“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 NIV1984
I have thought quite a bit the past few days about my life and how it has changed in the last few months. I recognize that I have done a lot of self discovery and development. I have tried new adventures and embraced new relationships with people. I have recognized and put aside a lot of my past debilitating personal beliefs about myself and others, however, there is still one that I wrestle with and that is believing if I am strong and courageous about my own wants, desires, beliefs and values, people will reject me and not love me.
I still wrestle with this because too often I find myself doing what others “want” me to do and do not listen to what I want or know to be true. I am being cowardly and not strong or courageous when I don’t standing up for myself or my wants, desires, beliefs and values. The need to be accepted by other people by wanting to make them happy makes me cower down and not stand up for what I want. What I have realized though, is that I can never make anyone else happy because I am not in charge of their thoughts or feelings, they are. I also realized that most people do not have a relationship with me just because I do what they want, and if they do have a relationship with me for that reason, the moment I do not do what they want the relationship usually dissolves. If I don’t show up as myself but capitulate to them I am a fraud and they are not meeting the real me.
At those times when I feel that I did not meet someone else’s expectations or maybe I did not meet my own, and I begin to get down on myself and lack confidence and become afraid of losing a relationship with someone I have to remind myself, God is with me and as long as I follow His path for my life, I should have no fear. When I stop to think about the scripture above, “Be not afraid, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”, it is amazing… that no matter what, when I go my own way and stand for my beliefs, when I am driving, when I am sitting at my desk, when I am sleeping, when I am dancing, no matter what, God is always there, He is my shadow.
“Leaders have boldness, courage and strength of conviction. The greatest leaders possessed a courage that “enabled them to encounter danger and difficulty with firmness and resolve in spite of inner fears. The highest form of courage is seen in a person who is most fearful, but refuses to capitulate to it.” - J. Oswald Sanders (Spiritual Leadership).
Are you willing to stand up for your beliefs and values and be strong and courageous or fall at the feet of anyone who will show you acceptance and conditional love? What fears do you have that are holding you back? Are you willing to be a leader in spite of fear and doubt?
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton
Have a SUPER day!
Rebekah Chavez
e/d Chip Hart
I have thought quite a bit the past few days about my life and how it has changed in the last few months. I recognize that I have done a lot of self discovery and development. I have tried new adventures and embraced new relationships with people. I have recognized and put aside a lot of my past debilitating personal beliefs about myself and others, however, there is still one that I wrestle with and that is believing if I am strong and courageous about my own wants, desires, beliefs and values, people will reject me and not love me.
I still wrestle with this because too often I find myself doing what others “want” me to do and do not listen to what I want or know to be true. I am being cowardly and not strong or courageous when I don’t standing up for myself or my wants, desires, beliefs and values. The need to be accepted by other people by wanting to make them happy makes me cower down and not stand up for what I want. What I have realized though, is that I can never make anyone else happy because I am not in charge of their thoughts or feelings, they are. I also realized that most people do not have a relationship with me just because I do what they want, and if they do have a relationship with me for that reason, the moment I do not do what they want the relationship usually dissolves. If I don’t show up as myself but capitulate to them I am a fraud and they are not meeting the real me.
At those times when I feel that I did not meet someone else’s expectations or maybe I did not meet my own, and I begin to get down on myself and lack confidence and become afraid of losing a relationship with someone I have to remind myself, God is with me and as long as I follow His path for my life, I should have no fear. When I stop to think about the scripture above, “Be not afraid, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”, it is amazing… that no matter what, when I go my own way and stand for my beliefs, when I am driving, when I am sitting at my desk, when I am sleeping, when I am dancing, no matter what, God is always there, He is my shadow.
“Leaders have boldness, courage and strength of conviction. The greatest leaders possessed a courage that “enabled them to encounter danger and difficulty with firmness and resolve in spite of inner fears. The highest form of courage is seen in a person who is most fearful, but refuses to capitulate to it.” - J. Oswald Sanders (Spiritual Leadership).
Are you willing to stand up for your beliefs and values and be strong and courageous or fall at the feet of anyone who will show you acceptance and conditional love? What fears do you have that are holding you back? Are you willing to be a leader in spite of fear and doubt?
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton
Have a SUPER day!
Rebekah Chavez
e/d Chip Hart