Calling out the captain in you

Blog Hopping with a Social Butterfly

The way I see things ... by Dasaya Cates

I’m sitting here thinking about that old Janet Jackson song, Control.

You know it … Sing it:

Got my own mind/I wanna make my own decisions
When it has to do with my life, my life
I wanna be the one in control

Sigh. That would be me. I’m a big planner. I planned my December vacation in April. I like to be in control of what’s going to happen to me. Oddly, I’m not really concerned about other people–I’m not a control freak in that sense. But I want to be the captain. La capitana.

That’s right. Control.

But I’m not in control. I can’t be. See, I’m also a believer. I love me some God, even when we’re not seeing eye to eye. And I have to tell you: it hurts like hell. I mean that. Now that I’m all grown up, I’m no longer afraid of the dark. I’m pretty sure I’m afraid of what it represents. Fear. A heightened sense of self-preservation. The unknown.

I already told you I like being in the know. My inquisitive nature demands to know why God has left me out if the loop on my life.

But I also know that God won’t be swayed by my pouting, my tugging at his sleeve like a six year-old in the back seat asking “Are we there yet?” (And then five minutes later, asking again.) He knows what he’s doing.

And I am not in control. Neither are you, friend. God isn’t a vending machine. He’s looking at a master plan we have no idea how to handle. See, he’s like the air traffic controller. There’s a reason you can’t go into another air space. You might crash. There’s a reason you haven’t been cleared to land. Low lying fog might keep you from your destination.

I’m slowly (read: excruciatingly painfully) learning to like this lack of control thing and open myself up to God’s possibilities even when they don’t look like what I’d imagined. It’s not easy. Changing my perspective from the what to the who is hard, counterintuitive almost.

But for now, I’m just going to sit back and try to enjoy an in-flight flick from heaven as I hover.

Check out more from the witty and always entertaining author of Bloodlines, Dasaya Cates on her website www.dasayacates.com



Life is Good . . .

. . . Now That I Finally Decided to GO Live!

I never imagined that the path to following your dreams would be littered with so much beauty. Of course the road gets ragged with with its fair share of speed bumps, winding roads, and caution signals which you may also know as fear, cash flow, and time. The truth is, those stop signs existed before and they will always be there. You see, when I wasn't doing much of anything but working to live, I still managed to  move forward in my life. I actually thought I had a really good life then--and I did. But this kind of living is different; it has a wonderful, magical, surreal appeal to it. Every word that I write, every motivational message I send out into the universe, every book that I sign, and every heart that I touch means something dear to me. It makes me come home from a long day on my j.o.b. and work more diligently, think more purposefully long term. I imagine far into the night of how I can be of better service to you. I hope that something that I write will flick the switch for you to begin to run after your dreams? I want you to experience this feeling for yourself. Yes, it is that amazing.

To be totally honest with you, I started this journey wanting to be a rich and famous author. Seriously, who wouldn't want that? Somewhere along the way, I made a right turn and my goals changed and so did the way I see riches. It has become more about encouraging others, giving to our future, and healing our families by speaking what is true. Truth is, holding the payment in my hand for the purchase of my book just can't compare to how rewarded I feel when someone says to me, "because you did, I think I can." When you find the inspiration in me to go and really live, my life is good.

I've been down many times before. I’ve given up more times than I care to count. Plan A, which is also Plan B - Z is to keep moving up. - Nakia R. Laushaul