One common stumbling block and how to overcome it
Maybe you can relate to this...
Some days life feels good; you know who you are and you know where you're heading. But those BIG dreams? You're not sure you can actually ever shift from where you are right now to where you really want and need to be. You know what God has said, and your calling is clear, but in an effort to figure out the HOW and not just the WHAT or WHY, it's all become a little frantic, and you desperately need some focus.
Maybe you're overwhelmed by the demands of life and people, you're just about keeping the plates spinning, but you long for some real clarity when right now it just feels like chaos.
Maybe you're not even sure who you are anymore or what on earth you're meant to be doing, so you've begun to settle for a life of comfort and convenience, but in the depths of your soul, you know you were made to soar not just to survive, and ultimately you know that if something doesn't change - you're just staying stuck!
There are so many ways we can feel limited in life. So many reasons to feel like we have no choice but to play small. Here's just one, but it’s a big one: FENCES!
Feeling Fenced In?
We all have FENCES in our lives, and they will be different for each of us, but two of the biggest ways we limit our lives and fence ourselves in are FEAR and COMFORT ZONES.
Yes, other people can limit us - can fence us in - can make us feel small. But, so often, we do that all by ourselves! WE can limit ourselves. WE can fence ourselves in!
Who has fenced you in?
2 Corinthians 6:11-13 in the Message translation tells us we're meant to live wide open, spacious lives.....
"Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!"
The truth is, we’re called to be dreamers. Nothing about being a dreamer speaks to me of playing small or of being fenced in or limited.
Has anyone ever referred to you as someone who lives with their head in the clouds? And they said that like it's a bad thing? No!! Keep your head in the clouds!! We need to be people of vision! To have a higher perspective! We have to be able to see it before it can happen! (Maybe you have figured by now that I’m passionate about this?)
If you’re one of those people, don’t you dare downsize your dream or allow others to downsize your dream to fit their expectations, their perception of what’s possible, or of what’s probable. If the world's greatest inventors and thinkers had done that, we would be without some of the greatest inventions and technological and medical advances our world now accepts as necessities for life.
The answer? Thankfully there are a few steps you can take to break out of the smallness and demolish those fences, whether they’re self-constructed or put there by others.
Simple Action Steps
Look at your life and ask yourself these questions:
1. Where is it that I’ve fenced myself in or allowed others
to fence me in?
2. Where is it that I feel limited or like I’ve been guilty of
beginning to downsize my dream to what I can
believe is possible or probable?
3. Where is it that I know I’m playing small, but that
deep-down, I know God wants me to start to dream
again and dream bigger?
4. Where have I created a comfort zone for myself that
is no longer serving me, but rather, is limiting me and
holding me back from where I need to be?
Recognise these areas and commit to doing one thing this week that will make you feel uncomfortable in those areas. One thing that you know will cause you to step outside of that fence that you or those around you have erected so that you can start to expand your faith and step into the fullness of who God created you to be.
I’m not pretending it’s easy, but as you step out, believing God to help you, I promise you’ll look back not too long from now and realise you’ve made massive strides towards freedom and a life without limits.
Remember though, what was once your fear can soon become your comfort zone and then it’s equally as confining, so be aware that this is a continual process. Keep stepping out!
We'll look at a couple more things that can hold us back from living in the fullness of the life we were born for in another post, so keep an eye out for the next instalment.
If you can't wait and want to dive in right now, you can download my FREE guide '3 Keys to a Life Without Limits in Faith, Life & Business' HERE
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