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Where I am from.......310, 512, 915, 903, 214, 917, 815

I got a confirmation e-mail for my daughter's session to Horse Camp in Dallas. I looked through it and noticed the contact number is a 512 area code. That's Austin, I thought to myself. Must be her cell. When we moved from Dallas to Fort Worth I did not change my cell number. In fact the area codes listed in the title are friends of mine who no longer live in that area code but kept their number. We keep our numbers due to contractual obligations. Or we keep it to remain connected to our contacts. And of course convenience plays into this as well. It occurred to me that these 3 digits are part of our story. They tell where we are from.

As a life coach I often hear the following. "These people knew me at this stage of my life but that is not me anymore. I have changed. I am afraid to reconnect with them. I hope they do not see me how I was." Their fear seems to stem from a moral failure,a dissolved marriage or the perception of unmet potential. The basic question is "If they REALLY knew me would they love me, accept me, stay connected with me." This mindset has kept many a person from connecting with a past friend who too has evolved.....possibly to be a huge blessing and advocate for the new you. I love Brandon Heath's song I am not who I Was. I recommend you click on the link and watch the song's video on You Tube. It is powerful.

Back to your area code. I am not sure where you have come from BUT the last part of your life need not be defined by it. Sometimes we stay connected to our past due to contractual obligations or inner vows. I will never cross the Red River. I will never step foot in a church again.I will never speak to them. I will never get married again. Without realizing it you have just superglued your past to your present. You must break that contract.

Sometimes we remain stuck to our past due to relationships. I can remember in my early 20's attending a conference that was outside my normal church experience. I kept thinking "Oh please do not let anyone I know see me. I do not want them to think...." And so I was willing to stay stuck in my old relationship with God due to the fear of how my relationships would react. Sad but true. And I see this in the lives of my clients as well. They get stuck because they do not want to disappoint a relationship. Even a really dysfunctional relationship.

Convenience seems to rule supreme. Walking away from how the past defines you is never convenient. In fact it often requires thinking about what you are thinking about. In fact it takes a conscience effort to decide what is worth keeping in your thought patterns and what should be thrown out. This process is best accomplished when delegated to God.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
Allow Him to speak into your thought life and create divine destiny in you. Follow this with soul searching to find the lies of the past that still define your current reality. Ask forgiveness for believing the lie and then ask God to reveal HIS truth about you.

817, 915, 214, are all former area codes of mine. With each comes set of memories that both enrich me and torment me. The digits serve as reminders of where I have been and how far I have come. And that is worth taking the time to ponder.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." II Corinthians 5:17.
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Laina's Corner said…
Thank you for your post on "Where I am from." Just had a jolt of emotions today which brought in some past emotional experiences with a thud. I appreciate your words and scripture quote. Thanks.
August 2, 2010 at 4:05 PM
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