#life direction

[quietlotus]

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”

— Henry David Thoreau

[strictlyhelena]

Directness isn’t the style.💁🏻‍♀️ It’s the standard.✅

People don’t come here for reassurance.🙂‍↔️

They come when repeating the same thing stops working.♻️

More info:

X - lechaim_helen

IG - dommehelenagi

[beforetheamen]

Walking by Faith When You Can't See the Path"

Are you standing at a crossroads in life, unable to see which direction to go, wondering if God has forgotten to turn on the lights?

Faith often feels like walking through a dark tunnel with only a small flashlight that illuminates just the next step. We want to see the entire path, know all the outcomes, and have guarantees about where we're heading. But God rarely works that way. He calls us to trust Him one step at a time, believing that His guidance is sufficient even when His plan isn't fully visible.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." This isn't blind optimism or wishful thinking – it's confident trust in God's character and promises, even when circumstances don't make sense. The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 all walked forward without seeing the complete picture, trusting that God's promises were more reliable than their limited understanding.

Abraham is called the father of faith because he "obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8). God simply said, "Go to the land I will show you" (Genesis 12:1), and Abraham packed up his entire life based on that promise. He didn't have GPS, a detailed itinerary, or a backup plan – just God's word and the faith to follow it.

Moses faced an impossible situation at the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army approaching and nowhere to run. The Israelites panicked, but Moses declared, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today" (Exodus 14:13). He couldn't see how God would deliver them, but he knew God would. Sometimes faith means standing still and watching God work when you can't see a way forward.

Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us why we can't always see God's path: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." God's perspective is infinite while ours is limited. What looks like a dead end to us might be a divine detour to Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us the blueprint for walking by faith: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Notice the progression – trust completely, don't rely solely on your logic, submit in every area, and then God will direct your steps.

Walking by faith doesn't mean walking blindly. God provides guidance through His Word, prayer, wise counsel, circumstances, and the peace of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 119:105 promises that "your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." While we may not see the destination, we have enough light for the next step.

Sometimes God keeps the path hidden to develop our trust and dependence on Him. If we could see the entire journey, we might rely on our own strength and wisdom instead of His. The uncertainty forces us to stay close to Him, listening for His voice and watching for His guidance.

Remember that God is already at your destination, preparing the way. Isaiah 45:2-3 declares, "I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." He's not sending you into unknown territory alone – He's already there, working on your behalf.

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hello mbti-notes! I'm 25 & INFJ. I currently feel directionless, lost and stagnant. Due to this I've isolated myself for a long time up until recently when I realized it's making me more anxious. I've been trying not to isolate myself by taking daily walks, practicing mindfulness, interacting a little with people, learning soft skills and learning from your blog.

Many setbacks have occurred in the past few years. I feel after covid I've just had hardship after hardship without break. I've lost my drive and goals. So I started I've started rethinking my goals. I always knew that I wanted to do a career involving history, travel and in service to others so I worked towards that. In my final year of uni my friend suggested going into teaching because I could do history + teach abroad. I thought it was a good idea. I've taught for one year in my own country.

Since I've entered the teaching field I've had a very difficult time and experienced burnout in no time. I don't feel supported or guidance to overcome challenges that I have. I'm lacking strong classroom management in a class of 40 students (public schools). Senior teachers have told me that I should consider switching to kindergarten or that I would be viewed as incompetent and lose my job. I was also told I'm going to struggle in this field because I struggle to socialize with colleagues. I'm very introverted and lack social skills due to being socially isolated during my middle childhood to teenage years. I'm working on this and try to socialize with colleagues.

It feels discouraging to constantly be criticized. I was told twice by two teachers I worked with closely I work diligently and they'd love to work with me again. First teachers usually struggle with classroom management the difference is how slow or fast one gets a grip on it. For some it's months, just a year or many years. I'm not given the time or space to practice my classroom management. During my entire first year I believed myself to be incompetent because of the comments from experienced, high rank teachers. Which caused me stress and unhealthy perfectionism because I internalized those comments due to my low self worth & external validation. I'm working on changing this belief and learning about myself. I know I can do it with experience, guidance and support. I believe that I'm capable of doing any job or career if I have proper guidance or mentoring.

Unfortunately, only teachers with good classroom management are employed. Unless a school is interested in taking on new teachers and mentoring them which isn't frequent. So far I haven't been able to find stability in this career either. I've just gotten accepted for contract posts which are only for a few months. I'm currently taking a break from being a school teacher and I've started volunteering work by tutoring children. I'm at crossroads with what to choose. Especially because I'm doubting whether I'm suitable to be a teacher considering my classroom management which is very important. I'm considering exploring other jobs than teaching or continuing in that field but as a tutor, online teaching or private schools (20 in a class and my classroom management is good with 20). My question is how do I know if I'm on the right path? How do I find healthy direction? Thank you for your time.

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1) Trying to learn on the job can be very challenging because of the greater sense of responsibility and the pressure it generates to succeed quickly.

To my ears, the amount of help you need actually sounds a bit unreasonable. There is one point about your situation that is unclear. Did you get a teaching degree that included a proper internship or practicum? (If you entered into a position without the right qualifications or training, then you shouldn't be surprised about struggling.) It's not the job of the employer or your colleagues to educate you once you've already graduated from school, though they may choose to be supportive as part of their mission or as resources allow. Technically speaking, the training should've already happened in your practicum, so it is assumed you already have enough classroom experience to get a grip on things quickly on your own.

If you haven't had enough practical classroom training, it might benefit you to spend time working as a teaching assistant in order to learn from experienced teachers in a more appropriate way, rather than expecting your colleagues to add teaching you to their already full plates of teaching 40 students.

Factors such as student demographics and school funding also influence the workplace environment for teachers, so it might be a good idea to try out many different schools to ensure that the problem doesn't lie solely with you. It could be that the workplace culture in specific schools isn't a good fit for you. It's not something to cast blame about but to accept; simply move on and look for a better fit.

There are many different forms of teaching, so just because you can't manage a class of 40+ doesn't mean you have to give up teaching entirely. Yes, private schools and sometimes schools in more rural areas generally have smaller classes. Also, there are companies that provide after school tutoring programs, so you could actually work as a tutor if one-on-one teaching appeals to you. Private tutoring can be lucrative if you produce good results and the right parents spread the word about your services.

2) The idea of "the right path" is somewhat misleading because it doesn't exist in any absolute sense. And believing there is only one right path for you isn't the healthiest mindset because it makes you less open to possibility and then less adaptable to change. That said, there are some very general indicators you can use to determine whether life is going well, for example:

- Emotional Well-Being: Do you generally feel good? When life is going well, your mood should be relatively stable, your attitude positive, and your outlook optimistic. Remember, pain is a warning that something is wrong. Similar to problems with physical health, if there are any aspects of your life that produce pain and suffering for you, it's better to address them sooner rather than later.

- Healthy Self-Esteem: Are you proud of who you are? Healthy pride comes from things like: taking responsibility for yourself and what you put out; making wise judgments and decisions; speaking constructively; working productively; nurturing and appreciating individuality; building good moral character. It's important to pay attention to feelings of guilt, shame, inadequacy, or self-loathing because they shine a light on opportunities for personal growth.

- Being of Value: Do you feel that you matter? To "matter" basically means your existence is better than your nonexistence. To feel as though you matter in the world, you need to offer something of value and also have your offerings valued by others. If you feel as though you have little or nothing of value to offer, then you might have an underlying issue of low self-worth to address. If you feel as though others don't value you, then you need to examine what is causing the problematic disconnect in your interpersonal life.

- Sense of Purpose: Do you have good reasons to get up every morning? People with a strong sense of purpose generally: strive to use their time and energy in meaningful ways; undertake work that produces tangible benefits; look for opportunities to make a positive contribution; make a commitment to higher goals and ideals. Feeling unmotivated, stuck, lost or adrift often points to lack of purpose in life. Purpose doesn't magically appear. You have to make purposeful choices in accordance with the value you see in yourself and want to express out into the world.

It's not my place to tell people how to make life decisions. You have to reflect on whether this is the career you want and then explore your options and find the position of best fit. This difficulty you are facing in your career could mean any number of things. It could be the challenge you need to learn the skills that you've neglected up until now. It could be a wake up call for realizing that a change of direction is necessary. To be a healthy INFJ means being able to use Ni to connect with the whole truth of the matter. Who else can tell you what is right for you? You have to reflect on it with as much self-honesty as you can muster.

[your-heart-is-a-treasure]

Sometimes God doesn’t change your situation because He is trying to change your heart.

[burtontracks]

Naked 31 – 19

portrait of me as if I know where I am going 

(pale pink and midnight blue) 

[forever-reading]

So even though someone who I thought was my friend for almost a year blocked me last night I’m actually not as upset as I thought I would be.

I feel like I will meet new people and make new friends. I guess that friendship was supposed to end.

[scribblesofa20something]

I look in the mirror at myself,

My skin is clearer,

The lines aren't super defined yet,

My hair hasn't presented any greys.

I'm still young.

But I don't always feel that,

Another trip around the sun has come,

I've done so much in that time,

Yet I feel I have achieved nothing too.

But I'm still young.

I'm not someone's one and only,

My hips haven't bore children,

My bank account is screaming,

The roof above me is not my own.

Breathe, I'm still young.

It will all come together,

Time carries on and I grow too,

Love will come right?

My funds will replenish right?

Chill, you're still young.

It will all fall into place

Because I'm still young.