Keion Henderson Quotes

Problems cannot be solved with the same mind-set that created them.

God has a great race for you to run. Under his care you will go where you’ve never been and serve in ways you’ve never dreamed.

The beauty of a gracious and merciful God is that He will use our mistakes as an opportunity to help us unlearn some bad behaviors, gain some new insights, and shift us into our destiny.

So often we would rather trust our senses and our limited human perspective than rely on the Word of the almighty God. Instead of resting on His promises,

In order to see clearly from the best vantage point possible, I encourage you to view your decisions in 3-D: daily, directional, and divinely appointed. Let’s consider each of these.

The way you make daily decisions must be guided by larger choices—the ones I call directional.

God wants to use your times of shifting as a way to refine

your character and clarify your purpose. But the choice is yours.

Your decisions serve as pivot points that determine the direction of your shifting. Our decisions influence our lives significantly and they inherently include the

Each day you make decisions that will forever change your life.

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7 NKJV). In other words, the way you see yourself and view your life is often a self-fulfilling prophecy

Because our daily choices, even the little ones, add up over time to become habits, patterns, and lifestyles.

If you’ve given your heart to God and have committed to following Jesus, then your directional decisions align with His Word.

In order for a relationship to be based on love, it has to be a choice by both parties. Otherwise it’s a struggle for dominance or an imbalanced union in which one wants something more than the other, or something different from what the

If you feel stuck or don’t like the direction of your shifting, then it’s time to make some different decisions

found in Scripture, we accept what we see and assume about the situation we’re in. Instead of doubting our view of things, we doubt God.

and promises remain unwavering. Let the Lord lead you by the hand, day by day and step by step, as you shift from what has been to what will be.

and distort your normal perspective. He knows the best path toward the destiny He has established for you. He also knows the impact of events in your life long before you do, and His presence

When you’re surviving your shift, development matters more than your destination. Why? Because development determines how—and sometimes if—you will reach your

destination.

Development is an important aspect of personal growth in any season. But when you’re shifting from

one phase of life to another, development enables you to take control of what’s within your grasp, which is particularly important when you’re often feeling overwhelmed and overpowered

Because the truth is that in the midst of our shifting, we must learn to accept that life will never be what it once was. When you’re surviving a shift, it’s tempting to remember the “good old

days” and to romanticize the past. As you grieve what you’ve lost—a loved one, a relationship, a job, a friendship, a sense of belonging—you also mourn everything it represents. Shifting requires

you to adjust to where you’re going, not where you’ve been. Which reminds us again why development is so important. The origins of the words develop and development

illuminate this significance. They come from the French word développer, which evolved from the Latin. Originally the word meant “to unwrap, unfurl, unveil” and referred to concrete actions

Regularly reading and studying God’s Word not only helps set your life’s direction but also reminds you that God works through all your decisions—even

other wants. Having the ability to choose means that we can waver in our willingness to trust God and follow His guidance.

week for practices that allow me to relax, reconnect, and recharge. I try to unplug all devices, step back from social media, step up time with my family, and still myself before God.

but it’s not what you say or how you say it that grows relationships. It’s growing in favor, it’s blessing others, it’s paying attention. It’s loving others as you love yourself.

Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and

had not been Christ there in their midst, the point of the story remains the same: we are to focus on being present with others rather than just being in their presence. Martha was focused

sister Mary, however, wasn’t so worried about preparations and instead gave all her time and attention to being with Jesus.

No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!” (Ruth 1:11–13)

that disrupt our own sense of direction.

That wintry night, I realized how storms obscure your vision to the point where you no longer recognize what was once familiar.

boomerang experience became a vivid, frigid reminder that life’s storms always require you to reassess your direction. They force you to reconsider the routines in your life that have become

the severity of its conditions inhibited my internal compass and distorted familiar places.

THE BURDEN OF BITTERNESS

Prior to this shift in direction, however, Naomi had already endured some incredibly painful losses.

Her story begins when her

family was forced to move due to a famine. Together with her husband, Elimilech, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Naomi packed up and moved to Moab (see Ruth 1:1–3), a hostile land

have to do everything every day! I can practice habits that facilitate healthy balance in my life as I prioritize all the items clamoring for my energy and attention. Through trial and error, I’ve learned

The Sabbath provides rest for your body and your mind. It gives you time to think and to process all that may be going on in your life. Keeping my Sabbath always gives me clarity about what

convinced the best remedy is prevention—and the best prevention is practicing Sabbath rest.

Just stop and think for a moment about how many people you have blessed today simply by being present for them.

a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the

it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42)

I love the way this story reminds us to put Jesus first as well as others. Even if it

on serving Jesus and being a good hostess, totally understandable and natural, but in the process she overlooked the opportunity to be with her guest—talking to Him, listening and visiting. Her

ignoring the fact that they have become young adults. We might refuse to update our work skills or go back and finish our degree, insisting that such tactics would not help us advance in a rapidly

moving forward during seasons of shifting. The catalyst that caused our shift must be recognized and respected.

James goes on to describe godly wisdom as “pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” (Prov. 16:16). And we’re not talking

about knowledge necessarily or about how many degrees you earn. Wisdom is based not on quantity but on quality, not on what we know as much as Whom we know.

but we can also learn from every person we

encounter. When we remain open and curious, we can observe and respect our differences, enjoying a dialogue that stretches all of us. You would be surprised what you can learn from a child, a

preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!

ruts. They insist that you focus on new ways to navigate to your destination.

My blizzard

When we’re trying to regain our bearings after a major loss, trauma, crisis, or interruption, we cannot

cook.

changed circumstances will only leave you stuck in place, paralyzed by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.

All the more reason to remain humble and rely on God to guide us and not

would have stayed with some of our members who lived within walking distance, which is what I ended up doing anyway. I would not have underestimated the conditions. I would not have

that circumstances have changed and adjust our approach. We must do a course correction to ensure that we don’t get lost or end up going in circles. When I sheepishly described my

experience going in circles to a friend the next day, he said, “A storm like that commands respect! You can’t ignore its power or underestimate its strength.

I am who I am, Yahweh—the God of your ancestors” (Exod. 3:15–16).

The apostle Paul knew all about the human struggle to make the right choice when confronted with temptation. He wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I

want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Rom. 7:15). But he also knew that the power to overcome temptation had been won by what Jesus did for us on the cross:

So this time in the wilderness, while uncomfortable and unpleasant, was crucial to surviving the shift.

If you feel stuck because of past decisions you’ve made and their consequences, ask Him to give you the power and provision to move forward in a new direction, His direction.

be.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

by circumstances beyond your control. Development requires us to participate rather than hitting the pause button and waiting on our circumstances to return to what they used to be.

such as unfolding a map or unsealing an envelope. I love this meaning because it focuses on something tangible, revealing something that is hidden or covered up. Maps have to be unfolded

assume that our previous route is the one we should take. Instead we must step back to assess the severity of the storm and its damage. If I had been smarter that night and not so overconfident,

unnecessarily risked my safety as well as the safety of other travelers that night.

Sometimes when we’re surviving our shift, we compound our situation by stubbornly assuming we

can force our way forward. It might be by denying our need to grieve the loss of someone we love by returning to work too soon. It could be by going through the motions and sticking to the

same script with our spouse even though something has caused a profound shift in the relationship. Or perhaps we continue to treat our kids the same way we did when they were much younger,

I would

Denying, ignoring, bulldozing, pretending, or detaching from the new reality of our

our own distorted sense of direction. I would have sworn in a court of law that I knew where I was and how to get home that night while driving in that snowstorm. I didn’t take into account how

cashier, a waitress, a sales clerk, a mechanic, a landscaper, a delivery person, or an entry-level employee in your company if you’re receptive and humble.

The main thing I’ve learned about taking care of my body, however, involves how I handle stress. The best way I’ve learned to cope with stress is to take control of my daily schedule. I don’t

Ultimately God is the

discernment about what’s truly important versus what’s merely urgent. When I start to feel overwhelmed by a task, project, or responsibility, I now ask myself how much it will matter this time

matters most and helps me make room in my schedule for those priorities. Time away nourishes my creativity and comforts my weary soul. Most of us know what burnout feels like, and I’m

Jesus developed and cultivated the relationships He kept. He invested in them, just as we must invest in the people in our lives.

Jesus loved spending time with His Father as well as with the people around Him, setting an example for us to follow in our own development

She knew that it’s better to be a good friend than a good