Bathroom Freestyle: PREPARATION in Surrender/SURRENDER in Preparation

Preparation means: the action or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty. Readiness.

Surrender means: to yield to the power, con

trol, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand; to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner, b: to give (oneself) over to something (as an influence).

How are these words related and intertwined? Currently, I'm in a season of preparation for many things: to be a cutting edge performer, an entrepreneur, homeowner, future wife, future mother, and some others characteristics. Earlier this year, I was in a wilderness season, entrenched in frustration. One of reason for my frustration was due to the many visions the Lord has given me for projects and goals to work towards. As a result, I was trying to accomplish everything at the same time, causing greater frustration, because I couldn't see, hear and think through any of them clearly. As I said before in "REST," I fall short in that area.

Lately, the Lord has been sending me many messages and revelations about surrendering to Him. (I thought I was surrendered to God and His will for my life.) But He showed me that in order to be properly prepared for the things He has in store for me, basically the list above, that I need to be surrendered to His will and His strength in my life. I, Kristen can't get all this done, by myself, but God working through me will accomplish these things to further His Kingdom and purpose for my life.

Recently, the frustration reared its ugly head again. This time my frustration was about wanting to focus only on music and only my music. My question to the Lord was, "Why do I have to focus on music, my job in finance, be an entreprenuer, etc?" Why can't I just work on music, learn about finance (get GREAT with money, develop the mindset for aquiring BIG, LONG wealth, not the money we deal with day to day just to live, and make a couple of meaningful wealth-building transactions), but really just focus on music? (I'll explain later my ideal vision for my future husband, music and our businesses in music and finance! :-) )

The Lord sent a messenger to answer this question today. Refer to the "Parable of the Talents," Matthew 25:14-28. In the parable a master gave his three servants a certain amount of talents (talent is defined as: a unit of value, the natural endowment of a person, a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude b: general intelligence or mental power : ability). In this parable, the talents were money. A quick summation: The master gave one servant five talents, the second servant two talents and the third servant one talent. After a long time the master came to settle his accounts with his servants. The servant with five talents returned to his master ten talents to his master. The servant with two talents returned four talents to his master. However, the servant given only one buried his talent in the ground and returned to his master the one talent that was given to him. His master referred to him as wicked and lazy and gave his talent to the servant who had ten. The revelation from my friend is that we are all given/entrusted with a different amount of talents (gifts). It doesn't have to be money, but sometimes it is. For me its singing, songwriting, encouraging, and one day wife, mother, and businessowner. But I can't even limit myself to these things, because God may add to this list. However many talents we are given not only are we required to do BIG THINGS with these talents, but we must take them a step futher than how they were distributed to us. We have to double them, increase them to bless others. This is completely the answer to my frustration, because I am now resolved knowing that I have MANY talents. I can take the limits off of myself and my BIG, HUGE God and stop using the word can't in relation to things that I have yet to try.

As I get surrendered (horrible english!), free in God I will continue to realize that my frustration comes from trying to figure the process out in my own knowledge, wondering how my time will be evenly divded and how things will get accomplished in Kristen's timelines. Usually the things that stick around and last for a while had to go through an extensive process. They didn't develop overnight. The parable makes it clear that the master returned after a long time to collect his increase. So, while I'm not going to procrastinate accomplishing the things set before me, I can also enjoy the journey and the process until they manifest.

And when someone says to me, "You're doing too much," I will have peace knowing that what they meant to say is, "I admire the talents God gave you and I look forward to seeing you use them in a way that impacts the whole world!"

Rewind: By now you know that I'm CHI bred, ATL refinded, but my parents live in MIA now. I travelled to Miami last weekend for my cousin's 40th birthday on Fisher Island and my brother's 13th birthday. WOW! Fisher Island is completely exclusive. You have to be on a list in order to take the island's ferry across the water to the island. I think the exclusivity of Fisher Island is what's so special about it. Or maybe is the 5 bedroom 6000 sq feet villas on the island available

to rent during your stay. Or maybe it's that you don't see many people of color on the island other than in service positions (an there's nothing wrong with, but it's nice to see us enjoying the same luxuries on an equal playing field). Although Harold Ford Sr. and Oprah have residences on Fisher Island, to the common, everyday hard working African American Fisher Island seems a little out of reach. My cousin spared no expense to show us how great 40 looks, and it looks FABULOUS! I have great images in vision to aspire to. (The pics are from the last weekend.)