So much has
happened between then and now. I started my blog originally after being inspired
by a book written by a local Tampa woman detailing her attempts to get over
many her many fears by making a list and conquering them one by one. I was also
going through a bit of a transition in my life, much like that of the author’s,
and I thought why not share my journey through the magic that is the internet?
Needless to say, it helped me move through to the next stage in my life
immensely.
“Then why
did you stop blogging, you might ask?” Well, I started a new job and things got
busy, as they often do, and I just did not have the time to keep it up
consistently. I had the best of intentions but just not enough follow through
at the time. Now, fast forward three years, and I find myself a couple of years
further into my 30’s (absolutely unbelievable), hopefully somewhat wiser, and
ready to try my hand at this crazy blog thing once again.
Am I going
to exclusively post about overcoming obstacles that are outside my comfort
zone? No, not exclusively. Although they may make an appearance every once in a
while. This time around, I’ve felt compelled to take a chance on writing about
the ups and downs of being a Christian, professional girl, in her early 30’s, who
happens to be single at a time when many of my contemporaries are married with
kids (that they had on purpose!). Think of it as in the style of Sex in the
City, or since it’s about being a Christian single, NO Sex in the City! Ha! Nor
will this be completely all about dating and trying to find the George to my
Amal. I hope everyone will get that reference. If not, just Google it. As a
complete aside, what on Earth did we do before Google? How did people resolve
arguments and immediately prove their friends wrong? What a time to be alive.
Back on
topic. It’s definitely going to require more vulnerability on my part than
anything else I’ve ever set out to accomplish but maybe that will be half the
fun. I am a true believer that one purpose of experiencing difficulties in our
lives is so that we can share what we learned about God and from God, with
others going through similar situations. And that’s honestly what I’m hoping to
accomplish through this blog. To maybe give some little nugget of sunshine to
someone struggling with the same things I struggle with, if I’m being honest,
pretty much each day. I’m also hoping to make these posts light-hearted and fun.
Perhaps even inject a little humor into a topic that can get discouraging real
quick.
Recently I was driving home from
the office and I had an epiphany, or at least the most epiphany like experience
I’ve probably ever had. That week I’d been working through a disappointment,
one that I had been praying to come to fruition for a really, really long time,
and I discovered that it was not going to work out the way I had hoped. When I
say really long time, I mean a really, really, long time. I probably have
prayer journals filled with prayers about this specific thing going back a
couple of years. I would even sometimes start my prayers with “God, I know I
talk to you about this a lot but…” And the Angels would roll their eyes and say
“Ugh, not this again.” Just kidding, at least I hope so! But you get the
picture. We all have one of those, you know what yours is. Anyway, I’m sure
many of you are familiar with the saying that “God answers in three ways; yes,
no, and not yet.” Well, this particular request turned out to be a flat out No,
and it had been for probably as long as I’d been asking for it to work out and
I just didn’t want to see it that way. What does Selena Gomez say? The heart
wants what it wants. Only that day, instead of being totally devastated, I was truly
relieved. It was like blinders had been taken off my eyes and I realized that
had I gotten exactly what I was asking for, that it would have been a huge
disaster. All the reasons why it would have not been God’s best for me came
flooding into my mind and I finally saw that “No” as a huge blessing. That’s
why I titled this post, “Unanswered Prayers.” Now, the Garth Brooks classic did
not magically start coming through the radio the moment I had this awakening!
Although that would have been a great way to wrap this post up. So instead,
I’ll just end with this, if you’ve been dealt some cards that weren’t what you
had in mind, maybe ask God “What do you want me to learn from this?” instead of
the ever popular “Why me?” Easier said than done, but incredibly more useful.
Stay classy and see ya next time!
