Repostion Yourself - The Beginning
Jul 9, 2008 Unplugged Authentcity
by TD Jakes. When the book first came out, I felt a tug towards it, but I was still in a mind set of not caring much about who I was, where I was going, or what God had for me to do. I was in denial that God could actually bless a woman like me.
I was in an apathetic mode and I really was not aware until one day I looked in the mirror and said to myself, “I don’t like me. Why would God even care to do anything through me.”
Truly I was giving up on myself, my hopes, my dreams, my desires, and my drive to be that motivating force that God called me to be so many years ago. I found myself wondering where LaTara went. What happened to that girl who had faith that move mountains and stepped out on the tight rope with God as the balancing stick?
Many of you know, if you follow this blog, that almost 2 years ago I decide it was time to come out of my depressed state. That meant working through every emotion that had me in the state that I was in. But at the time I was not at a point to read books like Reposition Yourself and although this particular book did not come out until 2007, I was not ready then either.
Anyway, I am at the point where I need to read this book and soak up what it has for me.
From the moment I read the first word, I have been enthralled with what TD has to say. He starts out telling he story of how we come to face the characters of our voices of reason. The example of the woman in this book that he used had to face Bee - The spiritual self, Manny - the Manager, L Lover, and Dee Dreamer.
Each of these characters come together to have an intervention of sorts and make the woman face things she has been dealing with all the wrong way because she has become a bitter, apathetic individual whose goals had become a bit warped. Here are a few of the observations that each of these characters shared with her:
Dee Dreamer: “It’s been so painful watching you settle for less and less in your life, working a job beneath your talents and capabilities, accepting the roles that others assign to you, giving up the creative pursuits that once fueled your ambition. I’m the part of you that longs to be all that you were created to be, the dreamer inside you who loves to look ahead and aim for the top… Instead of fighting to keep the fire inside you alive, you let the embers die by becoming addicted to a life without dreams, without hope… You can’t do on this way -it’s killing you. Fight for the dreams that were once such a vital part of your life.”
L Lover: “Look at your now. I see you faking your interest, distracted by what you need. You stopped giving, so you stopped getting back. You can’t sow indifference and get back affection. Forget about the relationships that went bad or had issues. Don’t lose sight of the loving person you were meant to be. You stopped loving the idea of love. Your authentic self is camouflaged by a self who has no feelings. Do you know that living inside of you is like being trapped by a mannequin?”
Manny, The Manager: “”Your addiction to apathy has affected everything. It has affected your business - your finances are going to hell! And don’t even get me started on your credit! You are just letting things go. You don’t handle your business anymore. You won’t face up to issues and that not getting any better. They are getting worse…Listen, I know you have faith and I know you believe in God. But God helps those who help themselves. Or maybe I should say faith without works is dead. You can’t just pray about business, you have to do something. Doesn’t the Bible say that a blessed man is the one who “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper’? Listen God can’t bless what you won’t do. You haven’t been taught correctly. Prosperity doesn’t come from giving an offering. It’s good to be a giver. But you must also be a thinker, a planner, and a worker.”
Bee, the Believer: “If you want to break through your addiction to mediocrity, your recovery must be spiritual. It doesn’t necessarily involve going to church. That is good but without a personal relationship with God, churchgoing is empty. Focus on what your soul hungers and thirst for: to relate to God. God will guide you, but only you can take the first step on the exciting journey known as the rest of your life. Aren’t you tired of the slop for which you have been settling? You may have squandered your resources so far, but God delights in providing His children with what they need when they rely on Him. It’s time. It’s time.”
Now I don’t know about you, but this sister saw herself in this woman who was being faced with her voices of reasons. Mine have been speaking to me for some time and I have watched myself change and continue to do so as I take steps to make sure that I am repositioning myself.
I am going to share more from this phenomenal book, Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits , and I invite you if you have the book to comment, write about it on your blog, or just say a pray for me and others who are in the process of repositioning in some area of their lives.
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