Crayon Ready by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog

Piece of Cake by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog 4/18/20

Take your mind back to the first time you __________. (This week I had a first.) Well, thinking of the first time I baked a cake. It sounds so easy. Look at the box and follow the instructions. Then if you’re the brave one you put the box down and go to the Betty Crocker cookbook. I think I was about 9 years old when I felt ready to cook. I’m absolutely sure my mom was close by, but the end product was not going to win any awards. A bit burnt, lopsided and definitely “nailed it!” Our first things we do will always be the “test.” (I often apologize to my oldest daughter and refer to her as the “test kid.” ) You simply don’t know things until you try.

When is the last time you had a first thing? As “Boomer” I’m sure the firsts of my life have way outweighed the firsts of my grandparents. Change happen daily. Change coupled with fear might be you like a deer in the headlights. FROZEN. Fear also has a way of motivating you to move. Proverbs 4:25  “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” Ever been chased by a predator?  You don't have to outrun the bear.  You just have to be faster than the slowest person in your group!

Sheltering in place through the Covid-19 pandemic one’s mind can run away in fear.  Or a thought pattern can push you to greatness! Keyword here is potential. For several years I’ve been kicking around the idea of a YouTube channel. Why would YouTube need one more channel? My sweet friend Ana said to me as she flipped my purple hair, “The channel would have you! You will bring you to the people who need you.” We all need an Ana in our lives. Rosey my daughter smiles, “Mom, does it make you happy to share your talents? Then if you have even one follower, do it.” I DID! Introducing CoachDeenaMcD YouTube Channel. Subscribe today!

I had to let go of my fear of failure and grab that hand up to adventure. When you put yourself out there in a public manner you better put on that armor of God! You’ll be learning about yourself with a new blank page of the next chapter. Deuteronomy 3:22 “You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.”  I’m a wife, mother, grandmother and a child of the King. Never write yourself off as finished. Expand your dreams and take that next step.  If you are afraid then move forward with fear. Or you’ll be stuck in the same place with fear. Either way, that nasty doubt of “what if” will drag you down to the abyss. Keep the “what if’s” out of reach. Greatness is in every single person. Define greatness. It is being made in the image of God! Focus on where you’re going and that could be on a road you’ve never traveled. Are you rejecting the beautiful “what if’s?” No distance needed for this virtual embrace! Unmask the dream. Every single person ever born has a story. Tell it.

I may never be the next “YouTube sensation.” God may have different plans for me. And the pinpoint goal of my channel is to be the “Starfish Mom.” You remember the story of the little girl on the sandy banks filled with starfish. She walked along tossing one starfish at a time back into the ocean. A man walks up in sheer disgust telling her she’s not going to make a difference. She smiles and says, “I’ll make a difference to this one!” as she hurls the starfish into the waves. We all can touch one life. One life at a time is the way the contagion of the love of the Lord spreads!  With enthusiasm for life and the recognition of times of fear we become that yeast that leavens the whole loaf. No bending the curve when the Holy Ghost is here!

Most won’t even want their own YouTube channel or want to write a weekly inspirational blog, but everyone wants to be loved. In this time of a pandemic fear can take a throat hold leaving you breathless. You be the one with the gentle kind word wherever you go. Your platform of greatness is the ground you’re walking on right this moment in time. You’re making a difference to that one “starfish.” Who do you impact everyday? Is it your husband? Is it your children? Is it your mailman (I pray for Billy the mailman.) Is it ___________?

Today may be your first time to wave at that grumpy crazy neighbor. I did! “Good morning!” I shouted and waved! “WHAT MAKES IT A GOOD MORNING!” she shouted back flipping me off. I burst out into laughter! That was a first for me, but I continue to wave at her every time I see her in the yard. Results are not our responsibility. She may very well stumble upon my social media postings and the Holy Spirit might change her heart through God’s word.

Grab and go! Fear is going to follow you, however, don’t let fear lead you. One more first for me even this morning as I write I launched my new BlogSpot. https://positivelybeautifulweeklyblog.blogspot.com/  You’ll be able to search the past stories and laugh along with me.  Growth has occurred in my writing as well. I started this adventure of writing back in 1996 through the Richland Mirror Newspaper. I hand wrote my thoughts about makeup on a yellow tablet. It took me an hour each week to drive up there and back to the newspaper’s location.  Everyone has a starting point.

Happy Birth-Adventure to me!  I should bake a CAKE! I’ve birthed two new venues through the pandemic. Afraid? Why yes, I AM!  “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!”-Psalms 112:1 But not afraid of the virus. Maybe a computer virus?