experience

The Warning & The Sign

8/21/2022

by Danielle N. Hall

Life. I realize that what I just wrote there was an incomplete thought, but that one word captures so much. How about this: “As I look back over my life, and I think things over I can TRULY say that I’ve been blessed I’ve got a testimony. Honestly, we all have a testimony. Everyone has a story of significance: whether it was from a memorable moment of your childhood, rebellion in your teenage years, finding your way as an adult, being a parent of children with varying needs, working in an establishment where personality types are dynamic, or walking the Christian journey. I can write about all of the aforementioned…as a matter of fact, I kinda have shared bits and pieces over the last 5 years in my published books. If you’ve followed this blog, then you know that I will be inspired by a life experience to share a message. It’s been quite some time since I’ve written, but I thought today would be a good day.

Almost a year ago, I was traveling from my office to the store during my lunch break. I was on a mission and I’m sure I had much on my mind. I’m just assuming the latter part because my mind is typically full of thoughts. I started down the main road and after some minutes passed, I realized that I missed my turn and drove past it. I was trying to figure out how that was even possible. It wasn’t an unfamiliar place I was going to, so how did I wind up several streets past the one I was to turn on. I made the first legal u-turn and headed back in the direction where I was supposed to be. I was careful this time to pay attention and look for the sign. I saw the sign and made the turn on the street when the green light indicated it was safe to do so. I was still bewildered. I took care of what I set out to do and headed back to the office.

This thing was really troubling to me. Another day soon after, I had to head back to that street and I was intentional about looking for the sign. What I actually observed is what I’ll call the warning (see pic below).

The Warning

In what I’m calling “the warning”, I observe that there is an indicator posted in the middle of the street that reads: “Nutley St NEXT SIGNAL”. Well this obviously indicates that Nutley St, the street I needed to turn on, was coming up. This serves as a warning. The problem was “the sign” (see below pic).

The Sign

The warning was unhindered, but the sign was covered. I missed my turn because I missed the sign. However, the truth is I missed the sign because I overlooked the warning. I think you can see where this is going…maybe.

How many times has a warning been in plain view and you overlooked it? In this case, the warning was saying your turn is coming, but because I was distracted I missed my turn. Because of what I had on my mind, I didn’t see the warning and then I missed my turn. What is on your mind or in your way that has caused you to miss both the warning and then your turn? Has the Lord warned you and said through His messenger that He is about to do a new thing? Has He indicated that a shift is coming? Has He said to not go in a certain direction because danger will be present? These are all warnings. He is gracious to let us know that there are some things that we can expect to happen. I can recall on at least two specific occasions when it came to a person transitioning, where He said: “Prepare”. In one case it was a message to deliver to someone else and in the other it was relative to my father transitioning. Now at the time He said it regarding my father, my father had just been discharged home from a physical rehab facility and it didn’t seem like there was anything pointing to him transitioning. In what should’ve been a time of celebration because he was home, I received a different message from the Holy Spirit to prepare. These are not the kind of things I usually discuss with other people because I know not all can handle it, but I carried the burden of that warning which caused me to be alert of any signs to follow. A different way to look at this was that because his earthly time would soon come to an end, I needed to maximize every moment. If I didn’t heed the warning, I would’ve experienced missed opportunities.

As you are journeying through your day to day life, I caution you to be alert. I caution you to not ignore warnings. If you do, you just may miss your turn.

Hidden Treasure

3/28/2021

by Danielle N. Hall

It’s been a while since I’ve chronicled any of my life experiences here, but this one was too good to ignore. I truly receive a message from just about any life experience I have and this post is a prime example. Many people don’t care about what are seemingly minor details, but it’s sometimes the small things that have major significance. We have the privilege of observing the beauty, the miracles, the signs, and the wonders in each waking day. Why not embrace the opportunity?

Earlier this year, I visited a nearby store to pick up a few items. I proceeded to the register after collecting my items of choice. While heading to the register to checkout, an unusual drink caught my attention: as is custom. I hadn’t seen it before and it seemed to a bit isolated in the cooler of beverages. There appeared to be around 4, but I decided to grab only two. After having read the ingredients, I was pretty sure the drink was gonna be at least $4 each.

It was finally my turn at the register and the cashier looked strangely at the drinks. She said she never saw them before…well that made two of us. Another cashier went to look on the shelf for the cost and discovered there was no label. They collectively decided to charge a whopping ONE DOLLAR per bottle! It would have been foolish of me to leave the rest in that beverage cooler so asked if they could wait just a moment so I could get the rest of the bottles. It turned out to be a total of 6 and not 4 as I had originally thought. I was certain that I had just received a blessing and gratitude was my response.

I could hardly wait to get in my car and check to see just how much these drinks cost.

$64.99 for a case of 12

I was amazed to find out the cost directly from the source was 12 for $64.99! I could hardly believe that I paid $6 total for what would’ve cost me 5 times as much for the 6 bottles I had. Understand that this was no simple blend of ingredients, they were carefully selected with purpose. The potential health benefits were worth far more than $1 per bottle.

Packed with wholesome goodness!

So here comes the message…

How many times have you undervalued or written off something and then later discovered that it was more valuable than the worth you ascribed to it? Have you ever met someone, but didn’t take the time to get to know just how “loaded” they were, so you wrote them off because you assumed they were shallow. I took the time to read the bottle and its ingredients. Though the cost wasn’t present, I was willing to make the investment because I believed in the benefits and the return on the investment.

Have you missed out on a prime season because you underestimated the value of the window of opportunity? Did something catch your attention, but you talked yourself out of it because you assumed the cost was too high and you weren’t willing to make the investment? If I had responded that way when those tasty Remedy Organics caught my attention, I would’ve missed a blessing.

I hope that this message will cause you to pause and think before you write someone or something off. You just may be denying yourself the experience of a hidden treasure!

Here is a final thought for your consideration:

“It is to our own detriment that we underestimate the might of small and simple things.” – Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

When God Says Wait

by Danielle N. Hall

11/19/2017

Do you have recollection of an experience where God asked you to do something that forfeited your comfort or that you thought may have been an inconvenience to you, yet a convenience to someone else? I can think of a time or two when I’ve had such an experience. Picture it…Bowie, MD…August 26th. It was a gorgeous Saturday…the weather was delightful: the high was 81 degrees and the low was 65 degrees! It was the perfect day to go to the hair salon and I certainly took advantage of it. The previous months had been taking their toll on me and the FoxZ Hair Studio experience is usually a breath of fresh air that I enjoy. While heading to pay a much needed visit to my hair stylist/friend, Zanada,…I thought “It would be really nice to see my friend (Michelle aka Min. Benn) today”. It was once common for Min. Benn and I to receive beauty services at the same time, but as of late, our paths had not crossed there. To my pleasant surprise, she was in the right place at the right time! Some people can have a calming presence about them and she happens to be one. SIDE NOTE: Your presence can either agitate or alleviate…it can illuminate or obfuscate. The point is: your presence can make a difference: please try to be mindful of the energy you emit.

So, as usual, we all enjoyed laughs at FoxZ Hair Studio and Min. Benn and I had lunch after getting our manes tended to. I knew I probably should have been in bed resting because I couldn’t even put my shoes up on the back of my feet due to swelling. Nevertheless, I maximized the moment of fresh air that was much needed. After we were done, I was set on getting home and propping my feet up. When I got to my car, I noticed that there were keys on the ground next to the car that was parked beside me. I picked them up and determined that they were for that car. I observed that the car windows were down. I did NOT feel comfortable with leaving the car in that state. The Lord led me to wait.

Based on where the car was parked in relation to the nearby stores, I was pretty sure I’d be probably waiting about 10 minutes for the owner to return. A little more than 10 minutes passed and I watched each of the store patrons leave, looking for them to walk in the direction of the car. Also of note, there was a Planet Fitness keychain attached to the keys. I tried to observe people who may have had a certain build or who may have been wearing a certain type of apparel. Time continued to pass and no one had yet appeared in search of the keys.

Finally, after having waited for an hour, I decided to go into the place where Min. Benn and I had lunch. I asked had anyone lost any car keys and no one answered affirmatively. When I exited the restaurant, I saw a AAA vehicle pull up near the car. I walked over to the driver of the AAA vehicle and asked them to contact the car owner to let him/her know that I have the keys and they were left on the ground. The driver obliged and a few minutes after, a young lady came walking from the other side of the shopping center. As she approached, I noticed her wearing a Pizza Hut uniform, which meant that she was at work and CERTAINLY wouldn’t have been coming out in the 10 minutes I had initially thought the car’s owner would return in. She was very grateful because she both had her keys and did not require the service of AAA. I don’t know her story or how losing the keys would’ve impacted her world, all I know is God said to wait and I did…in spite of my significantly swollen feet.

We often fill our schedules with things that keep us on the go and we don’t take the necessary moments to rest or to breathe. Perhaps that waiting period was just as beneficial to me as it was to the car owner. Though I did have a choice as to whether or not I should wait, I opted to go with the Lord’s leading and wait. I didn’t have anything to rush to afterwards, but it still allowed me a moment to just sit, observe my surroundings, and enjoy the stillness of the moment. Believe or not, there is a blessing in waiting. Some of us are impatient at times: when it comes to waiting on others or waiting on the manifestation of what God has promised to us. Patience is not the ability to wait, but it’s how we act while waiting…”but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.” Romans 8:25 (AMP)

Below are some questions to ponder regarding when God says to wait. Take a moment to reflect and answer these. After doing so, consider your responses and determine if there is anything you can/would change about your response to God charge to you to wait.

1) What/who has God asked you to wait for?

2) Does/did it seem like an inconvenience to you?

3) “How” have you waited…have you done so with patience?

4) Has someone had to wait with patience for YOU?

5) If “yes” is your response to #4, how did that make you feel?

What’s the Difference?

by Danielle N. Hall

4/26/16

Ever noticed how a group of people can see the same thing, yet see something different…each person has a different perspective?

Let’s look at this pic below:

 

image

This is labeled as a “red, delicious apple”. If you’re in the snacking mood with a sweet tooth, what you might see is a delightful piece of potential satisfaction. If you’ve not eaten the whole day and this apple was presented to you, you may see hunger relief. However, while I won’t argue that the apple is red, I do have a differing thought about it being delicious or delightful…I see something less inviting and the need for Benadryl. This is because I’ve recently developed an allergy to apples. So after having an allergic reaction to apples, I’m less inclined to want to eat them. Seeing them is a deterrent.

This was a simple example of the point I’d like to make and that is simply this: our experience is what shapes the difference in our perspectives.

Same apple + different experiences = different perspectives

Try to not be hasty to judge because someone sees things differently than you. People have varying backgrounds and life experiences. What may be appealing to you, may be repulsive to another. Be sensitive to others thoughts, feelings, and needs and, if they are different, it’s ok to embrace them.

I’ll leave you with these thoughts to ponder:

“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty.
I see a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be.”
― George Carlin

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
― Audre Lorde