What do you do when the words stop coming?
When you’re a person who normally verbalizes things well, a period of writers block and blank pages can be a stupefying thing. With so much happening all around me, and even more within me, I still couldn’t seem to form the words that usually come so easy. Inspiration had left me. Motivation soon followed. The struggle was real and I couldn’t seem to get myself out of it.
On my drive home from the gym this afternoon, the Lord began speaking to me. By the time I got home, I knew that I finally had the words to share. The silence is breaking, and with that comes a confession…
But first, how I came to all of this.
For those who know me, you would know that I love basketball. The Lord speaks to me often through the things I love. While in the car, the Lord reminded me of proper shooting form. There is an acronym that can be used when first teaching a person how to shoot a basketball correctly: B.E.E.F
B- Balance
You have to have balance when setting yourself for a shot. If you are not balanced, your body will be a little out of whack and you have less of chance of making the shot.
E- Eyes
You have to choose a target to focus on while shooting. You need to focus not on the ball, but rather where you want the ball to go.
E- Elbow
You need to keep your elbow at a 90 degree angle, keeping your forearm under the basket. This increases your accuracy.
F- Follow Through
This puts backspin on the ball. It helps to reinforce your shot and stabilize the direction. It is
essential to have follow through. Without it, the chance of the ball actually sinking into the bucket
is pretty low. It’s the finishing touch on any great shot.
I won’t fill this page with all of my gleanings, but I really want to focus on the last one, Follow Through.
In my opinion, follow through is the most important part of your shot. You can have great balance, your eyes locked on your target, and your elbow at 90 degrees, yet if you have no follow through, you’re gonna miss. It’s also the part of my shot that I struggled with the most.
Follow through gives the ball the momentum and direction that it needs to sink into the basket. I have seen bad shots corrected almost instantly by simply applying it, mine included. And let me tell you, there is nothing greater than hearing that snapping sound as your ball falls through the net. That sound is created by your follow through. Without it, it’s just not the same.
Then the Lord started speaking. He turned my attention away from my shot and brought it to my words.
“Where’s your follow through?”
Ouch. That’s not a fun thing to hear.
I would like to say I am a woman of integrity, a woman of my word, but as the Holy Spirit started stirring within me, I realized that I haven’t exactly been following through on some of the things I have spoken or written.
So here’s my confession:
After all these years, I still need to work on my Follow Through.
I’ve been doing all the right things. I was set, balanced on my own two feet. I kept my eyes on where I wanted to go, and kept my elbows in. I said all the right things, things that are true and I do want to work on. But I still can’t hear that snapping sound.
My follow through just hasn’t been there. It’s great to speak of nice things, but to not follow through on them is almost more damaging than not having said anything at all.
**Let me clarify, I have not been speaking ill of others, I am just referring to the vocalization of wanting to work on things in my own life, or even spend time with people, and then failing to follow through with those ideas**
For instance, I have been talking about wanting to get a better handle on budgeting and my finances, but I haven’t followed through and stuck with anything for longer than a few days.
I have also expressed wanting to work on my communication skills. I have taken a few small steps in this in the past few weeks, but I still have far to go.
The Lord has been making me aware of the importance of the words I speak, not in a boastful or prideful way, but in a way of revealing to me what it means to be a person of integrity. The things I say I want to work on are not just fleeting fancies, but things that matter. When I don’t follow through with things that matter, even if I think that the only person affected is me, it has a ripple effect on those around me. And I so want to be a woman of my word.
So this is an apology, to those reading this blog, and to those who are in my community. If I have said things, but not followed through with them, I sincerely apologize. My lack of follow through is not an accurate reflection of my heart for you or for myself. My heart is to be a woman of honor, to think of the words I speak before I speak them, and to commit to the things that I speak out. I ask your forgiveness and I ask for help in being held accountable.
The Lord is continuing to shape me, to mold me and to free me of the things that hinder my pursuit of becoming more Christ-like. This is just another lesson in a life-time of learning. I am so thankful to have so many wonderful people around me to support me and urge me on to continue allowing the Lord to do the work He began in me. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I pray that it would be a blessing and touch your heart.
Blessings,
Kayla
