Go Around and Move Ahead

I was in a rush driving down the road the other day when I felt like I was stuck in a ton of traffic. It never fails! When I am in a hurry, everyone and everything seems to jump from out of nowhere into my path. Being patience is not one of my good qualities. As I glanced at my speed and the time, the car in front of me seemed to be just poking along forever. I wondered what the holdup could possibly be. Finally I couldn’t take it any longer. I sped up and went around the car. To my amazement, there was barely any traffic ahead of the car. Had I known that the car was the only obstacle in my way, I could have just passed it a long time ago.

Life can be a lot like that as well. We may stay too long in a job, a relationship, a habit, or not attempt our goals for fearing what’s ahead. Many times my fear of failure or rejection has kept me locked out of a future. Sometimes I choose paths where I am kept at bay by rescuing others and not focusing on my own needs. Even though I do have compassion for others, the truth is that I receive some sort of self-worth and acceptance when I gain others approval of me.

Go Around and Move Ahead!

There’s a fine line between having a compassionate heart and enabling others. Melody Beattie writes in her meditation book, The Language of Letting Go, that if we worry so much over another’s pain that we neglect our own emotions and needs, then we are probably over involved. If our underline motive is guilt then we are not practicing compassion. If we are so focused on rescuing others, anger and resentment may start to build up. We may start to feel unappreciated, unworthy, and used up.

For years I rescued in my relationships and prayed for changes. As I sat on the porch waiting for God to come rescue me, I couldn’t understand why nothing was changing. What I didn’t realize was that I had to make a change in my behavior. I find it amazing that all I had to do was step off that porch and trust in Him to lead me towards a better future. I could have just walked away from the relationships but fear kept me in prison.

God asks us to step out in faith, do a little work on ourselves, and trust Him with the power over our lives. We don’t know what’s ahead unless we have the courage to go around those things that are slowing us down.

Courage takes us toward our future....

Growth

Recently I came across a journal that I kept from 2005 to 2008. The drama, the sadness, and the depression I felt in those years were overwhelming. I fought back tears reading her sadness. My immediate reaction to reading some of the entries was, what were you thinking, girl? I wasted a lot years waiting on someone to change to my liking.  The entries brought to life a lost girl wrapped up in someone else's actions, expecting him to bring me respect, joy, and purpose, yet being powerless and fearful through it all.

Discounting my feelings from the past is easy now. Yet discounting the feelings doesn’t solve anything. It only shows how much more I have to grow. Those emotions were true and my reality back then just as my emotions are true today. Feelings are not stupid or wrong. They are real and make us human.

Back then I enjoyed journaling and had plenty of time for it. My journal became my best friend. What's wonderful is that journaling our thoughts and feelings can be like a window to our past. We can look back and relive situations. Does the past make us smile or frown? Have we grown and moved on, or are we still stuck in that stale pond on some issues?

Change is not my favorite thing. I want my life to be consistent and stable. But if we want to improve our life, we have to make changes. Sometimes the change is forced upon us. Other times we take those first shaky baby steps of faith. Either way, we have to move forward. New things can be scary. Yet we can place trust in God that whatever change is made, He will be walking with us all along.

I can’t change what or who affected me in my past. But I can forgive myself and the past. Letting go helps me to see that God was molding me for the future. I am praying one day I can look back on journal entries and feel more love and acceptance that God has always had for me.

Accept your past and move forward.

KY Pride

The older I get the stronger my Pride seems to grow. As a teenager, I would have never imagined how proud I would be of my roots. Coming from a rural and down-to-earth area like Eastern KY, as well as growing up poor, has been a positive aspect in my life. That aspect is more than I ever dreamed it would be.

As most us of "hillbillies" seem to be, we know no stranger. We have empathy for our neighbors, family, friends, and even our rivals. We gladly and sometimes blindly help out someone in need. We can be loyal, strong, and stubborn as a mule especially when we have to get down to doing the "nitty gritty" work. We appreciate our jobs because we know a job is hard to come by. We appreciate our family for they are the heartbeat of our lives. Some of us are liable to say anything cause we are not imitators.  We appreciate a mess of soup beans, cornbread, and fried tators. Where else can you see that on a menu in a restaurant but in Eastern KY? :-)

The recent win of the UK Wildcats NCAA Championship brought even more pride to me and my fellow Kentuckians. Supporting our boys in Blue is something we do! Besides, we don't have a lot of choices and they always do us proud.
 

We all are on the Human Race team!

Sure...there are negative aspects about KY and its Appalachian people that the nation would gladly ponder and poke fun of. However, we must not be discouraged by the negativity.  We must not let the bad apples in our crowd ruin the rest of the batch.

Life can look pretty discouraging from the outside.  But if we have pride and hope for a future for ourselves, there isn't an obstacle we cannot overcome. People may rob us of our joy and try to steal what little hope we have. Yet it is in those times when we gotta lift up our head, dig in our heels, and keep running towards the future, regardless. Don't go down without a Fight! We can fight back for our area and its people. We can fight for positive changes for our children and their future.

As I am learning in my Social Psychology class, pride exists in every culture and social group. We each feel a sense of "togetherness" in our culture and/or group. Every race, religion, culture, gender, every diversity shares in this togetherness, a sense of "we" and acceptance. 

We may each have our differences but one thing remains certain...we are all on the Human Race Team.  All of us are born yearning for togetherness and love.  Without these things, there is little chance for survival of a peaceful life.  What's even more certain is that none of us get a waiver for death. Regardless of your race, culture, status, religion, finances, WE all get to cross that bridge between life and death.

Respect your teammates and shout for Victory!  We will not be alone we cross that bridge, our coach will be there to guide us to the final Finish Line.

May God Bless you with the Love and Acceptance of who You are.