Letting God Guide You Through Your Wilderness

Posted on 29. Dec, 2011 by Setema Gali in Adversity

I’ve always known what I wanted to do when I “grew up.” From football, to the NFL, to writing a book, to making money, speaking on stage and the list goes on.

At one point in my life I was 100% certain about what I wanted to do. In the past 4 years, last 2 years, last 12 months life has changed dramatically.

I’ve always held on to the entrepreneurial dream of creating businesses, working for myself and enjoying the finer things of life. Workshops, seminars, symposiums and keynote assignments were an everyday thing. The last real job I had was as a New England Patriot.

After I lost everything (homes, cars, money, business) I met a master of internet marketing and gave two and a half years of my life to the industry. I’ve learned much from speakers, trainers, and my bank account can prove the near $100,000 in tuition I’ve spent on bettering myself and increasing my value.

Yet somewhere deep inside my soul there was an empty and cold space. I tried to fill it with money, with achievement, with adventure and with knowledge. Nothing worked. I’ve traveled well. I’ve driven expensive cars, lived in big homes and have spent time with people in “high” places. I’ve also had as little as $4.50 in my bank account wondering how I would feed my little family.

We also had our cars repossessed, homes foreclosed on and even went through a period of time where we lived on EBT. I have great empathy and a deep understanding for folks who hit the “depression” mode. I was there. I know what it feels like.

In Christian scripture reference is often made to the “wilderness.” This represents a test, a time of chastening and growth. The wilderness always came before the “promised land.” For some the wilderness was relatively short, 1 year maybe 8 years. For others, it was as long as 40 years.

The past four years have been a wilderness for me. Income has dramatically shifted up and down. I’ve moved my family in and out of very big homes to very small townhomes to apartments and everything in between. It’s been an exciting journey. It’s been a trying time. Even better than that, it’s been a time of divine tutoring from a God who knows all.

We are taught that we get what we search for and whatever it is we are looking for, we will eventually find it. I have been searching. And it has only been when my heart was truly humbled when I was ready to move out of the wilderness and into a preparatory state to receive greater things in life that God intended me to fulfill.

God will guide you if you will let Him. Life isn’t easy for anyone. Regardless of how good life is, the challenges, hardships and difficulties will come. We all will face multiple “wildernesses” and no matter what we do, it will try our souls and stretch our spirits. Loss of loved ones, physical sickness, sudden death and financial turmoil come to everyone.

Turn your life over to God. All the self help gurus out there are good. All the books are good. I believe many of them become answers to our prayers. But there comes a time when we are stripped of everything and it becomes a matter of being able to consecrate and give everything to Him.

It’s one thing to believe in God. It’s another thing to actually believe God.

Let Him guide you. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. From ancient scripture to modern day stories of hope, inspiration and miracles, if all else fails, He will not. Hold on.

I’ve taken the past 3 months off from working and spent it with my wife and kids. We are expecting our third child and my wife basically goes into sleep mode. I’m grateful God has allowed me to be in a position where my time and attention could be spent on laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, bathing my boys daily and taking care of my wife.

I took time off of blogging, working, writing, reading and working out to pay attention to things that matter most. I spent less time on Facebook and other Social Media outlets. I actually did a media fast where I spent no time on line. What a blessing that was. We become to busy with good things that we forget the great things. After all the enemy of great is not evil. The enemy of great is good.

It has been through my wilderness of affliction that I’ve discovered some powerful truths about who I am and what lies ahead of me.

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” John Wooden

Is it possible to go through the wilderness and become a more humble and more patient contributor to society? Or is becoming “hardened” inevitable? The choice is ours.

If we are willing to be led by the Master Creator, He will guide us to our specific “promised lands” where we will have our greatest impacts and contributions.

It’s never too late to change course.

Setema