Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Hey Beloved, where do you see yourself five years from now?

Five years ago I was about to turn 44 when it dawned on me that I had hit middle age, gray hairs coming in and all. To mark this season of my life, I decided to write a book filled with light-hearted, witty advice.

Even though life had not turned out as I dreamt it would, I had made it through teenage motherhood, the breaking of a blended family, and a divorce. I’d had a career in information technology for almost twenty years. I was the women’s ministry leader and a prayer leader at my local church where I had been a member for almost twenty years. I hosted conferences and wrote books. I owned a beautiful house in a great neighborhood where I had raised my children and where my family was always welcome.

To say I’d had a bad life would be a lie, but to say life hadn’t turned out like I prayed and hoped would be an understatement.  Still, as I reached middle age, I believed sharing my personal experiences could help other women on their journey to midlife.

Then my mom passed away and my light-hearted witty book was turned on its heels.

My mother’s passing made me realize just how fleeting life is. I always thought I would have more time with her, but she was gone in a moment, and I found myself at a major intersection in life – between what was, what is, and what could be. I use the phrase “could be” instead of “would be” because life is full of possibilities. I’ve learned that some things we have no control over, but most things don’t just happen.  Our choices or lack thereof affect many things that occur in our lives.

Losing my mother made me want to find my answers before giving advice. Her passing made me stop and take inventory of my life.

The truth is that, while so many things were going well in my life, some things were still not what I prayed and hoped they would be. For so long, I had settled for the path life carved out for me.

Five Years From Now…

One day, soon after my mom passed away, I was sitting on my couch trying to write but feeling stuck. In that moment, it was as if I saw my past, my present, and my future before me. I didn’t like what I saw—a lot of accomplishments, yes, but also a lot of broken pieces, unfulfilled dreams, and disappointments.

I saw the years gone by.

I saw myself five years and then ten years from that day, still stuck, waiting for change. But most importantly, I saw that while I’d been waiting on God to change my circumstances, in many cases, God had left change up to me.

God leads and guides us, but He won’t force us to change course. We can stay stuck in an old season or we can step out in faith and bravely change the course of our lives.

I suddenly realized that the change I needed wasn’t going to happen until I decided what wanted in life, and then intentionally acted in line with my decisions.

That day, I decided that even if I made mistakes, taking action would be better than staying stuck.

Begin today…

The Brave Change program was created to help women sitting where I was that day on my couch get unstuck, let go of the past, and move forward into the beautiful future God has for them.

If you want to change something in your life but you don’t know where to start, this online program based on Biblical principles may be the next right step for you.