Rose colored glasses called, Grace...

What are those things that you fear?  Those things that keep you bound to where you are instead of where you want to be or where God wants you to be?  Is it your past?  Is it fear of the unknown, of the future, or a person or crowds or spiders?  Fear is like food: you need it to survive but it can make you sedentary if you get too much of it.  Fear serves a good, godly purpose when we aren’t using it or allowing it to be used as a weapon.  Most of our fears are unwarranted.  Quite simply derived from things we’ve blown out of proportion in our minds.  I am not saying phobias aren’t real, so let’s not get off base here.  I am saying that something bad happens to you; not tragic, bad and you begin to let it control how you think or feel about yourself and the others around you.  You lose your vulnerability and creativity and start building walls and chasms.

Satan controls most of us in this way.  It’s pretty bad for the ladies.  You are too fat or skinny or loud or quiet or too much to handle (this one likes me).  “You are too: are the worst three words in the English language.  I really dislike them because most of the time that thing you are too of is the very place your gift lies.  You are too friendly, too open and your gift is hospitality.  You are too loud or too aggressive but God designed you to be a leader.  You are too quiet or too boring and truly what you are is reliable and steady.  We need to see that too often this word proceeds a manipulation of the devil and quit giving it power over who we were created to be.

For everything I am, there is something that I am not but my combination is special, designed by an Almighty God that doesn’t make mistakes.  Break it down to its simplest form and again we see our own pride gets in the way.  We think we know more about ourselves than God the Creator.  We think He was wrong or made a mistake when He fashioned us in this manner.  We think that desire to be whatever it is He is calling you to, is some kind of lie or unachievable dream when in reality, we are only denying ourselves.

You want to live fearlessly? The very first step is acceptance of who God created you to be.  It is looking in the mirror and no matter what satan is telling you is staring back at you, trusting in God’s truth which is what is real.  Seeing the beauty He formed in you.  It is deciding to no longer believe the lie that you are worthless or too much this or that or not enough of whatever.  It is seeing yourself as you see pretty much every other person you know, through some rose colored glasses called, grace.

I am and will always be too loud.  I have wildly curly hair.  I can carry a tune but I am not a singer.  I love people so much my heart aches with it sometimes.  I can be cold and calculating.  I hate spiders even though I understand why they must live among us.  I will always be just a little bit chubby.  I have football player thighs and calves.  I have had two abortions and two children.  I like my nose.  I over feel things when it’s that time of the month.  I make mistakes and fall short. I am not afraid although maybe I should be, to yell at God when I am pissed.  I love my Bronco.  ALL of these small things add up to be the BIG sum of what makes me, me but none of it makes me less beautiful than God made me.