It’s never a good idea to compare your life to
someone else’s or what they’ve got going on. See, I recognize that I serve a
“suddenly” God. Just because it took someone else this or that amount of time
to get where they are, be with who they’re with, or accomplish what they’ve
done, doesn’t mean it’ll take the same amount of time for me. And this is true
for us all. I can remember being frustrated during different seasons of my life
when my self-imposed “timelines” weren’t flowing as I hoped. I’d map out all these
different plans for myself and ask God to bless them, instead of praying
first and then getting some direction. Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still, and know
that I am God.” I used to think that standing still was unproductive. I felt if I wasn’t constantly moving, things wouldn’t happen, until I finally slowed down and stood still. Since I’ve
gotten into the posture of doing this, I’ve watched as God put things together
in a way that required nothing of me except the obedience of stillness. When I
did this, he spoke clearly to me. The clarity that came with stillness was
amazing. Suddenly, a series of incredible blessings started coming my way, in
ways that blew my mind. While things like success, relationships, and
accomplishments don’t usually happen overnight, I’m recognizing that a lot of
what I thought would take awhile, won’t, with a “suddenly” God behind the
scenes. God orchestrates things in such a way that our human minds will never be able to figure out. He does
things on an entirely different level that always reminds me, he’s in charge. I
love that I serve a “suddenly” God. He‘s dope.
As you embark on your career, I want you to know some things and stay woke about what you’ll be up against. Please understand that no matter what, you have value, and you matter. Always remember that. As progressive as this world and different workplaces may seem, every workplace has a culture. You’ll be in different places where a lot of people who don’t look like you will be in the room. But know that you belong in those rooms too. Spend some time observing and studying those spaces and learn as much as you can. There will be people you work with who will make presumptions about your competence, education, and ability to fulfill your job duties. There will be more who will think less of you because of the color of your skin and try to disqualify you the moment you make an error, mistake, or ask questions about things you may not understand. This will all feel uncomfortable and you may get insecure, feel like you’re all by yourself, and think you don’t belong there, but ride it out...