Being In The Right Place

Have you ever heard someone say, "Well I was just in the right place at the right time?"  What did you think of when you heard them say it?  I always think about someone who has won something, someone who received something by chance or someone who witnessed something spectacular.  Is this really a good definition of "being in the right place"?

I would venture to say that when most of us think about "being in the right place", we probably think abour our home, our job, our relationships, our circle of friends and our church.  Have you ever thought about what it would mean to "be in the right place" with your heart, your mind and your spirit?  I would like to ask you to think about this for a moment.............  Now I would like for you to honestly answer the following questions: When I am in my home, how do I feel?  When I am in the right job, how does it affect my home life?  When I am in the right relationship, how does it make me feel?  When I am surrounded by the right group of friends, how does it affect me?  When I am in the right church, how does it affect all area of my life?  Now, answer these questions:  Whey my heart is in the right place, how much love, compassion and help can I give?  When my mind is in the right place, how much clearer can I think and how much more can I understand?  When my spirit is in the right place, how much happier and fulfilled can I be?  I know that was a lot of questions and some of them very hard to answer, but I want you to really spend some time thinking on them.  If we are not in the right place in ALL areas of our life, we will continue to battle ourselves and not be free enough to fulfill our purpose.

Even though I did not really know the subject for this post, I have just had a very heavy heart in regard to my writing.  I actually began to work on this post about 10 days ago, but was unable to finish it until today and as you will see later, it was timing.  God's timing.  When I looked at the date of my last post, I couldn't even believe that it had been six months.  Really, six months?  Where has the time gone.  Of course, I started trying to figure out why it had been so long.  Then I read some of the old posts.  Then as I felt that "butterfly feeling" in my stomach I decided to go back a little further and do some self-evaluation.  It then hit me like a Mac truck, I had not been in the right place.  You see, I had let my heart, my mind and my spirit wonder and get away from me.  I let other things remove me from the right place.  I did not do what I needed to do in order to make sure that I remained in the right place.

Let me explain a little further.  As most of you who follow my blog know that I have always given credit for this blog to God.  I am simply the writer and He is the author.  I have always wanted to write and about one year ago, I had that "butterfly feeling" in my stomach and knew that God was calling me to write.  My writing was going really well while I was "in the right place".  This place included my discipline in attending church, reading my bible and prayer.  As I gradually began to cut back in some of these areas, my heart began to harden, my mind became cloudy and my spirit could not detect that "butterfly feeling" anymore, it was gone.  You see, that "butterfly feeling" was what I always felt when God was trying to reach me, whether it be in prayer, while I was reading or while writing.  Although I kept going to church, praying and reading my bible, I was still so far away from the place that I needed to be.  I allowed my flesh to overrule my spirit and to turn my mind and heart off.  I can honestly say that I didn't even know it was happening.  On May 13, a very dear friend from church prayed with me.  (she had also prayed with me on March 11 as well)  This time as with the previous time, she said that she felt something was holding me back from receiving everything that God wanted for my life.  Then 12 days later on May 25, I went to see the doctor who has been treating my neck and shoulder pain.  As we were talking about my pain, she said that she just felt that she needed to tell me that my pain could be caused by something that I was holding onto and that I needed to let go of it.  As tears filled my eyes that day, I knew that it was time for me to start taking a look at some things.  I figured, ok, I have heard this three times now, so I better do something about it.  Even though it still took me almost a month to figure it out.

What caused the change?  I began to realize that I really missed my writing, but most of all, I really missed that closeness with God that my writing brought me.  I missed that "butterfly feeling" and the beautiful words He gave me.  As I mentioned above, I began writing this 10 days ago (although not much of the original writing was included), but the true turning point was this past weekend, both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.  Our church had our anniversary service Saturday evening.  The sermon was amazing, but it was what happened afterword that made all the difference.  I was in a very bad place and had been for about a week.  My pastor came over and began to pray with my husband and I.  As he was praying, I realized the message from God in his prayer.  This is a new beginning, He wants me to get my joy back, He wants me to realize the plan and purpose that He has for my life.  We sang a song Saturday night, that was sung at our mother church about this time last year when I first had that "butterfly feeling" to begin writing.  Needless to say, I was overwhelmed.  I was even more overwhelmed when I looked back at the date of my first blog post, July 25, 2011.  Then after an amazing sermon yesterday, our pastor shared with us his vision for our church.  He mentioned that in order for our church to grow, we would all need to do our part in the different areas of the ministry.  I was completely overwhelmed by the "butterfly feeling" to accept that challenge.  As I moved to the alter to pray with my pastor's wife, I began to weep uncontrollably.  I did not even realize that my husband had moved to stand beside me until once again our pastor began to pray for us.  He began to pray for each of us individually and together.  I truly began to feel that there is something that God is wanting to use us for within our church.  God is so good.

Why did I tell you all of this?  I wanted you to see how important it is to be in the right place.  My husband and I were "in the right place at the right time" this weekend.  If we had not been there we would have missed out on two life changing events.  We would have missed out on the blessings that God wanted us to receive.  I was in the right place when I heard the same message three times that I needed to take a look at some things.  I was in the right place almost a year ago to hear a sermon and a song that would give me that "butterfly feeling" that I needed to write.  Thank God that I was "IN THE RIGHT PLACE".