One of my best besties did a vision board with me and she was so excited about doing it. I had done vision boards before so my excitement wasn't on the same level. I felt like I was just updating things that I knew I wanted to do. After some weeks had passed she was still so excited and very into studying her board and staying committed to the things she had chosen to succeed in. She talked about the goodness of God and how He sparked some flames in her because she was studying that board. Let me back up and say she prayed over our vision boards and continued to do that diligently with hers. I just couldn't understand and/or relate on the same level and that bothered me.
You see, my vision board experiences were just a group of women doing some fun crafts together and trying to inspire one another and inspire themselves. Although it was something I leaned up against the wall so that I can take a peek at it on a daily basis, it was still that craft project that I had made with some goals on it. It wasn't any different from notes that I had taken or lists that I had made over the years. It wasn't much for me, until I heard a sermon titled "Stop Trippin, It's Coming!"
This sermon was preached several years ago and even though it was several years ago, the message is STILL very relevant! He discussed how we lose our vision along our life's journey. A lot of things get in the way because of choices that WE make. It is at this point where we cry out in despair to God because we think that He is the one that put us in some of the positions we're in or have gotten in.
Our paths can become cloudy and hard to see for many of reasons.
We especially tend to lose our vision in relationships. Oftentimes, we put our mates first above everything.... including God. I've seen it and I've done it! Let me be the first or second or third person to tell you that that isn't going to fly! Our Prince Charming or future Queen of the castle comes along and we fall for them for all the wrong reasons. Then we'll become so far into it that we lose our vision with them, and everything else we had planned before they came along. It then gets to a point where we become stuck in this relationship pleading with God and begging Him to fix it. We act like He sent them to us and made us start the relationship! We even blame Him for not fixing the person fast enough ! How did we get here?!
We have to be able to decipher when it's time to move forward, move up, and move on. This is when things get a little tricky and we start to change our paths in our minds. We make excuses why we can't MOVE FORWARD when fear sets in and the vision is gone. We're now stressed out and afraid. We settle out of frustration and then become stagnant, wallowing in our mess. We can't MOVE UP because we lost the control to be where we want to be. In this area everyone and everything else is the problem except us.
Our excuse for not being able to MOVE ON becomes a list of "valid" reasons like: as always, blame it on finances, children are now added, there isn't enough time or simply because we've invested too much in whatever it is. Even if it's toxic!
Again, all of these things are just examples but in the case of domestic violence, we need to not look at those fears but look at our safety, our lives, and our future.
You have to learn how to be selfish in a sense. You have to choose life, wanting to live and be happy in that life. God blessed us with one life and we should live it to the fullest and not under any abuse or Strife that we can walk away from. It may look hard but you have to take the courage to choose life and not death. That can be literally and figuratively. You have to know that there is a way out and you need to exhaust all possibilities of getting out. Moving forward, moving up, and moving on, are all positive things. It takes a great amount of strength and courage to do this and I know all too well. I recall standing at the top of my stairs with crutches under each arm, yelling downstairs "YOU HAVE TO GO" to the husband I had for 10 years. I remember thinking that I didn't have two good legs to stand on. I was scared that he would come upstairs and push me backwards, or pull me down those stairs because I was making him leave. He ended up trashing my house, trashing my garage and left a lot of heavy items in the way because he knew I couldn't move them without needing the strength of my legs. I remember not knowing how I was going to pay rent, how I was going to take care of our children, and how I was going to explain all of this to my family. I didn't want to have to keep repeating why I made him leave because it was embarrassing and I felt foolish for letting myself get this far in this mess. But he had to go! I couldn't deal with the abuse on all those levels: physical, mental & somewhat financial. I remember praying and trusting that God was going to take care of it. So I wouldn't be relaying this message without telling you that I've felt it and I've lived it.
Now, I am looking at my vision boards differently. I have a spark in me just like my BFF! I am excited about fulfilling each thing that I cut out and glued so creatively to my boards. I see my name going across it and I know it is for me. I'm praying and believing that the stressful & difficult things I'm going through will come to pass. I know because of what I have gone through and experienced has made me stronger. I stand firm in the peace that I have regained and I protect my peace with armor. So write or create a true vision board, pray over it, and commit to it! Make your vision so clear that your fears become irrelevant! Continue to pray over it and continue to stare at it and strategize how you're going to fulfill each picture, quote, vision!
♡STEVIE MICHAELS SPEAKS♡
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