Today begins a fresh journey in my life. Today, I take my first step into financial freedom. This has been something that has plagued my life since I was in high school.
If you read the last few posts, you will find that I was struggling with my emotions and deciding whether or not to go back on the road. Forget all that! God has given me a plan and I see light at the end of this very dark tunnel.
Now I've always been good with numbers - even took accounting in high school, but I've never been able to balance my own checkbook. It always ended in disaster. I was never really taught how to manage money. So when the technology came along that resulted in online banking - I was thrilled!
I went to college for accounting when I was 19 - and that was a super hard year. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 weeks after I started college. I worked 2 part time jobs, did choir and drama through my church and was taking 15 credit hours at the college. I had too much on my plate, but being at home was miserable.
To be honest, I really hadn't figured out at the time what I really wanted to do with my life. Then came the credit cards - and the spending. Back then, a shiny new toy to show off was just the thing I needed - til the feeling wore off and I had to get something new.
Needless to say, I dug myself into a hole real fast - and it only got worse. To say that I was a surface Christian at the time was the truth - everything I'd done in the church was me trying to get to heaven by doing good works - though I didn't know it at the time.
Creditors started calling and I started ignoring them, going on with my life as if everything was just peachy....which couldn't be farther from the truth.
In my 20's I would fall away from the church for a couple of years and then come back for a couple of years. During this time in my life I was still searching for my identity - and still doing the things I did before.
Something had to change - and it did. I got married. I was 25 and became a step mother and a grandmother all in one day. He was 20 years older than I was, but what I didn't know was what a horrible turn my life had taken.
Everything was put in my name. Needless to say, two people who have accrued debt are not good for each other. Both of their pits become one bottomless hole.
In the state of Michigan, there is such thing as a no contest divorce. The mental state that I was in at the time was so distorted that I was willing to get this kind of divorce if only it meant that I never had to see him again.
And, since the bills were in my name, I got stuck with the debt - all of it. The divorce was final on February 16, 2010.
I rededicated my life to God on April 1st of that same year. If you would have told me 2 years ago that I would be where I am today - I would've laughed. But God is the one doing miracles here - not me.
During the past two years, I have discovered my identity in Christ. I learned to hear God's voice and speak with Him on a day to day basis. Right now, He is my entire life - that is something that I will never let go of.
So on Friday night, I wrote down some goals about where I truly want to go in my life. The world thinks that you should go to school, get a diploma, go on to college and graduate and get a job.
I break the mold when it comes to school. I learn better by hands on experience than I ever did out of a book. Which is amusing because I love to read.
So when I wrote these goals down honestly, it surprised me a little. My first goal is to serve God with everything I have. My second is to get married and have a family. For those of you who truly know me, this is a desire I have had for the longest time.
For my guy friends who are reading this blog, please don't think that I want anything other than your friendship. I am not looking to get married - God will bring the right man to me when it's in His timing - not mine. I do however need help when it comes to my guy friends. There are times where I have a really hard time conversing with you because of the experiences that I've had. God is still working with me on this, so please be patient with me. Most of the time, I recognize what I'm doing and will come and apologize to you if I see it. If not, please point it out to me gently. Thank you.
God is working in my life, getting me ready for something big. The financial aspect of things is actually the second part of my journey so far. The spiritual aspect took about 2 years. I'm thinking that this will be about the same.
So today, one of my best friends and I are getting together to go over stuff and to create a plan to knock this out. She's helping me out with the accountability side of things and I plan on attending Financial Peace University through my church.
I finally have hope. I can see the end of this mountain. Though things will get tough along the way, my love, my trust and my dependency is upon the Lord. He will carry me through when I cannot carry myself.
I also have many people praying for me as well as supporting me as I go through this. If you have a financial need, would you please let me pray for you? Either comment below or you can catch me on Facebook. I hope to hear from you :)
As always, may God bless you and keep you my friends!
If you read the last few posts, you will find that I was struggling with my emotions and deciding whether or not to go back on the road. Forget all that! God has given me a plan and I see light at the end of this very dark tunnel.
Now I've always been good with numbers - even took accounting in high school, but I've never been able to balance my own checkbook. It always ended in disaster. I was never really taught how to manage money. So when the technology came along that resulted in online banking - I was thrilled!
I went to college for accounting when I was 19 - and that was a super hard year. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 weeks after I started college. I worked 2 part time jobs, did choir and drama through my church and was taking 15 credit hours at the college. I had too much on my plate, but being at home was miserable.
To be honest, I really hadn't figured out at the time what I really wanted to do with my life. Then came the credit cards - and the spending. Back then, a shiny new toy to show off was just the thing I needed - til the feeling wore off and I had to get something new.
Needless to say, I dug myself into a hole real fast - and it only got worse. To say that I was a surface Christian at the time was the truth - everything I'd done in the church was me trying to get to heaven by doing good works - though I didn't know it at the time.
Creditors started calling and I started ignoring them, going on with my life as if everything was just peachy....which couldn't be farther from the truth.
In my 20's I would fall away from the church for a couple of years and then come back for a couple of years. During this time in my life I was still searching for my identity - and still doing the things I did before.
Something had to change - and it did. I got married. I was 25 and became a step mother and a grandmother all in one day. He was 20 years older than I was, but what I didn't know was what a horrible turn my life had taken.
Everything was put in my name. Needless to say, two people who have accrued debt are not good for each other. Both of their pits become one bottomless hole.
In the state of Michigan, there is such thing as a no contest divorce. The mental state that I was in at the time was so distorted that I was willing to get this kind of divorce if only it meant that I never had to see him again.
And, since the bills were in my name, I got stuck with the debt - all of it. The divorce was final on February 16, 2010.
I rededicated my life to God on April 1st of that same year. If you would have told me 2 years ago that I would be where I am today - I would've laughed. But God is the one doing miracles here - not me.
During the past two years, I have discovered my identity in Christ. I learned to hear God's voice and speak with Him on a day to day basis. Right now, He is my entire life - that is something that I will never let go of.
So on Friday night, I wrote down some goals about where I truly want to go in my life. The world thinks that you should go to school, get a diploma, go on to college and graduate and get a job.
I break the mold when it comes to school. I learn better by hands on experience than I ever did out of a book. Which is amusing because I love to read.
So when I wrote these goals down honestly, it surprised me a little. My first goal is to serve God with everything I have. My second is to get married and have a family. For those of you who truly know me, this is a desire I have had for the longest time.
For my guy friends who are reading this blog, please don't think that I want anything other than your friendship. I am not looking to get married - God will bring the right man to me when it's in His timing - not mine. I do however need help when it comes to my guy friends. There are times where I have a really hard time conversing with you because of the experiences that I've had. God is still working with me on this, so please be patient with me. Most of the time, I recognize what I'm doing and will come and apologize to you if I see it. If not, please point it out to me gently. Thank you.
God is working in my life, getting me ready for something big. The financial aspect of things is actually the second part of my journey so far. The spiritual aspect took about 2 years. I'm thinking that this will be about the same.
So today, one of my best friends and I are getting together to go over stuff and to create a plan to knock this out. She's helping me out with the accountability side of things and I plan on attending Financial Peace University through my church.
I finally have hope. I can see the end of this mountain. Though things will get tough along the way, my love, my trust and my dependency is upon the Lord. He will carry me through when I cannot carry myself.
I also have many people praying for me as well as supporting me as I go through this. If you have a financial need, would you please let me pray for you? Either comment below or you can catch me on Facebook. I hope to hear from you :)
As always, may God bless you and keep you my friends!
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