Risky Business

Change is risky business little lady: this is a joke I made the other day with a friend. I know what I'm talking about because I have gone out on many a limb and it is the reaction that I observe in others that can make the limb feel thin and ready to drop me or wide and broad enough to hold my weight and even the weight of many others, who may want to come on out there one join me. 

Entrepreneurial world 

Risk is emotionally charged and can feel life threatening and yet, without taking risk, life is a dull lack lustre day in day out merry go round trip, rotating in a tiny self contained world. By contrast, the entrepreneurial world is rich with risk takers. They boldly go where many dare not: there is a life and limb (using our tree metaphor again) feeling whenever business ideas are conceived and then put into place.  

• Who will come? 
• How will I pay my bills? 
• Is this a good idea? 
• Am I CRAZY? 
• Maybe I should just get a real job? 

Work the heart

Angst can keep the faint at heart in a holding pattern and yet, taking risk is a way to strengthen the heart muscle. I read an article that inspired me to action, about strengthening this vital organ. Work the heart, like any other muscle, to the point of failure. So I did:

I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could and nearly passed out from the effort. (Please note: I am not giving running advice or suggestions here~I am a trained professional and know my limits, I have no idea about yours). 

Effectively more powerful and confident

My point, you ask? I'm here to tell about pushing limits, going as hard as possible, taking the risk of potential failure for the benefit of living through it all, stronger and effectively more powerful and confident in our capacity as human beings than seemed possible before the push: prior to the risk taking. In testing limits, we find out they are much further down the road than we first anticipated. It is this push practice that heightens our desire and drive to achieve, to accomplish, to make our mark in the world. We tell ourselves that we were created for much when we choose to live past perceived limits. 

Your heart

Now let's take a good look at your heart: 

• What risk do you take in the breaking of your heart when you don't allow it to work at full capacity?
• In other words, how weak to the point of breakage, has your heart become from disuse?
• Have you become faint of heart?

There is an inverse relationship to this scenario. When we do not take risks, when we remain status quo, when we acquiesce to a worldly laziness, we become inept, incapable and decomposed, rotting from the inside out with wasted potential. 

Willingness to show weakness

Change is risky business because emotions feel like they might suffocate, drown, and ultimately kill. Many a heart aches with longing for release and is never given the freedom to express and this too, becomes a risk as the heart threatens to explode from the chest, rupture from lack of acknowledgment, lack of attention, lack of exercising what it was created for. The willingness to show weakness by exposing oneself to potential failure can and often does, result in strength gains:

But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Run in such a way that you may win

Choose strengthening your heart

You are currently in a position, aren't you dear reader? to choose strengthening your heart in the face of risk. You don't have to do this alone, in fact, you simply cannot: but you can choose to run as fast as your heart will allow, to the point of fainting, of failing, of tripping and skinning your knees. The rewards far out way the risks and the badge of honour that you will receive for breaking free from mediocrity, will shine brilliantly forth from that on fire heart of yours. 

Answers come with asking questions

• What does your heart need today? 
• What risk are you willing to take in order to strengthen this vital organ? 

Lastly, we have these words:

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind (Psalm 26:2). 

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win (1Corinthians 9:24). 

GPS

Blah blah blah is what I hear when given detailed instructions. Making plans to meet someone somewhere for the first time is painful, especially when directions start pouring out of their mouth. Invariably, I interrupt them, not wanting time wasted on shared information that refuses to enter my stopped up ears. An address is all I need and gps or my own experienced Global Positioning System will be activated to get me there, wherever there happens to be. General Patton suggested "If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you'll be amazed at the results." I have had a slow dawning of realization and with it came a recent verbalization of what I am and am not with regard to my intelligence. The freedom that flooded me in acknowledging my natural skill sets was a refreshing washing clear of the nonsense of judgement that came when I just couldn't understand details. I have emotional intelligence, defined as "the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically."  I have joked with several of my friends that while they are Mercy, I am Justice. I have a knack for cutting through extraneous emotional nonsense and getting to the heart of matters. I am empathic and feel the pain of others and with this power, I have an extreme capacity that is becoming highly attuned to deception, fraud, masked emotions and sentiments. I am a justice seeker, truth teller, intolerant of being led down the garden path to dead ends. I have desire that burns for what is good, pure and right and I chase this relentlessly to the point of bloodied feet and torn hands as I grasp and attempt to hold it tightly. It is the desperation of the chase that causes a disruption In my judgement, my perceptions...time to listen and learn is essential for course correction. (I give credit for the clarity of my current understanding to having recently finished reading the book Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell). Freedom comes from The Light of Truth and yet, we are sinners, we are wanting in the categories in which God reigns supreme. This is why I cannot rely on little itty bitty me, He is my Grand Daddy GPS. God Personal Saviour. When I listen to Him, the message is never garbled, confused, staticky. His voice is clear and His guidance takes me through unchartered territories with a path opening up before me as I take each faith filled step. His voice becomes my Commanding Officer and I need not chase, run, become bloodied and torn in my persuing. The Truth needs not prove Himself, He is, was and always will be~in saying this, I am set free. I need not prove, explain what I am, am not capable of, I need only joyfully accept, embrace, and celebrate the gifts He chooses to bestow, to the Glory of His Name. Your turn, what are you ready to declare about who you are, what you are naturally good at, what direction you WANT to take guided by your own GPS? One life, One Love, All of it yours to have, go get it. 

No Guts, No Glory

Forlorn is the feeling when I don't know, when you don't know, what we are here for, what purpose it serves to exist? The age of reckoning is at your doorstep when these questions begin to knock on your heart, stirring your soul. Looking for purpose is a process of self discovery and while the digging around for meaning and worth is consuming, persistence pays off dividends when the moment comes, the sun breaks through the clouds of doubt and THERE IT IS, your REASON for being. Here are some starting point questions for you: What breaks your heart? What makes your heart sing? What would your perfect work day, look and feel like? You can know the answer to these questions by taking the time to figure out what gets your blood pumping and what drives you to action? These are the clues to your purpose and destiny. Here is a quote from General George S. Patton. Jr: "A man must know his destiny, if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder, if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it." Tap tap tap, destiny is trying to get your attention. Our eyes and ears are naturally attuned to what is valuable and important to us. I don't like Opera music, in fact I find it excruciating to endure~it sets my teeth to grinding. I do like music and my ears and imagination perk up when their is a beat, a chorus I can sing along to and a meaningful story that moves me to feel. I got the music in me, it isn't just any old music that will do. You too, have the music in you, your own brand of get you going sound, sights, sentiments. They draw you inexplicably and when you allow the pull, you allow the sweetness of your purpose to come alive. A job, work, a pay cheque, is that all you are worth? NO WAY! You live with a built in Divine Destiny. Now picture the fork in the road that you face. Which path do you choose? We only get tapped by destiny "at the very most, three times"...do you have the guts to claim what is your destiny, and live fully? No guts, no glory.

Growth via Discomfort

How afraid of pain are you? Do you avoid it, deny its existence, run like you are being chased at the idea of being with your pain or the pain of another? Growing pains are a metaphor for the life of the fully actualized adult. I know I'm on the verge of a life lesson when I become impatient, harsh, irritated. These soul sandpaper indicators are my early warning signs for a bumpy spiritual growth spurt ahead~a rebuke of some kind. Reading the signs of my internal weather system is becoming easier and with 10 000 hours of consistent investment in my learning, I have heard mastery will be mine. Mastery of what, you ask? Awareness, I want to be aware, awake, available to hear, see, feel or perhaps, more accurately, sense and trust that what I am observing makes "sense" in a way that I just don't have to always explain or understand. Let's get practical, shall we? Have you ever listened ad nauseam to someone and felt your ire grow as your time is wasted only to discover that this happens to be one of your annoying tendencies? I am grinning as I write this because words are precious AND in the mouths of the unconscious speaker, they become worthless, tasteless and like a junk food meal with no nutritional value. Awareness serves the listener and in this example, the speaker. The discomfort comes when I know, you know, that something must change, some learning and ultimate growth must occur to ensure that connection remains intact. Distilling this further, there is a time to ask, what is the point? Where are we going and how come? Pain has a place, it requires attention. There is a message and a point to pain and to ignore this is to reject the growth that comes from reconciling. Soul sand paper is necessary to smooth off edges and prepare the soul for Peace and Joy, the desired inner weather system. You can run but you cannot hide, pain pursues relentlessly and demands attention and the unwilling will and do show signs of soul sickness when avoidance is the pattern. Growth is uncomfortable, so what? The benefits of acknowledging and working through the pain far outweigh the cost of ignoring and avoiding. I dedicate this to Dana Candy, my wise, faithful forever growing and learning friend and hairdresser. Dana~you shine brightly in a darkened world, Gods Light guides many through you, one of His very own, you are a Beacon of Truth. Thanks for the inspiration Dana, I love you! 

Quarantine

Quarantine~"A state, period, or place of isolation in which people that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed". A quarantine is protective by nature, preventative in the attempt to contain a known disease from spreading. Epidemic causalities comes to mind when contagions are not taken seriously, dealt with appropriately and in a timely fashion. What about the people who have been closed off, the people who carry potentially life threatening disease, the ones who are at risk of early death themselves? What dangers were they exposed to, putting their lives precariously in the hands of fate? Toxins are everywhere and yet, the majority of us live rather care free, healthy lives, never having been separated out from the herd for their protection from our nasty microscopic bugs. I have yet to meet a previously quarantined person and I am grateful for the wellbeing and physical safety I have thus far enjoyed. I am prepping you for an idea I have, of some self directed, protective quarantine like choices that are readily available that may feel life threatening and so foreign as to make you feel like you just don't belong, that you have put YOURSELF out of the herd. It's daring, I warn you now...its, it's, being...alone, by choice. I'm gonna go crazy here, and make another idea known~make being alone a habit, a defined, boxed off, protected from the socially infected dis ease of a world gone mad with imposition and demands on your time, your energy, your life force. Choose to stay healthy and whole by keeping contagions at bay with less exposure. Want to protect your family life? Choose time dedicated to being with them. Want to grow your business? Draw lines of demarcation that cannot be crossed. Want to have a loving partnership with your mate? Be with them and let nothing keep you from them. What do you want more of that you haven't got the "time" for? What has infected your thinking and kept you from what is truly important to you? Actions always speak louder than words. If you long to be somewhere other than where you are, how can you quarantine yourself, protect what is valuable to you? Be alone first, give yourself the gift of quiet so that you can hear your own voice, speak your longing. Than choose, how do I want my life to look? Who gets in, past the protective doors to the inner chambers of my heart? Will exposure make me/ keep me well, or like a nasty soul infestation, will I be sickened from the exposure? I know, I know, it's not that simple you say? That's the fun part, you get to figure out how to get where you want to be, it's all you my friend, you are capable and wise. 

Strength

Strength for the day. Ever wake up groggy and wondering how you will be of use, of service today? It's a disconcerting awareness and makes me think of an old cartoon, the one where Fred Flintstones bloodshot eyes are held open by toothpicks, the only thing keeping him from falling asleep. Sleep is a mysterious blanket of vulnerable unawareness and as I write, I consider sleepiness as a similar state of being too dull to notice, being unaware. Perhaps it can be the opposite? Perhaps in a slightly subdued state, human striving and accomplishing can give way to a quieting of the spirit, an openness to hearing without searching for answers...as the earth prepares for the deep sleep of winter, rhythmically we too become drowsy, readying ourselves for the still. As I write, the wind becomes audible with the rustling of the drying leaves on the trees. I hear the seconds being clicked and counted on the wall clock and I wonder what the day will bring? I have a schedule with names in slots, appointments with real people who have their own scheduled lives and I realize how important it is that they are a part of my life, not my schedule. For this day, my prayer comes from Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint". God gives me strength, awareness, a keen desire to be available, especially when slumber would steal from His glory. 

Judas

I have been pondering the relationships Jesus had during his short ministry here on earth. Jesus selected his twelve apostles and with a come follow me wave of the hand, followed closely by multiple miracles including healing of the blind, diseased, demon possessed and raising of the dead, many more became disciples. Within the twelve, Jesus had his trusted three and within the three, Jesus had what is called, his favourite, said to be John. Jesus knew his disciples and could read what was on their minds, their hearts. Some would call it intuition and yet it is far more than this, far more than what the average intuitive, the regular empath can pick up...he saw into a person's past, their present condition and their future, including what would amount to their eternal fate and he would speak it, predicting what was, is and would be. God is like that, he just plain old knows. My curiosity has been revolving around Judas Iscariot, the one who's name is infamously associated with betrayal. Jesus said in John 6:70 Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the devil. Jesus was not a lamb to slaughter, make no mistake, he knew what his purpose was, what he had come to do and what was required of him. He was the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He knew how, when, where, who~the unfolding was for human understanding, not a flip of the script for The Christ. He knew. Bringing us back to Judas~he too knew, what he was doing, why, what the out come would be. He was one of Jesus' friends, a close companion, trusted apostle, breaking bread and drinking wine with God himself. Despite his knowing, seeing, experiencing Jesus in the flesh, he ultimately denied him. It seems beyond crazy to me and in the sickest sense, the extreme and perfect example in narcissistic behaviour and thought. Hanging out with God, following him around, being given the ability to heal JUST LIKE HIM, HOLY COW, that sounds like Heaven on earth to this tiny wannabe like God human! Judas, I shake my head, being with God and just NOT getting it. How about you? He is by your side, do you too, deny him as your God? King James Bible John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. God chooses, walks along side, invites us to join him and than leaves the rest up to us, come, follow Me is the offer. What will YOU do?

Company

What happens when you are expecting company? In my house, there is a flurry of activity starting with menu planning, grocery shopping, food preparation and some major house cleaning. I love what having company represents to my family. This is when we function optimally, bees readying the hive for royal guests. This got me to thinking~what if we were ALWAYS ready for company? What if hospitality defined who we are? There is a sparkling welcome, deliciously scented air, warm hugs and a smiling invitation to enter~it is intimate sharing of space, food, home. The very best of who I am, who you are, shows up when valued company enters my/your dwelling place. There is a readiness to receive and a willingness to share that makes the experience extraordinary. Readiness, being prepared makes ease of entertaining enjoyable for guests and hosts alike. There is a graciousness in the shared experience. Now what about unexpected guests, you ask? What about them? It depends on you...Here is what the Bible says: Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. How prepared are you, to welcome and receive? Whether the company is of the human or Heavenly Host variety, we are called to be hospitable. Kinda wonderful this Thanksgiving day!

Eyes of the Heart

It occurs to me this day how much fear has ruled the roost in my life. I pray~in prayer, I ask for Gods protection over my loved ones, people that are dear to me. My prayer this morning changed from a protective nature to a request, that my people see miracles today. After all, life abundant is about more than survival, it is about thriving. The spirit of fear and The Spirit Of Faith, diabolical opposition to Heavenly Affirmation. I am a Christ follower and as a Christ follower, the Holy Spirit dwells within me. King James Bible 1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world". NKJV 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind". All arrows point to despair, worry, hopeless helplessness with a world tipping sideways while innocent blood is shed and people are being shoved, trodden upon, murdered and pushed out of this world. It is God that gives life and God alone who is entitled to decide our earthly death date and it is heinous to witness man against man, a perversion of His plan...we are to love Him and show this love by loving one another. It is not a safe world because humans have their hands on each other's throats. I will look for God in the clouds, I await Him..."The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil"...In fearing no evil, I am taking a stand to faithfully follow the Good Shepherd. The eyes of my heart seek His face and where there is God, His love is evident and miracles abound. This day, I pray you see miracles, feel them, and than look around to see Gods hand in all the good you receive. 

Resentment

Resentment, grudge holding, have you ever had these sentiments? They are active emotions, sometimes behind the scenes bit actors and more often than not, they can perform the leading role, cast as YOU, in life's play. Recurrent thoughts of having been done wrong can become a sticky plaque, a bacterial deposit attaching itself onto the soul. The resentment, silent or otherwise, can become the reason for distrust in relationship and for as long as the active feeling is alive and well, fed life giving oxygen, it will grow and become. This brings me to you, and I. Have you ever offended someone? Hurt their feelings, betrayed a trust, told their secret? Have you treated someone with impatience, been unkind? How about cruelty, unjust and biased behaviour, favoritism, exclusion, mean spirited gossip? How about hoping someone would just get lost? Ever wish a person would disappear? Have you banished someone with your thoughts? What is in there, that heart of yours? Resentment, grudge holding, they can bring out the very worst in us AND help us justify the awful inclinations of emotional retaliation. You hurt me, I hurt so and so and so on, and so on. The plaque becomes plague, coating us all in the ichy oil spill of a blackened leaky heart. Forgiveness is a bold step, an affirming yes to healing of self and often times, a confirmation that I too, am guilty of the wrong doing for which I resent and accuse others. Mark 11:25 "And if you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Easier said than done you say? Well of course, forgiveness takes awareness. A conscientious awareness precedes all the kind and loving stuff that forgiveness is made up of. Just like resentment and grudge holding, loving forgiveness requires feeding, life giving oxygen. You get to work on the plaque that has coated your heart. You get to chip away at it and give yourself the gift of wholeness, the healing that comes from recognizing that since you are imperfect and require and request forgiveness, that you too are capable of forgiving others for their flawed ways. Hard work, yes indeed. Can it be done? Go find out, it may be the best day of your life followed by many more.