12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,- Hebrews 12:1
After you've lived with wounds for so long they begin to define us. Let me rephrase that, we allow them to define us. "I'm just afraid of commitment", "I'm just not good enough", "I'm just not worthy", "I'm just not there yet". That's probably my favorite that makes me want to scream more than anything, "I'm just not there yet". It doesn't make sense, if you know where "there" is, why can't you get there? Why are you stuck here instead of there? Better question, what keeps you here? What's so attractive so comforting about being stuck here? There is clearly where you know you should be. There is waiting for you. Can you get there?
Lets ponder this shall we? How about all those phrases, I'm just… why just?
just is a minimizer word. Why would we precede anything with just? We are not "just" anything. If we knew what God created us to be, it wasn't just anything. Can you imagine Him saying…"I'll make this one just fearful of commitment." "I'll make this one just stubborn about this." "I'll make this one just afraid of success." "This one will be just angry about everything." "This one just addicted to alcohol." We choose to be less than what we were ever intended to be. We minimize our lives, our passion, our contributions. Yes, our contributions. We are designed to give ourselves, our time, our gifts to others.
Life is so fleeting people, time passes so quickly. What are you waiting for? What would have to happen before you're ready to move from here to there? I believe that we don't want to let go of what our anchors are that weigh us down. Can't you see it? We're all on boats sailing through this journey we call life, where are the places you call "here" that you refuse to pick up the anchor from and get to the next destination, there? Such a powerful visual. Mine have been "fear", "lack", "unbelief". I believed these lies for a long time. The hard thing is if they become the lenses through which we view life experience that comes to us, its the wrong perspective. It can be the comfortable perspective, but its the narrow convenient one through which we've filtered most of life.
There was a time I would have been afraid to go from here to there. I would have let my anchor down in the port of fear, but I know my destiny waits not here but there. I know that in my former life I would have run from the chance to feel this, instead I walk into it with the eyes of my heart open, my ears longing for wisdom of God to guide me and my arms wide open to receive the gift.
