I was watching the Oprah Presents Master Class Pt I & II on the new OWN channel the other day, which featured her own story. And those episodes got me to thinking about some things which led to a lot of questions.
A lot of people can quote scriptures and passages from the Bible.
I am a child of God.
God is in control of my life.
I can do all things through Christ...etc.
I'm the head and not the tail.
They can quote all of the inspirational vitamins spoken by the best inspirational motivators.
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. ~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. ~~Elbert Hubbard
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~~ Harriet Tubman
The quotes and mantras are endless. I see them all the time on FB, Twitter and other forms of social media. People can quote the best of them.
All of this is certainly good HEAD knowledge, BUT how many of them really believe all of that in their HEARTS? And if they really believed it, why does their life not reflect it?
As I was watching Oprah tell her story, there were certain things that she said that she believed and her life is certainly evidence of that. She said that when she was a little girl (about 8 or 9), her stepmother made her remember the poem Invictus, by William Ernest Henley, in the span of 3 hours so that she could recite it one afternoon at church. At the time, she didn't understand the meanining of it (it was just HEAD knowledge), but that poem always stuck with her and eventually, she really grasped its meaning and took it to heart (it became HEART knowledge).
Invictus Poem
Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
This is one of the most powerful poems ever wrtitten. Please read it and really think about its meaning.
There was something else that Oprah said to that really struck a cord with me. After she had done a couple of syndicated Oprah shows, making less than $30,000 a year (back then), her lawyer told her to OWN herself. Well, at the time she didnt know what that meant and he explained to her that by not taking a salary from them, she would own herself and not be owned by the network. WOW! And guess what? She did it and you know the rest of that story.
Now, back to my point of this post. There is a difference in HEAD knowledge and HEART knowledge. When something is just in your head, you can remember it, but your actions don't line up with it. You know it, but you don't apply it. The information is in your head, but hasn't really made its way to your heart.
When something becomes HEART knowledge, it is really rooted and grounded in you. That becomes evident by the words you say, the decisions you make and the actions that you take. And those things are apparent in your life. There is no other way around it.
So, my other question is, if it not apparent or evident in their lives, WHY?
I want to take a guess at that and say FEAR. Not the fear that says you are a wimp or afraid of somebody. Chances are, a person is more afraid of themselves than they are of anyone else.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT
People are more afraid of failing at something, than they are at succeeding at it. That leaves them not wanting to take a chance at anything. There is the fear that they wouldn't be as good as someone else who is doing what they really want to do. But here's a tidbit for you "You can only be the best YOU that you can be'. God did not intend to make you a carbon copy of someone else. You were designed with a specific purpose in mind and that was not to be a carbon copy of anyone else.
There is the fear that if they take a chance and do what they really dream of doing, then that will require MORE from them and they are afraid that they can't or won't live up to that challenge. The Bible says that 'To whom much is given, much is required" (Luke 12:48). So if you really want God to bless you with more, please understand that more will be required of you.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT
If you say that you run your own life and you're the master of your fate, how is it that your life is defined by you fulfilling someone else's dream instead of your own? Why is that you put so much effort and time into accomplishing the things that they want, instead of the things that you want?
And if you think that's not true, ask yourself if you work for someone else and they determine when you work and when you don't or do you determine that? Ask yourself if someone else determines how much you're worth based on how much they pay you or do you decide based on what you charge?
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT And then there are those people who are afraid of what others may say about them, if they decided to really master their own fate and take control of their own lives. That's right I said it. People are truly afraid what other people may say or think about them. They are in bondage to people, even if they won't admit it.
But you cannot and will not be the master of your own life if what you do is controlled by the thoughts and opinions of others. In that regard, they are controlling your life; not you. How many people have you given the reins to guide and control you?
You have to be bold enough to say that their opinions, don't matter. This is your life and it is ok to separate yourself from those who don't see the value in what you have to offer through your gifts and talents. It is ok to know that everyone won't think like you and everyone certainly won't take the chances and the risk that you are willing to take.
I am one person who can truly say that. I made the bold decision to work and fulfill my own dreams and not let anyone else determine my worth or my life. I have become the master of my fate and the captain of my soul. I'm not where I ultimately want to be, but I have made the steps down that road. You know the one, the road less traveled. And I know that a lot of folks have their opinions, but I honestly DO NOT CARE. And I'm not saying this in a negative way, just a certain one.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT
And then there are those who are afraid of their own power. The gifts and talents that they have to offer can make a huge difference and make a powerful impact in the lives of someone else. And scares the life out of them (pun is intended). They are afraid to live in their potential because they don't know how their own power will affect themselves. Their is greatness in all of us, but not everyone is willing to tap into it.
Marianne Williamson sums it up best in a passage taken from her book A Return to Love:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT
I am certainly not the only one who has decided to master my own fate and walk in my destiny. Oprah is not the only one who has done that. But we are the select few who have made the decision to operate based on what is in our HEARTS and not just in our HEADS because we know that what we truly believe in our hearts, shall come to pass (Mark 11:23-24).
Can you honestly say that you have HEART knowledge or just HEAD knowledge? What are you going to do about mastering your own life? Whose life is waiting on you to manifest your greatness?
