Have you ever felt like you’ve hit the glass ceiling and just kept bumping your head, trying to get through it? No matter how much you punch, kick, or push, the glass will not budge. I’ve been there, and honestly, these moments made me feel God did not love or value me. Then, I came across James 1:2-4 which says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This perspective offered me a unique view of how to use faith to preserve.
If you have never taken the color code assessment, I advise you to try it. I was offered the ability to take the evaluation via my job and discovered that I am a blue personality type. Blue personalities are prone to worry; most are worry warts. This leads me to my first touch point, worry does not change the outcome. There are a plethora of things that I have spent my time worrying about, and it caused undue hardship. I recently almost threw myself into panic mode over a needs analysis presentation at work. While creating my presentation, my internal dialogue was, “What if my presentation is not like everyone else’s?” “What if it doesn’t capture all training needs in the market?” “What if my math is wrong?” “What if my interpretation of the needs is inaccurate?” My data was accurate, and my data supported my conversational findings. I ended up acing my presentation, and my worry did not change the outcome. I could have completed another project with all my time worrying about the production.
The second perspective James 1:2-4 offered me is when doors are open, walk through them. Conversely, when doors are closed, rest and reflect. It is easy to walk through the open doors, but it is a testing of faith when they are closed. A closed door is not a door that one consciously decided to shut close. To play the devil’s advocate, let’s put my theory in the context of being unable to find a new job when you are miserable in your existing position; this concept could be considered irrational. To bring some rationale to the example provided above, during the time doors are closed, I strongly believe in divine timing being at play. Just another way of saying when God closes one door, another one opens. Indeed, there is a catch 20/20 to this idiom. The catch 20/20 is God’s timing is not our timing. Our innate disposition as human beings is to be immediately gratified. Also, a closed door is not always a locked door. Nonetheless, moments of reflection may, at times, offer some further clarity as to why the doors are closed.
I am no stranger to introspection, but you may still be perplexed about practicing the theory of rest and reflecting when doors are closed. Resting is easy unless you are restless. Do something that brings you joy, read a book you like, pray to whoever you pray to, or take some time for self-care. But like I said previously, worrying with the addition of being restless does not change the situation and, in most cases, makes it worse. To reflect, I ask myself questions. One of the primary questions I ask myself is, “What changes (spiritually, emotionally, physically) am I going through” “When was the last time I was in this waiting period?”” What did you learn from the last waiting period?” “Is how I coped then different from how I am coping now?” “What did it feel like when the door finally opened after the waiting period?” “What are my goals, and what do I need to achieve them?” “Do I need to get outside my comfort zone to achieve my goal?” “Do I need to learn a new skill set to achieve my goal?” “What are my values, and how do I live by them?” “Are there any areas where my current behaviors do not align with my core values?” “What kind of support and resources do I need to stay focused?” “Am I engaging in meaningful activities that feed my soul?” “Am I taking the time to enjoy every minute and be fully present?”
To sum up, when doors are not opening, it can stunt positive morale, but it is not a reason to give up on the goal. Constant reminders to take time to be present and enjoy the rollercoaster ride of life are beneficial when one feels stagnated by external circumstances.
Affrimations:
-I am right where I need to be
-I am at peace with the present moment
-My power lies in the here and now
Misbehavin' 