I’m happy to welcome my friend, author Alicia Terry to the #BeBoldGirl series today. Alicia shares how letting go of the fear of what others think allowed her to be a light in her mainstream business. Welcome, Alicia! After reading, scroll all the way to the bottom and leave Alicia a comment.
“I’m the one, this is the place, and now is the time. And through Christ, I can make a difference in my world!”
In two short sentences, Jentezen Franklin, in his book Right People, Right Place, Right Plan, summarized what has taken me more than a decade to surrender to and act upon – I am the one to use my gifts, talents and faith to accomplish what God has laid on my heart to do. Fear of what others may think or say and uncertainty about my ability to get things done are voices that need to be cut off.
Yet, I find myself in the battlefield of my mind wondering:
“How am I supposed to turn a business into something that builds up people and glorifies God? I’ve worked on my business since 2002. I’ve built my brand and am known for my communications and training expertise. What I offer is mainstream and safe. It doesn’t require me to take a stand.”
That’s the conversation I kept having with myself when God was asking more of me. He wanted me to be courageous, but I wanted to be comfortable and safe.
The Truth of the Matter
I didn’t want to be seen as a Jesus freak, a holy roller or kin in any way to The Simpson’s Ned Flanders. I didn’t want the weird looks and reactions like the woman whose face went sour and body went stiff as though she started playing the mannequin challenge and forgot to tell me. Encounters like that can make a person feel a bit self-conscious.
Tweet ThisThankfully, God is persistent and has a way of getting us to see things His way and eventually I did. I discovered my business is not about business at all. It’s about working alongside God to create a conduit to bring heaven to earth. We are His hands in the world and it is through His calling we live and leave a lasting legacy that impacts the lives of others.
If we are to accomplish what God has called us to do we must summon up the courage to lean on Him, trust Him, believe His Word and act on it even when we don’t fully understand all that’s going on.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)
Answering the Call
I recognize it’s time for me to get out of my own way to be a #BeBoldGirl and act. So, I have decided that I am the one to:
- Help business owners demonstrate Christ in the workplace;
- Train teens to use their gifts and talents to build up broken places in society; and
- Teach women how to win the identity war and embrace their worth and value.
What about you? What is your #BeBoldGirl calling? What are you the one to do? I’d love to know. Share your I am the one declaration below.
I am the one to…
Alicia Terry is a communications marketing and training professional. She is also the owner and founder of Idea Haven, a training and development practice serving entrepreneurs, teens and women. You can learn more about Alicia at aliciaterry.com. You can connect with her on Facebook.
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Beautiful, Alicia! You are strong, passionate and inspiring. Thank you for allowing Him to use the gifts He has placed in you to reach others. Be Bold Girl! (I think I’ll start using that little line with my soon to be 9-year-old!)
Glad you like the Be Bold Girl line. Definitely use it with you little girl and help her grow up strong.
Thank you for your comment Jenny. I’m glad you found it inspiring.
All the best.
Alicia
[…] What is it like to let go of what you’re trained to do for what God has called you to do? Read my take on embracing a new and unfamiliar journey with God in my guest post, I Am the One. […]
Greetings Alicia! I am a fellow Intentional Blog student and it’s so nice to meet you.
I love the point you made that reads, “It’s about working along side God to create a conduit to bring heaven to earth.” Oh my goodness! I was just praying and asking God how to make my ministry of encourgement into a business. Well, this answered my question.
I am the one…to help others on their journey to healing
I am the one…who will help others repurpose their pain and turn their misery into ministry
Beautiful Carol. I love your “I am the one” declarations. Very powerful!
What an amazing story. I try to do God’s work in all the places I go. I work/volunteer in our church office. I have recently become a Personal Care Attendant. I find it very rewarding and I feel like I am doing God’s work by helping other people. Thank you for your story.
Thank you Jamie. Let me encourage you in your new position. I’d like to create an affirmation statement for your new role as a Personal Care Attendant (if you’re ok with doing it here). Feel free to tweak the following statement anyway you like.
So, if I were you, would I be correct in saying, “I am the one uniquely designed to care for the people assigned to my care.”? If so, list 3-5 ways you care for them and the overall benefit they receive from what you do for them.
This was a short but extremely impactful post. What power of truth you have said here. We are all here to do God’s work- not ours- walking right alongside Him to share the truth of His goodness. And, you’re right. We all need to be more courageous about it. I LOVED this! Thank you for sharing it. Praying for your message to be multiplied.
Thank you Gina. I’m happy you enjoyed reading the post. I like how you say, “We are all here to do God’s work–not ours.” I couldn’t have summed it up better.
Alicia
I love the idea of training others to se their gifts! We all need to do what we were created for. You can do this!
Thank you Sarah for your encouragement. You are so right. We all need to discover, pursue and do what we are called to do. People walking in their purpose, doing good. Imagine that. Puts a smile on my face because it can and is happening.
I have listened to Jentzen Franklin a number of years, and I recall him mentioning using praise phrases to combat that battlefield of the mind, at least being a Jesus freak is a good kind of crazy. Right now, writing my blog and encouraging others is letting me be bold, may God bless your efforts, young people do need training from good mentors.
A good kind of crazy. I love that! Thank you for the praise phrases advice too. I have to make it and listening to worship music like Dappy T Keys piano worship music consistently my first call to action. One of my favorite DTKeys is called Yaweh. It’s so beautiful. Here’s the link (https://youtu.be/QVb1dlIHjME) if you’d like to listen to it.
Rebecca, keep writing and keep encouraging others. #BeBoldGirl
Sounds like you have some great ideas forming. May God bless you abundantly as you learn to #BEBOLDGIRL
Thank you Catrina. I can look back over my life and see how individual experiences prepared me and I wasn’t even aware of it until now. Things come together.