Embracing the You God Created: Accepting Where You are on the Journey to your Destiny
It is important that we know, love and accept the person that we are today. That does not mean that we do not desire and strive to do and be better people. What it does mean is that we do a honest self evaluation of where we are physically, emotionally and spiritually. We cannot continue on our journey to our destiny if we do not know who, what and how we are in the present. I am a firm believer that things do not happen by chance and happenstance. I believe that every thought we think, every word we say, and every step we take has a purpose that will help propel us on the journey to our destiny. So understand that I am in way suggesting or advocating that we should settle or stay stuck in the same place and not grow. I am say that I do not believe that we can grow if we are not honest , loving and accepting of our current position. Let me be transparent here. During a time when I had shoulder surgery I was without the of my dominant arm for six weeks. I had a great deal of time on my hands. So I had a choice to make, I could embrace this time or I could get mad, and frustrated by the situation and do nothing to help myself move forward toward my destiny. Eventually I chose the latter.
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines acceptance "as the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable." For me that meant that although I did not have use of my right arm or hand I was still adequate and suitable. I may not be at my best, but where I was at the point was still a good place. So at that point I was able to begin making plans to become a better me. However, I could not have gotten to that point if I had not first embraced my limitations and done a self evaluation of my current self. I will be the first to admit that self evaluations are never easy. However, in order to grow they are necessary. One key reason that self evaluation is not easy is because it requires turning our critical eye that can spot someone else's flaws or short-comings on ourselves. It requires that we go into those deep dark places that we have covered up and tried to forget. We must ask difficult questions like, who am I outside of the roles I play (mother, sister, daughter, wife, friend). I believe that until we can be honest with ourselves and embrace the person God created and accept where we are on the Journey to our destiny that we will continue to fight against the wind.
Because I am a person who likes piratical applications here are a few things that we can do to begin the journey.
1. We must embark upon our self evaluation. The tool that I used was Cindy Trimms' The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living. Now this will not be the starting point for everyone, but finding the guide that works for you is imperative.
2. We have to come to understand that simply because God created us we are love and loved. This is where we embrace ourselves. Psalms 139:14 (NKJV) "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."
3. We accept that we have not yet arrived at our destiny. Romans 3:23-24 (NKJV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
4. We begin to do the work that will launch us towards our destiny. Philippians 3:14 (NKJV) “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
