What Shoe Are You?

Today at work training I was priviledged to have Lori Randall, Mrs Oklahoma 2002 and Mrs. Christian World 2005, as my guest speaker.  For the first part of our training, Mrs. Randall took us through the "What Shoe Are You?" personality test.  She used shoes to illustrate each of the four personality types- combat boots, house shoes, business shoes, and clown shoes.  I was a pretty good mix of the combat boot and the clown shoes.  I loved such an applicable and visual take on personality typing.

After lunch, Mrs. Randall dove into her own personal story of post-partum depression and psychosis.  Her honesty struck a chord with me and many across the room were crying.  In our society, mental illness or mental "viruses" are still a fairly taboo subject, and I found it empowering for her to tell her tale.  Mrs. Randall showed us how despite, or perhaps because of, her past she reached for her dreams and became a pageant winner and inspirational speaker.

It really struck me hard.  How often I hold myself back... I have so many dreams, but I let life and my own fears and negative self-view keep me from God's blessings.  I am encouraged to spend some time with myself and with God dreaming of my future.  As Belle sings "I want adventure in the great, wide somewhere, I want it more than I can bear, And for once it would be grand, to have someone understand, I want so much more that they've got planned".  We have one who understands, one who has planted the seeds of greatness within us already.  How beautiful to take my desire to serve and be better than myself to the one who created me and ask Him to help me dream big.  Ephesians 3:20 and 21 tells us "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  How awesome!  God has even bigger dreams than I do!

And we got to try on her crown! 

When I first got married, I used to wear my wedding tiara every time I did housework.  My poor husband probably wondered what he had gotten himself into.  I keep trying to convince him that I need a new one, but he's not quite sold on the necessity of my request.  Perhaps if I can prove that crystals = faster cleaning?  I'll let you know how that works out for me.