Blog Party Continues! "Super Hero Syndrome" – by Jennifer O. White

The Cure for my Super Hero Syndrome

 Overwhelmed?

Is there a nagging voice in your head filling you with fear and dread that you are not enough for the task or tasks at hand? A counselor once asked me to illustrate my feelings. I presented her with my simple hand drawing of a woman with every hair in place while balancing a long board across the shoulders. Bricks were stacked high on the board, so high some were even falling off. The bricks had names – people's names, responsibilities, fears. You get the picture. I bet you've even been there. Maybe you are there now. I felt responsible for everything. At some point I believed the lie that if it had to be, it was up to me.

But I was failing at being everyone's hero.

For the last couple of years, God has directed my thoughts and prayers to ask Him for humility. I didn't realize how much pride I had in me. But He did and in His love for me, He is helping me address it.
I am not enough! A part of me wanted to slay the dragon that taunted me with those words. But it really is the truth. I am not enough for my husband, my job, my parents, my friends. But thankfully He is.

My life verse is Ephesians 3:20; "All glory to Him who is able through His mighty power at work in us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Memorizing this verse and those before it is helping me to overcome my pride and my fear of inferiority. He is the super hero with mighty powers. When I recognize that I am not enough, I can call out for help. And His mighty power works within me or around me to get the job done. Believe it or not, He has even better ideas for solving problems than me! He accomplishes MORE , infinitely more, that I can conjure up in my creative mind. All I have to do is admit I am not enough and ask for help.

Oh – I also have to wait.

Oh – and trust that He is at work.

I'm a work in progress with this humility thing. In those few areas that I am releasing Him to do the work in me or around me, I feel such freedom. The best word I can find for it is "exhale". I am exhaling in relief.
What about you? How are you finding freedom from the super-hero syndrome? I would love to hear your story and exhale with you!

jennifer o. white

At 40+ years, Jennifer White is a woman thrilled to be learning and living the truth of who God created her to be. She and her hero-husband David enjoy life near Branson, Missouri. Jennifer knows she's loved by God because He graciously found her a job in social media where she is actually paid to network with people on facebook, twitter and the blogosphere. She is the social media marketing strategist for New Leaf Publishing Group (nlpg.com), a Christian book publishing company on the move. She blogs for the authors of NLPG at authoringsuccess.net and for her friends at jennspiration.wordpress.com. When she is not blogging, tweeting and facebooking, she can be found with a cell phone glued to her ear networking for the Kingdom of our amazing God.

Connect with Jennifer!

Skype: jenniferowhite
Website: http://nlpg.com/
http://authoringsuccess.net/
http://jennspiration.wordpress.com/
http://twitter.com/jenniferowhite
http://flavors.me/jenniferowhite
Facebook Profile: facebook.com/jenniferowhite

Vortex by Dawn Mooring

A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent, flow of fluid. The spinning action forms a cavity or vacuum in it's center and draws objects into the action. One definition in Webster's is- something that resembles a whirlpool "the hellish ~ of battle - Time ". My mind grasps the whirlpool concept. But my heart knows the vortex experience caused by a "hellish battle of time."

Our minds, wills, and emotions can be drawn into a vortex when: we believe we have plenty of good years left but our employer retires us ten years too early: our desk is pregnant with bills, our bank account is barren of funds; the white picket fence we erect around a precious relationship has turned into a stone wall between us and the other party; the child we birthed and nursed wouldn't take a glass of milk from us if we were the last person on earth; the loving heart of someone we cherish has turned into a vinegar soaked sponge.

When we allow the "hellish battle of time" to continue, destruction is inevitable. Everything we think, feel, and act on emerges from the vortex, the whirlpool. When the whirlpool is a cesspool we become toxic. Objects engulfed in this kind of whirlpool wind up a stinking mess. Stinking thinking produces stinking living. Only we can make the choice not to get sucked up in this flurry of activity. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says that we can demolish strongholds, arguments, and pretensions against God by taking our thoughts captive and obedient to Christ. This is the only warfare tactic that will keep us close and clean.

How do you "take thoughts captive?" What has worked for you in the area of cleaning up "stinking thinking?"

Dawn Mooring is a woman passionate about God and His Word. Her desire is to see women fall in love with their Savior and understand that the Bible is the "Guidebook for Life." You can find out more about Dawn at her website. 

If you’re planning an event for women, consider Dawn. She is the real deal and what a breath of fresh air! Dawn is a faithful member and Bible Study teacher at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, GA near Atlanta, GA.

Let's Get This Party Started!!

today's the day!!

Starting TOMORROW!

Beginning tomorrow, September 1, 2010, this blog space will be taken over by amazing and powerful women who are making a beautiful difference in our generation. These women come from different parts of the country, and even the world. They come from different backgrounds, nationalities, denominations, and age groups.

 

http://www.southasianconcern.org/prayer_room/detail/o_lord_you_know_me/

I. am. so. stinking. EXCITED!!

I am confident you're going to love this, so, make sure you follow this blog, and check back regularly throughout the month of September. 

COMING SOON!!

So excited to announce this!!!

Coming September 1, 2010:

(Drum roll inserted here)


This space will be taken over by women from all around the globe--literally-- for an entire month! You will get to hear from women who are making a difference in our generation by being faithful in their corner of the world--and doing so quite beautifully I might add.

The women I've personally asked to add their insight in this little spot in cyberspace are women I personally admire and look up to--some are new friendships, and some are ones I've enjoyed over the years.

I really can't wait to get started, but I'll have to...*sigh*...but only for TWO days!! Make sure to check back on 9-1-10 and throughout the month!

Because HE First Loved me,
Shelley

Dare to Dream!

Sucker in the dirt

My husband, Stephen, uses this phrase at times, "He threw his sucker in the dirt..." The first time he used it, I had to ask him to clarify what he meant because I had never heard that phrase before. (Which, incidentally, is not unusual: the Hendrix's have all kinds of sayings most of us have never heard before! :-) ) He told me it meant that the person gets offended and behaves like a child who thinks they're retaliating by "throwing their own sucker in the dirt," refusing to play. The picture, as we see, is that the kid throwing the sucker is really only hurting himself while he thinks he is taking a grand stand to assert his rights to have his way.

I am concerned about how many people in the Church are doing this very thing on a regular basis. I'm also concerned about how Christians in the workplace are doing this, too. I'm definitely concerned when I see this kind of thing try to rise up in me. 

We are all both leaders and followers—in varying degrees certainly; and as such, we need to be aware of how easy it is for us to think we know what's best for the organization. And, in making this assumption, realize just how easy it is for us to miss out on what God might be doing in our midst simply because we get our feelings hurt or our ideas get rejected at one time or another. When we decide we aren't going to "play" anymore, and we throw our own sucker in the dirt and walk away, we need to realize that we will be the ones who miss out on the fun and excitement when God's plan is finally revealed.

I look at it this way: God, who is smarter than me and with better resources and knowledge, has asked me to come along for the ride. And like a kid headed out on vacation, I don't get to determine where we're going; how we're going to get there; who's going to pay for things along the way; or what we're going to do when we get there. BUT, I DO get to go!

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What about you? When are you most tempted to throw your sucker in the dirt and refuse to play? How do you combat the pull to have it your way in your organization?