Withstanding the Tests of Time

pic from the awesome blog off Peace, Love & Low Carb

I posted something on my FB page last night that I now want to share on the blog. I was just lying in bed reflecting on something that Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, said a couple of weeks ago on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday that has stuck with me. He said, 

"Before a dream is realized, the soul of the world tests everything that was learned along the way."

When he said that, I can't even began to explain what happened, but something touched the very heart of me; that inner part of me that cut right to the core. It reminded me of EVERY THING that I have experienced over the past 6 years. EVERY THING happened for a reason and needed to happen to see if I had what it took to realize the dream; the call on my life. 

No one, who has ever answered the call and realized their dreams, has said that it was easy. No one. You've probably heard some of their testimonies and not one of them has ever said that they had not been through any trials and tribulations on the journey to having their dreams realized. They may not have realized what that process was at the time that they were going through it, but I am pretty sure that now, when they look back on that period, they understand it better and they really appreciate it now. 

"The soul of the world tests everything that was learned along the way."

Yes, I have definitely been tested. Broken, Broke, Humbled, Bruised, Mocked, Mired, Bedridden and just about anything else that you could probably think of. 

I have lost people. 

I have lost places. 

I have lost things. 

My confidence and even my courage took a nose dive during this testing period.

Yes, the soul of the world tested me. As a matter of fact, It is still testing me. 

However, I stand on the Solid Rock of my Redeemer. I stand, although I may be slightly bent, I stand nonetheless. 

And when I am at the verge of my breakthrough, I shall RISE UP and bend no more. 

For I have WITHSTOOD the tests of the world and it has deemed me prepared for the next level and that is to realize the dream. 

My decision to answer the call meant that I would be tested.

I did.

I was.

I am.

Are you willing to withstand the test of time to realize your dream? Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices that may or may not be part of the test? It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Thanks for reading. Leave a comment and feel free to share this post. 
You are Destined for Purpose: Empowered by Passion. 

Cassandra