Crossroads

Hello Everyone and Welcome Back to Courage Unchained!

Hope you all are doing well since the new year started & are staying safe in all this crazy weather! Around four weeks ago now we had a fairly nice little snowstorm come through Western NC that gave us roughly ten inches of snow on top of a decent amount of ice and then a couple of weekends ago, another round came through and gave us another six inches of snow! Our lowest temps so far hit the weekend before last as we saw -9 with the wind chill! It’s been warm the past few days but snow is once again in the forecast tomorrow night. This post has been in the works for a while now but with the holidays and everything getting really busy after the first of the year, this one was put on the back-burner for a bit. 

To give you a little back story to what this post is all about. Last year, my husband and I became increasingly tired of the grueling work we were doing with lawn care & landscaping. Though both of us enjoy/love working together & we really did enjoy what we did, it was taking a toll on us physically. We both knew that it was time to look into some other goals we had in mind for ourselves & maybe ease our way out of the intense physical work we were doing almost every day for at least 8 months out of the year.  After making our decision concerning the business. I found myself at a crossroads concerning which dream to pursue. 

What happens when you find yourself at that crossroads? What happens when you find yourself sitting at a four-way stop, unsure of which way you should turn? Which road takes you to the place you’re meant to be? Which road makes you feel like you’re living life in the best way? Some steps you take in life are just that, stepping stones to a bigger picture. Some are leaps of faith where you just drop everything and go in another direction altogether. Others have a longer drive but the destination is beautiful. Which path takes you to a place where you’re using your fullest potential? Most importantly, what makes you feel like you’re alive, by alive I mean, which makes the blood flow throughout your veins with passion? Some roads are full of mud and it’s easy to get stuck, which is why it’s so important to choose the right path for the season you’re in. 

Sometimes that path isn’t easy to choose, it wasn’t easy for me to decide. But as the days progressed for me last year, it became more clear. The path I chose turned out to be anything but easy. Timing was pushed out further than planned & other roadblocks kept wanting to prevent the climb to the goal. But guess what? Even after everything, I accomplished my goal & I’m now onto my new career!! Nothing in life worth having comes without a challenge. 

Keep shooting for the stars & don’t look back. I want to encourage you to do that today. Just because a dream might look out of reach or seem too small/big or you’re not sure how you’re going to make it happen, doesn’t mean you should give up on it. No dream is ever too small/big or too hard to achieve. What is keeping you from choosing your road? What are you waiting for? Life is too short to wait on someday. 

If you find yourself in the same boat as I found myself in last year and no doubt will find myself in again at some point. First, stop, breathe & pray. Might sound simple but that’s the best place to start. It’s easy to start overthinking things and get stressed out. When that happens, it hinders our ability to make a decision clearly. Talk with your spouse/significant other if you have one, talk with your trusted friends and listen to some good music. You might be surprised how God will speak through all three. Ask yourself which makes you feel most alive, even if it’s the road that is the most uncertain. Look into your heart & figure out which path brings you the most peace. Remember, the best view comes after the hardest climb. 

Until next time……

Katie