HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
This morning, like most, I am thinking a lot about freedom. Today is July 4. It is Independence Day and all over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter I see pictures of fireworks, flags, and all things July 4 celebration. I too posted my picture!
As I was thinking about our freedom in America, and the great cost of it; the blood shed for our freedom, I thanked God for the bravery and courage of all the men and women who fought so that we could have this day to celebrate.... This Independence Day.
I then began to think about freedom of our hearts. Oh how tragic to live a life as a free citizen of America, yet to be so enslaved within our own hearts. How tragic that we do not use the power we possess. The courage and bravery it takes to live in our own personal freedom does not cost our lives in bloodshed, for we already have the precious blood of Christ shed for us!
There are multitudes of hurting and broken people all around us. If we stop and take a look, really be intentional, we will see them. Look, just LOOK! They need freedom! Most people don't even know how to get that precious commodity. Maybe you don't even know. Do you want to be free; Free from your own suffering? (fill in the blank with whatever your suffering is) It's simple. I did NOT say it is easy.... but simple.
Allow me to introduce you to a simple phrase that I learned in an Encounter Intensive Training that I am a part of. This phrase changed my life 3 years ago, and I have not looked back.
Here it is:
Ready?
BE, DO, HAVE
We live in a world in where we believe we need to do do do all kinds of stuff (you fill in your own blank) to have all the things we desire, then we can BE happy. This is jacked up. We have been living this lie, and hence we have reaped the harvest of business, pain, suffering, and broken relationships.
Freedom comes with the price of learning how to BE first, then Do, then Have.
Freedom is in the having.
Do you want to feel joy? Do you want to feel inspired? Do you want to feel hope again?
BE the joy, inspiration, and hope to others.
DO something to show joy, inspiration, and hope to them. I guarantee you this... when you create the experience for others, you will experience it for yourself.
I had a conversation with my daughter the other day about a specific area of struggle she was having. It began like most 16 year olds may begin: living in their "child" and in the "poor me" mentality. In the past, I would coddle her, and try to manipulate the situation to help her feel better. Not this time. I am not teaching her anything by doing that, and much worse, I am enabling her to be a victim.
AND LORD KNOWS, I USED TO BE ONE OF THOSE AND COME HELL OR HIGH-WATER, MY CHILDREN WILL NOT BE VICTIMS IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
So what I DID encourage her to do was to re-write HER story. I told her to flip the outcome (she was expecting) by flipping the story she was telling herself; to be proactive and go create the story she wanted by BE-ing for others. I asked her what that could look like for her? End result? Well, lets just say, she had an amazing outcome and I never heard another word about it. She was FREE from being a victim and she had joyful experiences!
I also want to interject that Shit happens. Life can throw some pretty painful curve balls. What we do with those wounds from that fastball is up to us. We can be a victim, get down and roll around in the mud and moan and groan, or we can get up, dust ourselves off, and CHOOSE a tool from our tool belt to move forward. We can choose to BE what we need to create the reality we choose to live in.
"Be transformed by the renewing of our minds" is what scriptures tell us to do.
Want freedom in your heart and mind? Be Do Have.
Just a few simple tips:
1. Create gratitude in your life with a gratitude journal. Nothing fancy! Mine is not fancy. Its a spiral notebook that I set a 3 minute timer to and just write for 3 minutes in the morning with.
2. Slow down: Put your phone away and look people in the eye at the grocery store. That cashier will be blessed if you simply look her/him in the eye and smile. Promise.
3. Slow Down: Look your waiter in the eye and smile. Ask them a question about themselves, even.
4. Slow down. Fill in the blank with more ways you can slow it the heck down.
5. Regard another above yourself.
Scripture says
"do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others."
THAT my friend is BE DO HAVE
Please try it! And then let me know how it goes!
Happy Independence Day!
And have a Happy BE DO HAVE DAY!
If you would like help achieving freedom in your life, I'd love to work with you. Check out my website at shellitripp.com or email me at shellitrippbloom@gmail.com
For more info on the Encounter Training, go to www.encountertraining.com It will change your life and rock your world.
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