Posts Tagged ‘lessons’

Lessons Learned

Don’t you think it’s a wee-bit strange that we keep going through the same old thing?
We keep making the same old mistakes, we lose our faith then we lose our way and it goes on and on and on and on….

I am working with an account in Orlando that is in addition to my the responsibilities of the current client account in Tampa.   Therefore, Interstate 4 is my stomping grounds and I have each exit almost memorized…how many gas stations, where’s McDonalds? is there a Walmart, etc.

This account has kept me so occupied and my whole life has been engaged as we’ve rolled out this new account. I find my brain never turning off, even in the wee hours of the morning.  Sometimes my brain is working so fast that i find myself never being able to think about anything else.

So, in my little yellow super-charged sports car, I drive back and forth each week from St Pete to Orlando. Of course, those who are first-hand witnesses of my aggressive and intense driving on the road can attest to how scarey it can be with me behind the wheel.

but… I HAVE TO GET TO WHERE I’M GOING and need to get there quicker than everyone else on the road who have destinations, don’t I?

Within 2 weeks, my Van was broken into which cost me $600.  My other car needed $1000 worth of tires, brakes and maintenance.  If that wasn’t enough,  I was stopped for speeding and ticketed twice in one week.  

I was devastated!   These traffic tickets are very expensive and can wreak havor with the insurance premiums.

So, I came to God asking WHY WHY WHY?   Am I not a good person God? I’m faithful to church and give to my local church and community. And you know God,  I AM the Praise & Worship leader at our church AND i might add that I’m in a Christian band. (spoken with true humility, right?)

So, why didn’t I get a break on this God? I know I was speeding but a lot of people speed and never get caught. So, why me?

As I petitioned God for the answer, I found myself asking, “What’s the lesson to be learned in all this?”

So clearly, the voice from God spoke and here’s what I heard:

YOU ARE AVOIDING ALL THE SIGNS IN YOUR LIFE
NOT JUST THE SPEED LIMIT SIGNS
BUT YOU’RE IGNORING YOUR HEALTH
YOUR RELATIONSHIP, YOUR CHURCH, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR HOME…
YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN AND SPEND TIME WITH ME TO HEAR GOOD THINGS
TO LEARN GOOD THINGS AND TO BE AT PEACE WITH YOURSELF AND OTHERS.

I encourage us all not to ignore the signs in our lives that tell us to be balanced and learn to manage our time spent in life.

So many times I’ve heard people tell me, “I never hear from God…I can’t hear him speaking to me…”   But God IS speaking! God speaks to us in unconventional ways and we need to be patient and listen.

So, now…as I drive down the road, I utilize the cruise-control function of my car and keep it at the speed limit all the time.  And as others pass my by, whizzing crazily around me… I just wave to the students…the students that still have a lesson to be learned.

Love & hugs,
Mel

  • Repair, Restore, Rebuild July 24, 2010
    Many readers will find it interesting that this ole’ Baptist girl could be, at any certain day or time, praying in tongues, the Heavenly Language from God. But at the age of 20, I started attending an Assembly of God church which as most know, have a very strong style of pentecostal worship.   It was there I […]
    JustMelMusic
  • Lessons Learned June 17, 2010
    Don’t you think it’s a wee-bit strange that we keep going through the same old thing? We keep making the same old mistakes, we lose our faith then we lose our way and it goes on and on and on and on…. I am working with an account in Orlando that is in addition to […]
    JustMelMusic
  • M.B.A. March 26, 2010
    My job as Program Manager for Managed Service Provider services to client companies has proven to be very successful and I thank God every day for being employed. I’ve been in staffing for almost 14 years now and have recruited many people for jobs. I’ve always enjoyed dealing with the diversity of people from a large […]
    JustMelMusic
  • …and it’s a good thing! March 23, 2010
    This past Saturday, I visited Rowena’s store, Accents by Josie, in downtown St Petersburg. The store sells boutique clothing and some home interior items and I always enjoy checking out their new inventory. In the very back is a long mirror mounted on the wall which reaches from the floor up to the ceiling.   It’s beautifully adorned and […]
    JustMelMusic
  • GOOD THINGS IN RALEIGH March 16, 2010
    On March 5, Canaan Band and all their partners & friends loaded up their equipment and gear and headed up to Raleigh to participate in their 34 year celebration. It was a long 12-hour drive and lots of stops along the way for bio breaks and gas fillups.  It’s probably needless to mention that 10 people […]
    JustMelMusic
  • You Don’t Go That Way Anymore February 25, 2010
    When my partner broke up with me, it was the most devastating thing! I didn’t see this “bombshell” coming and was not prepared for the heartache.  I couldn’t understand how and why I couldn’t see this coming.  I’d always seen myself as a pretty perceptive kind of person.  But this event ”smacked” me upside the head and […]
    JustMelMusic
  • Does God Really Want My Salad? January 21, 2010
    Years ago, me & my roommate were car-pooling to the other side of town to work.  We worked only 1-2 miles away from each other so it was convenient to do this. Some days, I would go and pick her up at lunch and we would go to this fabulous Cuban restaurant in town. They made the […]
    JustMelMusic
  • My Son January 5, 2010
    This past Saturday, I said farewell to my son, Michael, who is off to serve a second tour in Iraq.  I held my emotions in until I got home because I didn’t want him to see my grief.  My grief is because I was there when he returned in 2006 from Iraq and it was […]
    JustMelMusic
  • OH YES, you DO! December 17, 2009
    Perhaps it was because I had been in corporate meetings all week and had many work-related things on my mind. Nevertheless, as I drove down the road, I prayed, "God, please help me today because I have nothing to give, nothing to sing, and nothing to share". And in that moment, so quietly and so calm, I heard HIS voice say, "OH YES! you DO! […]
    JustMelMusic
  • It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year December 14, 2009
    It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. I love that song and all the other songs associated with the Christmas Holidays.   And as I hear those songs I think back to my childhood.  I’m so blessed to have parents who embellished the Christmas spirit and allowed us to believe in Santa Claus as children.   […]
    JustMelMusic