Stirring Up Inspiration

I'm feeling inspired. No, I'm not on the brink of doing some sort of huge crazy thing. It's not like that. I don't know how to describe it or if "inspired" is even the word for it.

What I do know is that I'm being awakened to the idea of how much I'm actually capable of. I've found myself coming up with great ideas (in my opinion) in the oddest of times and places. Okay, so it really hasn't happened that often but I still think it's great. Normally I stress over not having anything to write about, but lately I've gotten frustrated over not having time to write stuff down. Actually, truth be told, after I'm done this, my ideas are gone.

Back to my point. I think we often underestimate ourselves. I don't think we realize our full potential. Thomas Edison once said, "If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." I find that I often fail to use my God-given imagination and creativity. Sometimes I think I don't have any. Is it possible though that we all have something great within us that just needs to be discovered and cultivated? Is it possible that we could do so much more with our lives if we started to believe we could?

I was recently reminded of a quote I heard in a movie a few years ago that inspired me and I wrote down. It wasn't until now that I actually discovered who it was by and that there was actually more to it and I'd like to share it here. It comes from Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love. Please note, I have not read the book, so I'm not endorsing it or anything. To be honest, I can't say I entirely agree with the quote. I did find it inspiring though and thought there was a good deal of truth in it. So there's my disclaimer.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were made to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same. And as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

I think all of us deal with feelings of inadequacy at some point in our lives. We wonder if we're good enough. We're convinced somebody else could do it better. We hold back and never put as much as we could into things for fear of failure. Is it possible though, that we fear excellence because we don't think we're worthy of it?

Even as I'm writing this, I'm cringing. Maybe some of my readers didn't even make it this far. I'm sorting out my thoughts as I go, and to be honest, I don't know if anything I'm writing is even right. Sometimes things just spill out of nowhere and I have no idea where those thoughts and ideas come from. Maybe some Christians are reading this and praying I'll one day see the light and come to the knowledge of the truth. I'm taking that risk. I think people would really grow as individuals if they learned to do this. Sometimes you have to ask questions, you have to wonder about the possibilities, you have to speculate.

You're not going to impact the world by thinking about it. Your ideas, as great as they may be do no good inside your head. It's all useless there. It's once you get it out, speak it, write it, sing it, whatever, that it takes on power. But that's exactly the part that so many people are afraid of. They're afraid to be wrong. They wouldn't be the first one. They're afraid that others may not agree or appreciate what they have to say. Guess what? They don't have to! They're afraid nobody will listen, it won't do anything, it won't make a difference. But what if it does? And so we sit around with endless power locked up inside of us and never do anything.

It seems to me that it comes back to influence. We are all in possession of a circle of influence. We can't avoid that. What we do with it is up to us. We can use it for good or bad, to build up the people around us or tear them down. We can use it to lead others to the Lord or drive them away.

People are watching you. You're always communicating something, even if you never say a word. But you do have power over what you communicate. You can decide whether you will share your thoughts and ideas with other people or keep them to yourself. Just remember, people rarely make a positive difference by remaining silent.