Surrender... It's Worth It

Have you ever asked God for a certain thing but when He answered, the outcome wasn’t quite what you wanted? Sometimes He answers in an unexpected way. Sometimes He answers in an undesired way. But you cannot deny that it is indeed His answer. Yeah… that feeling right there. Did you feel it? Can you relate?

I’ve felt this feeling many times. I said I wanted His will to be done, but what I really wanted was His will MY way. I know. Exactly how did I possibly think that was going to work out? Honestly, it's not like He ever promised to give me what I had in mind anyway.

If you have any genuine experience following Jesus Christ, you already know this is NOT how He rolls at all. Now this is the point where you have an opportunity for promotion.

I see you scratching your head at this word “promotion.” But yes, promotion. Leveling up in ways you probably hadn’t anticipated. But here’s the thing - the prerequisite for this divine promotion can only come through surrender. Surrendering your agenda, your plans, your dreams, your previous beliefs, your motives, popular opinion and faulty assumptions. In essence, your whole will, Sis!

It is at the point of surrender that you become a clean slate, ready for the Author and Finisher of your faith to write His plan on your heart. At first, it’s going to feel strange, unnatural, and unbalanced. It will cost you some relationships and your reputation. It will mess with your bottom line. It will challenge your theology. It will feel like you’re dying. And guess what? YOU are. The you that tends to edge Jesus off of the throne of your life whenever His will challenges whatever you deem right, just, normal or proper.

Trust me. He aims to challenge everything you think you know about Him so that He can reveal to you who He really is. When this starts to happen -- let it. It’s the only way you’ll learn to separate truth from tradition. Remember, Jesus said that it is the TRUTH that will set you free. And isn’t that what you really want anyway? To be free? Free to realize and become who God created you to be.

Let me tell you, the day I stopped digging in my heels in protest and I began to allow God to reveal Himself to me in His own way, my soul began to settle. I grew in courage and began to use His words and my voice to chase away doubt and unbelief. Fear is decreasing, faith is increasing, and my hope is resurrected.

If you find yourself struggling with the way the Lord is moving in your life, I hope you’ll take the plunge and find out what’s on the other side of your surrender.

Peace to you...

How Are You Bidding Farewell to 2016?

Here we are at the end of another year. But I don't think I've known of a year so collectively abhorred as 2016.

Why just today, I was reading an article in which a man was citing certain negative comments he received regarding a controversial tweet he posted about the passing of singer, George Micheal. But there was one comment that I think truly captured the essence of what 2016 has felt like to so many. It was the one where one of his disgruntled readers told him that he was "the 2016 of people."

Wow! That was a true LOL moment for me.

I totally get it though. This year was the roughest and most stressful year I've ever had in my life. I won't go into all the messy details, but suffice it to say, 2016 tested me AND my family to the core.

Then there are all the sad and untimely losses of beloved celebrity icons like Prince, David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, and just a few days ago Carrie Fisher (Star Wars' Princess Leia).

Let's not forget about the made-for-reality-TV presidential campaign and the shocking (well, to some it was) outcome.

Yep! There's a lot we may want to forget about 2016. But even if this year is one you can't wait to kick to the curb, what is the one thing you learned? Instead of focusing on what was lost this year, what have you gained?

I can personally say that the hardship I endured this year fortified me mentally and spiritually in ways I didn't know I needed. I now have a much greater appreciation for the simple things in life, like food, shelter, and the use of two good legs. I'd say that's a good thing!

Even if you have to strain to think of ONE GOOD THING you can take with you from 2016, I encourage you to find it and hold on to it. 

Whatever it is, it might be the catalyst to the greater things that 2017 hold for you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR D-VINERS!

3 Cool Things About Being Rejected

At 50 years of age, I've had my fair share of rejection. You know - that thing that can put you in an instant cold sweat or make you feel like you've just been sucker-punched. Yeah that.

But over time, I've come to appreciate the galvanizing force that rejection can be. It may not feel good and it's not always fair, but if you let it, rejection can become a game-changer for you. 

I can't tell you how much I've grown emotionally and spiritually just by being willing to face rejection head-on. It's actually been completely liberating, and believe me, I never thought I'd say that.

Here are three cool things I've learned about rejection:

1. Rejection can sting, but it cannot kill. Life goes on even if the answer turns out to be 'No.' Later on, you may find this was the answer you really needed anyway.

2. Once you embrace it, rejection can keep you from wasting valuable time and help you become more purposeful.

3. Rejection can be a powerful motivator. It may be the push you need to finally face your fears and stop allowing opportunities to slip through your fingers. If you take the risk, you'll find that you truly have more going for you than you thought. 

Simba, you are more than what you have become...

So go ahead. Ask the question. Make the pitch. Join the conversation. Submit the proposal. Have the audacity to ask for what you want!

As a friend so aptly reminded me not too long ago, "closed mouths don't get fed."

In the end, TRY counts more than the TRIUMPH. 

As a bonus to your personal revolution, here's an awesome TEDTalk given by author and entrepreneur, Jia Jiang. What he learned from deliberately going through 100 days of rejection (yes, he actually did this) will TOTALLY reframe your thinking. 




Much love,

Tracy

"You are D-Vine!"

Don't Flinch About the Inch

Time.

That's what it takes for things to come full circle in this life. Three hundred and sixty-five days to complete a year. Forty weeks for a baby to be born full-term. If you have a tendency to want to rush things along, for instance

• A relationship with someone you REALLY like
• Mastering a new skill
• Finding the answer to a challenging problem, or
• Healing from an injury

You are probably painfully aware by now of how damaging your impatience can be. After a few bumps on my own head, I learned to calm the heck down. Who's time was I trying to beat anyway? I was stressing myself out for nothing, that is, until I found out that the sweet spot is found in the single steps you take, not in the jumps you make.

I used to frustrate myself by trying to compare my journey with someone else's, or just by plain rebelling against the wisdom of God. I was afraid that His way was going to take longer and be harder than the way I wanted to go. (Because I'm so smart!)

Over time (ironically enough) I learned the value of letting the seasons of life run their course. After all, they are just seasons. So that means they eventually have to change, right? Once this reality kicked in, I began to manage my expectations much better by setting them according to God's standard and not my own. My standard is usually contaminated with shortsightedness and manipulative motives that are often self-serving (how I want to look or feel or live). His is always pointed toward the bigger picture, which usually has to do with way more than just little ole me.

So the next time you feel yourself about to go there, or you're already there and you need to come back from the edge, try asking yourself these questions: 

• What am I really after?
• Why do I want this?
• Why do I need to do or have this now?
• Is this realistic?

Be real. Don't sugarcoat your motives. Denial only brings about delays. Honest answers, even the ones you may be too ashamed to admit, act as a compass to your soul. They help you determine where you truly are so that you can better discern where you need to be. And isn't that the goal in the first place - to get where you need to be?

Take your time and learn your lessons. Your future deserves this. Even if you can only make one step a day, that's PROGRESS! If you focus on how far or how long, you'll give up. Instead, set your sights on what you can do with what you've got and watch God blow your mind as He adds His super to your natural.

Until next time, Keep It Movin', My Sisters!

Let the Defense Rest

If you were born in the 60's like I was, you're probably very familiar with the man in this picture. Perry Mason, played by actor, Raymond Burr, was the indisputable champion of courtroom TV. That is, before mainstream reality TV came along.

If you've ever watched the show, you know that Perry was a defense attorney. As such, his job was to present enough evidence to prove his client's innocence despite the charges being brought against them. When he had sufficiently done so, he would say, "The defense rests."

Unfortunately, the defense in today's courtrooms doesn't always look as honorable as the kind exhibited by the fictional Perry Mason. It has essentially become the act of trying to downplay, if not altogether avoid, the consequences of the truth. 

Now if this sounds similar to last week's post, humor me and keep reading anyway. This is more of a piggyback on that same theme. I promise, I'm taking you to a good place. :)

Have you ever been told you're too DEFENSIVE?

Are you TOUCHY about certain subjects?

Is it hard for you to take CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM?

If you answered yes to any of these, it's time to let YOUR defense rest. You've got to understand, putting up great defense doesn't make you any less responsible for your actions. It just keeps you stuck in denial. Don't do this to yourself. Please know that I'm not even you remotely suggesting that you welcome insults, put-downs, and mean-spirited comments. I'm talking about opening your heart and getting to the real WHY of the situation. That's what the truth is meant to reveal. Once it does, then FREEDOM can take place. 

The next time you're confronted with a personal mistake or flaw, don't put up your dukes in defense. Take the time to filter it through your spirit (hopefully, you're nurturing yours) instead of your heart. The heart is the seat of your emotions, so it may distort what's really going on and cheat you out of an opportunity to grow and become better.

Let the truth stand guard over your heart and you'll be slow to take offense and quick to listen. It it's not true, let it go.

Here's to the NEW & IMPROVED YOU!

The Courage to Take Correction

The other day, my husband and I were in a conversation and he brought up a bad habit that I’ve had for years. Now to be honest, I knew that what he was saying about my habit was TRUE. I just didn’t want to accept it at the time. I had a whole list of justifications for my actions, knowing full well they didn’t really hold water. Bad as it sounds, I was actually trying to protect my “right” to be wrong. Have you ever done that? Probably not, huh? It’s just me? Okay… As he gently rebuked me, I could literally feel a wall of defensiveness rising up within me. I shut down, stopped responding, and decided to just listen, albeit in a passive-aggressive manner. My character was, once again, being reshaped, and I wasn't taking it well at all.

Whoever said, “The truth hurts,” was certainly not making an understatement. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself WHY it hurts? Isn’t truth supposed to be a good thing? It depends on what you’re after - your way or God’s. 

"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening - it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way." 

~ Heb. 12:11 NLT

Here’s what I came to realize (once I cooled down and repented). Truth is meant to bring about correction, and that correction is for my PROTECTION. I’m sure we can all agree that protection is a GOOD THING, right? 

God loves me too much to watch me destroy myself, even in what may seem like the smallest of ways. He wants me to live a life FREE of regret. The only way to do that is to embrace correction whenever it comes my way and to see it as a lifeline and not a choke hold. So when God uses someone to offer me correction, it is an act of LOVE, not punishment or shame. What kind of father would he be anyway if he just let me keep going along a path that he knows will rob me of his best for my life?

Let’s face it. It’s not a popular thing to say ’NO!” to your flesh (your will, your desires, your feelings, your opinions) - even among those in the Body of Christ. And if you’re not careful, subtle pride will seduce you into adopting your will over God’s will, instead of it being the other way around. It takes courage to accept and act on correction. But think of it this way. The initial sting you feel when you are being corrected is nothing compared to the inevitable pain you’ll feel when you finally understand why you should have taken it when you had the chance. Just ask the woman who rejected the truth about the man she chose to marry, despite the numerous warnings from those who really cared about her. But you can’t. Why? Because they still can’t find her body.

Proverbs 12:1 (NLT) warns us that it is actually STUPID for us to avoid correction. Don’t be foolish!

I challenge you not to waste another day fighting for your right to be wrong. Embrace the truth, make the correction, thank the corrector (no matter who they are or how they bring it), and LIVE!

Here’s to a BETTER and WISER you!