Baby Steps

Dear Mama Friends...

I must apologize first off for this being two days late. I sat to write this, got half way through, and had a complete mental block. Ugh! So I'm picking off where my brain left off...so just pretend it's Tuesday! It will do my guilt wonders! HEEE!!

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I am sitting in the house, Cliff and Keegan out running errands, and Makena taking a nap, and yet I can't get my thoughts to steady. It might by General Hospital playing in the background (let's call it a guilty distraction), or the fact that my refrigerator fan is broken and creating its own jackhammer noise. I am practicing instant gratitude while secretly dreading the next two days waiting for the part to come in!! Oh, mama! I might be crazy by Thursday morning! :)

I woke up this morning with this amazing feeling that God is so in control of absolutely everything...and He places those people around us that we need every day. I am humbled and honored to not only call you my friends, but to call you my sisters-in-Christ. Please know I know nothing more than you. I have no secrets. I have no special formulas. I only have the Lord...and an amazing group of women who stand together with me for His cause. Hugs!!

Proverbs 26...

v. 13 The lazy person is full of excuses, saying, "I can't go outside because there might be a lion on the road! Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there!"

Now, before you jump to "wait, I'm not lazy...have you seen my daily schedule? The fact is I don't have time to sit, let alone shower", I promise this will all make sense. Hang in there with me. For wisdom sometimes comes when you drop your defensive walls, open your heart and eyes, and unpack a verse one sentence at a time.

And let me reassure you, I so get it! From 6am to midnight, it is non-stop in my world; probably the most "still" I get is blowing dry my hair, standing in my tiny shower, or indulging in my tivo'ed shows. (This means I can condense a 60 minute show to 20 minutes! Try watching The Bachelor on DVR speed! It's actually tolerable!)

So, instead of focusing on the “lazy” qualification, I want us to look at the excuses this “lazy” girl uses.

**For the sake of this email, I’m going to assume the lazy person’s a girl. It will help us to identify…promise!

First I love that she’s having a conversation with herself. Do you notice nobody else is around to give her a reality check? Do you notice that she's not even seeking a reality check? She doesn't care what is truth. For the reality in her mind will ultimately justify her inaction and allow her to bypass what she's called to do in the first place.

When I read this, there was a part of me that chuckled at the ridiculous cowardice that consumes this lazy girl. From a third-person perspective (that always sees more clearly than if you were in the mix), I thought, “wait…you CAN'T because you THINK there MIGHT be a lion out there?? You don’t even KNOW???”

And that made me realize that fear is an amazing thing. Amazingly debilitating. It controls not only our actions, but it consumes our heart, squelches our faith, and takes away our need for a Savior. Fear gives permission for our personal shell to close up, so we can avoid all that ultimately might hurt us.

Let me take a bold stand and say, I believe that all laziness and general inaction is ultimately borne of fear. A fear of “what if.” A fear of failure. A fear of rejection. A fear of the unknown. A fear of loss. A fear of success. A fear of growth. A fear of discomfort. A fear of wasted effort.

The excuses we must come up with to justify the inaction must ultimately justify those fears so we don't sound like crazy girls stunted by our own wackiness. Ultimately we sabotage ourselves...and more importantly, our God.

Let me give you some examples:

My mother-in-law, who I love dearly, will never go to the doctor because she fears the news she might receive. So she hobbles around on a knee that needs replacing, which then restricts her interaction and activity with those around her.

My sister-in-law's friend has a 15-month-old child and has never left her "baby" once. EVER. She has turned down her hubby's invitation for dates, weekends away, time to go to the hairdresser. She doesn't shower, except to rinse off. And she has no relationship with anyone other than her baby. What fear is driving that? (And don't you want to run over to her house, take her under your wing, and then kidnap her for a weekend getaway??)

The old lady portrayed on the show Hoarders (yes, I watch it because it makes my house look AWESOME!!) is so afraid to give up her junk because it will leave her with an empty house and an empty heart. The fear of the future is more debilitating than the filth she resides in.

I have 9 unwritten books in my head and on index cards that I cart around with me in a pink accordion folder every where I go, but have not had the courage to write any of them down. Why? Because I fear failure. I don't like to do anything that I will not be good at. How stunting is that??

What is fear stopping you from doing today?

Take a moment to answer that. What would you do today if you had NO fear?

I love the second portion of this lazy girl's excuse...not only does she think there's a lion outside her door, but in one heart beat now she KNOWS!!!

One of Cliff's biggest complaints of me is that I make assumptions about nearly everything, especially when I'm in a quandary about life. I jump to conclusions, and those conclusions then dictate how I feel, act, and react.

Please tell me I'm not alone!

For this lazy girl isn't leaving her house to go anywhere because there IS a lion outside her door.

How foolish will she feel when someone comes to see her, and she asks how they got past the lion? Can you imagine the look on their face? "WHAT LION??"

We women easily take one thought and spin it into truth. Not only does that hurt our perspective on life, our potential, our relationships, but ultimately it is an affront on God and who He is.

For, ladies, what is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

For our Lord IS faithful. He loved us before we loved Him. He has brought us through the fires and continues to do so because He is molding us for His use...His glory...His purpose. He is bigger than any fear we may have...bigger than that lion resting outside your door. And through Him, all things are possible.

So, what are you going to do today to step outside your comfort zone? What are you going to do that's out of your control? What dreams are you going to take a step towards? What thoughts do you need to take captive in order to achieve these things? Who are you going to tell so you create accountability? And what fear are you going to let go of?

Baby steps.

Lots of love ladies! Again, I am so grateful to you and for you...for your love, encouragement, friendship, and joy!

Rebecca