He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set
my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  Psalm 40:2
 
 
Rise Above
 
Letting go of thoughts and feelings that seem to be set in stone is one of the hardest things we have to do in life.  Even though we hear the best way we should do things over and over, we don't do things that way.   Even though we know for sure the way we should go, we don't go that way. We hear sermons preached from our church, from other churches we visit, and from evangelists on the tv and radio. We hear sermons from close friends, and even preach to ourselves, but we still are so stubborn about letting go of some things that seem to be in our brain, our heart,  and our personality to stay forever.
 
We all have heard if you are getting the same results over and over, it is time to go back to the starting line and map out a different course. Even though we believe a different plan of action will bring new results, we are so fearful to take the first step toward that goal. What if we need what we are leaving behind?  We allow fear to stop us and never reach our full potential.   Sometimes letting go of things, places, and even people is very hard, but in order to get to a new place we must leave an old place.  People who have a tendency to hurt us, most likely will continue to do so if we stay in the same place emotionally, spiritually, and physically. 
 
When you are overwhelmed by fear, take a deep breath and step away from it quickly.  When surrounded by people who pull you down, reach for a rope thrown to you by God Himself and pull yourself up out of the pit of self-pity, and people dependence.  People do not validate you. God does.  People do not complete you. God does. Be who God has called you to be, not who others think you should be, or even who you want to be. 
Don't allow fear or hurt to stop you from moving forward and rising above.
 
jbp