{"id":1125,"date":"2012-08-07T20:47:15","date_gmt":"2012-08-07T20:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1125"},"modified":"2012-08-07T22:32:27","modified_gmt":"2012-08-07T22:32:27","slug":"the-courage-to-be-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1125","title":{"rendered":"The Courage to Be Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

In biblical times, when a country defeated another, they deported all the leading men of the land including royalty. Only the poorest of the poor remained behind to work the land. The practice of exiling was a period of forced or voluntary removal from your home or country.<\/p>\n

Similarly, a part of my true self felt exiled from my homeland <\/em>as a result of cultural stereotypes. The culture of the sixties proved a confusing time for a girl to grow up. Often women were discriminated against in many areas of their lives from jobs to equality as a person. It was definitely a man\u2019s world<\/em>. Some men, not all, took advantage of this fact.<\/p>\n

Forfeiting my bold and confident persona, I fell into the submissive role of being good and pretty.<\/em> After all, that\u2019s what women should be, right?<\/p>\n

The only problem was I couldn\u2019t express myself or teach anyone how to treat me since creating conflict would not be good. Suppressing emotions and trying to conform to my captivity proved difficult.<\/p>\n

The pretty part was a trap, also, because it bred competition and comparison among girls. Many cartoons at that time had lines about who would be the fairest of all. In reality there would always be someone prettier, smarter, or thinner. We needed to learn to unite and affirm each other.<\/p>\n

Glancing at an old journal as I cleaned out my office took my breath away. It was a dream from 2006 which clearly illustrated the cultural duping and wounds resulting.<\/p>\n

Dream April 16, 2006:<\/p>\n

I first saw a Barbie doll which seemed to represent the present time and model for women to imitate. She looked so perfect and pencil thin. I thought of the anorexic cases prevalent today perhaps as a result of this model and the unreality of being a princess with endless parties to attend.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Barbie faded in the dream and morphed into my childhood doll of the sixties era, Patsy Ann.
\nHer name struck me as significant. Looking up Patsy in the dictionary revealed the following: a person easily taken advantage of, a pushover, easily manipulated, victimized; soft touch. Was this name symbolic of a cultural stereotype at the time?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next scene, I am trying to fit some ballet shoes on Patsy but they were not going on easily. Ballet brings back great memories of the joy of dancing with a childhood friend. However, Patsy Ann\u2019s feet broke as I tried to force the ballet shoes on her feet. The dream ended with broken ankles and shoes off.<\/p>\n

Instantly, the interpretation dawned on me. I was like Patsy, even trying to put a happy dance <\/em>to this role I felt compelled to play. It would not work because a patsy<\/em> is not who God created me to be. I had tried to accommodate others much of my life and had no confidence left to follow through with my<\/em> purpose. Compromising who I was made to be had taken a toll. The Lord showed me that I need to be all He created me<\/em> to be and that cultural stereotypes are not His truth. He has a mandate for each of us to fulfill. (I Cor. 12:7)<\/p>\n

I received a dream that same year which only spoke the words, \u201cDo you want Sweet\u2019n\u2019Low or Equal?” God wants us to be equal. He is calling us to do one thing excellently. This is our Isaac<\/em>, the baby of impossibility that only God could provide the ability to do.<\/p>\n

Finally, this scripture caught my attention during my devotional: \u201cYou turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.\u201d (Psalm 30:11)<\/p>\n

I would not try to be good in my own strength again. I removed the masks. I knew I was nearing home<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In biblical times, when a country defeated another, they deported all the leading men of the land including royalty. Only the poorest of the poor remained behind to work the land. The practice of exiling was a period of forced or voluntary removal from your home or country. Similarly, a part of my true self […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1422,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1422","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":0},"title":"God’s School-The Desert","author":"hollysmith","date":"September 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Jesus rebuked Peter in Matthew 16:23,\u201c...you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.\u201d Which do you have in mind? Are you prepared, equipped, toughened for the season ahead? I had a problem. I was impatient to reach my destiny but the more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"desert road","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/desert-road-300x202.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2025,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2025","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":1},"title":"God’s School-The Desert","author":"hollysmith","date":"September 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Jesus rebuked Peter in Matthew 16:23,\u201c\u2026you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.\u201d Which do you have in mind? Are you prepared, equipped, toughened for the season ahead? I had a problem. 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I have always been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"wild hair dreamer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/wild-hair-dreamer-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2751,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2751","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":4},"title":"The Red Umbrella","author":"hollysmith","date":"August 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Red Umbrella I love this quote which was from a book study recently:The reality of naked trust is the life of a pilgrim who leaves what is nailed down and secure and walks into the unknown without any explanation to justify the decision or guarantee for the future. 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