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Inspirational fuel for the road ahead!
On this page, we'll post articles and devotionals by Kristen L. Skogrand and treasured guest writers. Today, please read the profound content shared by our friend and collaborator, Ms. Deborah Tyrrell. Most relevant during the early stages of a new year are her reflections entitled 'Defining Your Inner Everest'. Next, enjoy her important theme, 'He Is Standing Behind Our Walls'. You can read more about Deborah's work as a Licensed Christian Counselor below the articles, or you can follow the link above, which takes you to her own website.
DEFINING YOUR INNER EVEREST
- By Deborah Tyrrell M.C., LPC, NCC (602-402-5034)
“Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run.” -- Habakkuk 2:2
It takes God’s grace to walk, let alone run the mountain climb of life. I am grateful that every New Year is a fresh beginning. It is a time to reflect on the unique vision that I believe God wants each one of us to have for our life. If we fail to grasp a clear picture of our Everest - God’s highest and best for us - we are apt to settle into the inertia of mediocrity.
The following thoughts may challenge you to start your journey into 2006 on a path that requires self-reflection and therefore courage. But if you’ll do your part, God can direct you out of a life of quiet desperation into a life of Divine inspiration. So let’s get climbing!
1. You will benefit if your opening paragraph of this year’s chapter of your life’s adventure answers the question “What is it that you are truly wanting or hoping for as a result of your faith?” If your answer is not clear, you probably feel lost and aimless. Or you may have become “weary in well doing”. It requires courage to really define what it is that you are wishing or longing for. Once you have identified what you most desire, you remove the mask of ‘not caring’. The gap between what you want and ‘what is’ now is exposed. Honest self-assessment is always the first step to change.
2. When you pursue what you desire you may feel childlike and vulnerable. Have you ever noticed how children are not sophisticated in their unashamed pursuit of their desires? It is only when caregivers shame a child for having wants, that ‘being wantless’ begins and the seeds of vision are denied the soil of the heart. Be willing to discover your childlike ability to dream so that you can reclaim the desires of your heart.
3. Many times defining our ‘highest goal’ requires that we face past disappointments. When hope has been deferred, our pain can deceive us into believing that life is easier when we don’t desire. The problem with pretending we don’t want more is that fooling ourselves requires that we deaden our souls. As the poet David Whyte writes, “Take the safe way, not the way of passion and creativity, . . . [But] we cannot neglect our inner fire without damaging ourselves in the process.” Be willing to resolve past disappointments that may be clouding your ability to see clearly what you want here and now.
4. If you are confused about who you are, get help to discover who God intended you to be. Being intentional requires an inner compass to give your dreams direction. When your security comes from your identity in Jesus Christ, you will not be driven by seeking other people’s approval or ruled by their desires. If your vision offends others, remember that it is not your responsibility to live out their dreams or to make them comfortable. In fact, God may use your passion in pursuing your dreams to cause others discomfort with their status quo. Understand that you were created in the image of God. Then you are free to live the vision that He wants you to embrace.
5. Without desire, there is no hope and hopelessness is a synonym for meaninglessness and depression. As C. S. Lewis said: ”We can only hope for what we desire.” I believe that God wants us to be so enthusiastic about our vision that our lives inspire people to ask us about the source of our hope. As 1 Peter 3:15 admonishes, be ready to give the reason for the hope that lies within us to everybody who asks. Inspired vision produces the fragrance of hope. And that is inviting.
6. Big ambitions require desperate praying. It is humbling to recognize that what you have dared to dream requires an all-sufficient and daring God to accomplish. “Strong desires make strong prayers . . . The neglect of prayer is the fearful token of dead spiritual desires . . . There can be no true praying without desire.” (E. M. Bounds: Man of Prayer) - Never limit God. When you partner with Him, you have access to His boundless resources and abilities. “The land you are . . . to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys . . .the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” (Deuteronomy 11:11-12)
My prayer for each of you is that God gives you the courage to dream. May He heal you of all obstacles that would hinder you from pursuing His highest and best. I pray that you no longer settle for small plans derived from false humility. And finally, that you would entrust yourself and your vision to a God Who, by the action of His power that is at work within you is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that you dare ask or think, beyond your highest thoughts, hopes, or dreams. (Eph. 3:20) May Jesus be glorified through you in 2006 and beyond.
HE IS STANDING BEHIND OUR WALLS
- By Deborah Tyrrell
'Behold, he is standing behind our wall, he is looking through the windows, he is peering through the lattice'. -- Song of Solomon 2:9
I know that Christ dwells within me and that I am in Him (John 14:20). Yet sometimes this reality eludes me as I keep Him standing behind “walls” that I erect. Imagine with me a vertical line drawn on a piece of paper. At the center of this line is a circle that represents my union with Christ. At each end of the line imagine that there are walls that separate me from Him. When I am living from either extreme, I am not centered in the moment, abiding in His Presence. I am living behind walls at either end in one of two ways.
The bottom end of the line represents the ‘one-down’ position. This is where I reside anytime I am feeling inadequate, less-than, or ‘small’. Here shame has become a “wall” between Christ and me. This barrier is what I hide behind anytime I believe the lie that I am so ‘bad’ and defective that He would not want to dwell with me. I remain here in fear of exposure anytime I forget that God’s love is perfect and that He sent His Son to die so that I might have communion with Him.
The top end of the line represents the ‘one-up’ position. Popping up into this position is a temporary ‘escape’ from feeling ‘one-down’ at the bottom. Here arrogance, pride, and grandiosity are the “walls” separating Christ and the believer. These walls are maintained through addictions, rage, perfectionism, or a critical spirit. To stay up here requires a hardened heart. Therefore, intimacy with Christ is blocked just as much as when hiding at the ‘bottom’.
I know that only as my heart is purified by God’s spirit can I see Him (Matthew 5:8). To the degree that I eliminate these barriers do I possess oneness with Christ. As Jesus heals my heart of shame, I can allow Him to dismantle “walls”. As I repent of wrong attitudes and sins; I can clothe myself with the garments of praise and salvation. Then I can truly abide with Him, centered and grounded in His love.
Lord Jesus, don’t let me keep You behind my walls. I am tired of feeling alone. I long to be intimate with You. Renew my mind and soften my heart. By Your Spirit I will “put off” shame and pride and “put on” the garments of praise and salvation whereby I can enter into Your Presence. Thank you Jesus for Your promise, “In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20). Amen.
Deborah Tyrrell, M.C.,LPC,NCCTel. 602.402.5034
Have you ever wished that you had someone to come along side of you, compassionately sharing and designing with you a blueprint which will achieve God’s destiny for you and your relationships? Do you need help to develop strategies and solutions that move you through mental and emotional obstacles toward meaningful goals that reflect your God-given strengths and values? If you are ready to look, see, tell the truth, learn and take authentic action to meet your goals, wait no longer. Pick up the phone and call Deborah Tyrrell today. She is a Licensed Christian Counselor and Certified Life Coach, and can help you find meaning and relevance in a safe, Christ-centered environment. She is ready to serve you from 3 Scottsdale locations. Your call to Ms. Tyrrell is the first step of a journey to inspired greatness!
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Last updated Sep. 11, 2008
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