If You Have To Ask..............................Then the Answer is NO!!!!

I don't know about you guys, but I know that there are times in my life that I struggle with self confidence.  I struggle for various reasons that I won't go into right now.  However, as I was talking to the Lord He/She told me something that I really understood for the first time and it really and truly gave me power.  I was sitting in front of my computer one night digging into my creative reserves and working on one of my new plays.  Now of course, I thought that I was writing a masterpiece of American Literature.  But I wasn't SURE.  I picked up the phone and was about to call my mom for an ego boost.  I had my all of my open ended question lined up to give my confidence the boost that I was craving at the moment.  I called my mother's home phone and there was no answer.  So then I called her cell phone and again there was no answer.  I didn't think anything of it.  I continued to read my play and pat myself on my back and then wait for my mother to get in on the "stroke Okima's ego" conversation.   But as I sat there the Lord spoke to me in a soft yet powerful voice.

God said..........."You know baby girl, if you have to ask someone else..............then the answer is no." 

WOW.........that hit me like a ton of bricks.  As the Lord continued to speak to my heart and my spirit He/She.........................said do you need anyone to tell you that you are a woman?  You don't need  a second opinion about that.  Do you need someone to validate that you were born on April 16th?  No because that is a fact.  Do you need to check with someone to find out if you have brown eyes? No of course not.  Do you need someone to tell you where your nose is located?  No of course not.  And I could go on and on but I think you get my drift at this point.    You just ARE who and what YOU ARE!  If you are a great writer, great singer, great director, great songwriter, or great whatever it is that you are, then you don't need ANY ONE'S permission to be that. 

Whatever anyone else says about you is ONLY an opinion. 

Even if someone thinks that you are great.  That is only an opinion.  However the only time that it is not an opinion is when you say it about yourself.  And believe me, that works both ways.........positive or negative.

If my mother had answered the phone and said ,"Baby you are the greatest writer that this world has ever seen", it would feel great to hear that BUT she would only be sharing her opinion with me.

If OKIMA says that I am great then that is what I am.  I can only work to the limits that I set for myself. If I set no limits for me then there are no limits. END OF STORY.

I have so many great achievements and goals that I have set into action for myself.   Now when I share those goals with other people they may look at me and laugh and mumble and grumble under their breath.  But mumble all you want.......grumble if you will..........but you don't have the power or energy to keep me from my goals.  The only way that you have power over me is if I believe in your disbelief in me. 

Let me say that again...........................You don't have the power or the energy to keep me from my goals.  The only way that you have power over me is if I BELIVE in your disbelief.........

But if you disbelieve in me and I disbelieve in your disbelief then you have no power. 

On the flip side is that if you believe in me and I DON'T believe in myself then again your belief has ZERO power over me. The only time that another persons belief actually affects my life is when I activate that same belief in myself.

So I learned in that still quiet moment alone with the Lord that.....................if you have to ask if you are great then the answer is NO.  If you have to ask if you are pretty then no.  If you have to ask if you are smart then no. 

I know that this may seem elementary.  But one has to read beyond the words and actually have the strength make the principle and actual reality.  Because you can't just say you are great with nothing to back up your statement. 

You can't say that you are great and then get intimidated by everyone who comes around who is just as talented as you are or even more.  To be truly great you have to great in the presence of greatness.  You have to be great when everyone else around you is laughing at you behind your back.................or almost behind your back.  I mean they don't just come straight out and say................"Chile pleeze.......you ain't nothing and you're never going to be anything.  You need to hang it up and stop dreaming."  Many people won't be THAT bold.  But they will smile in your face and say something nice about you then gently stick an ice pick on the end of their statement to that it scratches your throat along with the compliment that you drank down.

You don't need ANY ONE'S permission to be all and do all that God has chosen you to be.  Not your mother or father, or husband or wife, sister brother, your home girl or your home boy or even your Pastor. 

If you have to ask................then the answer is NO!

Nobody can be you but you.