The Sky's the Limit
by Shakera Reid-Stewart

I'm proud to say that through the grace of God, I've accomplished many goals. Although there were other victories celebrated prior to this, I felt great pride on the day that I became a professional teacher, on salary, and ready to make a difference. Sure I had graduated from high school, college, and had other jobs in the past, but I'd made the transition from job to career and I was still in my early twenties. Wow! Life was just great.

The next thrilling moment of my life was when I purchased my very own car. I had been sporting a hand-me-down that I was truly grateful for, but after a while when the windows won't go down and the air conditioner won't work and you live in Florida, you know it's time for a change. Not only did I acquire a new vehicle, but I also got it all on my own. Excellent!

In 2003 I made the decision to cut back on a lot of things that occupied my time. I was providing service to God and to others in a variety of different ways, but I wasn't making time to do the things that I needed for myself. The Holy Spirit had been leading me to go back to school to get my Masters Degree, but I just couldn't fit it in my schedule. Finally, I opened up my eyes and realized that the service that I was providing to God was fine, but if I was being disobedient, it wouldn't be making a difference. After coming to this realization, I jumped in headfirst and completed my degree in guidance counseling in 2005. Just awesome!

As if life wasn't good enough, I suddenly decided that I needed to make a major life change. I was going to buy a house. If you know about the Jamaican/Caribbean culture, it is a natural thing for a woman to live with her parents until she gets married. My two older sisters did it and I'm sure that was expected of my younger sister and myself. Well, I got tired of waiting for my prince to come and move me into his mansion and took matters in my own hands. When the prices of homes in Florida seemed to be so ridiculous and the process became tedious, I became discouraged. I stopped house hunting and just waited. Then it came to me out of nowhere. I was going to relocate to the state of Georgia. I had been here once or twice before and liked it well enough, but I always told my cousin who lived here that I was a tropical weather kind of girl and that I wanted to stay in Florida.

Needless to say, I moved to Georgia and bought a home in April of last year. I had never felt so proud to turn my own key in my own lock. Fabulous! To this very day, I thank God that he enabled me to do this. As I sat here looking around my house and thinking of the many blessings that have come my way, I was in awe. I thought of how many times I've heard women talk about finding a man that will buy them a car, a house, expensive jewelry, etc., and they won't ever lift a finger to do anything for themselves until that happens. They are content to go from man to man in search of all the material items that they can get out of it as opposed to the love and support. Don't get me wrong, if a man is willing to shower me with gifts and adore me, as long as his heart and mind is in the right place, I'm all for it. Far be it for me to say that finances are not important. It just feels so good to know that I'll always be able to stand on my own two feet despite what circumstances might pop up, and that I can bring something to the table if or when the prince arrives.

Now some will interpret this article to mean that I'm one of these "independent women" that thinks that she doesn't need a man and all that. It's not about that. It's really about pride, independence and ambition. It's about challenging yourself and knowing that you're capable of what you put your mind to. It's really about knowing that if it's for you God says that the sky is the limit. Now that is INCREDIBLE!

"It's great to have someone to share our accomplishments with, but we shouldn't have to feel that we are defined by the absence or presence of those people in our lives."

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Shakera Reid was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Miramar, Florida. Her passion in life is counseling and educating youth. Hobbies include reading, writing and watching movies. Her hope is to encourage others through her writing and to help them in their Christian walk.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com







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