Redirect: Six Steps to Help You to Focus on the Plan, Again

I am in no way suggesting that beginning again is easy.

In fact, it is not easy but doable. It is particularly doable when you have strategy in place.

This has been my plight as of late. I was prompted to think differently and to do it swiftly.

I was talking with a few accountability partners recently, and both were facing significant life challenges. Both women had successful careers (one practicing in hers, while the other dealt with a present setback). I remember telling them that I didn’t have a major life challenge at the moment and wasn’t sure if I was a candidate to attend since one of the ladies formed the group with this stipulation.

But not one week later, I became a bona fide candidate. I didn’t have a major life challenge, and then . . . I did.

Here are a few things I have learned to move forward in this new and somewhat familiar circumstance. It sure helped me to develop a strategy, and I know it will help you, too.

Here goes:

1. Give yourself permission to feel uncomfortable. I know this may sound uncomfortable even as you read this, but it is necessary. Sometimes we rush to action (or others try to rush us to action) when what we really need at the moment is to take the time to settle into the challenge and breathe through it. When a woman is in active labor, and the pain is intense, she has to quickly determine to let herself feel uncomfortable before experiencing the blessing of giving birth. I do not promote wallowing in self-pity, nor do I practice it. I believe having a significant measure of self-awareness lends itself to knowing when being uncomfortable migrates into the change I want to see and experience.
2. Accept change as growth. Believe that change means you’re going somewhere. It may not be comfortable, but it certainly is meaningful. And you get to determine what this new change means for you. One thing I have learned is others cannot tell you exactly what growth opportunities exist for you. Apart from God, only you know the intricate details of where growth, strength, and expansion need to occur. In many cases, change is a good thing! Change presents itself with opportunities yet to be realized. Change can equal growth!
3. Trust in God’s plan-done His way. Many of us will proclaim, “I do trust God.” But do you trust His plan done His way? Now that’s one to consider. Sometimes we create timelines and expect God’s plan for us to align itself with our timeline. Now, if that could work well for us every time we sketched it out, we would be as God. That’s not happening, ever. So, the “done His way” is what we must rest in every single day. And every day, our job is to align ourselves with His direction for that day, not worrying about how tomorrow will unfold. Determining tomorrow is a huge task and one that we should leave to the One who is not bound by time, having created it.
4. Adopt a period of resurgence. As you determine to move forward, again, do not rush. You’re trusting in God’s plan-done His way, remember? Go with me for a moment. According to Dictionary.com, a resurgence is an act of rising again or returning. When you adopt or take on a period of resurgence, you are giving yourself permission to move at your own pace. It’s a defined period of time that works for you. By now, you certainly know that there is life beyond the challenge. Take this time to pull together all the resources you will need to move according to God’s plan for you. I don’t know what they may be for you, but I can share what some of them have been for me. I needed a week dedicated to prayer and reflection. I needed more conversations with my husband and with those who genuinely loved and cared for me. . . and who recognized my gifts, talents, skills, and abilities. I had to develop a written routine for the upcoming weeks that would not be overwhelming but yield productivity. I needed to appropriate God’s grace ahead of time as I experimented with what may work and what may not work. It was a road to resilience.
5. Get back out on the balcony. There was a time when you frequented the balcony. Remember? You were high above your circumstance and able to see the key pieces of the journey. You haven’t been out there lately because the course seemed to be running smoothly, but now there is a roadblock in the path. Now it’s time to get back out on the balcony, take several deep breaths, visualize and listen. Allow His Spirit to bear witness with your spirit for how to carefully navigate the new (or maybe the old) plan. This may seem strange, but getting out on an actual balcony can help a great deal. Try it.
6. Become intentional about moving forward. This is important. Although all the elements of His plan will not unfold at one time, you can begin again to be intentional about the actions or experiments you intend to engage in right now. Much of moving forward is about decisions and the best decisions. We need God’s guidance for that. When we set our heart to hear Him, He will speak. All doesn’t happen in one day, but success is contingent upon the incremental steps we take in obedience to Him.

Where are you in this process? Where should you begin?

Beginning again may not be starting from scratch for you; it may be simply picking up from the detour point!

What should I do now?

1. Need help thinking through what’s next? Need clarity on where to begin? Let’s talk. Simply click below and schedule a Discovery Call at tabithaperson.com.
2. Maybe that’s not you, but you just had that conversation with someone else a few days ago. Share the post.

Originally published at https://tabithaperson.com on March 10, 2021.