High Risk...the road to success?

Taking high risks when it comes to purpose seems unavoidable. Whenever I have listened in on a famous individual getting interviewed who has done something impactful within our culture, I always hear them talk about the risks that they had to take in order to reach their level of success.

Now as someone who has not yet reached success, just the thought alone of me possibly having to take a high risk on this road to purpose is jarring to me. I don't come from a family who is known for taking high risks. A lot of the decisions made within my family has been based on making sure we were all secure and stable and not that there's anything wrong with that but I am beginning to see how  making decisions for the sake of wanting security and stability can sometimes also be paralyzing.

I've learned over the years that the constant need to make decisions based on stability and security can also be a form fear. I am learning that if you always make decisions based on stability and security it's because you always want to be in on the know how of everything. The idea of not knowing how something is going to happen can be nerve-wracking ( I can see why the Bible tells us to walk by faith and not by sight).

for some taking a high risk might be leaving home and going to another city and starting over, or starting a new career that's you don't feel qualified for so forth and so on.

All I can keep thinking is that maybe taking risks has it's on reward and lessons. I'm learning that you can't be afraid fail. You can't be afraid to feel uncomfortable for a season so you can reap an unimaginable and an insurmountable harvest.

So if you're like me and you have found yourself convicted over the fact that you haven't taken the high risk that you know you need take so you can kickstart your way into purpose by all means, I pray and hope that you find the courage and capacity to do it.

As I work my way towards taking the high risk necessary for my journey I hope you'll take the risk with me.

He's relationship...Not Religion.

From what I can recall, I grew up going to church. My father was a Jehovah Witness and Mother was Baptist. When my father was alive my brother and I use to go to church with him and back then I didn't know that Jehovah witnesses had different spiritual beliefs about God than Christians. I just knew that if you were a Jehovah witness you couldn't celebrate birthdays or holidays (Which in my opinion I think is pretty wack). After my father passed away, my brother and I started going to church with my mother who attended a Haitian Baptist Church. Inarguably I can say that I've grown up around the concept of God my entire life.

When I was in my twenties, I stopped going to church with my mother. I was over attending her church (really Haitian churches in general). I hated going because I despised how judgmental and nasty church folks were (to be clear this doesn't just happen in Haitian churches alone). I was over feeling like I didn't belong but simultaneously I still wanted God so I began attending an American non denominational church and ended up getting baptized while I was there. I remember going and loving that we worshipped and loving what was preached but still feeling like I wasn't spiritually full so I left that church. fast forward to now I currently do not physically attend church but I have a church that I stream online every Sunday and now I find myself always feeling full from the word that was preached, but that's not the point.

I said all of that to say that even when I went to church and grew up around the fact that God existed, I still never grasped that the whole point was to have a relationship with him. It never really clicked in my heart and head that I was suppose to engage God on a personal level. I just always knew that I was suppose to be in a church building attending service and praying (which I did sometimes) and that was the extent of my engagement with God.  To be honest it wasn't until the last couple of years that it really began to hit me that I need to get to know God on a more personal level and that hasn't been something that I've been doing long.

If there's anything that I've learned thus far is that relationship with God is a journey. It's not going to look like everyone else's. I'm still learning that relationship with God requires a work that I didn't have an example of but am learning day by day if I allow myself to be open to it. One thing I can truly say is that relationship with God is so much better than religion. When I think about my life and what I've been through I can see God's grace. I can see his protection over my life. I can see his mercy. I know for a fact that I would never see any of that if religion was all I had. I would have been screwed over a long time ago. I'm so grateful that I have a father in heaven who lavishes new mercies upon me every morning.

To conclude, my intent is to encourage those of you who will read this in your walk with Jesus or at least invite you to try Jesus. I can't promise that it's all sunshine and candy but I can promise that He'll never leave you nor forsake you.

Grace and Peace.

Death

Death is something that will always remain inevitable. There's no escaping or fighting one's way out of death. It affects each and everyone one of us whether we're the one's dying or the ones who have to live with the aftermath of someone's death. Death does not discriminate. Death doesn't care who you are or what societal class you're from. When it's time for death to infiltrate your body, all you can do is surrender and leave without as much regret in your life.

I have often wondered what would our reality be like if the people who died were able to visit us in spirit in some way and tell us what their after life is like. Would some of us get  a warning to straighten up or would some of us be encouraged to continue to not grow weary in well doing? Would we have closure?

Death is so impactful that no matter how long after someone has died no matter how many years have passed, we always feel the effects of it. Sometimes we feel it at Thanksgiving or Christmas. For some it could be on birthdays and weddings. We feel what death have taken from those of us who are still living and all we can do is accept it.

To each and everyone one of you who will read this post and to those who are still grieving, please heal. take your time and then go after your dreams. Don't be afraid to love well. Don't be afraid to be unique, creative and special and I'll do the same.