I hate running. Or maybe I should say that I strongly dislike running. Here I am running on the treadmill and ready to quit after just three minutes (that’s a shame). I wanted to finish off my workout by running a mile in ten minutes or less. As I began to run, I felt the […]
About A Year
I literally am in awe of where I’m at in life right now. I am amazed that almost a year ago, I packed up my belongings and moved to Atlanta. I’ll never forget that day. I shoved so many boxes in my car, one reading “Jeremiah 29:11 ‘Have faith”. I drove off and cried hysterically […]
A Thorn In My Flesh
I will never forget that excruciating pain. I had just finished swimming with my older sister. I was six years old and that was the first day I started to swim on my own. I was so excited. We lived in Florida at the time and the weather was beautiful. After we finished swimming, I […]
The Balancing Act
“I have so much going on. How am I going to find time to balance everything AND spend time with God?”. This is a question that most of us have come to at least once in our life. We get so wrapped up in everything going on around us that we begin to seek […]
Contentment: Not a Destination but a Lifestyle
There is this belief that contentment is a requirement before you can be in a relationship. If this belief is true, then that means that there is indeed a formula to meeting “the one” and then getting married. I can tell you right now that when we try to come up with formulas to fulfill […]
What’s Your Balance?
I’m pretty sure that you have a bank account. The majority of people open bank accounts as young as their early high school years. These days, it’s almost a requirement. A wonderful feature for most banks is online banking. They make it possible for you to view your account from your computer or an app […]
Accepting His Love
If you acknowledge your sin, there may be times when you feel so unworthy of God’s love. Personally, I’ve had plenty of moments like this. I know how wrong I can be, I understand that I have sinned and how much grace and mercy I need as well. For a while, it was hard for […]
Waiting On God
You can’t help but feel the hunger. You’re ready to get what you asked for. You’re anticipating exactly what you ordered. You see your waiter approaching the table with your food and as it is set before you, your countenance changes. This is not at all what you ordered. In fact, at this point you’re […]
Moving WITH God
I knew that I would endure a lot. So much had already happened, and that was just the beginning. The life I had planned for myself was QUICKLY falling apart. I dreamed of going to school, serving in leadership positions, graduating and becoming a News Reporter/TV Personality. It just made sense. I even threw in […]
You Don’t Even Know – July 1, 2015
As I sat and watched Ayanna’s YouTube video “The Church Is Small”, it hit me. I knew something that many people didn’t. I was in fact a part of this too. I was staring at her face. She was talking to the camera. Although I was on the outside looking in, I knew something that many people didn’t. Behind the camera were many boxes and an air mattress. Yes, an air mattress.
I know what you might be thinking. How could she or you sleep on an air mattress? No, we don’t have our own place YET, but God has provided us with a roof over our head. Family opened up their home to us. No, it’s not the ideal living situation, but we’re so blessed. Despite not having a permanent residence, God still led us here. Every single day He shows me why He has me here. There has not been a day where I haven’t thought about how amazing it is that I’m here.
What many people think they know about someone’s life, they don’t know. You have no clue. Imagine how you feel when people assume things about your life. Many people take the bits and pieces of someone else’s life and formulate what they think their life is like when they have no idea. They don’t even know.
This move to Atlanta is not glamorous. It wasn’t a decision made just because I wanted to be associated with certain people. Atlanta is not all it’s cracked up to be. When you’re truly sent here by God, the purpose you have here never leaves you. You encounter so much, and you have to be ready for it.
It was indeed a faith move. Out of obedience, I moved. It’s been rough. I’ve lost friends. I’ve had people say rude things to my face. I’ve had a lot happen, but it didn’t keep me from being obedient. I didn’t turn to people about this. I didn’t ask anyone what they thought about me moving. I knew what God told me, and my mind was made up.
See, what people don’t see is the fight. They don’t see what happens in your life. They assume that everything is easy or so perfectly planned without realizing that all you’re doing is trusting God with everything. I say this all of the time…I am not living the life that I’m planning for myself.
Just in that moment of watching Ayanna on camera, yet knowing what was going on behind the scenes, I was reminded of so much. My desire in sharing this is that people will wake up. That they will stop looking at the event and look at the process. We think that an event means something. We place so much emphasis and focus on it and forget all about the process. For example, many couples put so much into planning a wedding that they forget that they will actually be married.
So many times we focus on the outside and forget that there is always something happening on the inside that we don’t know about. Being obedient to God is not easy. It’s not going to be a walk in the park on a beautiful seventy-seven degree day with a brisk breeze while the birds are chirping. However, it WILL be worth it. You will experience a joy that is everlasting. It won’t matter if you’re sick. It won’t matter if you are sleeping on someone’s couch. It won’t matter if your car is breaking down. None of the suffering will move you because you know that God has a plan.
My life is not perfect. It’s not glamorous despite what you see on social media. You don’t see the tears through this move. You don’t see the lack of money. You don’t see the bills, the sleeping on an air mattress or anything else. All you saw was the obedience. Obedience is NOT a one time event. It is a daily process.
This is not about looking good. It’s not about status or anything else. It’s time that we truly hear God for ourselves. We have to stop expecting other people to hear God for us. They aren’t us. This has been my personal experience, but I’m certain that anyone else that has been moved by God to step out on faith experiences the same thing. I just want people to stop getting so caught up by what they see on the outside. I’m not going to walk around and plaster my life on a billboard. Just because I don’t show all of my hard times doesn’t mean that I’m not having them.
I am so thankful to be in this place in my life. It is teaching perseverance and to always find joy and peace in the midst of the storm. If you “feel” like you should move to Atlanta, don’t move. You need to be led by God and not by your feelings. When we are truly led, God graces us for what’s to come. He equips us for the calling. My prayer is that through all of this, people will see God and not me. He makes me brave. Through Him, I can do all things.
Pay attention. Quit looking so much on the outside. Ask God to give you the wisdom to see things the way He does. I promise you that your life will change, and you’ll stop placing so much focus on temporary events and things.
God is here. I trust Him. My prayer is that you will give Him everything and start to walk by faith instead of what you see.
Love & Blessings —
India xoxo ❤
My Life As India 