AMAZED...that I can do all things

I was totally AMAZED at what I had just done. You see, the word “spontaneous” doesn’t exist in my vocabulary. I don’t do anything in a hurry. I’m not an impulse shopper, I don’t make decisions quickly, I generally am slow to make a move of any kind.

Along came the A-to-Z Blogger Challenge. I thought my blog (www.aheart4heaven.blogspot.com) could use a good infusion of effort and excitement. Eagerly I began pulling my writings together and preparing for the event…slowly.

That’s when it happened. Two people who are very special to me caught the enthusiasm, and both started new blogs as first time bloggers who signed up for the event (see www.survivorblabbingprincess.blogspot.com and www.musingsfromdot.blogspot.com.) They were nervous and excited…and I was jealous. Truly they were entering more into the spirit of the event more than I, and I began to tell myself that next year I would do things differently; next year I would write spontaneously on a day to day basis. Next year would be the year for me.

And suddenly it hit me that I still had 24 hours before the event started to enter a new blog myself…this year. And so I did.

Soon I had my new blog created and waiting for posts. I signed it up on the Blogger Challenge web page; I was ready to go. I went off to work immediately afterwards, AMAZED at what I had done; excited and eager to begin.

Fifteen hours or so later I was having second thoughts…a panic attack is more like it; I couldn’t believe I had acted so rashly. Over and over again my mind repeated the reasons it could not be done. Most of all I regretted registering my new blog as part of the Challenge where my mistake would soon be obvious to 1500 people. No wonder I couldn’t sleep.

But then I happened to read that great things can be accomplished when other people express confidence in you that you lack yourself. I opened my new blog in the midst of my struggle that morning and was AMAZED to see that I already had a “follower”…even before any writings were posted!!! What a gift, that this person had expressed confidence in my abilities before there was anything written to prove her right or wrong. I smiled for the first time that morning and my chin lifted a few inches off the floor.

Then I read that God has confidence in us at all times. He knows what we are capable of and believes that we can do whatever task He sets before us, since our abilities lie in Him. We just need to enter into agreement with His view of ourselves. And just that quickly I switched tracks; I jumped off the train that ran in circles repeating, “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.” and got on board with God who says, “You can. You can. You can.” And I became the blogger who could….if she’d just give herself a chance.

I simply stand AMAZED.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4:13 MKJV)