Zero. You need exactly zero permission slips to be great! You also need to give zero ::clears throat:: “cares” about who is bothered by your greatness.
As a child, I never asked for permission to be great; not from my parents, siblings, elementary school teachers (cuz A LOT of them were haters), anyone -- no one. I guess you could say, I came into the world with a certain level of vigor. But somewhere along the way, I started to allow culture and society to define parts of my personality that were ok to bring into the room.
No matter how I accommodated folk, they just kept asking for more. More water to the wine, more laying flat so they could tap dance all over my life, more silence in the presence of their hot-mess-ness.
In all sincerity, sis, can 2020 be the year we stop caring what people think about who we are? At this point in my life, I am so grateful to be surrounded by people who embrace the fullness of who I am. The kind-generous-yet-always-direct-and-super-crystal-clear me. Women who are just as clear (and a little nicer, cuz honestly, some of that needs to rub off).
At some point in your life, you need to be surrounded by women who operate at such levels of excellence, that it calls you higher. Let it call your character higher, your work product higher, your womanhood higher, your dress code higher, your consistency -- higher, that love walk, higher. Higher is always waiting for you as a child of the most high God, we just sometimes have issues with accepting
"Yes, that throne is mine. Yes, I AM JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST."
Don’t be so addicted to pain and struggle that you live a life of fear. Afraid to ask for help. Afraid to venture outside the comfort zone. Afraid you have to get it JUST right every time. Don’t get me wrong, now. I try my best to be diligent, but when you are just starting out, sometimes you just have to go and clean up the details along the way. Mistakes are how we learn.
Nothing liberated me from playing small like losing a child.
I know, what does losing a child have to do with liberation? See, prior to losing Sophia, I ascribed to what we call “niceties.” Thinking to myself, “If I treat others well, they will honor it. If I play nice in the sandbox, others will take note and also play nice.”
Then I came to realize, the devil doesn’t care if you are nice, he only responds to one thing, POWER. The power that comes from the bloody cross, power that comes from knowing your God, power that comes from knowing that PSALM 91 is all about you and that you got a Daddy in heaven who is ALL ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him.' - John 10:11-13
The other day, I felt this nudge in my spirit, “trust me to defend you.” See, I thought I did already? I don’t ignore my nudges. So I sat in my office thinking, “Aww man, what is it now? Can we get to the EZ Breezy Life already? I don’t like this part of the movie!” Well, girl, if I told you what happened next! Let’s just say, GOD is ALL THE WAY faithful. All the way a defender, as sometimes he causes us to watch death pass by our left and right so we can know -- Kevin Costner ain’t got nothin’ on his bodyguarding skills.
Today, walk in the blessed assurance that God is your defender. Ask for wisdom, be prudent, be diligent, be shrewd, because God wants you to embody all of those traits. But at the end of the day, put your trust in God. Jesus is the LIVING word, and already gave you permission to be great when he sent his whole son to die for you.
'Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by him we cry, “ Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.' Romans 8:14-17
So, I dare you, be great! Become the fullness of who God created you to be. Speaking of higher, my new children’s book, “Mighty Manny” debuted at number one in our category this week. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that at all, but hey, WE OUTCHEA, for his glory!
Higher is waiting, and my character is leveling up to meet the occasion.
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