Are You Ready for What's Next?నమూనా

It’s okay to start over

Whether you’re starting over in a new career, a new relationship, or a new life outside of what you’re accustomed to, I want you to know that it’s okay to start over. Starting over is a chance to reset and create a new path while honoring God through it all. Starting over can cause you to either focus on the circumstances that caused this season or the consequences that follow this season. Regardless of the reason that you’re in a season of starting over, God is trying to get your attention. Your fear of starting over is caused by the lack of control that you have. There are a lot of unknowns that are going to make you anxious and desperate for His truths. It is normal to desire the answers to your questions. It’s normal to feel discouraged, rejected, or overwhelmed, but the good news is that God is with us and He’s never left us. God's truths are that we’re loved, saved, chosen, and healed by Him.

In 1 Kings 8:57, the Bible reads:

“May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us.”

‭This is your reminder of God's faithfulness. While walking through a season of starting over, what you believe to be darkness is God's hand covering and protecting you. He does this to keep us in His will. He desires for us to live in freedom. I want you to be reminded that you’re not buried by the trials, you’re being planted in His truths. You’re His living seed. During this season, draw near to the Lord and ask Him to water you with His living water. You are the seed that can receive.

Since I was old enough to walk, I had a football in my hand. Football was my life. It was all that I knew. I played football competitively from the age of 6 until I was 24 years old. In high school, I was recognized as one of the best football players in the state of Massachusetts. During my senior year in high school, I earned a scholarship to play Division 1 football at Boston College. While at Boston College, I was a 3-year starter and captain of the team my senior year. During my senior year in college, I decided to enter my name into the NFL draft process. I had high hopes of having an extensive career in the NFL. After the draft ended, I still remember calling my little brother and asking him “How does it feel to have a brother in the NFL?” A week later, I was on my way to the Cleveland Browns for a rookie mini-camp tryout. After a short-lived time in Cleveland, I was cut and sent home. My dreams were shattered and my heart was broken. After that, no other teams called my agent, as they were not interested in me. In my heart, I knew that I was good enough to play professional football. My life’s purpose was playing football until I found out that my girlfriend was pregnant with our son. Back home, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My only identity and recognition was as a football player. Feeling at rock bottom, I asked God “God, what’s next?” The only concrete thing in my life was that I was about to become a dad and I would eventually have to get a job and prepare for life without football. I had to start over! At the time, I was convinced that my career wasn’t over and I would make millions in the NFL, but looking back at it now, I knew God's hands were all over me at this time. God took away football because I was idolizing it and He needed me to carry out His will. He needed me to be his servant. My identity was wrapped in the one thing God took away, but God knew I was ready to come home to Him. Playing football at the highest level made me feel invincible in the real world. I was a big fish in a big pond. God humbled me with a volunteer coaching position at a local vocational high school. I wasn’t ready to start over, but God used this season of my life to be the cornerstone of the foundation of His will. Years later, at the age of 25, I would become the first and only black head coach within the league. God allowed me to use my passion for football as a conduit of His faithfulness to young men.

Action step

First and foremost, I want to remind you that you’re ready! As you prepare to start over, I encourage you to posture yourself because God is about to show you the promises that He’s got for your life. In Isaiah 43:18-19, the Bible reminds us of this by declaring:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

God cares about your fears. He understands everything that worries you and He hears your prayers, but He loves us too much to keep you in a place that no longer produces His good fruit. He’s making a way in the wilderness and bringing streams of His living water to what was once a wasteland. Remove the timeline that culture puts on your life. Just because you’re not where you imagined you would be at this time of your life, doesn’t make you a failure. Allow God to use you! How is God using your experiences and your gifts to carry out His will? In this season, trust God and allow Him to answer your prayers the way He wants to. There is a reason for this season. Create a schedule that allows you to spend time with God. Journal your thoughts, your prayers, and everything He speaks to you about. There will come a time that you’ll be able to read through your old journal entries and see how God was moving in your life through every season.

Lastly, I want to remind you that God is not done with you. The fact that you’re able to read this devotional is a testimony to the goodness of God and His faithfulness to His children. Your only responsibility is your response to his ability happening through you.

Prayer for today

Father God, I thank you for the hope that you’re bringing me in this season. Thank you for not giving up on me. I thank you for hearing and seeing me. I thank you for the prayers that you answer. I ask that you will align my heart with the desires of your will. Thank you for allowing me to be corrected beyond the circumstances that life brings. I ask that you will comfort me in this season, as I start over. Help me to honor you with all of my heart, my mind, and my soul. In your name, I pray. Amen.