Dare 4
Create His Vision For Your Life
Mary leans deep into a gentle stretch for the hip flexors, a source of pain and stiffness for some time now. Three babies, one a big boy, created a forward pelvic tilt known to many Mamas. Pain impedes fluidity of movement. It cramps her style. So, she signed up for an online mobility class. An answer to prayer to look after the temple, her body, as part of her vision for her life. Each stretch brings her further into harmony with her body being here, now, inhabiting this time. Breathe.
I am…His radiant temple.
I am…Sexy. Supple. Alive.
These three-word descriptions help her break it all down to the basics. These simple intentions pack power.
Her original vision statement, based on Proverbs 31, was dry and a bit demanding for anyone, let alone a woman relying on the beat of a fractured heart. After her first attempt, God called her to a higher level of being like a spark enflamed in the wind.
“This isn’t a ‘to do list,’ daughter. These are your longings. Longings of your heart mixed with the promises and visions I give from the Heavenly realms.”
For her second try, she expands as she does her stretch, and at His leading, with His help, wrote it all into a poem. A declaration of her identity in Him.
I am…
His radiant temple.
I am Whole. Strong. Alive.
I exercise daily and stay hydrated. I sleep 7-9 hours a night
I treat myself like I am my own best friend… someone I care for
I eat whole and healthy foods, staying away from sugar and junk…because He deserves that
And so do I…
And so do the people He has given me to serve and love
I am…
His cherished woman of strength & dignity who laughs at the days to come…
I speak respectfully to myself and others
I listen well to God and others
I spend time daily with the Lord and in His Word—He is my rock and my shield, my salvation
I am busy at home, keeping the environment nurturing
I manage my work-life with balance and am kind, representing Him with a balance of grace and truth
I manage my stuff and am content with what the Lord has given me
I want what the Father wants for me, and I know what that IS because I spend time with Him to know Him
I am…
His Holy Adopted Child, a Princess, Royalty…
I combat the voice of the accuser, and refuse to bring that death to others through criticism
I live each day in conversation with the Lord, caring what He thinks of me over others’ opinions
I am free from stress, calm, undisturbed, even when people stop by unannounced
I tell the enemy to scoot when he tries to plant lies, taking my thoughts captive, taming them to the Holy Spirit
I am confident in who God has made me to be
I do NOT have a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love, and self-discipline
I am…
A warrior, filled with the Holy Spirit daily through time reading the Word of God
I eagerly set about what the Lord has for me to do, unworried about criticism from others
I am bullet-proofing my heart, bringing my anxieties to the Lord, with gratitude, as to receive His peace that surpasses all understanding
I am…
On mission for Him. His ambassador. His servant. His Joy.
A guide and friend to my adult children
A peacemaker
A leader
A follower of Jesus
I am known, loved, treasured, fearfully and wonderfully made
This is my vision. His vision for me.
I am His Follower
I am Love
I am Joy
I am Peace
I am His.
Tacked to the wall in the laundry room during the two years of her marriage separation, in between folding sheets and the clothes of children too young to be caught up in this crisis, she spoke the poem aloud. Sometimes, she roared. Sometimes, she whispered. Pressed her hand on that paper and prayed and praised God as she warred in the spiritual realm. Now that entire poem lived within the three-word descriptions with all the power of the first line of a psalm representing the entirety of the passages in Jewish custom.
I am… His radiant Temple
I am… Whole. Strong. Alive.
And wouldn’t you know every single word eventually came true. Not genie-in-a-lamp-style, but like the unfailing words that proceed out of the mouth of God as an ever-loving arrow. They just don’t return void.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
And though some of those dreams have faltered, she continues to press forward in the vision God has for her life, knowing it will all come to pass in His time, even if, for some things, that time is eternity.
Dare 4
Write a poem or a prayer in a vision statement format, proclaiming who and Whose you really are, written in present-tense (“I am”) language. Use powerful, positive words that evoke images in your mind of who you are and want to be at your absolute best. Resist using negative words like “don’t,” “not,” “stopped,” etc., as the mind isn’t capable of understanding “don’t’s”—if you “don’t” want to think of a purple gorilla, your brain will force you to do exactly that instead!
Science supports this Biblical truth around the power of our mind. In 1990, my masters’ thesis project formed around a concept called, “cognitive reconstruction,” the proven notion that we can literally change our lives by changing what we think and how we think. Given I was an atheist at that time, I find it both interesting and humorous how God had me learning and growing in this area of study even then. I could quote secular research about the power of the mind, but instead, I will share something more powerful—a few of the many verses about this topic from the Creator of our minds:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:22 NIV)
Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV)
BOTTOM LINE
Listen and create God’s will for your life.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
- How do you feel about writing this positive poem embracing your wiring, your gifting, His design of you, and His will for your life? If you feel challenged or even frightened, will you resist the temptation to condemn yourself for your past thoughts and view of yourself, and embrace possibilities instead?
- What lies have you believed that have shackled you to a negative view of yourself? In prayer, will you say, Lord, set me free from the misperceptions of culture and other people, but especially from the lies about myself. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, in Your image, and I confess I have not embraced Your Truth for me. Help me walk forward in Your Son’s identity through the power of the Holy Spirit!
- Take a moment to look at a past moment that mattered, one that impacted you deeply. Chances are good that the enemy of our souls planted some false beliefs there and they impact you still. What would it have looked like to show up with strength and dignity at that time, instead of how you reacted? Ask God, in prayer, for His wisdom in that space.
Love to you,
Nina
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