Season 2 Episode 2: Approaching Complex Intersection

Welcome to Vision in the Valley. Today, I want to share a bit about myself outside of our usual podcast topics. I love shopping—whether it’s for clothes, shoes, groceries, or even party supplies.

Recently, I was on a quest for a pair of boots from one of my favorite stores, which involved visiting multiple locations within a significant radius. After work, I decided to check out two locations near my workplace while chatting with a friend on the phone. Despite using the navigator, I kept missing my destination and getting frustrated. I joked that this was a testimony moment, emphasizing the lesson in perseverance.

Even though it was just for a pair of shoes, I was determined to find them. This determination can often contrast with how quickly we might give up on more significant goals, like pursuing education or career advancements.

On my fourth attempt, the navigator announced, "Caution, you are approaching a complex intersection," which I found fascinating and relevant to our spiritual journeys. Wouldn't it be great if we received such warnings for life decisions? While we don't get such clear alerts, we do get signs from God if we listen.

Identifying your love language with God is crucial. For me, God speaks to me through dreams, a pattern that started in my childhood. I’ve learned to pay attention to these dreams and other signs in my daily life. These signs guide me, even when the path is complex.

So, while you might not hear a literal announcement, be attuned to the signs God provides. Find your love language with God and listen closely, as it will guide you through life's complicated intersections and towards your destinations. Thank you for joining me today, and I look forward to our next conversation. Have a great day!

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:06

welcome to vision in the valley. I want to tell you a little bit about myself, outside of what we've been talking about in this podcast. I love to shop, I admit it. I see a shoe that I like and it's not in my size, so I will go to the store that's within 15 miles of the store. I'll go to a store that's within 25 miles of the store and if I want to wait on the weekend, I may even go to one that's 35 to 40 miles. I've been known to do that.

Complex intersections and life lessons

Speaker 1 0:47

I left work for the day and there was a pair of boots that I wanted at one of my favorite stores and they had the shoe but not in my size. So I decided, well, well, after I leave work, I'll go to the two locations that are closest to my workplace. And I was on the phone with my good friend from work and so we're doing our regular routine, and she's like where are you going? She could hear the navigator in the background. Again, people who know me knows this is what I do. I didn't really know where I was going to begin with. That's why I use the navigator. But now she's hearing the same instructions kind of repeat in the background and I'm I'm getting kind of frustrated because I really probably should get off the phone and focus on the navigation. And so I joked with her and I was like you know, this is a testimony because my friends, like I said on in other episodes, they are always saying I have a testimony for everything. And I do because I know there's a lesson in so many things, right? So I'm like this is one of those moments where I'm supposed to get off the phone with you and concentrate on this, because this is too much. It's saying the same thing and I'm getting frustrated. We continue to talk, so I did the circle thing probably four times and I'm going to stop there for a moment because there's a testimony in that this is Kwan being Kwan. There's a testimony in that because I'm frustrated. I want to get off the phone so I can concentrate, but I'm frustrated because I want to go where I want to go and I refuse to give up. Now. This is just to buy some shoes. This is in hopes of getting, and I don't even know if the shoe is there, right, because when I called I couldn't get anyone on the phone. So I'm going blindly. I don't even know that they'll have them. I'm going blindly and I'm just trying to get there in the hopes that the shoe will be there.

Speaker 1 2:56

When we think about when we know we're supposed to go somewhere or, you know, do something We'll give up so quickly for such a greater reward than a pair of shoes. Right, whether it's for school. You're going back to get your master's. You prayed about it already, so you know you're supposed to do this, and the reward is going to be MBA. You're going to use this to to further your, your career, your career. You're gonna feel a sense of self-worth that you've longed for, you want. This is a personal goal, a professional goal. You're gonna show your kids how important education is to you, all of those things. But we can talk ourselves out of doing it for something that's such a great reward like that. But when it comes to something like some shoes, you now give up. You go get these shoes, and I was determined to get these shoes. So I continued on my quest for these shoes.

Speaker 1 3:58

In the fourth loop around, I went further down. So when I came back up, I was approaching from a different angle and the navigator said something that I had never heard before. It said caution, you are approaching a complex intersection. So I'm like what? So I went a little further and it said you've arrived at a complex intersection. I eventually ended up arriving at my destination and I don't know if you all have ever heard that on your navigator, but some intersections are complex or complicated in that they're not the regular. You know, four corner or even sharp right. It was more complicated than that and it was.

Discovering your spiritual love language

Speaker 1 4:50

It was such that it had to be announced and it made me think about our lives, like as we move forward in our journeys, wouldn't it be great if we we met a guy and we'd get this alertness, fear, like complex, complex situation approaching. You know, you know to like okay, I do, I really want to do this and you could decide to go a different way. Or the promotion that you are you, you think you want, so you're praying about it, because we're supposed to pray about everything that guy in that job, in that, whether we go back to school, all of that we're supposed to pray about and get an answer before we move on. But wouldn't it be great if we prayed about the promotion or the job that we're about to bid on and we would get an alert that would say complex or complicated career move approaching, so that you at least, even if you decided to go forward with these things, if you decided to go forward with the guy or go forward with the promotion or the career path, you would at least know that there is something different about what's about to happen here. And so today I wanted to just remind you that, although those words may not be announced to you like it came over on that navigator with me that day, we do get words, signs that tell us yes or no. We do get a word from God if we'll listen to it.

Dreams as divine communication

Speaker 1 6:31

So I started off this series, really, with just trying to drive home the point that we all have our own language, our own love language that we share with the Lord, and it's important that we identify what that love language is early in our spiritual lives. So my discovery didn't happen well into my spiritual journey, but when I leveled up on some things as I talked to in some of the other episodes, like leaning into Bible study, leaning into doing things like tithing, leaning in to going to church on a regular basis, leaning into reading my word, all those things together changed my awareness. If you will, I think that's probably the best way to say it. So, although there are no words that are saying complex situation approaching, there are other things that are telling me that, and I know that my one of my love languages, because I don't think we're limited to the way he delivers a message to us. I would hope I wouldn't want it and if you feel limited, pray against that, because he's a limitless God. Why would he limit the way he talks to us, right?

Speaker 1 7:52

But I know that one of the ways that the Lord gets my attention is in my sleep, in my dreams. The dreams can be anything from me being with other people and seeing how they respond to me, to give me an insight on other people, to me going through a particular act and it being something that is going to prepare me for my next steps, or I mean, without going into specific details, it's kind of hard, but I know he talks to me in my dreams and he's been doing that since I was a child and I think mostly because I'm a busybody, or at least I had been a busybody, always doing something and being involved. It doesn't mean I'm always on the go or that I'm always outside of my house, but when I'm moving, when I'm up, I'm really, my mind is moving. That's really the busy part of it. I'm thinking about this opportunity, that opportunity, what to do next. I'm thinking about work, like work has really started to overpower, or had started to overpower, my life and I'm taking a hard stance on no, I'm gonna disconnect.

Speaker 1 9:03

But the Lord started talking to me in my dreams well before I had a job. Because this is, I'm telling you, I was a baby, a child, when I was first really having dreams like this. I just didn't know the difference, I didn't know what they were. So now that I know what they are, I listen, I listen, I get in tune. So when my pastors talk about paying attention to the thing that's not the norm I do I lean in big time.

Navigating complex situations with faith

Speaker 1 9:28

So in my dreams, if there's something that was huge and I know the difference between the regular dreams and something huge, because my spirit feels it differently and I get real specific on some of those episodes talking about that but that's one way I'll also have a clue about what's happening when I'm not dreaming in my regular wake life as I'm moving about at work, as I'm moving about in my car, whatever the case is I'll have some clues. It's literally about moving with the spirit of the Lord or trying to resist what he's trying to show you. So I should say I make it a point to listen to what's being said to me, whether it's when I'm sleeping or while I'm awake, and so I don't get those caution, complicated situation approaching. I don't get those that way, but I get it enough to avoid some things and then sometimes I walk right into it because I know that that's what he's told me I'm gonna deal with. But he's told me I'm gonna deal it, and he's also told me that I'm going to be victorious on the other end of it. So even though I decided to go through this intersection, I know that I'm covered and I know that I will be guided through the intersection and on to the other side, because sometimes the destination, the only way to get to this destination, is to go through that complex, complicated intersection and in my case, with my shoes, the only way I could get there.

Speaker 1 11:14

The store was smack dab in the middle of this complicated, complex intersection. So no matter which angle I try to come from, it was going to be complicated. It was going to be complex because that's where the thing that I wanted was Some of my personal victories that's been the case too To even achieve the thing that I wanted. It was smack dab in the middle of this complex situation, and you just need to be in tune to what he's saying, because if he leads you there, he'll lead you out of it as well. He'll make a giant slayer out of you on top of that.

Finding your unique love language

Speaker 1 11:48

That's another episode, though, but I wanted to just make you aware of those things, that, yeah, we may not get them loud and clear like that navigator gave me that message, but he is still delivering those messages every day. We're getting some word and pray about finding your love language, because now that I know what I know, I mean I'm waiting for it, I'm looking for it, I'm listening for it. Find your love language. He loves on me in such a special way. He blows my mind. That's how intense they are and that's how wonderfully woven they are, and I can't say that enough. So seek first what your love language is, listen then thereafter, and whether or not you're getting that aloud broadcast message or not, you will still be able to navigate these streets, okay. So I'm so glad to talk with you today, and I look forward to getting back with you in just a bit. Have a great day.