Thank you Pastor Stephen and the chapter entitled, “Weasel-Free Mentality” for getting me to the point of bringing my fingers to the keys again to bring this post together.
The chapter talks about a “censor” that refers to the pesky voice in our conscience that tries to deter creatives from being creative. For many years I hadn’t considered myself to be a “creative” person; I felt like it was a title I would like to live up to because there’s many others who are doing far greater and far more than I was. Now, being a creative at church – helping with posters, social media, ideas for church merch, photography, these are all things I’ve enjoyed doing all of my life. Making me wonder sometimes if I’m in the wrong industry. Ah, I digress.
So here I am, reading this chapter about being “weasel-free” and thoughts, ideas, and dreams come back to mind. Some that came to me while sitting in a cafe in downtown St. Catharines while pursuing my undergrad degree. Another idea came up from a dream I had when I travelled out west to Alberta in September 2023. Then another came up from just 2 weeks ago! All of these dreams, how to make them a reality.
Feeling like they’re so far away, unattainable, impossible – it’s a mindset. If only I could put some steps into action to bring those dreams to fruition. If only I could shut the censor of doubt off to say, JUST DO IT! Then I looked up from the book and noticed an elderly lady holding a book, reading the back summary. She was standing in the Mystery aisle, and I grinned. I took a moment to let my thoughts of these dreams sink in and thought… I wonder what her life was like, that she is here on a Tuesday morning looking for a mystery novel. I noticed her tote bag and chuckled inside, it had a stack of books with the text beneath it, All Booked Up. LOL! I love tote bags, and hers just made my day!
I continued reading and underlined what Paul said,
“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.”
1 Corinthians 4:3-4
I read on, and Pastor Stephen, thus far in this book, has been waking up areas of my life I’ve tried to brush aside for many years. Areas like love and dating, self-forgiveness, claiming my calling, making time and creating space to just “be”. I posted a reel about a month ago about committing to progress – progress is movement and starts with the willingness to be intentional. Living with a weasel-free mindset means hushing up the fears, the doubts, the worries that get in the way of the dreams I have in my heart. Furthermore, the dreams God planted on my heart.
He said it beautifully,
“It reminds me that my imagination belongs to God, that my heart is His garden.”
Do the New You, p. 127
These dreams, these ideas, these visions God has placed in my heart are things He planted in there. Now, with the beauty and power He’s given me to choose to do things about it – that’s where faith begins. Dang. So it’s up to me to live a life that lines up with choices that lead me closer or father away from the dreams He’s placed in my heart. As I wrapped up the chapter, I looked up and out the window to my left and God, oh God has a funny way of showing Himself to me. It was the same lady! The black “All Booked Up”-Mystery-novel-reading-probably-retired lady was getting into her royal blue Volkswagon Golf, wow what a cool lady. I want to be that cool when I’m her age, I thought.
This is a space of creativity, a space of healing, and where God speaks. A weekly date to write is something I want to work on for myself. I know there’s words and thoughts I’ve had that never made it to the blog or even on paper, and that’s okay. I just know that there’s more that God needs me to share and that stinkin’ weasel needs to get shut out! So this is me claiming it on my own blog, a space God called me to start in April 2025, that I’m going to write even if I don’t “feel” like it. Even if it’s one paragraph. There’s a seed He’s planting, dreams He’s shown me, and that weasel can’t be winning this battle.
How about you? Are you going to let the weasel or censor of doubt and fear get in the way of the dreams God has for you? Can you take some steps to plan and hold yourself accountable to those things you want to achieve? As for me, I’ll be planning about 1 of those 3 for sure. Hey, I can’t tell you them yet… Let’s just say, the weasel would have a say in it if I let it out, too soon. hehe. Hang tight. I’m praying for whoever is reading this. Your dreams matter, and they matter to God.
Much love,
— LifeisaBeaut ❤
L I F E I S A B E A U T 