During Launch, one of our speakers told us that there is so much growth during the 11 months that it feels like 10 years goes by… He was right. I’ve only been on the race for a little over 3 months, and God has showed me so much.
In Costa Rica He taught me a very good lesson … People are not my responsibility. To expand on it a little more I need to let you know some things about me.
• I am the oldest of 5 kids … For the longest time I thought it was my fault if my family or people around me weren’t happy. There was always something I could’ve done better, to be a better daughter or sister. If someone wasn’t happy then I wasn’t happy, and I took it as a failure on my part. There was always something that I could’ve done differently to help the situation. I approached my social environment like a test … If someone was screaming or fussing or not happy, it was my responsibility to fix it, and if I couldn’t fix it … I failed… Crazy right? That weight has been lifted off me. Thank God!
• I also had a big tendency to focus on pleasing people. I just wanted people to be happy. If I could do something or say something to make someone happy, I would do it. (Perhaps not always thinking about whether it was the best thing to do.) If people around me weren’t happy, I took it as a reflection of myself …
So with some of those things said, it all comes back to me thinking that if the people around me weren’t happy then I was failing …
In Costa Rica God showed me through my team that it is not my responsibility how people react to their surroundings or situations. The only thing that is my responsibility is showing love.
God has given me an overflow of joy. When He made me I truly believe that He gave me an extra dose of joy. It’s a gift. The only thing I have to do is share that gift. Sometimes gifts aren’t always received, and that frustrated me. I constantly thought why is he or she not happy… I see the joy, why cant they? Is there something I can do better?
God stopped me there. “No. You are doing what I asked you to do. It is not your responsibility to make people see the joy in life. They have to do it on their own. The only thing you have to do is be you… the joyful wonderful woman I made you to be.” It’s that simple. I’m so extremely thankful for this lesson.
Thank you for reading my blog. If there is anything you have a question about or if you just want to talk you can message me on Facebook or email me at [email protected].
Love Kathryn
