The Lies that Bind

The past couple of months of been busy and amazing and crazy and filled with God's awesome touch! We have had two monkey birthdays, a vacation to the beach, and many summer adventures. But the biggest, most amazing thing that has happened since I was last on here is that my husband pursued his dream of teaching! And, as of yesterday, he is officially an instructor for a vocational school in York!

Here's the thing... It's not just exciting because he has a new job doing what he loves. It's not just exciting because he's going to be impacting high schoolers and adults on a daily basis. It is MOST exciting because after 10 years of watching my husband squash his dream over and over again because the lies in his head told him he could never teach, he LET GO and TRUSTED GOD!

Since the day I met Kevin, I knew he WANTED to teach as a profession. He would talk about how even in high school he knew he wanted to teach. But something was holding him back... It wasn't his grades, because he had good grades. It wasn't his personality, because we all know he has a GREAT people-person personality! What held him back were the lies that he had in his head.  The lies that told him he would never be good enough to teach. The lies that said he would fail as a teacher.  The lies that told him there were "better" people to impact students.

Those lies continued to hold him back... Because of the lies and the fears, he settled on jobs that although were supporting our family, were NOT what God ultimately wanted for him. He pursued "safe" jobs, ones that he knew he could do. Ones that were in his comfort zone. He did an amazing job at whatever he did, and he exuded God wherever he worked. BUT, he wasn't doing what he knew God created him to do.

And then it happened... Slowly but surely, with the help of friends encouraging him and speaking truth into him, he pushed the lies and fears aside, and pursued his dream. The process was not easy, as it took over 3 months from his 1st interview to the actual job offer. There were weeks where he heard NOTHING from the school. There were many moments where the lies would consume his thoughts... BUT, he held onto the dream. He held onto the truth...

The lies in our heads can consume us. They can bind us to a life filled with fear, holding us back from what God has created us to be and do. It's something I still struggle with... I tend to allow the lies in my head to play over and over until I believe them. A friend of mine calls it the "lizard brain".  It is an everyday effort to squelch the lizard brain... Sometimes it needs to be silenced multiple times a day.

These lies are NOT from God. He does not tell us the things we can't do... He does not fill us with fear and doubt. He certainly does NOT tell us we are not worthy of pursuing the dreams HE has placed in our hearts. God only speaks TRUTH. HIS TRUTH. And, when we trust Him, and silence the lies that bind us, we find ourselves not just dreaming, but living.

I know that for Kevin, there will be moments where the lies will creep into his thoughts. I also know that those around him will help remind him of the truth. There will be days when he will doubt himself and the plans God has for him. But for now, he is wholeheartedly living the dream God has given him. As his wife, there is NOTHING more amazing to see than him letting go of the lies and embracing who God has created him to be...