you are (I am) going.   There is hope.  Trust Him.

Sometimes it is easier said than done.

Seasons of being alone and isolated can actually bring about a lot of spiritual growth.  I welcome that.