Never let anyone dull your sparkle
Anxiety was at a fever pitch, on the outside everything seemed normal but on the inside she felt as though the walls were caving in. No one seemed to see it and to her no one cared. Life was normal or as some would say "you are so blessed". The only one that could not see or feel the blessings was her.
Even though I am not including names here the story is very real. I met Susie (not real name) a few years back and I too felt as though she was very blessed. Several months back she contacted me via email through one of my foundations. She needed a confidant, someone that she could pour her heart and soul out too that would not judge nor walk away. Slowly but surely her story unfolded and each communication revealed to me how fragile life really is. When she started getting to what we will call the meat of the matter, in my eyes it seemed minor but in her eyes it was life.
Susie was by all means a successful person. She had a beautiful family, nice home, great career, and she was involved heavily in her community. BUT, something was missing. Susie was not a happy person. Pay attention please, this is where the message and the story begins.
Susie, like many people, lived her life in the shadows of others. Her parents wanted her to go to college and get a degree in a particular field. The pressure was immense to follow the family dream. Susie caved in to the pressure and did exactly what was expected of her. During college she began dating a nice gentleman. Even though the spark quickly dissipated she continued on the relationship because her family and friends thought they were a match made in heaven. Ever facet of Susie's life was controlled by others.
One summer she was on school trip and decided to attend a church that was a different affiliation than the one she was raised in. For the first time in years she felt spiritually alive. In her eyes she had something to look forward to upon her return home. She would visit her local church that belonged to this new denomination, so she thought. Her family and friends did not feel her enthusiasm at all, matter of fact they were highly upset that she even considered searching for a new church home. Once again Susie caved to pressure and returned to the cold, dull, lifeless church she attended for years.
Even though she knew the relationship was not right she agreed to the marriage. The years went by, the kids grew up, and her heart grew more distant than ever. From the outside world she had the absolute perfect life, yet to Susie her life ended years ago.
The anxiety reached it's breaking point when she met a friend that saw through the facade. She quickly realized that Susie was a prisoner to her own life. One Sunday Susie went on a road trip with her friend and along the way they stopped to attend services at a non denominational church that everyone said was on fire. The message that day was about how God created us as individuals and that the only way the world could possibly know and feel true love is if we all accepted who we were and lived our lives as the miracles we were created to be. The minister went on to say that portraits are worth so much more than prints, and we are worth so much more when we surround ourselves with people that love and accept us for who we are. He closed his message with the last line of Lazarus when Jesus turns to the crowd and says "unbind that man". I think it is important for me to say this here, we must always allow the people we love to be individuals, we cannot bind them with our expectations because if we do we participate in making people walking zombies instead of meaningful specifics.
Susie had been bound for years. Always living her life in conformity to what others deemed she should be. For once she felt hope and hopelessness all at the same time. To change would she have to get a divorce, alienate herself from family and friends? The pressure was so intense that over a period of time she fell right back into the rut she was in.
Fast forward to now, Susie is still living her pseudo life pleasing others, all the while missing the music God placed in her. Her deep love for life, humanity, music, water, art, etc very possibly could never been seen. This story is not just about Susie it is about many people that are alive yet never had the opportunity to live. To some extent we all face these life situations yet some more severe than others. The pressure to belong, to conform, to live your life in a shell is so powerful that getting out seems impossible.
In closing I would like to say, as I always do, that there is hope. Little by little you can start taking your life back. God created you to make an impact on this world and it is up to each of us not to waste that which we have been given. Our life can and will be a best seller but only when we decide to write the book and not anyone else. Hope creates passion and passion creates life. Never give up, be an active participant in your own miracle. We were not created to live in the shadows of others we were create to shine. From this point forward we will polish our bodies and we will never let anyone dull our sparkle.
peace to you
Dale
Even though I am not including names here the story is very real. I met Susie (not real name) a few years back and I too felt as though she was very blessed. Several months back she contacted me via email through one of my foundations. She needed a confidant, someone that she could pour her heart and soul out too that would not judge nor walk away. Slowly but surely her story unfolded and each communication revealed to me how fragile life really is. When she started getting to what we will call the meat of the matter, in my eyes it seemed minor but in her eyes it was life.
Susie was by all means a successful person. She had a beautiful family, nice home, great career, and she was involved heavily in her community. BUT, something was missing. Susie was not a happy person. Pay attention please, this is where the message and the story begins.
Susie, like many people, lived her life in the shadows of others. Her parents wanted her to go to college and get a degree in a particular field. The pressure was immense to follow the family dream. Susie caved in to the pressure and did exactly what was expected of her. During college she began dating a nice gentleman. Even though the spark quickly dissipated she continued on the relationship because her family and friends thought they were a match made in heaven. Ever facet of Susie's life was controlled by others.
One summer she was on school trip and decided to attend a church that was a different affiliation than the one she was raised in. For the first time in years she felt spiritually alive. In her eyes she had something to look forward to upon her return home. She would visit her local church that belonged to this new denomination, so she thought. Her family and friends did not feel her enthusiasm at all, matter of fact they were highly upset that she even considered searching for a new church home. Once again Susie caved to pressure and returned to the cold, dull, lifeless church she attended for years.
Even though she knew the relationship was not right she agreed to the marriage. The years went by, the kids grew up, and her heart grew more distant than ever. From the outside world she had the absolute perfect life, yet to Susie her life ended years ago.
The anxiety reached it's breaking point when she met a friend that saw through the facade. She quickly realized that Susie was a prisoner to her own life. One Sunday Susie went on a road trip with her friend and along the way they stopped to attend services at a non denominational church that everyone said was on fire. The message that day was about how God created us as individuals and that the only way the world could possibly know and feel true love is if we all accepted who we were and lived our lives as the miracles we were created to be. The minister went on to say that portraits are worth so much more than prints, and we are worth so much more when we surround ourselves with people that love and accept us for who we are. He closed his message with the last line of Lazarus when Jesus turns to the crowd and says "unbind that man". I think it is important for me to say this here, we must always allow the people we love to be individuals, we cannot bind them with our expectations because if we do we participate in making people walking zombies instead of meaningful specifics.
Susie had been bound for years. Always living her life in conformity to what others deemed she should be. For once she felt hope and hopelessness all at the same time. To change would she have to get a divorce, alienate herself from family and friends? The pressure was so intense that over a period of time she fell right back into the rut she was in.
Fast forward to now, Susie is still living her pseudo life pleasing others, all the while missing the music God placed in her. Her deep love for life, humanity, music, water, art, etc very possibly could never been seen. This story is not just about Susie it is about many people that are alive yet never had the opportunity to live. To some extent we all face these life situations yet some more severe than others. The pressure to belong, to conform, to live your life in a shell is so powerful that getting out seems impossible.
In closing I would like to say, as I always do, that there is hope. Little by little you can start taking your life back. God created you to make an impact on this world and it is up to each of us not to waste that which we have been given. Our life can and will be a best seller but only when we decide to write the book and not anyone else. Hope creates passion and passion creates life. Never give up, be an active participant in your own miracle. We were not created to live in the shadows of others we were create to shine. From this point forward we will polish our bodies and we will never let anyone dull our sparkle.
peace to you
Dale
Comments