Monthly Encouragement: Overcoming Confusion and Frustration
Time never stops, does it? Here we are already near the end of 2015!
Maybe I’m a little premature because we still have a month left to go, but I’d like to share a reflection as 2015 comes to a close… :)
As I’ve gotten into the habit of doing, last January I picked my One Word to help me grow in a certain area over the course of the year. I chose “focus” because I had a vision for my life and needed to pick up the pace and work more diligently to make it a reality.
Well surprise, surprise, things didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped!
It was more than half-way through the year and I thought I was doing a pretty good job of focusing on my work. But I found myself in a much less “successful” place than I had envisioned and because of that I felt very discouraged and confused.
What I wanted more than anything was just to live out my purpose. I didn’t understand why things weren’t apparently coming together.
Around that time some people and opportunities had presented themselves and made me question whether or not I was on the right path or focusing my energy in the right place. At first I resisted but then became open to the idea that maybe my vision wasn’t quite right. Maybe I needed to shift it a bit to include something else. In the back of my mind I knew I didn’t want to end up like the guy in this funny story, who basically dies because he doesn’t trust the lifelines that come to him in a way other than he’s expecting; I didn’t want to end up refusing an opportunity that could help me because I wasn't yet convinced I needed it.
One day I was really sick of doubting when 1 Corinthians 14:33 came to mind, which says, “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace…” I realized that my frustration and confusion was due to a lack of faith, and I needed to get alone, open my heart and do some praying, trusting that I would get a clear solution to my problem.
So I did that. I spent a lot of time reading, thinking through the situation and praying for guidance.
During the process I sought input from people close to me who were able to give me an outside perspective, and when the time came to make a decision I was confident that I knew what to do. I decided to take the leap of faith and seize a new opportunity, and I enrolled in a health coaching training program.
While I am not in the place I imagined I would be at this time, I am very thankful for the lesson I learned about how to get to the root of my problem of confusion and frustration. I am now having tons of fun in my health coaching training program, and I am excited to find out where it leads me after graduation!
Maybe there's something you’re wrestling with right now, something that has you feeling confused or unsettled. Maybe you have a nagging doubt, and you don’t know if it’s legit or not. Is there anything that's taking away from your peace?
Whether you have a big or small question, I bet if you took the time to address it, seek guidance and meditate on that issue, you would find the answer you need. It might take longer than you expect but I bet the answer will come in due time, and when it does you will be relieved to find the direction and peace you ought to have.
With meditation comes clarity and with clarity comes peace. Try it out!
Warmly,
Bailey
