Stretching

I am beginning this blog without a plan but not without a purpose. You should know that doing anything without a plan, much less something that can be seen and judged by others , is simply NOT the way I usually operate. And that truth brings me to the purpose of this blog- to have a place to try out new thoughts and patterns of behavior- to stretch myself, if you will. You see, for too long, I am realizing, I have done what I thought I should do based often, I am ashamed to admit, on the fear of failure and the fear of man's opinions of me. But this year has been one of great growth in the Lord for me; one in which He has revealed to me, with gentleness and grace, of course, just who He created me to be. A year in which I have learned that I have not been honoring that unique bent He gave me. I would love to say I have learned this without pain, but that would not be true. It took a season of despair and turmoil, that has not yet completely passed, to get my attention. But He has it now and I know that I need to be stretched, to look inward and begin to operate on God's opinion of me and to begin to honor the way He made me. This blog is one way I am doing that.