The World Is Temporarily Closed
Recently everyones schedule got turned upside down. We have just lived through a time in history when the world came to a screeching halt! Everything that once seemed so important to get done was removed from our “to do” list. Our routines took on a whole new look. I put a post out on social media asking the question, “What has been your greatest discovery about yourself during this time of quarantine?” I got a great response. For so many this time without our normal routine driving us to be productive, people shared that they felt more productive. They said words like thrive, feeling more alive, that they felt brave and not driven by man’s ways. Some enjoyed being quiet, others felt new growth blooming. That their personal happiness doesn’t’ come from others but from within, from the presence of God dwelling there. That they missed seeing peoples smiles, that life seemed richer.
Maybe you can relate. Have you been a little happier stepping out of the rat race routine?
With our “Normal” taken away, we found out what true “normal” can be.
I know for me personally this has been a season of renewed routine. I had no idea how renewed I’d actually be before the stay at home order was lifted for us, but I can assure you my old routine has been flipped on its side!
It actually all started right at the end of 2019. As I was looking ahead to 2020, the year of clarity, I distinctively felt God say that my life was about to change drastically. That this time next year I wouldn’t be at the job I was currently in, doing the thing I loved doing, leading worship as a Director of Worship Arts.
I thought for sure there would be a transition time, from one career to another, but when God says it’s time to go, then you’d better get going. So, I resigned from a job that I loved, to step out in faith and into something new….in a pandemic….when the rest of the world is shutting down. That’s when God told me, “It’s time to step out!”
I am not suggesting during a time of job lay-offs you should change careers, but I am asking, what is that something new you are being called to?
Listen, I get it. Stepping out of our “normal” and into something that seems completely unknown can set anyone into a panic mode.
But what if the very new thing you are avoiding is the exact thing you need to get going in the direction you were created to move in?
What if there really is a plan for your life, that’s bigger than you could have imagined?
Sometimes you have to let go of the old to see that it’s time for change.
How do you do this? Let me share some steps in getting you out with the old and on with the new.
Step 1: Look back to see ahead.
For years as a worship leader I had been coaching others to see their truest identity in the One who created them. It was something I felt was a part of me, coaching others to see who they were created to be. So as I was feeling led into this new season, it was only fitting that when I looked back to see where I had been, it had prepared me for where I was going.
Step 2: Ask yourself questions.
What is it about your old routine that you identified yourself with?
What unbelief about yourself holds you back from starting something new?
It’s amazing the answers you will find.
One of my clients discovered that she had become so comfortable with being uncomfortable, the thought of changing her routine terrified her. She wasn’t happy. She said she felt tired all the time, but it was what she knew. And in a strange twist of things, she expressed that she found comfort in being uncomfortable. It was her routine.
She shared that she wanted to change jobs, but didn’t believe that she could. She had perceived herself as a victim of her circumstances, her perception of herself was warped. She thought she would fail at trying something new, so she was better off staying where she was, then stepping into something that could expose her to failure.
Step 3: Look inside yourself to see outside of yourself.
When my client shared these feelings with me, I asked her to look inside herself and tell me what she saw. Did she see herself as defined by her job? She shared with me that she saw herself only as valuable as the work she was able to do. She was in sales, commission based, and every prospect that didn’t say, “yes” to her sales pitch she took as a personal rejection. If they bought in, she felt valued. We talked about resetting her belief system and attaching it to deeper truths about who she was. This would give her a renewed sense of value. As she began to switch her inner dialogue about herself, she discovered she really didn’t like sales. She began exploring what she felt was a calling for her to work with people in a way that had nothing to do with selling anything.
She was ready to launch into something new, even before it had been clearly laid out for her. There was no hand book as to what to do next, but her seeing her own self-worth in the One who created her, gave her the courage to step out faith.
What would it look like for you to step into something new, and believe the truest truth about who you are?
The quest for who we are is found inside, deeply rooted in our hearts. What we believe about ourselves is what we become about ourselves. There is no greater truth about who we are then discovering Whose we are.
What if you gave yourself permission to believe that you are more than the circumstances and moments around you?
It might just be the key to beginning your new routine. It begins by looking inside and finding out you were created for more than the normal routines of life. Take the steps and allow yourself to see that where you have been has prepared you for where you will be. Ask questions to see what old beliefs about you keep you from experiencing the something new laid out before you. And look inside. The answer to who you are is there waiting for you to find.
Comment below or send me a message. I’d love to hear how you are preparing for what’s next, that new thing you feel you’ve been called to.
Looking forward to hearing from you, and celebrating the something new that’s waiting for you.
