"For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7.
"So let it be written, So let it be Done." This is my favorite line from my favorite movie of all time, The Ten Commandments starring Charleton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharaoh. The Pharaoh's decree noted was uttered by him to indicate that the command that he had just stated was to be crystalized in writing, and implemented forthright just as he had spoken it. He spoke words into existence. Our culture as of late has adapted a "speak it into reality" modality. Were it only that simple.
Several years ago, I attended a women's empowerment retreat. One of the featured speakers was there to conduct a storyboarding workshop which was one of the topics on the agenda. Storyboarding is a visual representation of the plans that you have for your life. It's basically a collage of pictures of items and quotes cut out from magazines and affixed to a poster board that represent the type of life that you would like to have in the future. Some feel that there is a magical/mystical quality to designing this visualization project. I do not recall the speaker's name, but I do remember what she wanted us to take away from the workshop. "By keeping your visual plan displayed in a prominent place, the plan would materialize or come to pass."
The speaker shared that she always wanted to meet Oprah Winfrey. So her storyboard included several pictures of Ms. Winfrey, including all the material things that she wanted to transform her life. We all marveled when she told us that she did get to meet Oprah Winfrey and that she played a role in the success of the presenter's business. We all perked up. Maybe there was something to this activity that we had not realized. Perhaps some mystical quality would support the physical manifestation of our visual plans. Our assignment was joyously, even feverishly undertaken. We could not wait to get our turn at the magazines that had the beautiful homes with plush landscapes, exquisite furniture, top of the line cars, exotic foods, luxury vacation spots around the world, etc. We did include some charitable causes, like cutting out images of children in need that we would help. Also, we added a few famous people, including Oprah, that we wanted to meet. I also added a red dress in the size (9/10) I wanted to be. (You can smile or even laugh. It's okay; I did.)
We were so hyped by her tale of how her business boomed after meeting Oprah that we did not listen closely enough to hear all the steps involved in her storyboard pictorial coming to life. If we had, we would have realized that she had prepared herself to take advantage of an opportunity should one present itself, one that she was planning for I might add. She had started a business on her own, and through hard work and sacrifice she had experienced some success. At the time, Oprah was seeking self starters (particularly women) who had shown that they were capable of creating and sustaining a business, as a way of encouraging these women and others to live their best life by realizing their fullest potential. This lady had researched Oprah, watched her show religiously and knew that her business would qualify to meet Oprah's interest. She reached out to Oprah, and the rest is history.
Speaking words into the universe might appear to work for some. But, this is not my story. Neither has cutting out pictures and adhering them to poster boards. Although, it is a lot of fun and can be motivating. However, there is no magic. On closer examination of Pharaoh's decree, we see that something prompted him to think about what he needed to do to address a situation. He devised a plan, shared it with someone, committed it to writing, and had the plan executed. No mystery, no magic.
There is no reset button that allows us to erase everything and do it over again. I wish. But, we can reset our life by evaluating our thinking and turning our thoughts into action:
1. Think about your life holistically and then make a decree related to a goal or an assessment you have pondered; (a well thought out one, but simple). For example, my decree: "I am going to write each morning for one hour after I have prayed and before turning on the television."
2. Share it with someone. (You are more likely to be accountable to follow through if you tell someone else.)
3. Write it down. (So let it be written!)
4. Commit to it; keep your word. God keeps His word and He expects us to the do same; keep our word to Him, to ourselves and to one another. "A person who promises a gift, but doesn't give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain." Proverbs 25:14. Be true to your word to yourself and to others. "Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." John 19:22. There was no changing his mind, and we should take our words just as seriously.
5. "Do it." Execute what you have written. (So let it be done!)
The abundant life will not just fall into our lap. Here's to moving our thinking to action!
Yours, Yvette