A New Chapter

Following a lot of recent as well as turbulent events in my life, I have entered to a new chapter in my life. It's more than just turning 31 this year, or being ordained as an elder, or achieved a Bachelor's of Science in Communications. It's more than learning the art of balancing my life (and still learning), or not taking my beautiful wife Dionn for granted, or changing from a bass guitar player to a piano player. It's becoming a more mature adult, setting real goals and reaching them, not forgetting where I come from, and moving forward to where I'm going. I know that I am a Joseph (just like my daddy and mommy) and called to be a blessing to all types of people. I know that I have been betrayed, lied on, and sent to serve many prison terms in my 31 years on planet Earth. But God is taking out from the dark pits and mold prison cell into a "wealthy place." A lot of us think that we can jump from the introduction of the book called life to conclusion. But life doesn't work that way. God has designed life to walk through things instead of avoiding them or trying to bypass them with some kind of gold ticket. Some of us get mad at God because we've had to lose so much. But that's the price of the call once we accept it. He did it Himself. Why do we think we're not going to go through the same things? Think about it. In order for Him to sit on the right hand of God (meaning He sits on the throne with all power and authority in heaven and earth) He had to walk through the stairs and pitfalls of life. He couldn't walk into the new chapter of life until He completed walking out the "it is written" parts of previous chapters. Jesus has given us all a book, a life, a purpose, and it's up to our hard-head selves to walk through it. Many times, we're going to go through seasons of our lives when things are crazy. Take it from me. Lately, I've gone through problems when I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills. I didn't know how I was going to eat. And now I've got to get rid of my bed I've had since 2004. It's crazy, but these trials I have to walk out because "it is written." Like my momma told me earlier, "you must go through the trials before the morning joy comes." That's true and the sun is rising in my life. Praise God. And this isn't just for me nor is it about me. It's about God's story, allowing us to go through the valley to go forth to the mountain top. I'm going up yonder like Walter Hawkins. So my friends, walk out the trials of this current chapter. People around you won't understand but God and those who are there to encourage you will. In this chapter of hardness, you will feel stripped, persecuted, dealt with, and hurt. But God is molding you for the new chapter about to unfold in your life. It's like a race or for those who've been in the military, a 2 mile P.T. test. Just when you're at the end, the body wants to give out. We get shortness of breath and thoughts of quitting comes to mind. But something from within, that 5th gear, that Holy Ghost (something about it!-Tommy Ellison R.I.P. & The Singing Stars) kicks in, that hope, that "killer instinct." We make it to the finish line and from our diligence we receive our reward. Don't lose hope. Hope in God against the hope of the enemies in our lives. That's all we got in these days and times of darkness. I hope this helps. It's helping me.

Til Next Time, dgwo

Reference:

Psalms 23