Journey: From Journey, Not Arrival

By Kristen Danielle Talley

If you have ever met someone and they said to you that Ive got this thing called life figured out! I never sin, I am always happy and life is perfect! Then you should run, and run as fast as you can! From Journey, Not Arrival is a story about love, hurt, disappointment, peace, joy, and forgiveness. Its a story about how going through things, sometimes great and not so great, really teaches you how to navigate through life; the longer you live life, the more you will learn! Thats why so many people say that with age comes wisdom!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781479729739

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Kristen Danielle Talley.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2012919042

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4797-2972-2

                Softcover        978-1-4797-2971-5

                eBook             978-1-4797-2973-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 12/08/2014

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: Seasons

Chapter 2: A Time for Life and a Time for Death

Chapter 3: Makeup

Chapter 4: The Only One

Chapter 5: Friends—How Many of Us Have Them?

Chapter 6: Growing with Scrutiny

Chapter 7: Secret Place

Chapter 8: Confronting Reality

Chapter 9: Bridling the Beast

Chapter 10: Can I Have Just a Peek?

Chapter 11: The Moment After

Chapter 12: Man Apart

Chapter 13: Who Said It Was About You?

Chapter 14: Finding Peace during the Quiet time

Chapter 15: Don’t Cower Down!

Chapter 16: Profit and Loss Review: It’s Time to Take Inventory!

Chapter 17: Releasing What’s Not Yours

Chapter 18: The Power of Relationships

Chapter 19: Control Freak

Chapter 20: Journey

From Journey, Not Arrival

And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O LORD GOD, thou knowest. Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. (Ezek. 37:3-7)

INSPIRATION AND DEDICATIONS

F irst, I give all the glory to the one and only true living God. Personally, He has been a healer, forgiver, protector, joy sustainer, grace giver, provider; and the list could and does go on and on! For me, it wasn’t until I came into the full understanding of who Christ really was that I began to know what love truly meant. I will forever serve my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, who is my Heavenly Father!

He and He alone knows my heart. heart.jpg

Mom, you embodied strength, beauty, joy, perseverance, and personality! You taught Brandy and me to never give up on ourselves. You taught us to be grateful and to treat people with respect. You showed us how to work hard for what we want, to smile through every situation, to know that failure is not an option, and to use everything as a lesson learned. You taught us to respect ourselves as true ladies and to carry ourselves as such. You pushed us hard, and I see the benefits of it now. Your life was and is still such a blessing to all who knew you. Your legacy still lives on through Brandy and me. We miss you every day, and I hope we are making you proud!

Next, I am so thankful for my family. Dad, words could never explain how your presence alone has encouraged me. You are the best father and friend I have known. I never lacked love growing up and even now. A father’s love is so vital to any daughter, and for this, I am so grateful. In 1996, when Mom passed away, you immediately became our primary parent. Boy, did you have a job on your hands, but look at God! You taught me to be strong, you taught me to be respectful, you taught me to love unconditionally, you taught me to always try and be a better person every day, and most of all, you taught me the true value of a family. You are such a loving person, and all those who know you, love you! No one could compare.

Brandy, as my big-little sister (as I always say), I am so grateful to have such a wonderful role model, best friend, teammate, and English critique! Our relationship has come such a long way over the years, and we have truly been there for one another through everything. We have challenged each other way more than those around us could ever understand, as well as pushed each other daily to reach our full potential. I am a better person today because of our relationship. Thank you so much for being such a great example for me.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank all of my great friends and extended family who have played such an intricate role in helping me to become the person I am today. Each of our paths has crossed along this journey for a reason, and I am grateful! You all have listened to my wild dreams and random revelations over the years, and I love you all for the support that you have shown me. I only pray that God will continue to show me how to be as good to you all as you have been to me. I love each of you with the agape love of Christ!

INTRODUCTION

I f you have ever met someone and they said to you that I’ve got this thing called life figured out! I never sin, I am always happy and life is perfect! Then you should run, and run as fast as you can! From Journey, Not Arrival is a story about love, hurt, disappointment, peace, joy, and forgiveness. It’s a story about how going through things, sometimes great and not so great, really teaches you how to navigate through life; the longer you live life, the more you will learn! That’s why so many people say that with age comes wisdom!

In this book, I want to take you away to a place where you’ll smile, laugh, reflect on your dreams, confront your hurts, give God glory for His grace and mercy, laugh at your mistakes, shed tears of joy over your blessings, shout to God for bringing you out, push through adversity, build strength to confront reality, find the courage to live out your wildest dreams, and most of all, I want you encouraged!

In a light, comical, deliberate way, this book will take you through some of my most uncomfortable, yet joyful and blessed experiences in life. I hope that this book will encourage you to see beyond your current circumstances and understand that everything, and I do mean everything, works together for the good of those that love Christ! We are all truly a work in progress! Don’t stop believing in everything that God has revealed to you and promised you! The good, the bad, and the ugly that we go through are all just opportunities for us to stand strong and show God that we trust His plan.

Too often, we are rushing from point A to point B in life. All the while God is saying, Slow down, my sons and daughters. Don’t miss what I have laid out before you. As we travel through this life that God has preordained for us, we will gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. When I started writing this book, I began to understand that our learning and maturity truly come from what we go through. So let me translate that for everyone, You are going to have to go through some things. If it weren’t for the bumps along the way, how would you learn how to pray and to rely on God’s strength? Like Psalm 121 says, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

In my prayers, I have always asked God to use my life to encourage and bless others. When I couldn’t find the words to say to those who were hurting or the money to give to those in need, I stood firm on the promises of God and his desire to increase me in every area of my life, knowing that He could trust me to sow back into His kingdom. We were designed to live with a purpose. Know that God will bless you with the resources to do His work! Throughout this book, you will often hear me speak about choices. Each and every one of us are faced with choices that we must make daily. Some of the choices that I made are the very reasons I decided to write this book. One has to choose happiness, peace, and, most of all, our God-given joy!

We all have experienced life and the many woes that can come, but what I have learned is that there is always a positive aspect to every negative situation. Bishop Mark Chironna, an awesome speaker, life coach, and encourager from Orlando, Florida, once said, The Bible explains Joseph’s life very one-dimensionally. It says that (a) things happened in his life, and (b) God used it for his good! Simple as that! When I began to look at my life and realize that all the things that I had and had not experienced were working together for my good, I was immediately able to shift the perspective of my destiny! I began to experience life at a new level. I challenged myself and others to see life in a new way, and that was to see life through our spiritual eyes versus our natural eyes! This revelation was a pivotal moment in my life, and it can be in yours as well. When we as God’s people come to the full knowledge of Christ and how He desires to move us from glory to glory, we will reach a true place of growth.

If you are looking backward, asking God, God, where were you? begin to challenge yourself to ask God, Where are you headed? Sometimes the reason that our situations are so tough is because God didn’t intend for us to still be in that situation and chances are God had spoken to us in every way that He knew how, and as a result of us not being obedient to His voice, He has already checked out and moved on to our next intended blessing. Catch up!

Romans 5:3-5 says, And not only so, but we glory in the tribulations also: Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

So as you read this book and reflect on your own life experiences try and remember, "It’s not what happens, it’s how you respond. We must slow down and realize that our growth and learning are in our journey!" At the end of each chapter,