Is it true that I am made beautiful in time? That the word beauty has to do with maturation, fulfilment, and perfection. In other words, I am created with a purpose and my purpose has a time that allows me to progress to perfection.
Consider, for a moment, a rose. In the spring before the rose bush blooms, it is ugly. Thorns cover the stems and tiny, hard green things stick out among the leaves. After a few weeks, these little green things slowly begin to open until you can see the colour of the petals. Then the bud begins to open, and the individual petals become visible. Still, the rose is not what it yet can be. It has not reached the height of its beauty.
There comes a point when the fully opened rose reaches perfection. It can be no more beautiful. Its shape and colour are in perfect harmony. After perfection is reached, death and decay set in. The flowers whither and brown until the petals fall from the bush. It fulfils its purpose and then naturally dies. Nothing should die until its purpose is fulfilled.
Is it true that I always act in a manner consistent with my beliefs, especially my beliefs about myself? My beliefs act like a set of filters that screen out information that is inconsistent with them. I do not necessarily believe what I see, but rather I see what I already believe. I reject information that contradicts what I have already decided to believe, whether my beliefs and my prejudices are based on fact or fantasy.
Is it true to be convinced that I was created to be a leading success? To think that my attitude is who I am and was created to lead in the area of gifting. To think that I was never created to be oppressed, subjugated, subordinated, or depressed. That my Creator designed me to fulfil a specific purpose and assignment in life.
Is it true to think that my assignment determines my area of influence? Deep inside me is a spirit with a big dream struggling to free itself from the limitations of my past experiences, present circumstances, and self-imposed doubts. To think that I am a victim of unfulfilled passions and to believe that my greatest ignorance is of myself. What I believe about myself creates my world.
Is it true that I cannot live beyond the limits of my beliefs? In essence, I am what I believe. My beliefs are a product of my thoughts, my thoughts create my beliefs, my beliefs create my convictions, my convictions create my attitude, my attitude controls my perception, and my perception dictates my behaviour.
Is it true that the result of my life is what I think it should be? When I think according to the spirit of my influence, I begin the process of becoming myself. This is the heart of finding my true self, my attitude, my mindset, and the spirit of my mind.
Is it true that some of my unique attitudes or qualities include passion, initiative, teamwork, innovation, persistence, discipline, focus, time management, confidence, positive disposition, patience, peace, and compassion?
Is it true that defining myself is one of the most important things I can do? How I define myself determines how I act. If I have a rule that I will see my goals through no matter what, even when things get hard and I find it hard to see a way through, I will never give up.
Is it true that when it’s cold and raining outside and I don’t want to exercise, but I know I am the kind of person that exercises no matter what, then I will put my shoes on and work out? If I hold my integrity higher than anything else, then I know that however, I have acted in the past is likely to be in line with my morals.
Is it true that the danger of not taking steps to define who I want to be is that I end up being defined by my subconscious? My subconscious will take in my environment, the world around me, the people I hang out with, my experiences, my failures, etc, and create an identity for me. The danger with this is that I could be taking in a bunch of negative experiences and letting them define me without realising them.
In the early spring as, new shoots are coming up in the garden, the richness of harvest is but a dream or an expectation. Time must do its work. As the summer progresses, the plants grow and blossom. Fruit begins to cover the plants and the vines. By midsummer, the harvest has begun. Peas, beans, and tomatoes have been picked and enjoyed.
But the time of harvest is not complete. Pumpkins and sweet potatoes have not yet matured. Cantaloupe and watermelon still cling to the vine. The completeness of the garden’s purpose has not yet been reached. In essence, my length of physical life is determined by my purpose.