Have you ever taken a look at your life, I mean a real hard look and noticed that it’s like a stop and go traffic? Well I have and it was a little concerning since it was my own choices that led to all the stops. A big part of life is about your evolution as a person, if you’re the same as you were decade over decade or year over year for that matter something is wrong. I used to hear rappers say “I ain’t never change” and always wondered how they could make such a claim, yet go from hardcore rapper to record company executive. The truth is no one stays the same forever, if you do, it means you’re stuck and you probably don’t realize it. Every time I’ve been stuck, I hadn’t noticed I fell into stagnation, it wasn’t until I had reached boiling points that I made different choices that ignited some change. I won’t say they were the right choices because some of them steered me away from the purpose God has for me. When I made decisions after I prayed for guidance I saw a steady pace of upward progress. Decisions made for pride or money would always start off well then just grind to a halt and me being me I would stick to that choice until I was somehow forced to stop. I took a while to realize that when God is leading you the progress you see is a steady climb.

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,” -Philippians 1:9 –

When I finished with Culinary School, I remember how excited I was to find a job and use the skills I had acquired. I had gotten great marks in class, I was into the artistry of cooking and the determination was there. Then six months into the job search and no hits and as you can probably guess I was frustrated with the whole process. I never did get a job in the industry and looking back it was for the best. I never went to God before I ventured into the culinary arts and at the time I didn’t know that it wasn’t for me. I went on to work a security job that I never wanted so I could get by, but in my desperation I Prayed hard to get this job and I did. Though it wasn’t the greatest experience it started me on the path to my purpose. That job afforded me time to read and write again. I rediscovered how much I loved those two things, they fed the imagination and artistry that I had almost forgot about. Had I not asked God for that job I might not have rekindled that fire for reading or writing. There seemed to be no stopping my stride at that point I got promoted, I was working the best shift and I would get home in time to be with my family. It was all good until it wasn’t, slowly but surely things were turning sour. Things beyond my control began to happen and I was being held accountable for them regardless of doing everything that was asked of me. Then that feeling of being under valued set in coupled with not being challenged mentally or physically made it worse. I had taken what God meant as a stepping stone and turned it into a chair. Little did I know that I was about to be blessed with what I prayed for.

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;” -Luke 2:29-

After almost four years of working security it was time to move on, because if I hadn’t there was no way I would evolve. When the new job came calling I was elated to say the least. I had planned to finish out the week and the Monday came and I got to work like any other day. The Site Manager came in and automatically started yelling at everyone. I did my best to ignore him and went about my day. Once my shift was over, I went straight to the main office and resigned. When God is telling you to move you move, because there was no reason for the Site Manager to act like that but God was urging me to leave at that moment. The challenges I asked God for came and I relished in adding knew skills to my knowledge. Traffic was flowing smoothly and I even met one of my best friends at this job. Ultimately the same trends started to appear at this job as well, but with more severe affects. The blessing had turned into a burden, because I once again overstayed my welcome. I Stayed because I was making good money and I didn’t want to give that up, but that wasn’t a Godly decision. That choice led to a deterioration of my spiritual and mental health and when I could take no more I left.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” -1 Corinthians 15:58-

I’ve had a few more stops and starts since then and that is okay, because it is all apart of the ever evolving story of life. All those experiences has led me to truly understand that God works all things together for the good. All those skills and lessons I learned throughout my life have prepared me for the next chapter. I pray daily and to quote Carrey Underwood I “Let Jesus take the wheel”. When I do things on my own understanding I can only go so far before I’m forced to stop. When Jesus is the one leading the way progress definitely comes in Way/ves.

Thank you for reading this blog post, I appreciate you and your time. God bless and don’t forget to Chase Your Way/ve.