I think we’ve all reached a point at one time or another when we felt as though we could not take one more second of the situation we were in. The moment when we said to ourselves, this is it! I’m finally done with all of it! And we take a giant step out in a totally different direction. Sometimes our hope is for new horizons; sometimes our hope is simply to get away from whatever it is that we left behind. No matter the reason, we all know how it feels to have finally freed ourselves from the chains of an existence that simply wasn’t working for us. And the complete and utter terror that accompanies taking that leap. How we handle that terror will dictate how effective our exodus will be in the long run. If we are tentative, we may as well have stayed where we were until we could be serious about making the move. But if we can make the break with confidence, there is no limit to where we can go.

Sometimes, it’s just time to prune. Time to cut off what isn’t growing. Time to de-clutter and clear the way for God’s blessings to pour in. But for some of us, we hold onto everything He’s given us until it becomes almost painful to carry it all. Evidently forgetting that the point of the blessing He pours in is to release them into the world and impact others with His love and grace. Many of us are so fat with blessings that our discipleship muscles have completely atrophied. And no amount of conditioning seems to allow us to release any of the extra girth we’ve packed on.

Yes, I know, lots of analogies here. But in my mind, I tie the spiritual self to the physical self. When I hurt in my spirit, I hurt in my body. And vice-versa. When I’ve done something that doesn’t agree with my spirit, my physical self hurts immensely and no relief can be found until I make the necessary repairs to the brokenness in my spirit. Sometimes, that means having to break free from something that has been a constant source of pain. We can get so comfortable with the familiarity of that pain that we can’t bear the thought of defending ourselves because it’s unknown territory. How in the world could we possibly do something a little differently? There’s no security in that which is not ritualized. What the hell are we thinking?

I am very much a creature of habit. I get in ruts. I get blocked, but rather than break through it, I tend to wallow in it until some catastrophic event forces me to act. I’m not proud of it, but I can’t pretend that it’s not a flaw that I possess. My ruts have been detrimental at times. Sometimes, self-destructive. Sometimes, self-preserving. Sometimes, just plain stupid. And they have kept me from realizing my full potential. So, I’m going to try something new. I’m going to break free from my routines. I’m going to tune back into my spirit and follow the path according to what makes sense for the day. I’m not chucking all of my wisdom and going forward blindly. I’m just not going to stay inside the box quite so often. In fact, I think I’ll remove at least one of the walls and just leave that side open so that I can venture out from time to time. There’s something to be said for freedom. And I definitely want to take advantage of the freedoms that I have for as long as I can. As for chaining myself to this unbalanced way of life and everything I’ve allowed to confine me thus far, I’m not doing that anymore. Not for ONE MORE MINUTE.

Rebecca Benston is the owner of Higher Ground Books & Media and the author of over twenty titles currently available through Amazon and other outlets. Her books include a mystery series (The Rona Shively Stories), empowerment resources such as Wise Up to Rise Up, Don’t Be Stupid (And I Mean That in the Nicest Way), and From Judgment to Jubilee, children’s books including Grumble D. Grumble Learns to Smile, All the Scary Things, and See How Strong You Are. Benston lives in Springfield, Ohio with her awesome daughter, Mya and enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and telling it like it is. She enjoys being able to help other authors get their stories out there through Higher Ground and has recently expanded her freelance services to offer more extensive guidance as a writing coach and social media manager. For more information, you can contact Benston at highergroundbooksandmedia@gmail.com.

Uncategorized body breaking patterns change empowerment God growth love mind motivation moving forward new horizons pain relationships spirit