That shrinking feeling…
Every day when my daughter comes home from school
I always ask her how her day went
Possible answers are
“Fine”
“Yes”
“Good”
You know, the normal ‘one word’ teenager responses
If I’m lucky
But on this day, she was smiling
She had blitzed her Maths test
Like a merchine…
Of course, her friends were excited for her
Just like me, right?
Nope
They asked her if she’d cheated
Because
“You’re not good at Maths”
They said that the mark she received, “can’t be right”
In other words
“Get back in your box, where you belong”
THAT SHRINKING FEELING
When someone else’s insecurities over shadow our successes
We feel we need to pull back
Minimising our response
So, they feel better
The fact that you’ve achieved something that is so wonderful
Must stay hidden
You’d better close that lid on the box they built for you
And stay inside it
Otherwise you’ll be getting all sorts of crazy ideas
And, heaven forbid
Be bigger than they are
So, stop it
Shrink yourself down to a more ‘pleasing’ size
Else you’ll be paying the price
NO MORE SHRINKING FEELING
This is where you need to choose
Do you let their insecurities stop you from growing?
Or do you shake the dust from your feet
And move on?
Unfortunaly, not everyone will be cheering you on in this life
Only the ones who truly love you
Will be celebrating your progress
God has big plans for you, my friend
And if God is for you, then who can be against you?
He doesn’t want you shrinking yourself down
Just so you can fit into other people’s expectations
Your purpose is way too important for that!
God is always calling you to climb higher up the mountain
Because He knows that’s where the eagles live
You need to rise above the naysayers
And break out of that box they’ve tried to put you in
Life is too short
And your calling is too important
You’re not the person you were yesterday
Or the day before that
SO
It’s time to put an end
To that shrinking feeling
And start living outside that box!
Wendy xo