How Did I Get Here

Have you ever had a moment where you had to ask yourself “how did I get here?” Most of the time we may find ourselves asking that question when we are questioning our behavior. It could be hanging out in places that we know we have outgrown, entertaining meaningless relationships for the sake of saying we are with someone, picking up bad habits like excessive or impulsive shopping, or over indulging in food.

Have you ever asked yourself that question as it relates to something positive in your life? You may notice you have a more positive and warm spirit, you are more outgoing than before, and that you say less negative statements and more affirming ones, etc.

I was recently asked “how do I stay so spiritually grounded?” It caused me to reflect on how and when I became this way. I have always been somewhat of a positive person but I have definitely noticed a change in my outlook on life.

I will start by saying staying spiritually grounded is a continual process. You have to be intentional about wanting to have that type of mindset. You have to make up in your mind that you will not be moved, regardless of what life may throw at you. In John 10:10 (NLT) it states “the thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy; my purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” That passage could be used as a metaphor to suggest that your joy can be stolen, your dreams can be destroyed, and your peace can be taken by the enemy if you allow it.

Of course, this is easier said than done and I am speaking from experience. The year 2011 and 2012 were probably two of the worst years of my life to date. Two of my cousins passed away just 3 weeks apart, one in March and the other in April of 2011. One of my cousins had complications with sickle cell anemia and my other cousin passed away from her 2^nd battle with cancer at the young age of 18.

In 2012 I received a denial letter on my first attempt to get into graduate school. Shortly after, I would soon learn some devastating news that would forever change the dynamic of my family. On April 15^th, 2012, exactly one year to the date that my cousin with cancer passed, my uncle (the closest father figure I had) was arrested and, shortly after, was sentenced to a term that is currently still being served. While all of these things were transpiring, I was living in a city away from all of my family and most of my friends since this timeframe was shortly after I had graduated college.

I tried to go out from time to time, I tried drinking, and I tried having a relationship that I knew in the beginning would not amount to anything, but all of those things only provided temporary satisfaction. I was going to church but I was not connected at the time. One day I felt like I might have a nervous breakdown because it was so much happening at once and I felt alone. That is when I decided to really start committing myself to going to church like I should.  Of course there was still a process and the change did not occur overnight. However, I started to notice a change in how I felt and that is how I knew that no one or nothing could pull me out of how I was feeling at that time but GOD.

I still have times where I may have a struggle or I may have a bad day, but I am intentional on not allowing myself to stay in that place. I reflect on where I have been and where GOD pulled me from. I just refused to allow myself to take steps backwards. That allows me to put my FAITH into action because if I know something has been done before then I know it can be done again.

I am a strong believer in the power of our words, because the words we speak can dictate our mood and our behaviors. If you want to have more positivity in your life, I suggest you speak positivity into the atmosphere. You will be surprised how different you feel based on how you speak. Also, prayer and worship music helps to keep me spiritually grounded as well. I like to have conversations with God and I am learning to seek wisdom and discernment from God first about a decision before asking for the opinions of other people.  When you feel yourself having a bad day, week or being consumed with a lot of negativity I challenge you to cut off the TV, social media, and secular music. If our words have power that also goes for what we feed our souls. You have to know when it is time to tune out the outside noise. Reading scriptures are important with helping one to stay spiritually grounded. The scriptures help to provide principles to live by but it is up to us if we want to follow them.

I understand that I am not perfect and that I am going to make mistakes. I understand that God grants me his grace and mercy but I have learned to not use that as an excuse to do whatever I feel like doing. I want to show love toward others, and I want to grant the same kind of mercy, compassion, kindness, and patience that God has granted me.

I want you to think about ways that can help you stay spiritually grounded. It may be some of the things that I mentioned, or it could be something else. We are all on a different path in this journey called life, but I challenge you to find ways to help you become the best version of yourself.