So, the last few days, I have been thinking about 2 scriptures in particular:
#1 The one that says we are more than conquerors
(Romans 8:37)
#2 The one that says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
(Philippians 4:13)
The reason why I have been thinking about them is because, at least if you’ve grown up like me, I feel that most of us have learned these scriptures out of context
And here’s what I mean by that:
When I was taught/heard those 2 scriptures, it was always in this context: if you’re going through any kind of discomfort or trials, you can do all things to overcome them and get to the other side
Sound familiar, sis?
But if you actually find those verses in the Bible
(For example just before he says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”)
Paul talks about how he has learned to both “abase and abound”- meaning that because he can abase (i.e. go without) and abound (i.e. do lots with plenty), he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him
Likewise, before he talks about being “more that a conqueror,” Paul is talking about how they’re being persecuted; going through trials and tribulations but “in all this we know that we are more than conquerors”
I added the italics to emphasise the fact that we’re not more than conquerors because we’re going to get over it and have sunshiny days afterwards and we’re not able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us because it’s going to get better etc
In other words, the better days that are coming are not the point. What is, is the fact that right now currently, even with your imposter syndrome, fear, anxiety about the unknown, self consciousness about getting in front of a camera or speaking on stage or sharing your ideas as a thought leader, you are still right now currently more than a conqueror
Here’s why I feel that, that is important to know:
Sometimes we can take the very existence of our discomfort with being outside of our comfort zone as a sign that our goals and our dreams and our visions are simply not for us. The other thing we do is retreat or withdraw because we don’t like being uncomfortable and want to end it as soon as possible
The issue?
Cutting off the discomfort is also cutting off your progress. It doesn’t bring you any closer to your goals and actually, in many cases, causes you to forfeit them
I would liken this to any great person out there
If you ask any mother, successful athlete, business person etc, they will tell you that the process to getting what they wanted or manifesting what they had on the inside was not fun or something that they enjoyed going through but the reward at the end of it made it worth it
And that is the faith that we need to have
You also need to know that the process of getting to where you want to be may not necessarily be fun but the benefits that it will produce for you, will be