Shrink Wrap
Have you ever woken up to find out that your hair has got a mind of its own? How many of us let bad hair ruin the whole day? Simon Taylor looks at how we can allow the little things in life to cause us to shrink back in confidence, and what we can do to reduce the Shrink Wrap in our lives.
While I was eighteen and doing my A levels, I took the opportunity to do my Pool Life Guard Certificate. It's amazing looking back and realising that for six months, every Wednesday morning before swimming, my confidence, manor, friendliness and body language would all shrink back because of my nerves. I felt like I was a little boy all over again in primary school learning how to swim. Only this time the butterflies in my tummy felt a lot bigger.
Yet if I was to complete the training and get the certificate, I had to make sure that even though those feeling were still there, I got on with what I was there to do. I had to get into the habit of not allowing myself to shrink back.
There are many things in our worlds that try and keep us small. We may face the spirit of Intimidation - where we feel that we can't be all that we are; the spirit of Opposition - where we feel like someone or something is coming against us; the spirit of Compromise - when we are tempted to shrink back on our values.
For every Christian the bible is clear that "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10 v 39
Shrink No More
In context, this scripture is calling all believers to persevere with all life throws at them, to believe and be saved from the life the world has for us. To not shrink back! Many Christians are looking for ten steps to move onward and upward in life, or three keys to take you to the next level. When actually the first step is to stop shrinking back. Sometimes to win a fight you just need to stand and stay standing. In the Bible, the mighty men of David listed were mighty because they stood their ground and allowed God to do a wonder through them.
Ephesians 6 v 13 says, "Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then." It's easy for us to think that we need to always be on the attack. Yet in my experience, this only wears us out. We can end up fighting battles that were never ours to fight. Simply standing your ground can actually be a huge step forward.
Another obstacle that we can find ourselves facing daily is the spirit of Impossibility. This is something that just seems too big to defeat. In 1 Samuel 17 you'll find the story of David and Goliath. Verse 16 tells us that for forty days Goliath came forward to take his stand. In verse 24 it says that the Israelites all ran from him in great fear. Goliath seemed impossible to defeat. However the young man, David, realised that he was not of those who shrink back. He had a confidence in his God to face head on this obstacle called Goliath.
1 Samuel 17 v 45 says, "David said to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty,'" Verse 47, '"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lords, and he will give all of you into our hands."'
Let's stop looking at our impossibility as an excuse to shrink back. Rather let's put our faith and trust in God that he is bigger than any situation of impossibility. What's in your world right now that is telling you to shrink back? Whatever it is, realise that it has no authority to do so, so don't let it! Stand firm! We have the living God in us who is greater than anything we may face in this world. With God on our side and His word planted in our hearts, we can do it.