Revolution
April 29, 2008 by globalgirlnetwork
By Angela Doell
Have you ever felt totally stuck? Stuck with a bad haircut, stuck in a hard relationship, stuck in a rut? I think we’ve all been there. It’s an awful feeling, leaving you trapped and itching for change, but unsure how to break free or move on.
If I reflect on the person I was a few years ago, I see now that I was absolutely stuck. I wasn’t unhappy. Life was good. I was married to my best friend, a busy mother of two gorgeous children, working for our amazing church and enjoying that creative outlet. However, I had let fear hold me back from doing more, from being the person God had created me to be. I often felt awkward when talking to people and so I organized life around evading most social situations. It’s hard to make a difference in anyone’s life when you’re avoiding people altogether! I had created an easy, comfortable life for myself … but I knew I had more to give, and I was unsatisfied.
A Different Kind of Revolution
What I needed—what we all need—is a revolution. A revolution in the way we see ourselves, and in what drives us. We need a revolution in value.
The word “revolution” sometimes has bad connotations, but it’s all about throwing off what holds us back and setting our eyes on the person we’re becoming. If you do a word study, you’ll find that revolution is not a rebellion per se but it is that which brings radical and persistent change. A revolution is a rebellion that succeeds in overthrowing the government and establishing a new one.
In my life, I’ve had to make the decision to overthrow the restraints of fear and establish a new government, letting God lead me. Where I used to listen to the enemy’s lies and let fear call the shots, I now chose to believe that what God says is true. Once I finally realized that God was crazy about me and loved me just as I am, it freed me to stop worrying about how I could mess things up. It didn’t matter if I said or did something silly, because it wasn’t about me any more! When I accepted God’s grace, I was free to just be myself and listen to that still, small voice leading me on. The Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear and if you get a revelation of how loved you are, then fear has no place in your life.
Proverbs 4:18 (Msg) says, “The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine. But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.” Wow. When we’re living for God, life just gets better! There is an amazing future in store for all of us if we allow revolution in our lives, tuning out the lies of the enemy and walking by faith instead. It’s about letting God lead us and actually saying, “Yes!” when opportunities present themselves.
Break Out of Containment
Your story may be very different than mine—you may be a social butterfly, happy to talk to anyone who will listen. Perhaps you find yourself stuck in another area of life. I’d love to encourage you to rise up and allow revolution in your life. Go ahead, do something new and break out of the containment that’s held you back. I’m still walking out this journey and have a long way to go, but it’s so cool to see how God can now use me to speak into other’s lives, just because I’m willing.
In ancient times a girl by the name of Esther realized that she had been born “for such a time as this.” She rose up with conviction and spunk and helped bring revolution to her people. Imagine the change we would affect on this planet today if each one of us realized our immense value as beloved daughters of the King and simply rose up as Esther did, living life authentically and allowing our lives to bring radical and prevailing change to a world that needs it desperately.
About Angela:
Angela is a lover and a fighter. She and her husband Rod have been married for 14 years and they have two beautiful children, Madison (12) and Miller (8). Angela works with the creative & media teams at Victory Christian Centre in Surrey, BC, where she oversees graphic design, art direction and marketing. She loves finding beauty in everyday life and is passionate about communicating hope and the reality of a living Jesus through media and design.
