Anita Parker

They Are Waiting… ON YOU!

Throughout history, there have been so many influential people who have inspired others to do one thing or another – Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and the list continues.  While several are well known, countless others are unknown.  Why? Because they never put themselves or their stories out there for others to be inspired by.  I’m certain that there is a plethora of reasons why people don’t grace the world with their presence – shyness/introverted ways, feelings of unworthiness, distaste for attention, etc.  Whatever the reason may be, the result is that someone, somewhere missed their muse.  That person’s inability to come forward caused someone’s ‘why’ to never be revealed to them, adding them to a growing list of people never making the enormous mark on the world that they could have and should have made.  Someone missed destiny!  Could you have been or are you the missing link to someone’s destiny being unfulfilled?

Believe it or not, you are an influencer. Your actions, or lack thereof, influence those around you.  There are people waiting on your contribution to the world so that they can, in turn, make theirs.  With each contribution, the potential for the next one intensifies.  We feed off of one another.  You may only produce one book in your lifetime, but that contribution could inspire the next person to contribute three books.  An additional person watching may, then, feel inclined to offer seven books.  Before you know it, your donation has attributed to 11 publications seeing the light of day. Think of the number of people who would be motivated to make their mark and influence even more!

Contemplating on this topic caused me to reflect on my own life.  What part(s) of my life could be inspirational to someone else? Could something that I’ve endured be influential in pushing someone else to live in the sun?  Or, could my unique gifting in use be the gateway to someone else accepting and operating in theirs? Maybe someone seeing me pursue my dreams, all the while exposing my goofy, quirky personality, will make someone else feel comfortable in their own skin.  Perhaps, someone who knows how shy I was (and still am, to a degree) will find the strength to overcome their shyness and do things that they’ve only dreamed of.  And, possibly, someone who knows that I’ve endured mental and physical abuse will find the courage to get free and continue on because they saw me do it.  Each of us doing what we are called to do and leaving our deposit could be the spark to someone else’s flame! Someone needs to know that you’ve battled depression for years and overcame.  They need to see you operating in a capacity that others never thought you were worthy of.  It’s imperative that they hear how you lost it all, but came back stronger than ever!  Also, they need to know that you weren’t perfect and some of the things that you faced were caused by you, but you worked hard to rectify the situation and bounced back. What you are going through today may be to encourage someone else in a difficult phase of life. 

I’ve faced many things in my life.  Things that, if shared, could be beneficial for someone facing the same.  My reasons for not making myself visible and available were simple – shyness (as I’ve mentioned previously), not wanting to be judged by people who felt I wasn’t good enough, and feeling like my ideas were too ‘out there’ for people to grasp. More than the other reasons that I mentioned, I’m not a fan of the limelight.  Ministry has forced me to be more intentional about coming out of my shell and becoming more comfortable in the forefront.  Ministry, on the level that I and many others are called to, cannot reach its maximum peak under a rock.  Isn’t it something that the people with the most extreme cases of introversion are oftentimes the ones God has called to the fore front?  I have no doubt that He has an unusual sense of humor!  

Penning this piece caused me to explore all of the areas of my life that could be inspirational to people that I have held back.  I have battled depression, abusive relationships (mental and physical), self acceptance, and low self esteem, but none of these things have a grip on me today.  I became a mother at the age of 16 and, even after having another child at 18, still graduated on schedule.  Those things are only part of my story!  Statistics of others who have endured similar things are very high.  Who have I let down by not sharing me – my true, authentic self?  It could be several of you reading this blog!  It could also be people who couldn’t deal and decided that living with these issues was too much for them to handle, so they chose to end their life.  For these reasons and many others, I’M SHARING ME- the good, the bad, and the ugly!  I vow to not be a great unknown.  Not because I want the attention for myself, but because I want the next person following in my footsteps to surpass me and reach more people, sparking more influence and impacting the world in an enormous way. Whatever you have to offer, give it up! People want and NEED your chapters to add to their book.  They just need to see one person with a similar story or gift to step out.  Let it be you!  Release what you’re holding.  There is change on the horizon and you are the key holder.  They are waiting…ON YOU!