Informed Inspiration… Real Meditations for Real People

04 Feb 2009

Looking for relevant inspiration that will feed your entire being from the inside out? We will provide you with an inspirational message every week. Check out this week's Informed Inspirational message below. Feel free to post your comments on this topic on Holistic Inc's Global Forum.

By Rev. Anne Henning Byfield

Recently in discussion with a pastor about a particularly lectionary text, he commented that members in his bible class had challenged his interpretation about a particular scripture and he was reluctant to preach it. His concern was that he would see their faces and hear their voices knowing they disagreed with his position and he found it difficult to preach. While his interpretation of the scripture was clearly correct, I was drawn more by the lack of assurance of his preaching and knowledge, and questioned it. The foundational concern was do you always preach wondering what the people will think or feel about your interpretation. I gave my thoughts on leadership, confidence, not seeing their faces, the usual rah rah, etc…

As I was preparing for the Lenten Season, I realized how prone we are to sacrifice tangibles as evidence of our discipline. We follow strict diets, take candy, caffeine, and cursing out of our lives and yet some of the deeper areas are neglected. I laughed when God reminded me of how like this preacher, I have allowed what people thought, said, or how I perceived their looks as distractions to the power within and the fulfillment of God’s purpose in my life.

While I may have worked through most of these issues in my preaching, there were so many other ways that I slowed up, stepped back or delayed what God had given me. Many of us live with some of these anxieties as leaders in denominational or corporate settings, because we feel who we are appears to be very different than the status quo and we wonder how we fit in with our gifts.

We see the faces, hear the voices, and wonder if who we are matches what we think the greater community desires. As women, the lack of mentors often hinders us as well, and we try to follow a script that God did not write for us. Imitating others male or female or worse crafting some aloof, uncooperative, judgmental stance are just other ways in which our fears are manifested.

The truth is while we do live in greater community, our greatest asset is the authenticity of being who we are and are called to be. This alone will encourage interpersonal relationships and serves as fortitude for our endurance.

What will you need to sacrifice: procrastination in prayer and discipline to get the daily-ness of your life and projects ordered? Is it exercise to keep body, mind and spirit energized and healthy, or mental exercises to remind you that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and with God all things are possible. For some, it is releasing of bad memories, words and actions that hurt and hinder. It is living your best life and calling yourself woman everyday with the assurance that you are bold, brilliant and beautiful.

Calling yourself woman represents that you are developed in the arsenal of faith, fired in the belly of survival, made in image of the ordinary who lived extraordinary lives. Marian Anderson states that “fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man(woman) inhuman”. You are neither inhuman and certainly not fearful when you walk with God.

Decide now how far you will be at the end of this season on your personal quest to live out your visions and dreams. How much will your sacrifices of personal repentance from the culture of failure allow you to move to the next level beyond facebook hype, rhetoric with your friends or pseudo ritualism of positive thinking?

During this season what a great opportunity to refocus your energy to live beyond the limitations and frustrations of corporate and denominational settings where you can lose all sense of personal accountability, responsibility and personality to meet every changing standards. Yes you work and live in these environments but God gives grace so that we do not continue to compromise who God and you are.

Let’s find that grace and sacrifice our pride, anger, ego, fears, anxieties, frustrations and internal dis-ease and unrest to draw closer to God. Let’s trust the voice of God and grow in the biblical foundation that we are created in the image of God and are strong, bold and brilliant with the power of the Holy Spirit.

This time we can do this. It begins today, right now, with sacrifice and commitment. Finish the dream. Live, Learn, and Lead…unleash your talent! You will do this.

Anne Henning Byfield (M.Div), Itinerant Elder, is the first female presiding elder of the Fourth Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Church serving at South District Indiana Conference. A third generation preacher, she pastored three churches: Bethel Bloomington, Robinson Community Indianapolis and St. Paul Detroit. She is a poet, published author, songwriter and president of annehenningbyfield, Inc, a consulting company that provides public speaking, motivational, leadership & organizational transformation as well as executive development and coaching. She is married to Ainsley with one son Michael, and one grandson, Miles. Watch for www.annehenningbyfield.com launching soon!

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