Thursday, August 12, 2010

Who defines me?

One of the greatest "a-ha" moments I have ever had was the fact that I am the one who gets to define me.  I am the one who gets to define my truth!  I get to decide what I think beauty is and I get to determine what I think makes me successful.  I also get to decide whether I keep listening to what others say I am, or what the media says is beautiful or what society claims to be success.  Oh my gosh!!  What doors that truth opened for me!  It allowed me to stop listening to the voices of others who don't know me, the voices of those who may not be safe or care about my welfare and especially stop listening to the voices (racket) in my own head about my constant and utter deficiencies in every area.  Finally, I get to choose what defines me WITHOUT shame to smear the truth.

For me, beauty is found in strength of charater.  For me, success is found in the ability to keep going, to persevere when the going is tough beyond measure.  For me, one truth I learned and live by now is that shame smears and rots everything it touches.  Conviction is healthy.  That's what lets us know we owe an apology or need to right a wrong we have done.  Shame is unhealthy, it crushes everything it touches.  It never promotes life and it is NOT truth.  Anything we can do to challenge it is worth doing.  I personally have decided that my truth is based on what the Living God says to me through His Word, and that is a woman without condemnation, growing in truth and light and love.  I am now willing to fight desparately to weed out what is not truth and I get to choose that, nobody else, yippee!.  If I don't weed it out, then my behavior will reflect what I am allowing to define me and more importantly, who I am allowing to define me.

Have you thought lately about what defines you? Have you given consideration to who defines your truth?  What voices are motivating your behaviors? Here's your hint for the week . . .you have to be looking inward, not outward, to begin the defining process.  Second hint for the week . . .you get to choose what backdrop of Truth you will believe! 

And please remember this - nobody can define you, better than YOU can! 

Friday, August 6, 2010

Slow and Easy

My sister and I were chatting it up on the cell phones when I began bemoaning the fact that I had gained over 40 pounds after our brother's death and I seemed to be stuck and not able to get it off again as easy as I had hoped.  She began telling me about a book she was reading.  It was about change, and why so many people simply cannot change the long ingrained habits that they have in their life.  Of course my ears perked up when I hear something like that!  Sounds like H.O.P.E. stuff to me. She read a sentence out of the book that she said reminded her of what my journey to loose over 200 pounds looked like from her perspective.  She also went on to say that you need to remember that this is what served you so well before, and this is what can serve you well again.

"You have to begin to believe, really believe, the power of small change to make a big difference in your life.  Small change, one at a time, slow and steady, gentle and easy make change a constant in your life.  You are not redefining yourselves, you are refining yourselves, slow and easy"

What can I say, she right!!  Slow and easy, one change at a time.  I DO remember that from before.  Funny how we have to be reminded every now and again of things we already know.  Have a great weekend!