Issa Trap

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope – Jeremiah 29:11

I went to a party (I mean event) the other day and ran into a girl I am Facebook friends with. Now, on social media, she appears super lively, very funny and even happy. When I was talking to her in person though, it was quite the opposite. I lowkey admired her positive outlook so it was difficult for me to reconcile the social media person with the real life person barely staring me in the face. “Well, that’s strange,” I thought to myself. I am sure, however, that I am not alone in this experience.

• We see the happiest couple… they look so cute, we want to be them #relationshipgoals
• We see the most positive and inspirational girl…she is so reflective and intouch, we want to be like her #selfcare
• We see the cutest kid…he looks so stylish, I want a kid like that #kidgoals
• We see successful women and men…their careers are thriving, they attend all the conferences, we want to be them #careergoals

Guess what though…we don’t see the trouble in the marriage and the divorce coming;  we don’t see the hidden depression and the suicide coming; we don’t see the kid acting out and the school suspensions coming; we don’t see the job frustrations and the unemployment coming. See, when we see people on social media, or in real life, that’s only a glimpse into their lives. People can portray whatever they want, only showing the world a glimpse of what their life is really like.

Not that all happiness portrayed is false, but, we have to be mindful of the external influences and how they impact our personal decisions.

So where is the trap? Why is this dangerous?

Because, whether we know it or not, we compare our lives with the lives of others. Especially in this age of social media, we subconsciously internalize what other people are doing and how they look. We then use that as a benchmark to judge our own lives. Everyone else seems to be married, I need to hurry up and find a relationship. Everyone else is having kids, I need to hurry up and get pregnant. Everyone else is moving up in their career, maybe I need a new job so I can get promotions. When we do this, compare our lives, judge our lives, it can cause us to rush into something we are not ready for, and ultimately move outside of God’s will. #comparisontrap

Don’t Rush:

• A relationship or marriage – you may end up with the wrong person. Wasting time and effort. Maybe there is personal growth you need to focus on to prepare for a future relationship
• A child – you may not be prepared emotionally or financially. Maybe there are some things you need to release or change in order to prepare you for parenthood
• A new job – you may miss an opportunity at your current job or another one you aren’t even ware of. Maybe there is some additional learning or experience you can glean in your current situation to prepare you for the next role
• Travel or miscellaneous purchases – you could put yourself in a financial bind or waste money. Maybe there are some things you need to be saving for and investing in to prepare you for future endeavors
• Starting your own business – you may enter a saturated market or underestimate the necessary work. Maybe there is some additional research or networking you can leverage to prepare you for future opportunities.

Or guess what…Maybe it’s just NOT TIME….

A lot of the time, unfortunately, we do not consider timing. We try to take matters into our own hands because we don’t grasp the full concept of patience and long suffering or the contentment spoken of in the scriptures

We have to be okay with the wait. We have to work the process.We have to prepare ourselves for the future.

Here’s the message:

The key verse in Jeremiah reminds us that God indeed has a plan for our lives. We can back up a little further to chapter 1 in Jeremiah where God confirms that He knew us, even before we were in the womb. If we know those facts, let’s stop rushing our lives and God’s timing. Let’s make the most of where we are, so we can be properly prepared for what’s next. We are in life, where we are supposed to be. Even if its not where we want to be, God knows. He knows if we have detoured but He also knows the end result!

I want to encourage us all today – Wait on God! Even when we appear to be behind. Even when others rush us. Even when all appears lost. Even when we get impatient or discouraged…. It may not be ideal in our minds, but let God redeem the time!

#ItsNotTime #JustWait #WorkTheProcess #DontRush #GodRedeemsTime

Peace. Blessings. Love.

Lady Z