An Answered Prayer - It's a NEW Season

Ever prayed for something for so long and then one day you woke up and realized God had smiled on you. Maybe you and your husband have been praying for a child and one day you finally saw two strips instead of one, maybe your luck in relationships had always seem to be toxic and then one day you realize you were finally walking to the alter to marry your soul mate, maybe you were praying for that dream house or condo and one day you walked into a bank and they smiled and told you, you've been approved. That blessing, that joy, that grace is when you smile the biggest grin because in that moment is when realize that you are FINALLY standing, living, basking in your answered prayer….

I use to talk about three (3) things that I began to beg God for in 2011, I mean beg him to answer and for three years he answered NONE! He remained silent. 2011 was a very hard year for me and I just wanted God to fix it all. However what I had to learn was that God is a God of order and alignment. He refused to bless me with any of these things until I was ready. So after pouting about not getting my way He began to tug on my heart and taught me that my blessings would never come without proper preparation. I had to stop focusing on the things I wanted to be changed and learn to simply focus on Him. It wasn't always easy and a lot of times I fell, but his grace remained sufficient.

I was really dissatisfied with my job, I stayed on it for years because it was the “ideal” family job but it wasn't my passion, it didn't bring me joy and at the end of the day I didn't want just to have job because it would fit well with a family, I wanted to live out my purpose. At the end of 2011 the family agenda began to look bleak and there I was still at a job that I absolutely HATED and no family in sight! I started to apply to other places like a crazy person. Every day I was on some job website, looking through newspaper clippings and hitting up LinkedIn every minute beefing up that profile and completely dissatisfied. Why wasn't God listening to me? Faith without works is dead right, I was doing the work, why wasn't He helping me out??

One day God showed me an analogy that helped me with this answer. My work phone cord got caught in the wheel of my rolling chair. I frantically tried to yank it out to break it free. I must have spent 10 minutes, yanking, pulling and maneuvering. How could I use my phone again if I didn’t ever get it plugged back in, eventually I gave up and said it just won’t ever be released.  About a half n’ hour later I looked down and to my surprise the cord was just sitting there, free, I was completely shocked, not because my phone was free but because of what this freeing symbolized. It may seem insignificant to some but that was an altering moment for me.

 Stressing out, frantically trying to fix my life by looking and applying every job I saw wasn't going to work or “fix” my life. I had to let it go, I had to leave it to God and when He was ready He would release my blessing without me trying to force it. So I tried to dress better, I created new innovative projects and incentives to encourage my students and I really tried to make the most of my job. When I would get discouraged and yes I still got discouraged I constantly told myself “God has me here for a reason”. I wasn’t in love with this season but I knew there was something He wanted me to learn and I knew God was not going to launch me into a new season until I learned and did everything He needed me to do in that one.

So with the help of “Grace” literally and figuratively, (my coworker Grace taught me a wealth of knowledge, kept my spirits high with constant laughter and stood as a constant voice of reason and teacher) my wait that begun three years ago came to an end. At the end of September when I got that call that before of the end of the year I would be entering a NEW SEASON, I knew then I had finally finished what God had called me to do. I literally jumped around my house like a 5 year old who just got a new bicycle for Christmas. Not only because God finally answered my prayer but because I felt as if I finally learned the lessons that He needed me to learn in order to advance me into this new season.

So in December of this year I not only started one of MY DREAM JOBS at Baha Mar. I also entered an independent season of finally doing things on my own. I’m now in a new city and my heart is filled with complete JOY, because I have waited for so long to wake up and actually be excited about not going to work but going to my calling. Although this new experience has been nothing short of rewarding, this new season has also taught me a few lessons that I wanted to share with you and encourage you to apply during your NEW SEASON!…..

Tis the Season at my NEW Job - Baha Mar's Christmas Party! 

1. ALWAYS be thankful - I constantly remind myself, you are ONLY experiencing this blessing because of God’s grace and mercy, you didn't earn it, it’s because of God’s grace, so be sure to thank Him daily.

2. Everyday won’t be perfect- there will be days that are not as exciting but it’s important to remember as a whole every day is still an amazing blessing.

3. Continue to seek Christ - New seasons, bring new devils, this isn't the time to stop reading your word and calling on God, you need Him more than ever, so continue to trust Him.

4. Tell your story and give Christ the credit - there are others still believing for that answered prayer, your testimony may be the one thing that keeps them believing. Keep sharing! There is comfort in knowing that if God could do it for you, one day I know He will do it for me too!

5. Don’t become ungrateful – often times we say, ok God you worked this out and I’m happy, but if you could just do this, life would be perfect! When you learn to truly enjoy your current NEW season, in due time He will answer your other prayers, but you won’t see it if you spend your life crying for what’s next instead of basking in the BEAUTY of what’s happening now.

Point number 5 is a reminder that I really had to tell myself. At this moment God has answered 2 out of 3 of my 2011 prayers that I talked about earlier. An honestly there were times in this new season that I began to say, “hey God I’m in love with 1 and 2 but you didn't forget about prayer number 3 ay!” When I sat down I realized what I was asking, conviction hit me like a ton a bricks and I had to ask myself “How dare you?” in that moment I had to quickly repent. So take it from me, this season is so beautiful, don’t waste it by focusing on what you don’t have, if you do, you just might miss the beauty of it all J!

So if you have an answered prayer and your living it, don’t forget to smile, because there was a point in your life that you prayed for this to be your reality and now it is! However If you are still waiting for your new season, I hope you take this message as a sign of hope and a reminder that your miracle is just around the corner. Continue to keep your eyes on Christ and He will BLOW YOUR MIND!!!!

If this blog has touched you in any way or you just want someone to pray with you or provide encouragement to you, please email me at kerelpinder@gmail.com and let me know. Waiting on God’s divine timing can become overwhelming, but to know you have someone interceding on your behalf help’s to make that journey into your new season a lot more bearable!