wisdom

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

Unfinished Business

by Danielle N. Hall

5/25/16

Have you ever been working really hard and making great progress, but then you wind up tripping up and experiencing a setback? It is quite possible that a minor detail with major impact was missed: a loose end. 

MacMillan Dictionary defines loose ends as “the final details or parts of something that you have not yet completed or dealt with”. Considering this definition, a loose end represents a lot. 

PAUSE AND PONDER

What minor detail in your life have you not completed or dealt with that can cause a significant setback? Here are some examples:

Unpaid parking tickets

Failing to adjust the clocks during time changes

Forgetting to pray before making a major decision

Forgetting to apply deodorant 😊

Not calling to make payment arrangements 

Not scheduling that annual physical

Not calling that relative who was placed on your heart

Closing, but not locking doors of the past

These are just some examples of small details that can have a significant impact. When you think of an untied shoestring, it doesn’t start out as a big problem, but after a while of walking on loose ends, you will notice that a bit of unraveling begins to take place and trying to relace an unraveled string can be a pain.

FINAL THOUGHT

Haste makes waste. It would be unfortunate to have gone full speed ahead and have invested much time in doing great things, but have a small bit of unfinished business that comes to the forefront and causes a setback. Let’s examine our lives and detect and tie up those loose ends so that our labor will not have been in vain.

Out of the Woods

by Danielle N. Hall

5/14/2016

There are those nervy few who find it exhilarating to play with fire. If I can be honest, I felt that way at one point in life…living on the edge and being impulsive to the point of fault. If you dared me to do something, I’d oblige. Fortunately, as I grew older I also grew wiser. Most importantly, being a mother has heightened my need to protect and be protected.

My children are precious to me and the thought of the presence of any danger to them puts me on warrior mode. Yet, before God allowed me to birth them, I lived life a bit on the wild side. I had spontaneous thoughts and spontaneous actions to follow. Every time I reflect on my “then”, I thank God for grace! If we are honest with ourselves, we can say we’ve done some unwise things. This is where I’ll insert the praise break starter “BUT GOD…!!!” 

When you mature, you recognize that life is about more than fun. I’m certainly not suggesting that you can’t enjoy life…it’s a gift and who wants a gift they can’t enjoy??? What I am saying is when fun is your focal point, you can miss out on some of the greatest things life really has to offer and you can find yourself being caught up in unnecessary peril. I speak from a place of experience.

I vividly recall an incident from my adolescent years. I was at a bus stop and decided that I didn’t feel like catching a bus that day and I wanted a ride. One showed up and without reservation I hopped in the car. I then found myself in an abandoned apartment building with a man who had a briefcase with God knows what in it. We went upstairs to one of the units. There was a dresser and a bed in the unit. I checked out my surroundings and I spotted an ink pen on the dresser. I remember thinking the following: “If this man touches me, I’m gonna use this pen in his eye to defend myself.” Here I was, in an abandoned apartment, with a very strange stranger, and was contemplating how I was going to defend myself: how frightening! That was one time I can say that I truly feared for my life. Fortunately, I got away unharmed and untouched.

This account is a prime example of spontaneous thoughts followed by spontaneous actions that turned out to be unwise. Now before casting judgment, to understand one’s choices, you must consider his/her experiences. Refer to one of my previous posts entitled “Dirty Little Secrets and The Little White Lie.”  https://daniellenhall.com/2016/04/26/dirty-little-secrets-the-little-white-lie/

The beauty in this is that I’m out of the woods and I’m still here today to share the story with you so that you may think before you act. What may seem like it’s harmless, or is just fun, can be more detrimental than perceived. Again, I’m older and wiser and I’m a mother. With any position there is an accompanying level of responsibility. In my position as mother, I understand the importance of considering consequences before acting. I endeavor to stay out of the woods. The same is true with my position as a Christian. I’m not professing to be perfect…I do falter at times, but I try hard to practice what I teach/preach. I believe our examples are impactful messages. 

Here’s a final thought:

Proverbs 9:11-12 (VOICE)

Lady Wisdom: “Through me your days will be lengthened, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, wisdom is its own reward. If you mock what you don’t understand, you alone will suffer the consequences.”

What Lies Beneath

by Danielle N. Hall

4/17/16

Most of us have heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, yet many of us are guilty of doing just that. We’ve become so preoccupied with the package that we overlook the value of the contents.

image

When someone walks in a dark room, chances are they desire light: not a lamp embellished with all the bells and whistles. What good is the lamp without the bulb?

Be careful to not dismiss what’s inside by being so distracted by the external. I’ve been guilty of doing this concerning fruit: I’ve discounted many bananas because of a brown spot…of any size. I also would not eat chicken drumsticks because of the veins and other stuff they have going on. However, in recent days, I’ve tried to be a little less finicky and a bit more open-minded. It was a conscious decision that I made based on considering a bigger picture. If I’m hungry am I going to deny myself either of the aforementioned because of how it looks? The answer is definitely NO.

PAUSE AND THINK
Have you ever dismissed someone or something just because of the outside appearance? Have you ever qualified someone or something just because of the external appearance? Be honest with yourselves. I know I’ve been guilty a time or several, but I’m older and wiser and I have matured enough to value what lies beneath the surface.

Those with a superficial mindset miss out on some of the greatest jewels in life. As I’ve matured, I’ve been more concerned with the substance of people, rather than the surface. I’ve known a few people who had it all together on the outside, but were lacking substance…or instead they may have been full of dung. What good is being donned in an Italian silk suit, yet being heartless? What good is it to be “beat to the gawds” in MAC makeup, yet be a mess inside?

When Samuel was sent to anoint the next King of Israel, Jesse only presented the sons who he thought were worthy…based on the external. However, God had someone else in mind: David, the young shepherd boy. God knew He could trust him because of what he had on the inside: faith in Him.

In the eyes of his own father, David was the least likely to be chosen and wasn’t even considered. In the eyes of our Heavenly Father, David was just the one He wanted and he was therefore chosen.

Proverbs 3:13-16 (VOICE) reads: “How fortunate are those who discover Lady Wisdom and those who understand her ways! For her worth is greater than the most expensive prize you could win. Her profit is greater than the finest thing you could buy. No gem is more precious than she is—your most extravagant desire doesn’t come close to her. She holds the secret of a long life in one hand and riches and fame in her other hand.”

From this passage we understand that more valuable than the most precious stone is wisdom. Wisdom is intangible, yet worth much. Let’s be mindful to not write off the one who possesses the very wisdom, or any other valuable asset, essential to our growth and success. It what’s inside that truly matters…it’s what lies beneath.