Through It All - Joena San Diego

Chapter II - "Take It Easy"

💐 "So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going around Christ --- that's where the action is.
See things from His perspective."

(Colossians 3:1-2)

You are now in a new season. How exciting! But let's also admit that it's pretty overwhelming. New routes to take, new neighborhood, a new language to get familiar with, new people to either make friends with or maybe to stay away from, and above all, new territory to love and cherish. You're trying to juggle everything, while also trying to fight the emotions lingering from the past. So here's our first order of business: take it easy, wild one.

What people usually don't take into consideration when they move from one place to another or when they jump from one season to a new one is the importance of giving themselves the time to transition.

Transition is a movement that shows a clear indication of a change in position. Thus, it would ask a lot of energy and dedicated effort on your end since a huge shift is happening in your life. You have to make space for a lot of mistakes for the very reason that you are new in this craft and you are only starting to learn your way around. If you don't recognize this truth early, you will end up being frustrated every single time you'd encounter a bump along the way.

It's the position where you can honestly tell yourself, "I don't have it all together yet, but I'm working on it."

Give yourself plenty of grace

Don't expect yourself to be an expert in the game straightaway. Take this time to truly humble yourself and keep a teachable heart at all times. You might be soaring high in your precious craft, but let's admit that in this stage of life, you are a beginner who needs all the help that you can get. You will be trained by people whom you have never worked closely before. Hence, you can't expect special treatment. Despite choosing to be here, you will be disappointed because of the things you have no control over. No matter how good your plans are, stuff might still not turn out the way you have expected them to be.

So it is important to give yourself plenty of grace. After all, you are still a work in progress and don't you dare treat that as a sign of weakness. With that very reason, shower yourself with grace as this is what the word of God says, "He opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." (James 4:6)

If you're having a hard time taking it easy on yourself, maybe it's good to remember that the reason why you're now in this place is only because of God's grace. So when things become overwhelming and they go out of control, there is no reason why grace should not be in the picture. It started with grace. Hence, it should be carried through grace.

Don't despise your small beginnings

Hold on to every promise God has made. Don't look around and waste your time comparing your progress to others who have already been going out of their comfort zone way longer than you have. A glorious unfolding of God's plan and purpose for your life is about to come. Don't despise your small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Keep your hope alive. Wonderful things might not happen overnight, but don't lose heart because the best is yet to come. Learn to be a good steward of the small things God has entrusted you, and in His perfect time, the small seeds you have planted will grow into a bountiful harvest. The beauty of it all is that while you are being faithful in your small beginnings, you also have endless opportunities to see the greatness of God actively working in your life. When you start focusing on what God is doing, the more you will appreciate every opportunity to grow and flourish whether it's just a small progress or a huge breakthrough.