One of the joys of mentoring is watching the development of your mentees. One reoccurring theme is that we are the crowns we choose to wear. What do I mean?
All too often I come in contact with those who are part of the "pity party committee". Now, we all have our crosses to bear and there is a time for grief and mourning. Yet, Proverbs 18:21 is a self-fulfilling prophecy: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit", NKJV. Too many of us, and at times I fall victim to the same, love the attention that comes from complaining, whining and looking for sympathy. We want to talk about how hard we have had it, the breaks we never received and the raw deals that were handed to us. Some take this to the extreme and it would appear that they are living martyrs. Well, that is the problem: there are NO LIVING MARTYRS!!!! You can do the research yourself but, by definition, a martyr is someone who suffers persecution and/or death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, and/or refusing to advocate a belief or cause of either a religious or secular nature. Meditate on that for a moment; most of us have never experienced this extreme level of persecution and definitely not for religious or similar reasons. A beauty queen sets her eyes on the crown and creates a winning strategy that she pursues RELENTLESSLY. She refuses to stop until she is wearing her shining, sparkling crown. Are you doing the same but in reverse? Do your actions, conversations and consuming thoughts equate to a crown of suffering, poverty, denial, lack, chaos, confusion, helplessness, insecurity, low self-esteem or . . . a martyr? Just remember, regardless of the crown you pursue, be careful: a martyr must die! Begin your work today to identify what crown you have been chasing versus what you really want out of life: createspace.com/5074934
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In the past 23 hours God spared my life (literally), grew my platform/passion/mission and granted me favor. I'm not bragging but thanking God publicly. Take a moment and ask yourself, what has God done for me today? Make sure you give Him thanks and praise for it all and in the midst of it all!
Psalms 91 NKJV: 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” I posted this on my social media pages and some of my Facebook groups with the question, what does your faith say about today? One reply I received was “all things possible within reason”. Of course, that sparked something in my spirit. That reply was like a beautiful plate before with so many delicious items that I could not wait to enjoy! “All things possible within reason”: of course the Pastor/teacher within me wants to say, “there is no within reason! If you have to add a within reason that means you really don’t think whatever goes before that is possible.” While there is some truth to that, the realist side to me says, “in life there are always limitations”. You can sit down and meditate on this reply and come up with your own dialogue which I strongly encourage. This would be a great discussion point at your next girlfriends’ gathering, social meeting, church ministry, professional organization, etc. What I will say is we all need to define our “within reason” CAUTIOUSLY, PRAYFERFULLY and METICULOUSLY. While there are limitations in life, I am one that believes in rooting for the underdog. In my own life, I have fought and am fighting daily to overcome the “limitations, obstacles and barriers”. Some of us use the “within reason” to put our desires, wants and aspirations in a box. There will always be the naysayers who want you to believe in the “within reason” because they only want you to go as high as they say you can and not one step further. If there “within reason” does not align to your “within reason”, where do you go from there? Webster.com defines reason as: ”a statement or fact that explains why something is the way it is, why someone does, thinks, or says something, or why someone behaves a certain way : a fact, condition, or situation that makes it proper or appropriate to do something, feel something, etc. : the power of the mind to think and understand in a logical way” These are all reasons why the “within reason” part sparked something within me. I discovered in my recent journey to be transparent and release my testimony of surviving 17 years of childhood abuse and how to find happiness while awaiting your dreams, that I needed to step outside of what others deemed as reasonable or appropriate. People always want to know why would you write a book revealing such a personal side of your life? In this day of faking it before you make it and keeping up the appearance of having it all together, why would you share would people some of your darkest moments and personal struggles? My answer, why not? Why wouldn’t you share with people what saved your life? Why can’t you be transparent and throw a life raft to someone who is literally on the edge of life and wondering how and when to end it all? Why not share the lessons you learned during your journey and with clarity demonstrate the path to restoration, healing and optimum health? I might be a survivor, motivator and joy enthusiast today but I remember a time where all I did was pray to die because I thought death was the only escape out of my life of pain. Now that might not seem logical or reasonable to the naysayer but anything else to me would be inhumane and uncivilized. “All things possible within reason”: again, I thank the lovely Queen who submitted that reply and I do not condemn you nor belittle you for your viewpoint. I do, however, encourage anyone reading this post that, if your reply is the same, make sure that you define within reason and take it prayerfully to God for the proper alignment for your life. Otherwise, your reason may just be the box that encapsulates or limits your “all things are possible”. createspace.com/5074934 à Sometimes all you have is Happy: A guide to obtaining happiness while awaiting your dreams Whether simple or small there are great lessons that life teaches us every day. I returned to the gym today after two months (doctor’s orders). Adding to the challenge was the fact that this was one of my toughest classes and instructors. However, you have to start somewhere and why not now? (The longer you wait the longer you put off your success and none of us can afford to do that in any area of our lives.) I made a healthy, nutrient enriched breakfast and even had a friend say she would meet me there. I was so excited and reminded myself that I had waited for this moment. Step 1: I put my gear on and laced up my shoes (I came prepared/equipped). Step 2: I showed up (talk is cheap; just do it)! Step 3: I reminded myself that I had done this a million times and I was capable of doing it again although I was out of practice. (Philippians 4:13 You can do all things through Christ . . .) I won’t lie: the first 10 minutes were brutal! The first five were awkward; I was soon out of breath and I wanted to stop, take a break and go home! The next five minutes had me feeling like I was way over my head and maybe I should have waited a little longer before returning. Sounds familiar (think about your life in and outside of the gym)? There is good news: after the first 10 minutes, I received my second wind! Amazingly, the body acclimated itself to the intensity that two months ago was part of my regular regimen and suddenly I was leading the pack. The more the instructor asked us to speed it up the more I rose to the challenge. At the end of the class my body felt so good and like I had never stopped or taken time off. So what’s the lesson? Life is full of challenges and there are so many things that we start and don’t finish only to be forced to revisit them later. Many know that all too well when they make their New Year’s resolutions and Vision Boards. Sure, you might initially be excited and willing to re-enlist only to soon feel frustrated, worn out and ready to give up before you can really get started. Don’t be deceived; the initial pains, aches and tiredness are nothing compared to how your body, mind and spirit will feel once you accomplish what you set out to do. Moral to this story: you will make it but you must keep fighting! createspace.com/5074934 |
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