Happy Birthday, young fella! Or should I say happy birthday to us! “US?!” You say. Yeah, US! This is you from the year 2020. I know… I know, your mind is blown right now. 2020 seems so far away. In many ways yes, but in others not so much. Time is weird like that and can be overwhelming. So let me give you some jewels to help you get here.
Rejection is part of life. Take the lesson and use it to conceive a better game plan to come back next time. This rejection will make you stronger. It will reveal your weaknesses and you can turn them into strengths. Anything or anyone that wants to walk out of your life… LET IT! Especially if you can honestly look yourself in the mirror and say “I did everything in my power to make it work.” Their absence is only opening up a void for the Lord to replace with better. Trust me, if they or that thing was the better option or opportunity, He wouldn’t have whispered in their ear to walk away. He knows you have trouble letting go. If the bridge was burned, that’s okay. Now you won’t be tempted to try and cross it again.
Not everyone is going to reciprocate your love and loyalty. Keep doing it anyway. Eventually you will meet the people who will unconditionally give back to you what you give to them.
Patience is not a curse word. Don’t rush anything. Rushing only leads to mistakes, uneasiness, and more missed opportunities because you will look inexperienced and not ready. Some of the best things come after long periods of waiting. Matter of fact, every great thing you will ever obtain or accomplish, and that you will appreciate more than anything, will happen after you’ve gone through situations that have forced you to exhibit an amount of patience you didn’t know you had.
Always remember the formula you used to write on your sneakers, ankle braces and notebooks since you were 21 years old… Patience + Persistence = Perseverance. By the way, one of your college teammates will clown you for reciting this. Years later before you completely walk away from Facebook, you will see in the quotes section of this teammate’s profile page a version of this mantra that he added to it and claim is his. He doesn’t know that you know he did that. Joke’s on him, you were smart enough to copyright your version. LOL!!!
Always, ALWAYS, trust your gut. What you feel is NOT gas. It is NOT fear. It IS discernment. A fruit of the spirit you’ve inherited from your years as a member of the body of Christ. Don’t talk yourself out of or into something that doesn’t feel right or make sense to your human reasoning. Following this spiritual discernment will lead you to avoid many hurtful friendships, relationships and professional connections that are designed only to set you back.
Speaking of setbacks. Sometimes you have to take a step back to get two steps ahead of where you’re at. I’ll repeat that cause I remember you can be hard headed and won’t read it again if I tell you to. So again, sometimes you have to take A (one) step back, to get TWO steps ahead of where you’re at.
Take more risks. Not in a reckless way, but in a faith over fear manner. It’s okay to have an appropriate amount of fear, it will keep you focused and locked in to make sure you master the details, not missing on dotting all your I’s and crossing your T’s. Risk taking will challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and accomplish things you can’t quite imagine. But, it will also increase your faith and confidence that you can and will do any and everything you set your mind to.
Don’t take yourself too serious and everything so personal. Not everything is about you. Some people will take shots at you because they wish they had the audacity to try the things you do and believe in yourself they way you do. They’re only doing it to hide their insecurities in their inadequacies. By now you’ve probably heard the phrase “misery loves company”, that’s all it is, they don’t want to wallow alone in theirs so they’re trying to bring you down to their level. Just laugh at it and keep pursuing the things that fulfill you.
Life isn’t perfect and NEVER will be. It’s messy, that’s what makes the journey enjoyable. If everything goes perfectly and worked out according to plan, life would be boring and mundane. You don’t do boring and mundane, it makes you jaded and zaps the life out of you. You’re at your best when you have obstacles and challenges to overcome. That brings you more joy more often than actually accomplishing the goal. Embrace the struggle, the chaos and the mess. It makes for great memories to relive when you sit back and have a seat on the porch.
Stay patient, persistent and determined. We have so much more to do. Here’s to 40!
Kavis Peak 