12 April
“My Daily Gifts”
3 Gifts Worn
- my heart on my sleeve.
I wear this daily, and instead of shying away from it, or
feeling ashamed, I am proud that this is the person I was created to be. All my
life, my mother has pointed out “you wear your heart on your sleeve”, and it
was said in such a way that led me to believe that this was a fault, and should
be remedied. However in the last ten years I have really felt deep down inside
that this is a good thing – not a bad thing. I believe this character trait has
served me well – especially in the career I have chosen. It allows me to
experience life fully, in a way that many people don’t. And therefore I can
come alongside my clients and friends as I can literally feel them. Their pain,
their joy and every emotion in between. Wearing your heart on your sleeve means
that you love deeply, hurt genuinely and cry intensely, but this can be a good
thing. The thought of not being this way actually makes me fearful, as it would
mean that I am not as intense and greatly involved in my world. This works for
me, and I am proud of it…..now.
2. The breastplate of righteousness.
The bible speaks of us as believers wearing the “armour of
God”, and one part of the armour is the breastplate of righteousness. This
breastplate (in Knights of the Round Table terms) protects the wearer from
getting a sword in the heart. The heart is known figuratively as the inner most
part of our being. So therefore the breastplate represents a protection of the
inner part of our being. A couple of my favourite bible verses are: Prov 4:23
"Above all else guard your heart; for out of it are the issues of
life".
Matt 15:18 “But what comes out of the mouth comes from the
heart, and this defiles a man”.
We need to learn to protect our heart from outside
influences that seek to steal and destroy our joy, and also from self
condemnation which further seeks to ruin our life by our own negative thoughts
and beliefs. Being aware of this means that we can choose to live our life in
offensive mode, by being prepared that life will throw whatever it can at you,
to bring you down. I now choose to make a stand every day to protect myself,
and to guard my heart and to be mindful of the words of negativity – or death –
that I speak over my life.
I believe the “righteousness” part, comes from my
relationship with God – you may believe differently- but we all have the ability
to tap into our spirit and protect our heart from the outside influences that
seek to steal our joy and ruin our life.
3. Self confidence.
I went out tonight with a group of women who have been
slogging it out at boot camps, outdoor training and gyms for 12wks to 12mths or
more. We all enjoyed a dinner together, dancing and drinks. The sense of
accomplishment, and pride (without ego attached) was so refreshing. Each woman
has a story to tell about why they are doing the Michelle Bridges 12WBT and how
they are going, how they manage to fit all the training in, and how they adapt
the new lifestyle into their life. Putting on self confidence is now a lot
easier for me, but I need to remember that I worked bloody hard to get to this
point. My new found confidence didn’t get handed to me. I had to work at self
discipline, and I had to pick myself up and keep trying when all I wanted to do
was quit. The benefits of sticking to a routine and making myself train when I
am tired, sore or lazy, I can be thankful for now. It was a privilege to be in
such company, as each woman was inspirational and wore their self confidence
with such a positive glow that it has spurred me on to make new goals – and to
join a running group on a Sunday morning – God help me!!! (apparently they talk
at the same time, OMG)
