Just Beyond Normal

All my life I have tried to hide in the shadows. Never good enough. Always lacking. Always trying to blend in - to go unnoticed. I had an opinion but unless pushed or provoked, it stayed internalized. I was fine in the shadows, they hid my flaws. I was fine in the back of the line, from there I could encourage others to do what I didn't have the guts to do myself. I wasn't a pushover but I wasn't pushy either.

But a few years ago, something changed. Something far out of my reach was suddenly right in front of me. Something not necessarily scary...but close. And with this change I was somehow forced outside of my comfort zone. Pushed to a place where only God could have empowered and equipped me to go. Somewhere standing in front of what feels like a spotlight about to get turned on...and anyone who knows me, the real me, knows that none of this is right...yet somehow here I am ready for whatever comes next. Doing things that go against every natural facet of my self. So I have to ask how in the world did I get here, where am I going, and again...how in God's name did I get here?

I had an epiphany at a college football game. As our team was running across the field, I asked these same questions again. And the answer brought a single tear running down my cheek. The answer was simply "It's My plan"...His timing - His will. It was Him.  And then I thought of what seems to be on the horizon. Of what possibilities may follow. I know how important it is to be aware His unctions. Of His prompts to push us forward. To listen to His voice. Otherwise, I would still be living Matthew 6:1 out in earnest. Hiding in the shadows of a verse that I took to mean I had to be there...but when reading the Bible...context is everything.

So lately, I realize with more clarity than ever before, that there is a time and a purpose for everything in life. And for this season in my life, Philippians 2:13 is my new courage: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (KJV). 

The reason I am here, the reason any of us are here, is for His pleasure. To love one another enough to step outside our comfort zone. To share Jesus with the lost. To encourage each other to be a light in darkness. For me it is to follow Him, as a willing vessel, and be courageous enough to share Him through the written word. Yet all the while, I am learning to listen and not allow my own comfort zone to box me in. He has, after all, gotten me to this point (1 Samuel 7:12b) and trust me, nobody is more uncomfortable with life changes than this ole gal...but my life purpose seems to be just beyond my norm. 

Y'all, have a blessed week and stay strong in Him

In Christ with love and compassion ~

Coach Kelly

#YourLifeCoachingWV

#BeyondTheMirror

#WVStrong