I had the greatest honor to sit under some of the greatest women leaders of our time in September and with that I want to share some Propel nuggets from the conference. I loved each speaker and I came expectant and God downloaded some amazing things into us at this Activate Event and I can tell you we are taking our local community by storm and want to see God move in such a mighty way. Lorie Ann, who was on the Panel said something so profound "Choose to hold onto the crystal balls and let the rubber ones bounce."
You see too many times we let people take more space than they should. I am not saying we don't love people, we do. But as a women the expectations we place on ourselves and the expectations that others place on us make us weary. I have precious fragile balls I am holding "my children, my husband, my relationship with God, these are my crystal balls. I cannot fulfill my life on a mission if I am not holding and protecting my sacred spaces. In a society of no boundaries it is so easy to allow people tell us who we are rather than listening to God say who we are. We allow too many people in our sacred spaces and then when they hurt us we forcefully shut them out and play victim. I speak from experience as I have cycled this even though God has given me wisdom through his Holy Scripture.
Matthew 7: 6 says this "Don't give dogs what is sacred, do not cast your pearls before swine. Or they will trample on them and turn and tear you to pieces." God gave me this scripture at the tender age of 17 and this has been the hardest thing for me at times. God gets my sacred, when I give it to others, it is like I am giving my most sacred thing to dogs. It would be like taking a cooked meal that I slaved over and took it from my husband and gave it to a dog. It would eat it down and look at me for more, not appreciating the gift I just gave them. It isn't there fault it is actually mine, so at times when I am angry with someone who doesn't appreciate all that I am doing for them, it is time for me to ask? Am I giving my sacred to God or man. So as Mercy Lukalutu says in the Propel Session 1 Curriculum "Give clarity and definition to the vision God has given you and then guard that vision."
Give Clarity to your Sacred Spaces
The first step is to define the crystal, that which can't be put back together easily, that which is precious. Whether it be your family, your spiritual gifts, your marriage, your work environment, or even your own personal safety. Ask God to give you wisdom as to what is important for your life mission. Here is a note it is not normally what we want, our crystal balls, it is what we take for granted. My God time is sacred, my family is sacred, my mission is sacred, when I trade these I cannot do what I am called to do and there is no overflow. Look for you sacred spaces, fight to look for them, ask God earnestly to show you them, and then hold onto them.
The next step is to let go of the rubber balls. God has placed things in my hands, and when I set them down to juggle a friends expectation, a selfish ambition, or even chasing after things that don't matter, I begin to deteriorate. That part of the scripture "Or they will trample on them and then turn and tear you to pieces" is a very real thing to me. People are not bad, but sometimes I make bad choices. Like when I am giving others my sacred they will eventually turn and tear me to pieces emotionally. The hardest thing for me was to let go of what others have spoken about me, to me and over me. A very dear friend of mine was on the phone with me and as we were working through some of my insecurities she told me "Listen to the people who know your heart, if they tell you something pay attention. But honestly you have to shut out the naysayers, those who don't know you." We live in a crowd driven world where we like to gossip and lynch people. It may be your turn, but those trials you are in, as people are scorning you, mocking your intentions, and straight up trying to tear you to pieces. Look for the relationships that stand it, the ones who are still with you. And the other ones let it bounce.
The third thing I would ask you to do is to create safety nets for your sacred crystal balls. I have had to do this by making boundaries in my life, and I am learning not to apologize for them. I need my Jesus time, I need sleep, I need relational time with my husband, I need time with my children. When these things are healthy I can be creative, I can thrive. But, if this area of my life is under strain I fall apart and cannot think critically. These are my sacred spaces, I am setting boundaries up that help me let go of the expectations I may place on others but also that others may place on me. I am a chronic people pleaser and so I have to guard my most fragile crystal ball I have: my emotional health. I know how to assess, I know how to look for signs and symptoms that I am about to shatter. Is it yelling at my husband because I am stressed about something external or snapping at my children who were just asking me a question. Or is it that I am trying to seek something from someone that only God can give me? You choose your options in these moments and you have the choice to pick your sacred crystal. Ask God to help you today and to allow Him to help you let go of the rubber balls and let them bounce.
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