A.L.I.E.N. LIVING: “What is you Global Positioning System (GPS)?"
Great Day A.L.I.E.N.s!
This past weekend was the birthday of a really great friend, Damien Lamar(@damienlamar)! Saturday, Jan. 30th was his actual birthday, however, because I had two shows to perform for, that day I could not celebrate with him. I hit him up and asked if I could treat him to brunch on that coming Sunday, Jan. 31st. We met at this amazing Caribbean restaurant named “Pink Salt”. The food was great. We decided to meet at 11am, so I left my home by 10:40 – 10:50am. I live close, so no need to leave too early. Well, on my way I normally, go 95 S to get off on the Hendrix Avenue Exit. As I was driving close to the 95 South Exit, I noticed backed up cars as if there was traffic. I immediately just took a moment to breathe and just asked ‘what’s another way to get there’. I ended up driving a very different route that took me briefly downtown that led me a round about way to get the San Marco. Now, crossing 95 South I would have gotten there in about 7 minutes, but going the way I went where I had to go through stop lights and signals, the length of time was 10 -12 minutes. Now, what does this have to do with anything?! You maybe asking. Well, it hit me that sometimes we misinterpret the change in directions as our mission/commission has changed, but it has not. We have just been given another way to get there.
Now to some this ‘other’ path or way seems long and tedious. We wish we had this and/or that, more help, more money, more resources, etc., but really all we need is more patience and more understanding, because those ‘things’, those ‘people’, the favour and money are all there waiting for us to get our hearts and minds right to obtain them. Some of us are good at the waiting and others of us are ‘pushers’ that want to make things happen. Bulls in a china shop that believe the cuts and bruises we get along the way are worth it, but it really just prolongs our time. You say well, ‘if I’mma “bull” things get done’. Well yeah, they do, but then by the time you realize its done, you look down and you are bleeding, now you have to wait a bit longer to heal those wounds that were caused, by you rushing. What I learned today is that on that ‘long path’ I was more grateful to make it there; more thankful.
As an artist, I have been promised the moon and back for my giftings, but very rarely did any of it ever pan-out. I had begun to think that maybe it was not worth it. Getting passed up for opportunities and gigs that I was clearly qualified for, but for some reason they never came my way. I had planned that 2020 would be the last year I would work for another person. I was saving up, getting things lined up to walk off the job and be a full-time artist and musician. What did that look like? I didn’t know and didn’t care, I just knew I was ready, then Covid-19 hit and your A.L.I.E.N. sister was thrown for a loop. Over the year I had realized that I was not where I thought I was mentally and emotionally. There was a lot I still needed to learn. Areas of pain and hurt that I thought I had conquered were still staring me in the face waiting on a moment of weakness (and there were plenty). After facing some hard truths, I began doing the work that needed to be done. Proverbs 16:9 states, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” I had made a plan; I even created a vision board… 3 of them. The point is I had forgotten WHO was in clear control of the steps!!! Are you making plans, trying to go your normal route of “95South”, only to be detoured by ‘traffic’ that causes you to go another way that may take you a few extra minutes? I know that going the normal route is where we are all most comfortable. Doing the same routine, getting the same results, but never asking the Spirit to guide us, ensuring we are discerning the right path to take. The caveat is if we follow right voice at the right time, we will find out that we still end up in the place that was intended for us, that we were commissioned to be in.
A lot of time the “detour” is a check-in point. Its where, if we are ready, we encounter a situation that my strip us of something, we could not carry with us on our journey, that ‘something’ may be a person, a thing, unforgiveness, ego, immaturity. And if you find you tend to deal with the same thing all the time, then you have not advanced yet. You are just doing a U-turn until you dig deep, become transparent and vulnerable before the Creator long enough to allow Him to help us heal those areas we are too afraid or prideful to face.
Do not allow the sudden stops in life to distract you from your commission. If we follow the ‘steps’ the Creator has laid out for us. We will get there on time. Be encouraged. A detour is not denial of destination; its just the checking point to ensure you are ready for the destination when you get there.
