HAVE YOU LOST SIGHT OF YOUR PRIORITIES?

Genesis 3:9 records the first questions asked in the history of man: “And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou? (Genesis 3:9). God did not pose this question to Adam because He needed knowledge of his whereabouts. God, who created man, knew where he was and that he had sinned. He knew where Adam was physically, mentally, and spiritually. However, he did this in love, creating an opportunity for Adam to acknowledge his guilt, ask for forgiveness, and repent. Since there is a penalty for sin, it behooved Adam to accept the consequences of his actions. Adam, in his defense, ignored the question and in (Genesis 3:10), instead complained of being naked and afraid, hence his reason for hiding. The ever-loving and patient God followed up with two more direct questions: Who told thee that thou were naked? Have thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? Adam tried to deflect the questions however, God was specific with these questions, and these elicited a forthright response. Adam found himself placed on the spot! Before now, he had enjoyed open fellowship and communion with God, however; he was hiding from Him because of disobedience. What caused Adam to think he could hide from God now? Was it because of shame, guilt, and fear of facing the consequences of his actions, or was it because he thought he could outwit God by talking his way out of his situation? Many of us today still think that we can outwit God. We tell ourselves that God will understand and overlook our disobedience.

ADAM FACED THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS SIN

 Adam knew he could not hide from the all-seeing God. He knew where Adam was, yet He reasoned with him as a good parent would. He wanted him to consider what he had done, the reason, and the impact of his action. Adam faced the dilemma of taking responsibility for his actions by acknowledging he had sinned, repenting, and seeking God’s forgiveness. Therefore, Adam had a second chance to redeem himself by speaking the truth. However, Adam had this element of pride that led him to continue cloaking his sin while assigning the blame to Eve, his wife. (Genesis 3:12) And the man said, The woman whom thou gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. His response implied that Adam blamed God for giving him Eve, hence the reason he had sinned. This was a slap in the face of a loving God who created the world and placed him in charge of all His creation. Adam was rightly the king of this earth but yielded his position of influence to the devil because momentarily he forgot who he was and where he was. Hence, the excuse that he was naked and afraid appeared puerile. Why was he naked when before in the righteousness of God covered him and he did not know of what being naked was? The pleasures of sin are temporary and often leave us with an incessant feeling of emptiness. Adam unwittingly relinquished his regal robe for a life of slavery and poverty. Today, we continue to do the same thing when disobeying God’s law, sit back, and refuse to take advantage of the untold opportunities that are available to us. We often fall short because of failure to commit to a plan that will help us get to our end goal. A plan that will drive us to accomplish more, thus improving our lives and that of others. An idle mind leads to poverty of both mind and means. Get moving!

STOP BLAMING

 Like Adam, many of us have made a mess of our lives and are feeling bare and alone. Instead of acknowledging that we have fallen off course and trying to get back on track, we avoid taking charge of our lives because we would rather live a lie than face the truth. Often, we blame others for our predicament when the power lies within us to fulfill the yearnings of our hearts. For this to happen, you must be honest about where you are now, and how you got there, and be willing to take ownership of all the poor choices you have made. It’s interesting, like Adam, some of us blame God for the poor decisions we have made, which is very selfish. It is time for you to stop blaming your parents, grandparents, children, siblings, spouses, ex-partners, extended family, boss, friends, enemies, and circumstances for your stagnation. Admit that your life is in the trenches that you have created, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Every good company does stock-taking quarterly, semi-annually, or annually to determine their stock levels and get rid of those that are unprofitable and occupying space. They also divest those which are obsolete or just breaking even. Like growing companies, every individual must take stock of their life’s assets and liabilities. We must discharge our liabilities by ridding ourselves of those skills that are dormant, dead-end jobs, relationships that break our souls, and negativity that hold us, hostages. These are unprofitable and deplete us mentally, physically, and emotionally. We must make room for that free flow of goodness in our lives which we desire and deserve. For this to materialize, we must be audacious and possess a willingness to learn new skills and work hard to accomplish our dreams. It is also important to work on our physical and mental health by nourishing our minds and body with healthy foods and uplifting thoughts. There is hope for you and it is never too late to attempt a fresh start. Let’s look at some solutions to get you to that place where you want to be.

STOP MAKING EXCUSES       

Many of us have abandoned our dreams because of being suppressed by others who do not understand, appreciate, or constantly diminish our worth with harsh criticisms. Feelings of loss and hopelessness often set in as we try to placate them by accepting the lies, they often tell us about ourselves. As a result, we often become stuck with the crowd with no sense of direction or purpose. Most times, we think we are living when we are barely existing. It might be helpful if we contemplate these questions: Where am I? how did I get here? What am I afraid of? What is it I need to do right now? As you remain calm, the answer to the escape route from the prison that others have boxed you in will come when your mind enters a peaceful state.

 Often, the emptiness we feel deep on the inside results from living an unfilled life. Although we know what to do, we lack the determination to follow through. Often, we make excuses like these; it is too late, I can never do this, it’s never going to happen for me, no one will hire me because I’m too old or I have the wrong gender, race/ethnicity or I am not smart enough. These are the lies that we keep telling ourselves from year to year as we try to justify our reasons for being idle rather than working harder to accomplish more. Some of us are downright lazy. We want others to do for us that which we are unwilling to do for ourselves. Each year we watch our peers and colleagues pursue advanced degrees and promotions, take on entrepreneurial pursuits, vacation, or improve their lives overall. We secretly envy their success while we have the same opportunity to improve our livelihood. We often procrastinate by failing to seize the opportunities that are open to us that will get us to where we know we must be. It is time to develop a new mindset of positivity and creativity and start working right where you are now.

 GET BACK ON TRACK

Life is like a maze. To navigate our way through it, we need a purpose, passion, a plan of action, and persistence. Your purpose is the primary goal in life. It comprises what you want to accomplish and the reason. Passion is the fuel that lights that fire in you and pushes you out of your comfort zone to blaze the trail that is yours. Persistence means pressing forward despite difficulties, setbacks, threats, and failures because deep within you know you were born for this and that this is what you want to do with your life. The plan of action is the strategies you will develop to get you to your end goal. Get a sheet of paper or a word document and write or type:

· What do I hate about my life right now?

· What should I be doing at this moment?

· What do I need to change?

· What is preventing me from changing?

· Write a plan of action

· Set measurable goals; daily, weekly, monthly, or every six months.

You might discover that you are multi-talented or that you have a childhood passion that is worthwhile revisiting. Also, when we search deeply, we will unearth things we hate and find the courage to step away from them while moving toward those things that we love. Once we identify them, it becomes necessary to write a plan of action to get this done. When you have established the criteria, you can set goals that are smart and measurable. Evaluate your goals weekly, monthly, or every six months to keep up with any progress that you have made or to determine what is working and what is not.

 Sometimes you may experience difficulties that will deter you from your purpose. However, do not give up. Instead, enlist the help of trusted friends, a spouse, acquaintances, or extended family members. If this fails, then hire a life coach, read a motivational book, or research from the millions of resources that are available on Google and other search engines. Remember, you are not alone in this. There are millions of people all over the world who have been in the same position as you and took that leap of faith to create the life that matters most to them. Some have even given up high-flying careers with very attractive remunerations. There is happiness and fulfillment when you find your true calling. It gives you something to smile about at the start of each day because you find pleasure in what you are doing, hence it makes it easier for you to stay committed. We should live our lives in such a way that everything we do brings joy and balance. 

Start where you are right now! Stop complaining about the life you now have when you’re empowered to do something about it. Nobody can do this for you. Muster up that inner strength that will motivate you to take the actions necessary to fulfill your God-given purpose. God wants to help you. Talk with Him today and allow His Holy Spirit to direct your steps! (Proverbs 3: 5-7)