On To The Next
When I was younger, I couldn’t wait until I was 18 when I would be an adult. Stupidly, I couldn’t wait for the days when I would be financially independent and would be able to pay for everything myself. However, life seemed to backtrack in 2021 when I opted to move back in with my parents. At first, I was ok because my mission was to stack money until I could get my own place, but I realized prices had skyrocketed and I wouldn’t be able to afford a place on my own. I switched positions, making more money and I still wasn’t able to afford my own money. I confessed to my therapist that I felt like a failure because I was almost 30 living at home with my parents. My therapist advised me to look on the bright side, I was able to save money and take multiple trips a year as a benefit. I began to become content in my situation. As time went on, I realized that I was harboring anger for a family member. It was like whenever this person said or did something I didn’t like, I would be set off. The Lord prompted me to have a conversation with this person. When a day came that I felt was a good time to have this tough conversation, I did. It went as well as could be expected, but the aftermath forced me to seek solitude at my best friend’s house for two weeks. During that time, I visited my best friend’s church and one day, before service, I heard God say…
it was time to move.
“NOW?!” I had just become content with my situation. Long story short, I moved to another city and joined my best friend’s church. However, it was in my reflection that I began to realize how my release was tied to releasing the anger I was harboring. It was tied to the completion of a task God had for me. A similar situation is Jonah. As much as he did not want to go to Assyria, he wasn’t released from the whale’s belly until AFTER he agreed to give the Word the Lord told him to release.
Therefore, if you are in a place where you feel there is no advancement, I beseech you to ask God, “What is it you want me to learn or do in this area?” Like me, He could want you to have an honest conversation with someone or He could want you to showcase more gratefulness and stewardship in a situation. Matthew 7:7 (NLT) says: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
My advice to you in this season is: Don’t stay in the belly of the whale longer than you have to.
