Originally posted 2015-10-12 23:55:56.
Hi!
Thanks for joining me in Monday Moments of reflections….. God has ways of enlightening us in our daily lives to expose invisible walls. The mechanism of exposure is the blooming process. Blooming operates in conjunction with awareness. Blooming is when we begin to understand why we act and respond the way we do. For example, the blooming process is happening when The Lord brings in your spirit questions, “Why does the sound of that person’s voice irritate you? Or Why does getting smart and telling people off bring you gratification?”
Discovering how the walls operate is also a part of the blooming process? In what areas of your life is the blooming process exposing invisible walls?
One day last week, as I walked into the local library, a picture grabbed my attention. It was a picture that I’d seen many times before, but on that particular morning, I saw the vibrant colors and the perfection of the artistry. The picture’s faded frame that bore the wear and tear of the weather was an afterthought. Later that day, as I gazed at some bushes, the pretty colors of the leaves caught my attention. Then I noticed the weeds that were around the bushes. I guess you’re saying by now, “So what? What’s the big deal? It’s a picture and some weeds?”
On another day, as I walked into the library, (yes Aunt J, the library again), an elderly man walked past me towards the building. What captured my attention was that he got out of his car after I got out of mines, and he walked so fast until he passed me by at least twelve to fifteen feet. I thought, “Why is he racing. He’s trying to get to a certain seat before me.” Then the thought came, “Perhaps he just walks fast, Rochelle. You see that other man walking fast. Some people just walk fast naturally. You walk slow anyway.” I know by now you must be thinking, “And?!? So what?”
Well, let’s think about the picture. What would’ve stuck out to you first; the faded frame or the vibrant colors and skillful artwork? Think about the trees with the weeds all around it. What would have gotten your attention first, the pretty green leaves that were showing snippets of season changes or the weeds? Or, would your first thought have been that the property owner needs to trim those weeds? What about the man? Would your first thought have been, “He sure does walk fast?” Why did the thought that he was trying to get to a certain seat before me come to my mind?
These very observations and questions are a part of the blooming process. When you are in the blooming process, you notice things in a differently than before. It’s like when you get filled with the Holy Spirit. Familiar places are different, the otherwise gloomy clouds have a pretty shade of gray. Brightness of color differs, variation of leaves, negative thoughts turn positive.
There was a time when I would not have noticed the beauty of the trees before I noticed the need for the weeds to be trimmed. This was even after being filled with the Holy Spirit. And I usually blame that thought pattern on my having an undergrad degree in Accounting and in spending years leading a team whose primary responsibility was to search for errors to correct. But is this the true reason for seeing the bad first and thinking the worst first? There could be a wall of pessimism that hinders optimism? If so, who cares how it began. It’s a progress retardant. Some walls have taken residence in us for so long until we just feel as though it’s a part of who we are. But, the blooming process of seeing the beauty of God’s creation uncovered those invisible walls of pessimism and judging.
Where is the blooming process operating in your life? What walls are exposed? Is it on the job? I remember being in corporate meetings years ago with persons who had higher ranking titles than me. I would sit in those meetings feeling so intimidated. The wall of pride hindered my interaction because of my lack of higher ranking status on the job. It had nothing to do with my knowledge. That wall of pride fueled the feeling of “less than,” because of a lack of a title. And that same hindrance transcended from the job into ministry.
A year ago, I was a panelist at my First Lady’s conference. I felt so intimidated because there were Grammy award-winning recording artists, psychologists, a Grammy award-winning musicians wife and a well-known pastor’s wife on the panel. It didn’t matter that I had years of experience in facilitating women’s conferences as well as a Master’s of Divinity degree. The enemy of my progress said, “Rochelle, you don’t belong up here, you’re not nationally known!” God exposed the wall of fear, low-self esteem and pride and told me, “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” The Holy Spirit clearly said, “Why are you concerned about titles, I am here to word your mouth.”
Where are the invisible walls in your life? Do you see buds of confidence sprawling forth? Where are you blooming? Have you discovered that fear is really a bully that wants to paralyze you? Think about it , flowers and trees go through a process in blooming. For some it depends on the temperature. For others it depends on the length of the days. Mainly, it’s all about the season. What season are you in?
The last question for today: “What are 7 ways that you are blooming and your invisible walls are exposed? I’d love to hear from you.
Blessings!
Rochelle
