The Power of I Am

We've been together for 23 days now. Some people say it takes 21 days to create a habit. So, okay, we're a little bit over that. For today, I thought it would be good to look inside and see what changes we have made and what new habits we have created because of these stories and exercises. You may have opened up some, discovered some ways that you’ve kept yourself small in the past, or perhaps you are finding some blind spots of ways you’ve blocked your success or your ability to be one with God. I hope you are able to go forward in the world from this experience, more from your spirit. 

One of the things that I have noticed about myself, even this morning I had some thoughts about this, is that I stand out. Some memories came to me in that place between sleep and awake, pictures of myself in the past. One was from the time that I was seven years old. Another picture came to mind from when I was about thirteen. These were memories of actual pictures, snapshots, photographs that would come to mind. One of the pictures that came to me was in my kindergarten class. The common thread in all those photographs was that I stand out. In kindergarten, everybody comes up to my shoulder and then there's me in the back. 

I'm six feet tallI six feet tall now and I've always been tall throughout my whole life. I even stand out in my school pictures. Everybody can pick me out really easily. But it’s not just my height. There are things about my appearance that I really feel God blessed me with to stand out. I've had people throughout my life tell me I'm stunning. I didn't always believe it. I really was not able to look in a mirror and say that I am pretty until I was in my thirties. I think I was  32 or 33. I even wrote it in my journal. It was such a profound realization when I looked in the mirror and saw myself as pretty. I said out loud, “I'm pretty!” And tears started streaming out of my eyes.  I have always been pretty. But I did not acknowledge it. I didn't know it. I didn't see it in myself. I think part of the reason was when I was younger, I had a cousin who told me I was ugly. My brother told me I was fat because I weighed more than him (of course I would weigh more…I was also taller!). My parents also did everything they could to keep me small, to keep me average, to keep me mediocre. (Interesting the words small, average, mediocre are the exact opposite of what I really am). My mom would always say, “You don't want to get a big head.” If I tried to wear makeup or do my hair in a different way, my mom would always say sarcastically, “Who are you trying to impress?” Of course, they were acting the best that they knew how. This is why we all come into adulthood with tons of limiting beliefs and seeing ourselves inaccurately. It happens to everyone. My parents were no different than anybody else. Usually comments are coming from insecurities within them. Either they had limiting beliefs that they were passing along. Or it could be that if one person stands out in the family, it might make everyone else look bad…a big insecurity in social settings including the family unit. The blessing is that we can change all that by recognizing our own greatness.

Now I know that standing out is inherently who I am. I can walk into a room and an energy exudes from me of beauty, power and authority. I'm acknowledging that right here in these pages. My invitation to you is to look at what you've uncovered over these last 24 days. Hopefully you are starting to make a dent in acknowledging who you really are. You are God's child. You are Christ's brother or sister. We are equal, we are peers with Christ in that way, especially when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, when we act in accordance to His, to God's will. When our will is His will, we act with the charity of Christ, with the love of Christ, with the commitment of Christ, all the things that He was on earth. We follow that example by being as committed to our path as He is to His. Then we exude that power and authority that He has. When we take upon ourselves His name, we become in essence, Him…Christ on earth now, His hands and feet, His body. We’re acting in accordance to His example,which is always being about the Father’s business and the Father’s will.

Today I would like to have you take the opportunity, I get amazing insights about myself and each time, I'm all bright and shiny. I think, “Wow, I'm amazing. I have this greatness within me. I'm going to conquer the world with it…I’m going to share with the world.” But then as soon as I leave my Daily GPS, I'm back to doing the things the way I always did. I have experienced that myself, I know you probably have too. I think that might be why it takes 21 days to make a habit. We're in our own world, and we forget what we learned about ourselves just 5 minutes ago.

Today as an exercise, I would like for you to acknowledge yourself, acknowledge what it is that you've learned about yourself over these last 23 days, the greatness within you. Enthusiastically, with your biggest toothy smile, with the radiance and energy of the power and authority within you when you are one with Christ, when you're one with God…go forth in the world today with your holiday festivities, with a smile on your face, radiating more than the light of Christ. Radiate the power and authority of Christ in the most authentic Christ-like version of whatever it is that you've uncovered about yourself. There's got to be one thing that you've realized and now understand about yourself that you didn't know before.  Make that your mantra today.  Lock that in place in your mind, body and soul. 

Create your mantra.  I am…what?  I am love. I am kind, I am power. I am…whatever it is that you've uncovered about yourself, this blind spot that you had, that you didn't realize. The amazingness, the greatness within you. Bring that greatness together into an ball of energy and pour it into a word. I am…that. I am forgiveness. I am…significant. In all your activities today, remember to walk in the room as that mantra…as that person. The word ‘enthusiasm’ I learned a long time ago means ‘God within.’ if you will feel that God within it will radiate out in the form of tangible energy. Enthusiasm doesn’t have to mean being wild and crazy, unless that is your mantra, “I'm wild and crazy.”  It is a passion that comes from deep within the heart and spirit…the godliness within you.  Enthusiasm is going to radiate from you even when you walk in the room. It's not your height or your physical appearance that makes you stand out. It is the power, the authority, and the love that is radiating from you as you are acknowledging the God within.  

I mentioned before that when you take upon yourself the name of Christ, you in essence become equal with Him, you become His, you become as Him. As you are one with Him, you radiate the power, authority and love that He has. That is my invitation to you today. Go about the day enthusiastically being God within.