A Little Taste of the Unknown is a Big Deal!

It might feel strange to find ourselves all alone as single-again women. Add to that the isolation during this pandemic and we arrive at a distinct tingling sensation making us want to shiver--maybe for the first time in our life. Many of us blundered through "Drive-in Movie" high school days (yes, that was our reality), Homecoming football games and living with our parents to bunking with three other college roommates four states away. Suddenly before we could blink an eye, we were madly combing all the wedding magazines looking for the perfect dress, best flowers, and honeymoon destinations! 

Up to that point, we were never totally alone on our own. Sound familiar? Now we might call this the "Season of Survival" and it can be scarier than jumping out of a plane into the unknown for the first time. What if we panic? What if our parachute doesn't open? What if the pilot misses the designated spot and we land in the depths of the ocean weighted down and no way out? All the What Ifs rushing into our brains at once can overload our circuits! 

Without a Hint of Giving Up!

In the wild, survival of the fittest is the rule. There are many, many fascinating TV documentaries from channels such as National Geographic that show this harsh reality. Even though we may cringe and have compassion for the smallest babies of the jungle, we surely know it can be no other way. Thankfully, our reality is probably a bit tamer! 

It would be a logical guess that if we have made it thus far to be reading this week's Fresh Start Momentum blog, we have already moved through at least a few (if not numerous) facets of survival. Congratulations! In case no one has pointed it out yet, we ARE strong enough to not only exist as a single-again women but to continue to live and prosper on our own if that is our choice.    

We are among the many who have had a little taste of the unknown and are still here to talk about it. That is a big deal indeed! And now we can positively continue trying to figure out all the different angles of how to make our lives the best they can be without a hint of giving up. There is no room for that nonsense anyway, right?

No matter our age right now, what could we say is the next most important development we want to see take place in our life? (Hint: it will be different for each and every woman, so just take the time to really sit and think about this one (maybe journal it) and come up with an answer or maybe two.)

The Beginning, Middle, and the End

Yes, this really is the beginning of our new life in every way possible. Sure, it is our choice to make it a great one or let it become stale and unproductive. But all that will do is prevent a Middle from happening. And then there will be no room left for a legacy at the End. Think about it. 

The truth is, only God—the Creator of every single one of us--knows exactly what our Beginning, Middle, and End look like. He can see it all. We can only see a small portion of our life because blinders block much of the view. Our only choice is to ask Him how to survive in the first place and follow His direction. We have only questions and more questions. God has all the right answers! 

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:13 NLT).

               

Looking Forward to What Lies Ahead

New growth is exciting!

We might feel odd to find ourselves all alone--a tingling sensation making us want to shiver--maybe for the first time in our life. We probably went from our "Drive-in Movie" high school days, Homecoming football games, and living with our parents to anticipating the fun we would have bunking with three other college roommates four states away. Suddenly before we could blink an eye, we were madly combing all the wedding magazines looking for the perfect dress, best flowers, and honeymoon destinations! 

Let’s face it—most of us at that point had never been totally alone and on our own. Sound familiar? Fast forward to today and here we go again! We might call this the "Season of Survival" in more ways than one and it’s scarier than jumping out of a plane into the unknown for the first time. What if we panic? What if our parachute doesn't open? What if the pilot missed the designated spot and we land in the depths of the ocean weighted down and no way out? All the What Ifs rushing into our brain at once can overload our circuits! 

Are We Strong Enough to Survive?

In the wild, the survival of the fittest is the rule. There are many, many fascinating TV documentaries from National Geographic that shows this harsh reality. Even though we may cringe and have compassion for the smallest babies of the jungle, we surely know it can be no other way. Thankfully, our reality is probably a bit tamer! 

It would be an indisputable fact that if we have made it this far as a single-again woman and are reading this week's blog, we have already moved through at least a few (if not numerous) phases of survival. Congratulations! In case no one has pointed it out yet, we ARE strong enough to not only exist as a strong and determined woman (think of Scarlett in the classic movie, Gone With the Wind) but to continue to live and prosper on your own if that is our choice.    

Choose a survival place

We are among the many who have had a little taste of the unknown and are still here to tell about it. That's a big deal indeed! And now we can positively continue figuring out all the different angles of how to make our lives the best they can be without a hint of giving up. There's no room for that nonsense anyway, right? No matter what our age right now, what could we say is the next most important survival change? Consider the following question.

What do we want to see happen? (Hint: it will be different for each woman, so just take the time to really sit and think about this one, make notes, and come up with a workable answer.)

The Beginning, Middle, and the End

Yes, this really is the Beginning of our new lives in every way possible. It is our choice to make it a great one or let it become stale and unproductive which will prevent a Middle from happening. Then it follows there will be no room left for a legacy at the End. Think about it. 

The truth is, only God knows exactly what our Beginning, Middle, and End look like. He can see it all because He created us for a purpose and is not willing to let us go. We can only see a small portion of our life because blinders block much of the view. Our only choice is to ask God how to survive in the first place and follow His direction. We only have questions. God has all the right answers! 

"I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection...No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:12-13 NLT).

What Do You Want to See Happen Next?

Find your own survival path

It might feel oddly strange to find yourself all alone--a tingling sensation making you want to shiver--maybe for the first time in your life. You may have gone from your "Drive-in Movie" high school days, Homecoming football games and living with your parents to bunking with three other college roommates four states away. Suddenly before you could blink an eye, you were madly combing all the wedding magazines looking for the perfect dress, best flowers, and honeymoon destinations! 

You've never been totally alone on your own. Sound familiar? You might call this the "Season of Survival" and it can be scarier than jumping out of a plane into the unknown for the first time. What if you panic? What if your parachute doesn't open? What if the pilot missed the designated spot and you land in the depths of the ocean weighted down and no way out? All the What Ifs rushing into your brain at once can overload your circuit! 

Are You Strong Enough to Survive?

In the wild, survival of the fittest is the rule. There are many, many fascinating TV documentaries from National Geographic that show this harsh reality. Even though you may cringe and have compassion for the smallest babies of the jungle, you surely know it can be no other way. Thankfully, your reality is probably a bit tamer! 

It would be an educated guess that if you have made it thus far to be reading this week's blog, you have already moved through at least a few (if not numerous) facets of survival. Congratulations! In case no one has pointed it out to you yet, you ARE strong enough to not only exist as a single-again woman but to continue to live and prosper on your own if that is your choice.    

You'll never know until you try

You are among the many who have had a little taste of the unknown and are still here to tell about it. That's a big deal indeed! And now you can positively continue trying to figure out all the different angles of how to make your life the best it can be without a hint of giving up. There's no room for that nonsense anyway, right? No matter what your age right now, what would you say is the next most important survival change in your life? 

What do you want to see happen? (Hint: it will be different for each and every woman, so just take the time to really sit and think about this one and you'll come up with your answer.)

The Beginning, Middle, and the End

Yes, this really is the beginning of your new life in every way possible. It is your choice to make it a great one or let it become stale and unproductive which will prevent a Middle from happening. And then there will be no room left for a legacy at the End. Think about it. 

The truth is, only God knows exactly what your Beginning, Middle and End looks like. He can see it all. You can only see a small portion of your life because blinders block much of the view. Your only choice is to ask Him how to survive in the first place and follow His direction. You have only questions. God has all the right answers! 

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:13 NLT).

               

Dancing in the Rain

On days when we lose our momentum, it’s sometimes hard to get it back. The wheels just won't move. The engine wants to go back to bed. The fuel staggers on empty. 

It starts out all right. We wake up in the morning ready to tackle the day. The adrenaline level seems a little shaky, but soon revs up like a blender on over-kill. The bed and breakfast are made before the kids' feet even hit the floor. So much to get done in the next few hours.      

Then all of a sudden--bam!--the energy comes to a crashing halt! Our “To Do List” is the last thing we want to tackle now. It's truly overwhelming doing life on our own. The mind wanders to way off places remembering the "smiles we left behind." So what happened? Where did the motivation go?  

Life is not about how we survive the storm, 

it's about how we dance in the rain!

Most likely we are still harboring fears and anger about the past. We allow our emotions to get ahead of us. It's important here to say it's absolutely o.k. to cry it all out. We all do it. In fact, it's a must, otherwise those feelings turn inward on us and depression takes over and that's a nasty problem indeed. So go ahead and grab that pillow and scream as loud as you can! It's truly the best release ever available. 

Out-of-whack and out of slack. 

Priorities got jumbled and the tension suddenly burst. We often forget to first take a morning minute and check in with our Creator. He already knows what’s on our agenda for today and it may not be the same as the one in our smart phone. He has people for us to meet today--a new neighbor or maybe an old friend who is hurting like us. Exciting things for us to do. It’s probably nothing like what we expected, but you can be sure He knows the Plan. 

So let’s make it easy on ourselves and Pop! that umbrella open! 

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9