This will make some of you uncomfortable and you might unsubscribe. I’m ok with that.
I’m special not because my parents said so, because the world pats me on the back for my achievements, or because I dominated the magazine fundraiser in 6th grade.
I’m special because I was created in the image of God. That is not unique to me because we are all created in the image of God. I don’t have special powers that were sprinkled on me at birth. Only by uncovering my truth can I understand that the same things that make me unique are available to us all.
The reality is we are all destined for greatness regardless of accomplishments. I’m not talking about participation trophies for sitting on the sideline. It takes desire. It takes intent. It takes action. But not thinking that you possess greatness and failing to step into it is an insult to God. So, sorry for insulting you, God.
Many people have been born into immense wealth – there’s no denying that. It’s also a fact that incredible accomplishments have been achieved by people with deplorable upbringings. Far worse than you and I. It’s not to compare our situation to someone else or remark that life’s fair. That’s another insult to God.
The only healthy comparison is for you to compare yourself today to who you were yesterday (you vs. yesterday). Whatever you believed yesterday. Whatever you said yesterday. Whatever you did yesterday. Acknowledge and give yourself forgiveness that you were doing your best based on the information you had.
Today is an opportunity to make one small change.
Not 10. Not 5. One.
Change one belief. Change one thing you said. Change one thing you did. Then, tomorrow, look at your beliefs, words, and actions and compare those to today.
Life is not a soul-searching journey. Searching indicates that something is lost. That you aren’t able to locate ‘it’. You search for your wallet and keys when you misplace them around the house.
Some go on a never-ending search, but ‘it’ never leaves you. It’s inside of you, waiting to be uncovered. ‘It’ is there when no one else is around. When the TV is shut off. When your phone is in the other room. It requires attention. It requires the truth to be uncovered.
Uncover your true self, the person without the self-limiting beliefs you have latched onto from someone else. That’s like walking into a store blindfolded and grabbing clothes off the shelf because other people wear clothes. There’s a good chance those won’t fit, and neither will those self-limiting beliefs you’ve been wearing your entire life.
Here’s your permission slip or should I say receipt to return those unverified beliefs to the original sender.
Good news, bad news.
Good news: the uncovering is there for you to take hold of.
Bad news: no one else can do it for you.
In writing this morning it led me to this thought:
Change internal perception then see external reflection
The beliefs we wear, the words we say (to ourselves and others), and the actions we take are all based on our internal perception of ourselves. Whether you like it or not, that perception becomes our external reflection. The only way our reality changes is by changing our internal perception.
There aren’t any pills, quick fixes, or self-help books that can reach the depths of your soul like the uncovering that is possible through a relationship with God.
Going through the motions, not stepping into your personal greatness, and grabbing the first thing off the shelf are all insults to God. I’ve insulted enough people in my first 40 years. Sorry for insulting you, God.