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!

Say No More: Why You Shouldn't Always Feel Compelled to Explain Yourself to Others

There I was, doing it again.

Trying to think of an easy way to describe what I currently do for a living without sounding like a huge loser to someone I hadn't talked to in years. You see, I haven't worked on a traditional job for a long time. I'm self-employed and the Lord has given me the freedom to accept only those assignments for which I'm purposed. As a matter of fact, I replaced the word "job" with the word "assignment" years ago. (I'll tell you about that revelation in a future post). But when I found myself struggling to put what I actually do in terms that she could understand, I realized that my problem wasn't her, it was me. The more I stammered, the more questions she kept firing at me, almost like she was Detective Stabler trying to corner a perp in the interrogation room on Law and Order: SVU!

Come to think of it, why was it so important for her know so many details about my life anyway? We weren't ever even close... ever. But I digress...

When I finally got off the phone with her, I really needed to do some soul-searching. I had handled similar situations like this far too many times. I just couldn't let another birthday roll around with me still low-key campaigning for other people's approval of what God has ordained for my life. I really thought I was past that. But when she started peppering me with questions (and doing it with much smugness, might I add), it drudged up some old residue and I wasn't happy about that at all.

"Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." ~ Galatians 1:10 NLT

Do you ever feel compelled to "set the record straight" so that your image (whatever that is) stays intact? Do you especially find the urge is strongest when you're doing something that you KNOW God has told you to do? I've been there. It never works out. While you think you're saving your reputation, you're actually slowly losing sight of your own value and significance. Personally, I've found that it's not worth the risk.

It's funny how God's picture of success is often strikingly different from man's picture of success - even saved man. But I've come to realize that whatever my condition may appear to be in the eyes of others, that does not define who I am. Only the people who care about WHO I AM can legitimately say that they care about ME. Therefore, it has become my joy and privilege to leave people with their own thoughts, especially if they seem to be happiest dwelling there. I no longer carry the burden of protecting anyone from my truth!

"What other people think of me is none of my business." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

So I leave you with this, and I hope you wrap your mental arms around this truth and embrace it with all your might.

Whether you have accepted it or not, you are enough. It doesn't matter if you're still growing, still climbing, still trying, and still learning. YOU ARE ENOUGH!

Stop living your life to be approved by others. Most people are way to fickle to ever be pleased with anything you do anyway. Make your decisions, your choices, and even your mistakes on your own terms, NOT the terms someone else has assigned to you.

God loves you. He approves you. You were important and special enough for Him to send His only Son, Jesus, to die for your sins and give you eternal life.

Who else would do that for you? Nobody.

Who else is even worthy of doing that for you? Nobody.

Who do you owe an explanation to? Say it with me, "NOBODY!"

Until next week,

Rock Your Worth!

It's Okay to Be Amazing

Hello There Phenomenal Sisters!

I'm in a Maya kind of mood this week because I'm storming the gates of some of my own obstacles. What about you? Are there some things pushing back against the power of your potential? I gladly share these words of light and wisdom with you. As always, leave me a comment and let me know where you are on your journey. And if you haven't already done so, join us as we get better together by subscribing to The D-Vine.

Be encouraged as you wrap up your week!

~ Tracy