Time to Go Shopping!

Have you ever slipped on your favorite sweater and realize that it’d gotten too small? At first you figure you could make due and wear it anyway. But as the day wears on, you notice the sleeves keep riding up, it begins to itch around the neck and you find yourself constantly tugging on it and pulling it down at the waist. By the end of the day, your once-favorite sweater has fallen out of favor.
I compare situations in life to that once-favorite sweater. Sometimes you just simply outgrow them. Maybe it’s a relationship that is no longer giving you what you need, but is instead sucking life out of you. Maybe it’s a job that refuses to recognize your talents and giftings. Whatever the circumstance, you’ve become increasingly uncomfortable and can no longer ‘go along just to get along’. What’s the solution? Remember that the relationship or the circumstance did meet a need at one time, so you should try to transition with grace. You shouldn’t cuss out your boyfriend or walk out on your job without proper notice (although you may feel like it). The better way to handle the transition is to acknowledge the role it played, appreciate it for what it provided and move on. It may not be that easy and may take a process. But like that once-favorite sweater, another relationship or another job opportunity will come along and when it does, you just may realize that you wore that sweater way too long!

Watch Your Mouth

Did you know that Life or Death, Blessing or Cursing, Victory or Defeat is in the power of your tongue? Have you ever really considered what comes out of your mouth? Let’s say you’re having a bad day at work. The boss is nagging, the co-workers are getting on your nerves, the clients are whining. You have a choice. You can jump on the boat of misery with everyone else or you could speak life into the situation. Is that easy? Nah…hardly. Is it necessary? Absolutely! Why? Because, our words are like spirits. They have the power to effect a situation. This is not hocus-pocus. This is the authority that you’ve been given. So the next time Jonquesha gets in your face talking about your boss, send her packing with, “You know, Jonquesha, June Bosshead has been kinda difficult lately, but talking about her is not going to make it better. Let’s just work on doing what we know is right to do and sit back and watch the situation turn around”. After Jonquesha puts her eyeballs back in her head, she’ll probably think twice about bringing you garbage again. Refuse to be a garbage can. Garbage in-Garbage out. Think about what’s coming out of you: life-affirming words or poisonous, toxic words? Think about that and WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

Too Much Junk in the Trunk

Originally written 12/17/08...


As the year comes to a close, I’m starting to think about new beginnings. I’m hesitant to make a bunch of New Year’s Resolutions, but I have decided to make some permanent changes in my life and I challenge you to consider some of them:

1. To thine own self be true. I endeavor to always stay true to who I am and live authentically even when others don’t approve. Hate on haters!
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is entirely too short and too fragile to let pettiness get me off course.
3. Eliminate the toxins. If it’s killing you, stop it! That goes from the food we eat to the people we associate with.
4. Do you. Nobody can do you like you can. So what if you have big feet, nappy hair or 20 extra pounds? You are uniquely and divinely made and it is an insult to your Designer for you to want to be anything or anyone else.

As you go into the new year, envision a car loaded down with too much stuff: it will get poor gas mileage and eventually wear down before it’s time. The way to improve it’s performance is to unload some of the baggage and take care of it. Like the car, we can be loaded down with too much baggage as well: anger, bitterness, insecurity, haters, etc.

Challenge yourself to get free and dump the junk!