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BEAUTY TIP #20 – Play the YouTube Forward

Posted: August 7, 2010

Pause, and envision the future.

I own a greeting card that says, “The biggest fear in my life is that this is not just PMS but my real personality.”  Whenever I read this out in front of an audience, I hear a loud gasp and chuckle. Then a few women lower their heads-I imagine with some embarrassment. Those words probably hit a nerve a little too close to home.

Women are the most exquisite, fragile, influential confusing creations on planet earth.  We have to be aware and guard those exquisite sensations and eruptions so that our life is not about one week of emotions, and three weeks of apologizing. God has given us our feelings to help us navigate through life with wisdom and power. Our feelings can be like a red flag that warns us of danger, or guides us with gut intuitions on the choices we make.  They can be a frustrating, confusing puzzle. Some nights we lay awake and feast on brilliant, creative ideas only to find in the morning that our thoughts were bombarded with Avatar and the mushroom pizzas we had before we went to bed. Other times we are sure we heard from God and His silent words in our heart inspired us to make a dramatic change and move in our life.  Perhaps start a new career, move to a new city, start a new ministry, write a book, record a CD, adopt a child, plan a city wide organic garden or donate three weeks of our vacation to work in an Aids Orphanage in Africa. Wow, that can be huge and we have the potential to be crippled with doubt and fear. How do we make a right and good choice?  What part do our feelings have in guaranteeing that we are moving into the right direction for our best future? 

The bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that “we have been given the mind of Christ.” That means we have access to all the truth, power and wisdom that we are inheriting from our Creator when we accept the choice to become children of God. It is right inside of our mind and soul, we need to access it. How? This is what I do when I have to make a huge, unsure, confusing decision.

1. Imagine your life as a YouTube video. Imagine it in the present moment.
2. Put the video on PAUSE.
3. STOP. This reminds me of the story of Esther where her cousin Mordecai approached her and told her about the destruction of her own people; the Jews. Mordecai pleaded with her to go to the King and beg him not to kill the Jews.  She hit the pause button.  For three days and nights she did not eat or drink, she fasted and took time to think and pray.
4. PRAY. Ask God to unleash the mind of Christ in you and give you truth and wisdom for this upcoming decision.
5. We need time to find out if it is PMS, too much pizza or late night desserts, or if we are fatigued. When we are exhausted and feel overwhelmed, we are in no condition to make wise choices.
6. Look back to see the history of God’s faithfulness in your life and the history of similar incidents and situations and how they have evolved.
7. PLAY THE YOUTUBE FORWARD.  What will your life look like if you make this decision? How will this change your life, and the lives of the people in your area of influence?
8. Are moving out of fear or passion?
9. Wait and watch as God opens or closes doors. This is an area that needs incredible discernment because all closed doors do not always mean a NO; it may simply mean NOT NOW, or WAIT.
10. Talk to a trusted friend or confidant who will walk with you and give you a different perspective.
11. Keep praying and waiting and envisioning what your new future will look like.

 There is probably nothing that worries us more than our future. Our choices forge the pathway to that future so we need to be incredibly wise about the decisions we make. Yes, God has given us gorgeous feelings, but we cannot always trust them.  We need to know the impact our emotions play in our choices-are they being fickle or are they the fuel that gives us the passion and creativity that God is unleashing in us to make us fulfill our purpose on this earth?

It’s an exciting, dauting, life transforming journey. It’s all about learning to trust God with how He wired and put together the most magnificent creation in the history of this world. YOU.

Posted in: Beauty from the Inside Out, Making Wise Choices, Overcoming Stuggles