DEAD END

Last Saturday my husband and I were using Google Maps to find our way to a function. We were dutifully following the audio instructions to, for example, “turn left in 3 km” and “take the next right” etc., when lo and behold we came to a dead end! We were not amused…at least not at the time since we thought we were late; but that’s another story for another time.

Have you ever been driving around searching for a place and come to a dead end? Did you park and say “oh well, end of the journey, this is it”? Or did you turn around and continue to search until you finally found your desired destination?

Well, I’ll bet that, like us, you turned around and continued your search.

So why is it that some of us don’t do that in life?

Life often takes us to dead ends - failed tests, broken marriage engagement, divorce, terminal illness, unachieved goals, etc. etc. etc. and some of us never turn around and continue the journey. We get stuck in self-pity, insecurity, discouragement, disillusion and most of all FEAR. Yes, fear - of getting to another dead end, or driving over a cliff or getting a flat tyre. So many things could happen along the way that you may be tempted to stay in your comfort zone, despite the fact it may not be all that comfortable. You prefer to “stick the evil you know” than to “risk failure”.

So you give up. You park….. just content to live out the rest of your life unfulfilled, never quite knowing what it would have been like had you arrived at that place you were meant to be. Never finishing your studies, never starting that business, never leaving that dreaded job, never asking for that raise or pursuing that promotion, never opening up your “broken” heart to love again.

That’s such a shame!!! So much is awaiting you.

Had my husband and I stopped at that dead end or turned back and just gone home, we would have missed the truly scrumptuous food and fun that we enjoyed that night.

As long as you are still alive God is NOT finished with you!!!! He has big plans for you. Who told you it’s over? Well it’s a big fat lie.

That’s what Abraham must have thought when God asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. The same son God had promised him and miraculously given to him and his barren wife when he was 100 and she 90. Oh yes, you saw right. They thought they were at a dead end, but God had plans for them.

So when God gave Abraham those instructions regarding his son, he could have thought it was another dead end and stayed there, but instead he trusted God and obeyed His instructions and set out with the fire, wood, and his son to the place God directed him. God himself provided the sheep for the sacrifice. He only needed Abraham to prove that he trusted him completely.

So you don’t have a degree, or you don’t have work experience because you just graduated. You dropped out of school so you don’t have an education. You were abused, misused or refused by those you expected to love and protect you. You don’t know your father or you don’t have any parents and you’ve been tossed around among relatives and strangers. You’ve lost your job and been on the unemployment line for too long.

I get it! Life has given you the stick with two short ends and not just the short end of the stick.

Well the good thing is that when God calls you, He transforms you, renews you, equips you and qualifies you.

Joseph, as we are told in Genesis in the bible, was hated by his own brothers. They plotted to kill him, then instead sold him to be a slave in Egypt - a strange land far away from his home and father who loved him. They told his father he was killed by a wild animal. While in Egypt, he was falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison where he remained for years. Talk about a dead end!!!

But Joseph was not forgotten by God. You see, God had a plan for Joseph which fit into His bigger plan for his chosen people, the Israelites.

When Joseph faced those dead ends, he did not wallow and get stuck in self-pity and insecurity, or become bitter and hard. No. He continued to trust God and serve and obey God, using his abilities and talents, doing whatever he was tasked to do with excellence and integrity. He was therefore very successful at whatever he did. He was promoted to head his master’s entire estate and household. When he was thrown into prison, he worked hard there as well and continued to trust God. He was promoted to oversee the other prisoners.

It was in prison - an apparent dead end - that Joseph used his God-given gift of interpreting dreams to help another prisoner interpret his dream. In return, when that prisoner was released, he promised to put in a good word for Joseph so he too could be released from prison. Although he forgot about Joseph for years (another apparent dead end?), when the King of Egypt had a disturbing dream that no one could interpret, he then remembered Joseph, who was able to interpret the King’s dream and was rewarded with a leadership position.

Eventually, Joseph was promoted to second in command in Egypt, in which position he was able to prepare Egypt for an otherwise destructive drought and famine, and ultimately provide a place of refuge for his people, and God's chosen people - the Israelites, when the famine forced them to seek help in Egypt. You, too, have been called. You have been chosen by God. God has a plan for you just as He had one for Joseph.

Your Weekend Reset

Spend some quiet time answering the following questions:

What is your gift?

What are your talents, skills, past experiences, connections, and qualities which God wants you to use for His purpose by positively impacting the lives of others? What dead end(s) have you encountered?

What do you need, to get back on the right path/roadway?

Do you need to hone your skills through training or reading?

Do you need counseling to aid in your healing from past hurt and wounds?

Do you need a Coach to guide you and keep you accountable so you can overcome your obstacles and realize success?

Don’t get stuck at a dead end. If coaching is what you need, I would love to help you through my 12-week ‘Recharge and Reset Coaching Programme’ for women who feel stuck, depleted, and/or defeated. Through this coaching programme you will clearly see your desired destination (vision), set goals, and take consistent and focused action toward your vision becoming reality.