opportunity

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.

The Halves & The Half Nots

by Danielle N. Hall

7/6/2016


All this week I’ve had on my mind a famous line by Chuck Brown: “Whatever you do big or small, do it well or don’t do it at all.” This is one of those simple, yet profound statements.  My late grandmother had another way of saying it that may not be suitable for all audiences, but even from her creative way of expressing the same message, I understood the importance of striving for excellence.

What we input has a direct effect on the output we yield. The “Halves” are those who engage in half-hearted efforts and will later find that their output leaves something to be desired. The job gets done, but there are some elements missing that could’ve enhanced the outcome. The “Half Nots” are those who put their entire hearts into what they are doing whether they are on a mission to buy a greeting card, completing a major work project, or any other endeavor.

Sometimes, when we don’t understand the value of certain opportunities, we tend to fall in the category of the “Halves”. For instance, I can recall while being in high school being afforded the opportunity to take college courses as a part of the HI-SCIP (High School College Internship Program). The first semester, I enrolled in a psychology class and I enjoyed it. I paid attention, learned much, and applied myself. I earned a B in that class. The 2nd semester, I was enrolled in a World History class which wasn’t of interest to me so I took a half-hearted approach and squandered the opportunity. I earned a D: an outcome that certainly left more to be desired by me. 

That experience was both a learning and a teaching point for me. I just recently shared with my children the contrasts in the outputs based on my inputs. I’ve learned to not waste valuable opportunities by having the mindset of the “Halves”. If I am going to do it, whether it’s big or small, I’m going to do it well or not do it at all. Consider me a “Half Not”.

In which of the two groups are you?