dailydatewithgod

There is a saying attributed to many people, “If you do not stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”  I used to have it hanging in my middle school classroom when I worked as a teacher.   I was trying to convey the idea to my students who were entrenched in social expectations while learning who they are to develop an understanding of what they think and feel separate from others.  It is something that does not just apply to middle school kids. Clearly I posted it in my classroom and needed to read it often.  As children we learn quickly was is expected of us and either adhere to it or rebel against it.  Growing into maturity the intention is to distinguish what we blindly accepted inherent in those expectations of behavior and thought and what we really think and feel about them.  If we do not pause to question what it is we are standing for and standing on, we will continue to be at the mercy of other people’s thoughts and feelings.  As an addict I could do this quite well because I was able to buffer myself from the effects of not connecting with myself with food.  I kept a large barrier of weight around me to keep me safe from those thoughts and feelings I did not align with because I did not know how to use my voice.  I thought connecting with others meant standing for all the things they stood for. I didn’t realize I was only falling and failing to connect with myself. In recovery and my daily dates with God I get an opportunity to take a closer look at the ideas I adopted as they come up and bring them with courage and curiosity into my relationship with God and myself.  Then I can know what I stand for as a human being, as a woman, and as a child of God.  God sees us as standing in the light of love all the time. My words become more powerful because they are in tune with the truth of my heart. I do not need to stuff down my expression or who I am being because it is an authentic representation of who I am and what my purpose is in the moment.  Just as it was physically a process to learn how to stand as a toddler, it is a process to standing emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as an adult. God is with us as we learn to stand and share the truth of who we are so we can be the message of love in the fashion for which we are designed.

My prayer for us is the courage to look at what we standing for and on in our lives and if it is in alignment with the truest parts of ourselves today.