How Many Invisible Walls Hinder Your Progress?

Originally posted 2016-01-09 08:30:19.

Hi!

Have you ever wondered why so many of us have multiple false starts?  We write pages of ideas, goals, and plans to reach them.  Yet we seem to have difficulty taking the first step in making the vision happen. Why?  Why do we just think about great ideas that can usher us into another place in life?  What’s stopping us from entering into our next?  Could invisible walls be the culprits that are hindering you from birthing your dreams?  Let’s think about some dreams we’ve yet to see materialize.

Have you always wanted to go to college or return to college and finish that Bachelors degree, get that Master’s degree, PhD, MD, or even get that GED?  Have you always wanted to change careers, apply for that promotion on your job, teach at a college, model, launch a clothing line or start a non-profit business to help people in need?  Have you always wanted to make connections and network to expand your existing business?  Have you always wanted to buy a house, create a blog, write a book, write a tract, take a cruise, visit Paris, open up a women’s transitional house. start a women’s ministry or host a conference?  And you just haven’t?  Yes?  What’s stopping you?

Do you want a spouse, but you’re too afraid to say, “Yes” to just a date, when God sends a great, God-fearing man into your life?  Or perhaps you are lonely from being so shy and have always wanted to develop relationships or just be able to strike up a conversation with people in general.  Yes?  Well, tell me, “What’s stopping you?”  What’s hindering you from experiencing the blue skies and soaring in every area of your life?

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Could it be invisible walls?  If so, where are they?   When and how did they begin?   How often do we look at our finances, our credit score, our lack of experience, our health, our self-professed inhibitions, our lack of formal education, our marital status, or our circumstances in general and become stagnated?  How often do we put off what we should do today until tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or the next decade?

God has a way of exposing the invisible walls when we least suspect.  Several years ago, as I was sitting in a restaurant talking with some of my classmates from the seminary, one of the students, a pastor said, “Rochelle, can’t you see that those men like you?  You have to drop those walls and let somebody in!”   My thought was, “Where did that come from?  We were not talking about relationships.”

Sometime later, I was sitting in a park watching my grandson play with some children.  I was reading a book, while other women were laughing and talking as they watched their children and grandchildren play.   The Spirit of the Lord spoke to me and said, “Rochelle you have walls up that stop you from smiling and talking to people.”

Now those incidents exposed two of my walls to me.  One by a person, and the other directly from the Spirit of the Lord.  Why?   As I pondered over those two incidents, questions came.  “What are walls?  What caused them ?  How did the walls come into my life and where are they reigning?”

Walls began somewhere.  You may have erected the walls as a way to protect yourself from hurt and heartache.  And somehow that which was to protect transitioned into a hindrance.

What are these undercover hindrances?  They come in so many forms.  Walls of shyness stemming from household abuse, drug addicted or alcoholic parents, drug addicted older siblings, physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse.  Walls stemming from having been teased in school.   Walls of low self-esteem due to being called names because of your weight:  tooth pick, fat pig, olive oil (from Popeye), cow.   Maybe people called you names due to your height:  big tall pretty amazon, giant, giraffe, midget, half-pint, runt.   Maybe people called you names due to your complexion or skin texture:  black as tar, yellow banana, Brutus, pebble face, bumpy, or snake-skin.  Maybe your wall is that you are unteachable?  Can you relate?

Perhaps your walls stem from rejection from a parent:  abandoned in the house by one or both of your parents.  Mama didn’t want you, or daddy didn’t want you.   Or did your walls come from the names given to you in the house?  Stupid, ignorant or dummy.  Did you hear your daddy ask your mama about you, “Why is she so ugly?”  And now you have a hard time seeing pretty when you look in the mirror?  Did your mama always say that you made her sick, just because you were inquisitive and she didn’t know how to answer your questions?  And now, you think that you make everybody sick by just being you?

Have you dealt with so many rejections until the wall of fear hinders your faith?  Perhaps you have walls of feeling unloved after spending years in an abusive relationship; being torn down and made to feel unattractive and worthless by the man you love.  Perhaps you have walls of distrust after being cheated on by the man you love or double crossed by those you trusted.  Where are your walls?

Walls can even develop in smart children.  Especially when  teachers (yes teachers) use you as an example to ridicule another classmate for not having a correct answer.  I remember in elementary school, there was a boy who was intellectually challenged.  Our teacher would tease him at least twice a week.  On one occasion, the teacher told the boy to stand up and tell the class the name of the current president of the United States.  The boy said, “George Washington.”  The teacher laughed and said, “Rochelle, tell us the name of the president.”  I shyly whispered the correct president’s name.  Then the teacher laughed and said, “Now that’s my smart baby.”  He told the boy, “Rochelle is smart.  She’s not like you.  She’s not a dummy.”   That teacher unknowingly embarrassed both me and that boy.  He made me ashamed of being smart.  Walls!

The main question is, “How can we ‘Spring Beyond’ or burst through these walls?  First we must uncover and expose the hidden walls.  Secondly, we must recognize the blooming process in our lives so that we can expand, discover and experience what God has for us.  By God allowing my classmate to call out walls, and the Holy Spirit speaking to me in the park about walls, He exposed two hidden walls.  He also provided two ways for me to recognize that the process of blooming was taking place in my life.

My friends, where are the hidden walls in your life?  How is the blooming process happening in your life?  Are you tired of fear? Tired of being shy?  Tired of beating yourself up?  Tired of low self-esteem?  Tired of insecurity?  Tired of paranoia?  Tired of false starts?  Well, your blooming process  has begun?

Pray about where invisible walls are possibly hovering in your life and hindering your progress.   Think about where God is starting the blooming process in your life.  Share your thoughts with me.  I’d love to hear from you.  We’ll talk soon

Blessings!!

Rochelle

 

22 thoughts on “How Many Invisible Walls Hinder Your Progress?”

  1. Wow! What an awesome article. It’s well written and thought provoking. You have certainly helped me to reflect on walls of my own that I need to spring beyond. Thank you for sharing!

    Stephanie Poole

  2. Wow!!! Powerful words!!! Your message certainly is thought provoking and you expressed it so simply. Walls. It reminds me of one of my favorite children’s books. The title of the book is “Leo, the Late Bloomer” read it when you get a chance. It’s in the children’s section of all libraries. Please continue to allow God to use you. This is your beginning. Tackling one way at a time can be so liberating. I know God is using you for such a time as this. I am excited to see where God is taking you through your anointed writing. You’ve only just begun. Love you sis… anything I can do please let me know. Evangelist Olivia A. Williams

    1. Thank you Evangelist! My prayer is that The Lord blesses and delivers women through the writings. I’ll pick up the book and read it. And yes! I will contact you soon. Blessings!

  3. You know how you go to church and feel as if the sermon was directed specifically for you? That’s what this blog did to me. I have been feeling women kind of way since my sister passed away. After reading your article, i now realize that i too, have walls. You have given me something to pray about and examine. I know that with Gods help i will be able to tear some of these walls down. I also know that you are a blessing. Your words woke up my soul more than you know. I pray that you continue to bless us with your knowledge so that we too can live, love, and cherish.

    Thank you so much Rochelle, will look forward to next Monday!!!

    1. Thanks Joi! And you’re welcome. Realizing that we have walls is the beginning….. Blessings!

  4. Wonderful. I’m very grateful that God has pushed you to birth forth this place in your ministry. We have talked about all of the wealth of information that God has placed in you and how to publish it for other women outside your immediate boarders would be blessed. Your willingness to hear and be obedient to his guidance is awesome. Not only are these words powerful, though provoking and powerful they will be a blessing.
    Jecell

    1. Thank you Jecell! I will never forget the years that you helped me with the NCJ Women’s Leadership Conferences. It’s truly a blessing for The Lord to use you to be a blessing. God Bless!

  5. This was definitely a great read!! Now I’m sitting thinking of the many invisible walls that I never even realized were there smh! Great job Rochelle!! I’m so happy & proud of you! Keep up the great work!

    1. Thank you Tawana aka T-Bone! I’m glad that the writing provokes self-examination. The Lord truly has us on a journey. Keep praying! Blessings!

  6. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????this was so refreshing Evg. Lambkin!!! I can’t wait to read more!!! Thank you!

  7. I love it Sis Lampkin. I find my self in your blog you have wrote. God Bless you, this causes me to evaluate myself. Very uplifting. Know we all may have walls. Never thought about it this way. This is deep, love you and God Bless.

  8. thank you Rochelle for This transparent word, as I read it, I began to do a self check of my walls, the first step in tearing down a wall is to realize that a wall does indeed exist, Chell thank you for being transparent, present in this season, for allowing God to use you in this blog so that others can realize it time to tear down our walls. For walls create barriers, and prevent growth, if I am to receive all God has for me, and be all God said I am, then I MUST tear down the WALLS that hinders my freedom .. THANK YOU CHELL !!!!!!

  9. This is what I needed. Such an eye opener. Never thought about hidden walls being a hindrance to where God wants me to be. Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait for more.

    1. You’re welcome Trina. I’m glad that it blessed you. The Lord is so wonderful. He helps us in so many ways. Glad He’s exposing hidden walls! Blessings! ☺️

  10. This is a beautiful reflection and such a true assessment of the human tendency to put up wall and hide from even ourselves! I love the idea of the blooming process and God cultivating those little spouts of hope within us!

  11. I love this. I’m praying now that God will begin to show me these walls and how to bring them down. I want to blog so badly! Love you sis

    1. Thank you Evangelist! Go on and start blogging. Before I started in October, 2015, I talked myself into many reasons not to blog. This post was my very first one. I republished it in 2016. But, the day I pushed publish, in 2015, I had all kinds of butterflies in my stomach. But, praise God, with the push from 2 of my daughter’s friends, I did it. Blogging is so therapeutic and fulfilling. It’s a great feeling to obey God, and help others. Do it Sis! Go on and blog! I’m looking forward to reading your first post. God bless you!!

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