I wouldn’t change the bad times even if I could. I know you are thinking, “Shana, no one wants bad times. What is really going on?” And you are absolutely right but hold on, I’m not crazy; I’m blessed. Let me explain.
This weekend I had the honor of attending POWERFILLED 2019. It was nothing short of amazing. It inspired me even more to start thinking about my next step. What is it? Not ready to reveal just yet. But I’ve had the dream for several years. ?However, I can say God has been preparing me for a time such as these for several years. And I am fully equipped partially because of these times. Of course, I had to do my part and get prepared as well. Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself a little bit. Sorry y’all the session this weekend has my spirit lit! Let’s me explain why I wouldn’t change a few of the bad times in my life.
Finances….Yikes!!! I am ashamed to say that there was a time when my INDIVIDUAL credit card debt was almost more than my first house cost. I had several credit cards: Limited, Express, Friedman’s Jewelry, Sears, Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Chase Visa, Citibank VISA, Discover, American Express, Bank of America Visa, just to name a few because I have forgotten the rest, with VERY GOOD credit (VERY GOOD 700-800 range. ALL GOD. I paid the minimum due on time every month and the interest continued to climb. Of course, I would recommend you to use credit more wisely, pay more than the minimum due, and save for a rainy day. The rainy day will come. Several years ago, my husband and I attended a financial program that changed our perspective on money management. We learned the reality of our financial situation and knew we had to improve our debt. And guess what we did just that. I have experienced the feeling of drown in debt, living pay check to pay check. I learned how to budget, save and invest. And now I can enjoy financial freedom. My poor experiences with my personal finances have not only taught me how to manage my money, but I can manage my own business and equip others. Deuteronomy 28:12, “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. If you are interested in joining me on this financial independence journey click here. Take a Step to Financial Freedom and Click Here to Receive More Details
Now, let’s me move on to talk about building effective relationships. Later this month my husband and I will have been married for 22 years. Yep, 22 long years! Some of you it may be hard to believe that our marriage is not perfect. Facebook fooled you huh? It was not our intention to fool anyone. It was simply to keep others out of our business until it was a purpose for them to know. Pre-martial counseling with Rev. Dr. Isaac J. Holt, Jr. provided us three key principles to ensure we had a lifelong marriage: COMMUNICATION, COMMITMENT and the most critical principle of all, CHRIST. Through many trials and tribulations, we have since added another one to our personal list, CONSISTENCY. At times throughout our marriage, we did not honor all of those principles. I’ll let you guess which one(s). But during those bad times, we learned and grew from our mistakes. We learned how to put each other’s need first, we learned how to communicate more effectively with one another and we learned how to give and receive feedback which are all key elements in any relationship, personal or professional.
And those very same principles I used to become who I am, Unapologetically Me, an author, mother, wife, friend, coach, inspirational leader and mentor. Again, I wouldn’t change those bad times even if I could.
As you continue through this thing called life, remember the bad times won’t last always. Psalm 34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
In every situation, stop ask yourself what lesson have I learned? What could I have done to get a different outcome? What will I do next time? What can I share with someone else so they won’t make the same mistake? God often uses some of the worst situations in our lives to show us He is still in the midst and when your situation turns around, He will get all the glory.