12 April "My Daily Gifts"

12 April

“My Daily Gifts”

3 Gifts Worn

 

1. 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)