Day 265- Catch 22

📖Daily Reading

 Romans 11

🎥 Video  

Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.

 

📝 Reflection 

Romans 11: 32

“For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.”

So continuing the conversation on the law of paradox, we have a bit of a catch 22 presented by Paul in chapter 11. For those of you unfamiliar with this phrase it means a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions (Oxford dictionary). God has said that we have access to unconditional agape love on one condition - we have to believe and have faith. Also, as Paul states above we are all ‘imprisoned in disobedience’ so that he can give us mercy.  Say what? 

Believe it or not Paul is actually trying to reassure us here. Hey we are human, and it is ok to be human. The tendency when humans receive what feels like special recognition we tend to puff our chests up and then tend to use it to look down on others. God’s chosen people of Israel are a great example of this and a cautionary tale. So in order to point this out he decided to stop playing favorites and open his promise up to everyone. But since we are human too, we now have the same temptation.

Paul is imploring us all to remain humble, Gentiles and Jews. He is also reminding us that the Jews are still God’s chosen people. He is still wanting them to receive the good news. He is patiently waiting for them until they get it. We are not to get on our ‘high horses’. We just need to do our best, love God, love others, be humble and stay in our lane. When we can manage to do this, things seem to go a bit better for us in our lives. 

I think staying in our own lane is the hardest one for us humans. As soon as we learn something, figure something out, find something that work for us our tendency is start ‘suggesting’ that others do the same. We start wagging our finger and going ‘well you know, if you would just ….’ We have a natural tendency to judge. We judge ourselves, we judge others and it is not only exhausting but it is pretty fruitless. It takes a lot of energy. A lot of energy that could otherwise be put to use more productively in our own lives, towards helping others, toward becoming the full potential of what God intended us to each be. 

Even going back to the parables of Jesus. Pull out the plank in your own eye before you point out the speck in someone else’s. I am so guilty of this, I think this is part of the human condition. But now that we have self awareness about this we can practice and get better and better at catching ourselves when it happens. This I think is the disobedience that we are caught in and that we get mercy for. It is hard to not judge, but with practice and self awareness we can grow and this is not only good for us it is better for those around us. We can all be free to be who we were created to be. Being a judge is a heavy burden and did I already mention exhausting?  

This has been a big area of growth for me and will continue to be. As I am making progress I am slowly able to re-direct that energy and I am so much happier. I try now to switch from judgmental to being curious more. Curiosity has room for love, possibility, humility and humanity. It allows us to shift into being mindful, present to reality, not making assumptions, reminding ourselves that we don’t always have all the facts, and having compassion for ourselves and others.  

✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt 

How does this resonate with you? Do you see how judgement keeps us from fulfilling our own potential? Can you give yourself permission to be human and free others to be the same?

📖Tomorrows Reading

 Romans 12

Coaching Opportunity

There are still a few spots left for the October 2022 Inaugural OWN IT! For Good! group & 1:1 coaching opportunity. Let's make 2023 the year of YOU by spending the last quarter of 2022 laying a solid foundational mind set! The world needs what only you have to offer! Give yourself the best gift ever, the best version of you is ready to rise & shine!

Book your free📞Wake Up Call today to learn if this is what you have been waiting for!  

If you have stuck with me this far, then you are not reading this by accident, I believe God has a plan for you and is calling you forward!😉🤩

 

CONNECT WITH ME

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felecia.b.holmes (personal)

Rise & Shine Together Private Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1093183278239989

You Tube: Rise & Shine Playlist