Your thoughts can be a source of captivity or freedom. It’s great when things fall in place but quite different when struggling with uncertainty, doubt, or fear missing the mark, so to speak. You may think that you could fall or fail so badly that there’s no turning around. That is far from the truth. Such a position is an opportunity to boldly, bravely, and creatively embark up a wonderful experience with transformational change. It involves a mindset that says, “I can…,” “I will…,” or “I am…;” accepting that things will not always go as planned while knowing that things can go well (possibly exceeding your expectations) even when you are not controlling every aspect.

If you should have thoughts of failing, I encourage you to take a chance knowing that if you mess up, fail, or make a mistake, you can recover because you are resilient, diligent, and capable of enduring and persevering. Truthfully, I believe that if you would keep at it, you will eventually fall or fail right into success along the path of your destiny. I am not suggesting carelessness, only that you stick with it until you know it is time for something different or to let go. To do that is to exercise wisdom.

Mess is Mess
You might feel stuck dealing with mess involving frustration or indecisiveness that hampers progress. Your mess could have to do with relationships, family, work, school, ministry, finances, or a different area. As I have previously expressed, mess is mess no matter how you color it, whether good or bad, hot or cold! My Pastor, David Shearin, made a profound statement, “God didn’t plan for your mess, but He had a plan to get you out of it.” This indicates that God’s Grace is available to you.

Enough Already
In my previous two blog articles, I wrote about promise and pain of change. I recall one aspect that I didn’t mention. Preparing for the workshop over the holidays was challenging because it is a busy time of year. That was certainly the case for my family. I gave my best yet sometimes questioned whether I was doing enough and well enough. Though I know I am enough, such questioning can easily lead to, “Am I enough?” or “Am I good enough?” Yes, I had such thoughts. However, I learned from prior experience that it could happen so I had a game plan. It took concerted effort to mind my mindset, primarily my thoughts but also self-talk (those pesky, negative gremlins). I intentionally thought or said the opposite of what initially came to mind if it was contrary to what I wanted or needed to do. I relished thoughts about things that had previously gone well. Another strategy was to call upon, encourage, and help others. If I can impress one thing, it is that change is sometimes a painful process requiring commitment and takes time; it takes heart. The beauty is that change is a growth-promoting and gratifying undertaking.

Try Again with Grace
Whatever the situation, remember self-grace rooted in God’s sufficiency, love, and merciful-grace helps you to keep moving forward. Societal norm seems to suggest that it is not okay to mess up. Everyone messes up at some point, and it “is” okay. Just stand tall, dust yourself off, and try again. While receiving grace in the middle of your mess, be sure to allow others space, having grace for them to mess up, fail, or make mistakes. Kindness and compassion go a long way.

Learning from mistakes and messes, while loving your magnificence and successes!

Triple Threat: Transparency. Transformation. Transition.

Faithfully, Sheryl