You're Fasting, When You Should Really Be Eating #TheBestWeekEver
Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him (NKJV).
As I briefly mentioned in my last post: peace and order has been restored in my kingdom. This was confirmed the other day during what I noted as “my best week ever.” That week was amazing, but not for the reasons one would think. I recounted to my namesake as to all the reasons why my week had me on top of the rock:
I attended all of my classes, early and on time.
I submitted all of my assignments.
I meal prepped.
I exercised every single day.
I made time for social time.
I made it to therapy, grocery shopped, and filled my Metro card.
I redeemed my Amtrak points to confirm my sister’s itinerary.
My sister joined me for the WPR, in a gorgeous suite overlooking the water.
That’s all is took for me to have the best week ever. There was definitely more, because that week had just been so awesome. You will rarely hear (read) me say that word, yet that is the only vernacular I can use to accurately describe the magnitude. Often a time we’re thinking outside of ourselves, and for some of us, a pejorative amount of our time is spent within ourselves. That’s when we miss moments like these. I touched on it a little bit before, however, I would like us to truly delve deep into those moments that we let pass us by. Amen?
Some of us are in this cycle of moving in silence, where we are actually waiting and plotting for the moment at which we can reveal ourselves for all that we have amassed. Think about it like Instagram. We see all of these posts detailing the blessing and the testimony, but what about the journey? Each day is full of small testimonies. Did you wake up today? That’s a testimony. Are you in good health? That’s a testimony. Did you make it to work safely? That’s a testimony. Iri gon nri? Will/ did you have a hot meal today? That’s a testimony. These increments of our life that we view as expected occurrences are often taken for granted.
In the time that we feel as though God may have neglected us, we cannot allow ourselves to be blind to the works of the Lord happening right around us, and we must pray to the Holy Spirit to help us see that. The other day, while I was waiting to play basketball, I had an unexpected breakthrough conversation that made me mystify. I was already emotional due to the events that occurred that past Sunday, and every conversation I had drove me back to our greater purposes here on Earth. Often we consider our prayers more when we’re praying for ourselves. That’s how we typically gauge whether God is listening or not. I spend a lot of my time praying for others. During that conversation, after having a heightened awareness of how God’s prayers move swiftly sometimes, I noticed that my prayers were working through my friend’s life.
I was in awe listening to him talk about his goals for the new year, and his impending growth for his new year of life. It was as though, verbatim, God had recorded my prayers, and played it in his ears. Lol. God would do that, too. He’s funny like that. As he continued, and I held back my random, pesky tears, he said how that in this year he will choose “yes” for himself. This includes making more time for himself. That has been my prayer for him, and watching him evolve, especially into this new year of life, has been an utmost blessing.
As one of my sister’s in Christ mentioned during the Winter Prayer Retreat during her sermonette: sometimes as you’re watching those around you, you don’t feel like your prayers are being answered. Mine are. Yes, they’re not directly about me, and all prayers don’t need to be. But, my friend’s shift is God making a move, and I thank God for his life.
My super secret favorite restaurant.
Sometimes the testimony can feel like a long time coming, and we get overwhelmed, tired, and simply beaten down by the weight of waiting. This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out: there are times that the wait isn’t for us. We must be still in the presence of the Lord as we wait for Him. It’s not an overnight process. A huge aspect of preparing ourselves for the testimony to come is getting comfortable with the wait. Think about the gifts God has granted you, and the gifts you will need to get through [read: break down] the next door.
The Lord is our way maker, and He can make mountains move, and the seas part. Don’t wait years, months, of even days to tell your testimony. Speak your testimony each day of the wondrous works happening around you. Your world is operating in a way that only God can allow. Don’t, for a second, take that for granted. Let us remember to continue to thank Him, as He blessed/ blesses us through our steps, during the journey, and not just the finish line.
Matthew 5:16 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (KJV).
The title of this piece is a quote from my same friend who emphasized that sometimes we put of faith in others, when we need to set our focus back on God, for Him to direct our path. I pray the same for you.