God's Nos and Even Greater Yeses

If you had asked 16-year-old me what life would look like in 10 or 20 years, she probably would have told you she would be an officer in the US Navy.

I can assure you that is nothing at all what my life looks like now.

I actually ended up changing my mind and enlisting in the Air Force and was medically discharged before I left for basic training.

God closed the door of the military to me when my mental health issues revealed themselves in my senior year of high school.

It was actually a pretty devastating blow, that I would often look back on and wonder all the What ifs. What would life look like if that path had been the one for me? I often speculated that life would be better especially during times of struggle.

Instead of military I ended up at Liberty University, where I met my first and also my second husband. I wouldn't have my daughter If I had gone the military route. Liberty didn't work out either. I wouldn't be the nurse I am today if it had (I was originally a psychology major)

When I was married to my first husband, I lost a child. That is the biggest "No" blow I've ever received, and I didn't handle it with grace by any means. But as that marriage dissolved and I lived life as a single mother. I imagined how much harder my life would be with two children. I started viewing that loss as a blessing. God knew the path my life would take, and he saved me from an even greater struggle.

When I was dating and ultimately rejected by a man, that I was really interested in, I later found out he was accused and convicted of assault and, according to an accusatory social media post I found, the woman involved is accusing him of even more heinous crimes. Can you say bullet dodged??

If I look back on all the job interviews that didn't go my way, or the jobs I've been let go from that led me to where I am now, I understand why those roles were not for me.

Sometimes God closes doors of opportunity because it's the wrong time, others because you are around the wrong people. You know that friend that walked away without explanation? She would have been a bad influence. How about that boyfriend that dumped you? God saw/sees someone greater in your future, and you had/ have things you need to learn from that relationship.

You're running late because your keys aren't where you left them? Maybe He's protecting you from an accident on the road.

God cares about all aspects of your life, and it's sometimes in the little things we see him the greatest, yet we forget what he does for us.

God answers every prayer with either a yes, no or not yet.

But with every no, is an even greater yes.

Something I've also learned is that God sometimes allows us to go through doors that aren't meant for us long term but are meant as a learning experience.

You want the job? Sure, you can have it, and when you get it you realize you're overworked, overwhelmed, didn't actually listen to God's' guidance and you HATE your job. God gave you the yes you wanted as a learning experience. But so many people forget to look at their situation as a learning experience. They forget to draw closer to God, maybe you were meant to be stretched so you had to rely on God to get you through until you were able to move to a different role or leave the company that's draining you.

Ultimately, I've learned that God's plans are greater. When things don't go my way, I shouldn't force them because I always end up in a situation where I am miserable and realizing the choice I made wasn't God ordained, and now I just have to learn from it.

Jeremiah 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.