Got Keys?

Hey all,

My husband and I recently purchased a pass that allows you to get a free donut at participating stores during the month of February.  This is very exciting for us since we were on a sugar fast during the month of January.  This past weekend, we woke up eager and early to make a trip to get some free donuts before we went to church.  

We walked out the door and my husband yelled "oh no!"  We didn't have any keys with us and our door automatically locks when you shut it.  Not only did we not have house keys, we didn't have car keys either.  We called our landlord and he couldn't come rescue us for another hour.  Morning RUINED!  My husband went around the back of the house to see if he could manage to break in. As I sat on our stairs in distress, I was overcome with anger that my plans were ruined and I had no control in changing the outcome of the situation.  I normally would have tried to ease my discomfort by distracting myself with my phone and then probably saying some not so nice things to my husband.  This time was different.  I chose to step outside of myself and realize that the only thing I controlled in this situation was my reaction.  I put my phone down, closed my eyes and tried to figure out if there was something I could learn from this situation.  

I decided I wasn't so powerless after all, and suggested to my husband that we walk down the street to grab some breakfast.  I realized that it's ok not to control every-little-thing, and to accept the freedom that comes with going with the flow.  Im so grateful I chose to be powerful in a positive way, instead of powerless in a negative way.  I hope you find a moment in your week where you choose to shift your thinking from powerless to powerful.

Until next time,

Amanda

Taking Off the Mask

Hi all,

How do you respond to the prompt of vulnerability?  Do you cringe at the mention? Does your heart start to quicken? Do your pits start to sweat?  This is what happened to me this week while I was driving to my -bold moment-.  Lately, I've being going through a weird season, where I'm struggling to stay present in all of my meaningful, day-to-day activities.  Things kind of just feel...blah.  Can you relate to this season?  Things were coming to a head on a particular day, and I knew I just wasn't doing ok.  I had spoken to my pastor that morning and knew he would be hanging out at a location where I was going to meet my husband later.  I thought it would be a wise decision to go early and talk things through with him.  

But on my drive over, I noticed I became increasingly anxious.  Was it really a good idea to spill my guts to someone? Was it going to be safe to take off my mask and show who I really was in that moment?  I knew it would be safe, but all of my fears of rejection came flooding to the forefront.  When I saw my pastor and began to share what I was feeling, he welcomed me with open arms, and even empathized with my current state of being.  We laughed and shared stories of different phases of our past life.  What a release of freedom to know that even when I'm acting like my true self I am still enjoyable to be around. 

What did I learn from this? 
1.  Fear is a liar: I wasn't driving to meet my fate of rejection.  I was met by a genuine acceptance that doesn't only desire people who are ok all of the time.  
2.  Being vulnerable is hard, but worth the battle.  It's hard be who you really are when some people aren't ready to accept who your true self is.  Find people who want to pursue authenticity. 
I challenge you to have a moment of genuine vulnerability this week, even if the person you have that moment with is yourself.

Be blessed,
Amanda



PS- looking for more blogs about vulnerablility?
Check out http://www.dawnserra.com/blog/being-vulnerable-moving-towards-fear/