I've been blessed to have relationships with some extraordinary women, Jessica Janniere being one of them! During one of our Panera Bread "dates" we had a raw convo about the excitement and challenges of walking out purpose; and where we are personally. Jessica wrote this piece that is so honest and encouraging ... enjoy!
A note about Jessica Janniere: Survivor of rape, abuse and depression she was drawn and saved by the love of Jesus. Jessica stands today as the author of her memior "My Colored World" and founder of Look Up and Beyond through which she encourages people to search, discover and succeed.
Written By: Jessica Janniere
Have you ever felt like you were just waiting on God to tell
you what the next move for your life should be? I mean, you know you have a
vision for your future. You also recognize that God has brought you a long way.
You can look back and see the accomplishments, the victories and even the
miracles. You feel grateful. But, now, you are in transition and you’re not
really sure to where…
You prayed and sat still.
Nothing.
You fasted and deprived yourself of food and some of the
physical pleasures of life for a specific time with hopes that you’d get that
word from the Lord.
Nothing.
You went to church and although the message has always been
an on-time word that sprinkles massive encouragement into your heart…it’s not
quite what you SPECIFICALLY want to hear.
You play your worship songs and wholeheartedly sing to the
Lord. You are feelin it. And God just refreshes your Spirit in those moments
but….You are still waiting for the answer to your question “What’s next Lord?”
And still, nothing.
Transitioning from season to season is part of life. God
does all things in order and at a specific time. In His Word it says…”There is
a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
When we KNOW where we are going we tend to feel more at ease.
But there are times in our life when we are in the “meantime” season and God
wants to BE our ease. Trusting Him activates the peace we desire, when in the
natural, it would be justified to feel anxious and fearful.
In the meantime-we don’t have to allow it to scare us or
frustrate us. We can choose to trust God who already knows what’s ahead. If we
cling to Him, He will lovingly guide us and sustain us through this season as
He’s always done in previous seasons.
In the meantime….it could be that God wants us to slow down
to speed up. This simply means He wants us to take time to prepare for what’s
to come. Yup, we can prepare even if we don’t know specifically for what. But
it’s not the preparation that we may think. Slow down. Matter of fact- STOP. He
says, "Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
In the meantime, we can have joy. In the midst of our
transition, we can and we should praise God. Like the Psalmist, David we can
say “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my
mouth.” Psalm 34:1
In the meantime, God wants to strengthen our faith and give
us an opportunity to a deeper relationship with Him. We can “grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) by reading
His Word and being still in His presence.
I recently found myself in my ‘meantime” season. I have been
seeking for answers to “what’s next?” My answers didn’t come the way I wanted
them to. But, I have learned that this is a blessing…Because when we are in the
meantime, God reminds us of our need for Him and the fact that He wants us to
be whole and complete in Him.
In my meantime, I was also challenged once again, to make
sure that I am not validated by what I DO, but by WHOSE I am. As a child of God
we are enough just being His. Our identity should never be rooted in positions,
titles, responsibilities, etc. Those things are important and help to shape our
identity but they are NOT our identity.
So, if you find yourself in transition, in a place where
things seem confusing, at a standstill, scary and uncertain…don’t be alarmed.
Rest in God. Delight in Him. Take one day at a time and trust that God will
answer the question “What’s next?”
But, in the meantime…hold onto that vision of where you’re
going. Remember the promise that He as a future and hope for you. He really
does. And He didn’t bring you this far, to leave you now. So ride the wave of
change with a smile on your face, praise on your lips and hope in your heart.
God is right there…even in the meantime.
Look up and Beyond,
Jessica
