2018: The Year of Decisions

LONG POST ALERT...

We've all got places we'd like to go and things we'd like to see but getting there can sometimes be the problem. Some of you may have heard my testimony about me leaving my corporate job last year in 2017, but for those of you who have not, well here goes.

I worked at a corporate fashion company headquarters for nearly four years. When I first started there, I was fresh out of Art school; just about six months after my graduation. I came in with three other young ladies as a contractor with a temp agency. All of the other ladies had either a fashion degree, business degree or some kind of professional business experience. I, on the other hand, had only a newly obtained Graphic Design degree from the Art Institute and a couple of marketing classes from my first stint at undergrad.

All of the other ladies got hired with one year contracts, whereas I had only three months. Well, needless to say I ended up getting my contract extended at the end of my three months because one of the ladies was let go due to poor performance and lack of professionalism so they gave me the remaining nine months on her contract. Four months into my extension, YAH opened the door for me to catch the eye of one of my manager friends at the company who was looking for someone to add to her team to replace the girl that was leaving; she hired me full-time in November of 2013. When it was finally time for me to leave, I can say that I walked into that company with a three month contract (amidst the others with one year contracts) and ended up staying for three and a half years. I had outlasted all of the other girls that I started the job with.

During my time there, I had some up and some downs. I learned a lot about myself, people and what I wanted to do with my life. I went from loving my job to completely hating it. I dreaded going to work everyday during the last year and a half there before I left because I had slowly began to realize that that wasn't my calling, purpose or passion. Sure I was grateful for the life I was afforded to live because of it. I was making decent money; I started the contract position at $13.50/hr got a raise to $14/hr within the first month and was up to nearly $20/hr when I left three and half years later. I got a raise every year, I was able to buy my first home from the income I received from this job as well as take several trips out of the country to various Caribbean islands. I was living the good life some would say but I was also extremely miserable. I was working long and exhausting 10 hour days starting at 6:00 AM with some people who were not very nice (to say it politely) and having to put up with corporate politics.

On October 1, 2016, the Most High spoke to me and said "90 days." I knew immediately that He was going to do something about this job that I had grown to hate within the next 90 days. January 1, 2017 (exactly 90 days from October 1st), I started hearing rumors that my job was going to be laying people off. A couple of weeks later, they announced that they would be rolling out a voluntary resignation program where they would pay people a pension to leave to be quite frank. The company was going in a new direction and if you didn't want to go, you now had the option to leave and get paid for it. Well, I saw that as the perfect opportunity so I took it; February 17th, 2017 was my last day. I was excited for change but I was a little scared because I didn't really have too much of a plan after that other than repeatedly praying, "YAH, you lead the way." 2017 turned out to be the year of Faith and Obedience for me. I also like to call it my "Exodus and Wilderness" year; I got my Exodus from my job and was kept during my Wilderness period of being unemployed. I got to know the Creator in ways I had never known or seen Him in before. I never lacked for anything and I never missed a payment on anything; my life had resumed just like normal. Praise YAH.

I shared this long story to say how 2017 was my defining year for Faith and Obedience. It pinpointed for me exactly how I wanted to live my life and exactly what I did not want in my life. I was stationary long enough to be able to seek and hear YAH lead me into the way that I was supposed to be going. I was so frustrated everyday at work because I was out of place. I had no interest in climbing the corporate ladder because I was on the wrong ladder. We are now more than half way through 2018 and for me, this is the year of decisions. I said in the beginning that we've all got places to go and things we'd like to see but getting there is sometimes the problem. After taking the time to let YAH lead and direct me for my life, I now had to make the decision to implement the plans He had for me. I had to make the decision to do the work to ensure that I would be in place and ready for what He had in-store for me next. For some of you, 2017 may have served the same purpose as it did for me but what will 2018 serve for you? What are you deciding to do through your actions? Someone wise once said, your life is a direct result of your decisions. I was able to walk away from a secure job because I decided that the continuous cycle of wake, work, eat, sleep and repeat wasn't the plans that YAH had for me. I decided that following YAH and completing His assignment for me was worth me stepping out on faith, leaving my job and completely changing my course from my plans to His.

I am not telling anyone to quit their day job or any job but what I am saying is to think about what it is that you are doing and decide if that is the plan that YAH has for you. Will you follow His or yours? We are truly living in the last days and this world is quickly coming to an end. We do not have time anymore to find ourselves running on the hamster wheel chasing nothing. We must be bold and vigilant about seeking out YAH's purpose for us and making the decision to follow it at all costs. Giving up all to follow Him. What shall separate me from the love of YAH? Do not let anything stand between you and your obedience/faith in YAH. Perhaps 2018 will serve as a year of decisions for you as well; I implore you to make the right ones. Let every decision that you make bring you closer to YAH and to fulfilling His purpose for you.

Shalom & Blessings

Yahanah