Closed Doors, New Beginnings

"Do not despise the day of small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..."

Zechariah 4:10 (NLT) 

Here I am again! I am really trying to space out my blog posts a bit, but you know how it is like when you start something new...you just can't leave it alone!

I am really excited about this blog for a number of reasons. Firstly I have loads to say. But most importantly, it is only one part of what I feel is a time in my life where the winds of change are blowing over a few things. I mentioned in my last post some of the positive changes in my life I was making. However outside of me making changes, I feel like change is happening to me, without my permission.

What I haven't yet mentioned is that in the weeks before and after writing my first blog post, my life has taken a few sharp turns (some unexpected). For me, these occurrences (and note not all of them are what one would identify as being 'positive') signalled  a crossroad - i.e a time to make significant decisions. And these are the reasons why:

1. My contract at my current job came to an end
When a season comes to an end, for instance, the end of a job contract (as in my case), or a friendship, you are forced to think "What should I do now?". It's natural to want to find something to fill the void that might have been left by the sun setting on a particular area in your life.

Thank you note on my last day at the office!

2. I went for a job interview and didn't get the job
There is a scripture in the Bible, in Proverbs 13.12 that begins, "hope deferred, makes the heart sick..." So even God knows the feeling of deflation that comes with things not going as planned. If you are anything like me you don't normally have a plan B, so all your energy has probably gone into mapping out your life in one direction only. In the same way, I envisioned life on a certain salary, and in a certain routine etc. And when it didn't happen for me, I momentarily felt the proverbial rug being swept from under my feet,
So if like in my case,  things don't go to plan, you are forced to reroute.

3. It will be my birthday (Yay!)
Like new years or any other milestone, reflection and future planning are part and parcel of celebrating a birthday. This is because it marks a new beginning. After 'turning up', it's usually time when we think "right, what's next?...a year by this time...I aim to be healthier, happier..."etc.

Celebrating me!

4. My wonderful partner treated me to a trip to Las Vegas/ Hollywood (ok, you already know about this one)
There is something about going away that makes one carefree. You spend in one day what you would normally spend in a week, you eat enough food for a whole house of people, and are just generally merrier - which is OK, because we all deserve to take a slice of happiness for ourselves. Besides, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...ssshhhh! Whether your trip is a quiet break, a wild girlie one, or an adventure/exploration holiday, this period of positivity is a nice time to think about some of the maneuvers you might make on the road of life. However, in all the optimism it is important to set realistic goals.

I hope this post has given you some insight into some of my closed doors and new beginnings. I really just want to encourage you to see all occurences as an opportunity to make moves in life. Moving forward is ideal, but sometimes we may just have to move to the side, just a little bit in order to progress. But we must keep moving - and all of that planning will be fulfilled in the end. You remember that scripture I was telling you about? Well, it ends by saying "a longing fulfilled is a tree of life".

I hope you get your tree of life real soon.