A Daily Dose of Freedom

"You don't need a cape to be a hero. You just need to care."--unknown I wish that I could say that I was this high-strung, energetic extrovert that people swarmed to like honey, but that's simply not true. I'm not the life of the party! You won't catch me at the center of attention. I'd rather play the invisible wall flower. For many years, my heart had remained safely tucked away in the rural, secluded nest of my biological family tree. No outside contact, communication, or communion. Well, until God decided that I was well overdue to test my agoraphobic wings. Venturing outside the branches of familiarity, took tons of courage, a brave heart, and a leap of faith. I had no idea what was waiting on the other side of my obedience when those Jericho walls collapsed. What I encountered through the unexpected journey was a model of 64 years of relationship, unconditional love, commitment, teamwork, endurance, resiliency, courage, honor, longevity, ...

On Friday morning, I fired myself from tending to other's responsibilities, inserting my help where my input was not welcomed, and inserting my presence were it had not been appreciated. I refused to let others push me out the door, while I posted up in the hallway. My availability, sacrifices, and offering came with an excessive price tag--my peace ! In my extended weekend of " downtime ," I realized that I am indeed my grandmother's child. I am a creature of habit that plugs my schedule to fill the gaps, voids, and holes -just like she did. But how many know, that you can be " busy " without being " effective ?"  When God said, "Cast your net on the right side," I insisted on launching out on the left side. I had subconsciously become a habitual felon. My " people pleasing " addiction had resurfaced and caused me to spiral down the repetitive path of recidivism. I continued to " reoffend " God with my disobed...

My halo of frustrations has summoned me to the privacy of my prayer closet on today. My energy barometer has succumb to the pressure to perform. My biggest strengths and most challenging weakness flows from the conditions of my heart. I have continuously set myself on fire for the sake of failed rescue missions. Since obviously, God has never instructed me to do that, it's no surprise that I come out of the flames smelling like smoke.  I've seen the vapors for quite some time. I inhaled the smoke, but I ignored the warnings.  Codependency has been the fallacy of my unbalance. Although I've detached from the root of pessimism, my love language still gets lost in the intricate translation web of enabling others. Essentially, I have over extended myself to the unreceptive. I have climbed mountains and crossed deserts to offer a drink offering to a population who refuses. In addition, the more I put my gift on public display, I have endured competitive assassin...

Life happens to the best of us. Things go south. Heated words are exchanged. Conflict arises. Connections dissolve. Flames dwindle. The best intentions are perceived as the biggest attacks. Bonds become barriers. Distance becomes the norm. Facebook become the standard. Friends become strangers. Disagreements are like our fingerprints--inevitable. I received an impromptu letter in the mail a few months back that felt like someone poured a mountain of salt in an open, stagnant wound. A place that I once called "home" wrote to inform me that my relationship status had been demoted. In their eyes, I was no longer affiliated by membership, but I moved to the "friendship role." My heart became convinced that my absence had created space for this entity to question my commitment. My self-worth collided with the tears that landed on the blanket of ink that I held in my trembling hands. I kept re-reading it until I couldn't make out the words any longer. My sorrow in...

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." -Matthew 9:37 As I witnessed the heightened anxiousness about the potential hurricane that may be headed in this direction, I have not been distracted by the media attention, nor have I felt compelled to track the progression of the storm. My eyes have been glued to the mission field of a local, nonprofit team that has tirelessly poured their hearts, time, and resources into multiple outreach initiatives.  I watched as intercessors, missionaries, evangelists, and prophets rallied around the lost and partnered their faith unselfishly with a massive, underserved population. A population that sometimes become invisible, because the needs are so great and the work is overwhelming. A population that suffers in silence due to national budget cuts.  However. .. I have seen miracles manifest expeditiously. I have seen God multiply the manna (resources). I have seen faith renewed, hope restored, and dreams made possible. ...