Lessons I Learned (in the fire): Repost

Apparently I went through a blog creating phase and forgot about it. One of my blogs was about going through unemployment for a short time called "Walking On Water". I just read one of the posts from November 2008 and kind of like it. I think I might have been wiser back then, or maybe it's just that 2020 hadn't pickled my brain yet. Here it is. If you are pressed for time just skip to the list at the bottom.

Well, I have found gainful employment doing exactly what I didn't want to do, therapy. This past year has been a painful, challenging time of transition. I feel like I have been stretched like taffy, to the point that I thought I would break. Only taffy doesn't break does it? It only gets longer and thinner. I suppose the analogy holds for us, or maybe not. Taffy analogies aside, I have made it to the other side of this great chasm, such that I can no longer say that I am walking on water, well, not completely anyways. Actually, I feel a little bit like I scaled a very small, but steep, mountain. Now, from my little cleft near the top, I can peer out over the path that I have traversed and reflect on some valuable lessons. Please forgive me if they seem trite or obvious, because they probably are. It's the difference between intellectual knowledge and learning something in the harsh light of brutal, 3 dimensional experience. Big dif. So with no further ado, here are the top 10 lessons (with an extra bonus lesson if you get to the end!)

1. Don't let your fears lead you. Your fear may be your greatest blessing.
2. Don't let your fantasies lead you. Your fantasy may be your greatest burden. (Both are figments of the imagination.)
3. Sometimes you have to let go of something to get something new.
4. Sometimes you have to let go of many things all at the same time. Trust God.
5. If you ask for God's highest will and purpose in your life, expect to be challenged.
6. When the changes begin and it starts to get uncomfortable, don't put on the breaks. Trust God.
7. Your greatest breakthrough could come in the form of rejection or failure. Trust God, He's probably behind it.
8. Sometimes your closest friends and family will give you bad advice. Forgive them and toss it.
9. When you choose the right way (life), you feel joy down to your toes. Pay attention to the signals.
10. Sometimes logic and reasoning will mislead you. The most obvious choice may be dead wrong. Refer to number 9.
And the last, most significant lesson that I learned I saved for last, in hopes that it will leave an impression.
11. We have a Heavenly Father that loves us like like mad, and there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His tender love and care (Romans 8). If you are seeking His highest, no matter what happens, you never have to give in to fear. Trust God, He's got your back.

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