Just Do It

I love pineapple. From a child it has been one of my favorite fruits. Peeling a pineapple, however, has always appeared a bit too much for me. For some reason I felt that the skin was too prickly and I couldn’t be bothered. As a result I always bought the peeled ones, spending much more. Recently I decided that I wanted to learn to peel a pineapple. I posted my request for help on a group chat with my high school classmates. One of my pals responded that it wasn’t ‘rocket science’. Step by step he walked me through the process. Guess what? It was so much easier than I’ve thought all these years. How much money I’ve over spent through the years buying the pre-peeled ones.

How often we have avoided trying or doing something new because it appears beyond our skill level or comfort zone. Life is filled with new things to enjoy and discover if we decide to ‘ just do it’. Very often it begins with silencing the voices of doubt, fear, or unbelief that plagues us continually. It starts with confronting lies we’ve believed about our perceived limitations. For many it’s the narrative we’ve read over and over about ourselves – lines penned by someone else who decided they knew us better than anyone. Year after year we’ve stayed stagnant and lie dormant in the box where others placed us. Sadly, some of us have willingly climbed into those boxed spaces and made it our comfort zone.

One of the beautiful thing about my journey to self-discovery isn’t so much what I thought about me. It has everything to do with what God thinks about me. I chose to believe what He has declared over my life. I discovered that if I’m willingly, He gives the needed enablement. We don’t have to be the most gifted , talented, educated, or skilled. It begins with a desire to do and be. A desire for change – a desire to jump out of the box. This is how scripture encourages:

I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] Phil 4:13 AMP

The years are slowly creeping by
Marred by the stains
Of my fears and doubts
I still laid dormant
Dreams laid wasted
Crippled in my mind
Arrested by my futile imagination

Today I rise
I choose to believe
Saying yes to purpose
Turning down the volume
On the noise that has long tormented me
Awaking the dying embers
A fire now lit –
It can de done