When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. ~PROVERBS 4:12
July 9, 2017
It is VERY IMPORTANT to know who you are!! In doing so, you MUST be willing to be EXTREMELY honest with yourself and God about the TOTAL you. That means being TOTALLY OBJECTIVE in recognizing and acknowledging ALL OF YOU to embrace the good and the bad; taking COMPLETE note of your shortcomings to include the changes you have made and need to make in your life. Being willing to hold yourself accountable and taking full responsibility for your actions. AND, that does not mean you should feel the need to take responsibility or ownership of what others attempt to saddle you with while they exercise their FALSE SENSE OF POWER and CONTROL over you or the situation in question to feed their egotistical desire for thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to. (See Romans 12:3).
Let me share some HISTORY! My parents, based on their up-bringing, were PASSIVE - to a point - as dictated by culture and taught to intimidate them to always know their place. If you know anything about culture, then you also know it incorporates biases and double standards on the basis of unfairness and inequality - in many cases. And people normally don't question culture; they simply - out of habit and conditioning - fall in line to conform to the controlling and unwritten inherited doctrines dictated by how it governs. Being passive is generally about going along to get along even if it means allowing yourself to knowingly be taken advantage of by others simply because it is culturally expected and accepted. Adhering to a norm or doing the same thing over and over again as a ritual doesn't necessarily mean its right!
My parents taught their passive behavioral traits of cultural conditioning to me. And for years, I allowed people and situations to dictate my decisions (my life as a whole). One day, really not that long ago, a co-worker pulled me to the side and asked why I always - so easily - accept blame when I am not the responsible party? I, literally, at the time, had no answer other than it had become the norm for me as taught and dictated by a way of life or lifestyle for coping. So, I thought! But, this way of coping was detrimentally unhealthy to my self-esteem and confidence as a human being. What I was actually doing was turning over my RIGHTS without a fight!
WHEN YOU STAND FOR NOTHING, YOU FALL FOR EVERYTHING! I'm truly starting to learn, understand and appreciate that statement. While attending a meeting, an HR Director prepared me for a lie to take the blame for a decision she made. And, I wasn't expected to disagree or say NO to being used as escape goat if I wanted to keep my job. So, she made a call to our Kansas City Office to conference in the Director for the second part of the meeting. Then, she proceeded to apologize for a very substantial financial error by telling the Director that I was also present in the room as part of the call while encouraging me to acknowledge or announce my presence to say hello and identify myself. Like a puppet, I was not allowed to say anything else while the meeting continued as I became the sacrificial lamb; the entire blame was laid at my feet. I was without a doubt feeling very humiliated, angry and sick to my stomach for not speaking up. I let the Director of HR use me to redirect her intentional management decision not to honor a contractual agreement to extend payment as a financial screw up or error on my oversight. After finding myself in yet another escape goat sacrificial lamb situation, something within me said, "NO, not this time or ever again! I wasn't being defiant or disrespectful. I was being true to myself; and, I was letting my yes be yes and my no be no as instructed by James 5:12 and Matthew 5:37.
Can you imagine and see how easy it is for there to be so many innocent folks locked up behind bars? Mainly because they were easily sacrificed! They refused to speak up or didn't have anymore fight left to remain true to themselves. While being interrogated they gave up out of fear and gave in to a system or strategy which was carried out by the wishes or desires of others who used manipulation and intimidation tactics. Many of the underprivileged or disadvantaged lost hope and sight of the PRINCIPLE! They let the person ruling over them -who was wheeling the power - decide their fate. They falsely confessed to an act they did not commit! No, this isn't true for everyone, but this scenario most certainly isn't far reaching either! That’s why I’m so glad to know that God is nothing like man that HE should lie or feel the need to stoop to utilizing deceitful tactics to make Himself feel important! HE does not use any type of coercion. HE is no respecter of persons! And for that, I am truly GRATEFUL!
WHEN YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, DOING THE RIGHT AND NOT SO EASY THINGS IN LIFE BECOMES THE EASIEST! I was accused of negatively influencing folks, but what they really wanted to say is, we cannot have you going around preaching the gospel and giving folks hope when we have worked so hard to tear down their defenses to give us more leverage and control at getting them to conform. I would rather be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as outlined in Daniel 3. If I am going to be accused of something, then let it be in line with me "standing up for principles and my belief in CHRIST to be true to myself!" For the last will be first and the first will be last in accordance to the WILL OF GOD!
Walk with CONFIDENCE in knowing the Lord and live with PURPOSE to call of your destiny!
Sincerely,
Ann Gwen Mack
Posted By: Ann Mack
Monday, July 31st 2017 at 10:15AM
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