Fear/Break Loose/

Happy Sunday! I hope you are doing well on today. For me, it is another busy day of grad work and writing but my organization skills needs work. So, I still wanted to carve out time to do some blogging and chit chat for a minute. The thought that came on my mind was inspired by an Instagram post I made on Friday, (scroll to the end). Sometimes we allow that “people pleaser” in us to direct our life’s course. Personally, this has been a struggle for me because I honestly do not like people being upset with me and I will abandon who I am to “run after their approval”. I am learning that their approval has nothing to do with my life. It did not make a dent in it or knock it off course until I allowed those thoughts of “What do they think of me?” to flood my mind and lose focus.

It is human nature to desire to be accepted but by whom? Are we desiring to be accepted by gossipers? Narcissistic individuals? People with no vision? When I think of the word “peasant”, I think of someone that is intentionally living below their privilege. Of course, this is not the definition you are thinking of but I want to define it in a different way. I believe that we were accepted by God, first, and that our identity is found in Him. If God refers to us as a “masterpiece” and “a royal priesthood”, why would we live like we are outcasts? We lower our ambitions and expectations to meet the standards of this culture and satisfy the opinions of our naysayers. Everyone has been given a purpose and a free will. You can choose to do whatever you want and really do not have to live out the life God really wants to bless you with. But…the day you decide to take the necessary steps to draw out your potential because you know there is more in you, please know that everyone will not be excited. Some people loathe the fact that someone else is pursuing things that they gave up on. Now, they still have a choice to change but it is better to blame then take responsibility.

You are a person. You have feelings. You have dreams and goals. Your life cannot be determined by someone else’s hand. You have choices and opportunities to change your life for the better. To be honest, everyone is not going to take the chance to better their life and some are satisfied with complacency and mediocrity but that does not have to be you. You can make the steps to becoming healed and whole, more knowledgeable in various areas you lack in, and be determined to live out the life that God designed for you. Some of you may have family members or friends that do not like the fact that you are trying to grow and remove yourself from toxic surroundings, relationships, and even thought patterns but you must muster up the courage to let them go. If they decided to become attached to “lower living”, (meaning not maturing or growing), then you decide to detach from that “dead circle”. (I cannot help a person that makes the conscious decision to STAY STUCK.) We cannot allow someone else’s “secret” disgust with our successes and wins to knock us off of the path to destiny. They have a choice to change their life just like you have a choice to change yours.

This year, I want to challenge you as I challenge myself to make the steps to go after those things we put off because of what “others” may say or think about it. I do want to add this statement in as well. Sometimes “they” and “them” can be “you”. We can fill up our heads with such negative thoughts about ourselves, others, and goals that prevents us from achieving anything. We have to let those lies GO! You have been created to prosper not just financially speaking but in life in general. I hope this gives you something to think about this week and to start your Monday off right. Set yourself free and live your life.