Throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

Here's the thing: whenever someone warns you against "throwing the baby out with the bathwater," they are trying to control you. And scare you. They are afraid your actions threaten their dearly held beliefs.

First of all, what if there isn't a baby in the bathwater? What if ya got twins? ;-)

The thing is, people get scared when someone refuses to go along with the prevailing wisdom or conventional practices of the group. When anyone comes along who seems to defy the norms or whose very existence is a massive exception to the rule, people get scared and perceive this person as a threat. As a result, they will try to control and subdue the threat.

They will try to silence you. They will threaten you. They will call you names.

Many people, unfortunately, react in fear when they see someone who looks, acts or speaks differently than themselves. Instead of responding in love and with a genuine desire to understand, fearful people will attempt to maintain conformity at all costs.

You must have enough courage to hear your true, inner voice. Furthermore, you must act on that true, inner voice. You can't let mockery, ridicule or threats prevent you from living the authentic life you were meant to live.

Remember that wisdom is justified by its fruits. If you are choosing to live in a way that directly contradicts the accepted norms of society, you are allowing yourself the opportunity to grow into the fullness of God's dreams for you.

Did you know God has a dream for your life? Don't let the naysayers and accusers hinder you from reaching that dream. Instead, shut out their words. Record a new soundtrack for yourself filled with words that fan the flames of your exciting destiny.

God loves you unconditionally and you are not BIG enough to screw up His dream for your life. No matter what happens--even you fail and fail again--keep going. There is no such thing as a "missed opportunity." As long as you are still breathing, there is time to get back on track. And anyway, detours are often necessary time-outs.

There are things to be learned in all the dead-ends, tangents and scenic routes of life. In fact, if you haven't gotten off track in awhile, maybe it's time for a nice scenic drive down a road you haven't explored yet.

You living your life is not a threat to your company, job, church, family or friends. If anyone discourages you from following the dream God has placed in your heart, it's time to get new friends. While traveling your own path might seem lonely at first, don't get discouraged. I can promise you that eventually you will be joined by fellow travelers who totally GET IT and GET you.

Sometimes the realization of your dream might look utterly different than what you expected. That's OK. We usually don't have a very clear vision about our destination when we start traveling. But as we go through the refining process of the journey, we gain a better understanding of how everything we experience works together for our good.

In the end, believe. Believe. Believe.

And as Winston Churchill once said: "Never, never, never give up."

How do I know all this? Because I just had a dream come true (I'll share more soon). :)