Posts tagged "life journey"

You Wanted It, Now What?

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Relationships, Latest | by — February 11, 2013

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I have a two year old nephew who is one of the cutest and sweetest little boys you ever want to meet. All of that cuteness is masking a serious character flaw. He is stingy. He’s the type of kid that will play with a toy, put it down to play with another toy that he likes more, but will forget all about the better toy if he sees someone start to play with the first toy that HE WALKED AWAY FROM. He runs over and snatches it away from whoever has it, but then he just stands there like he doesn’t know what to do. That’s probably because now that he has it he realized that he didn’t really want it in the first place. So he goes to look for the toy that he really wanted, but it’s gone. I don’t get it. He had the opportunity to move on to bigger and better things – actually had them in his grasp – but he missed out on them because he was too concerned with what was in his past. He’s two, so he’s got some time to get himself together, but what about the 22, 32, or 42 year olds who do the same thing?

TVMy nephew does this because he’s stingy and doesn’t want anyone else playing with his toys. I believe older people do this for a lot of different reasons. The two that I encounter most often are fear and laziness. I have been in a lot of situations where I have hoped for something better. Sometimes it was something as simple wanting new clothes or shoes. Other times, I’ve prayed for a different job, or some other opportunity that I felt would move me up to the next level in my life. Here’s the thing, though. Every time I have been blessed to receive something that I asked for to upgrade my life, it required more of me. I buy new clothes, shoes, or some big ticket item; I have to put in work to pay for it. I get a promotion, it comes with more responsibility. I get a great new job that pays more; I have to move.
Sometimes, I get what I ask for, but I’m so intimidated by what it requires of me that I consider putting it down and running back to what I left behind. My most recent example of this was a bout with laziness, not fear. I love music, especially hip hop. For a very long time, I have wanted to learn how to DJ. Not long ago, the opportunity to learn just fell into my lap. I was so excited about it the first few weeks, but it started getting a little rough to work a full day then go spend another 4 or more hours at DJ training. I was thinking about not going one day a few weeks ago, but it hit me that this was something that I asked for. It’s an opportunity to move things in a different direction… to step up to the next level. Who do I think I am to ask for something then turn it down or squander the opportunity when I actually get it? I had to check myself.  Since then, I’ve been making it to every class and really enjoying them. A few hours ago, I was on the phone with a friend. She was saying that she wants another job, a better job, but is a little afraid to leave the company where she’s comfortable, even though she doesn’t like her current position. If she let’s fear keep her stagnant, who knows what she’ll be missing out on.

The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is required. Sometimes in order to reap the benefits of the things that we asked for and were fortunate enough to receive, we have to give more of ourselves. Don’t let excuses fueled by fear and laziness keep you from the greatness that you’re meant to achieve.