First Day Out

“To know me is to know that “your limits” make me uncomfortable. Don’t box me in to your idea of what I should be.” -The Giant

August 20, 2016

It was my first speaking engagement as a “speaker, speaker” and not like a panelist guest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for every opportunity that I’ve been presented thus far and for the ones to come… but this one was different. This was my “it.” Funny thing, I didn’t know what to expect, so I had written upwards of 125 pages for my 20-minute allotment. Such a novice, lol! 

I was about a year out of my divorce, and I remember telling a friend while preparing that I needed a name. Something to go by. Jo Thurmond just didn’t fit where I felt I was headed in life. In fact, it reflects my past in more ways than one. So this wasn’t an “I need a name” in a “make me famous” kind of way but rather an “I am not what I’ve been through” kind. She told me to pray, after all, God was the first one to call me Jo, surely He’d instruct on what’s next… best advice ever! It was this day that I heard the audible voice of God. 

The moment I walked into the room I was met with energy that said, “what makes you think you belong on that stage?” Not from everyone, but from enough people in there. This wasn’t an energy I was foreign to. Actually, it was one that I mastered some time ago. So I was able to play it cool. I understand that people, in their simple minds love to reduce the ones they don’t understand to a title, a position, a roll, or a “lane” for that matter, seemingly giving their finite mind what they think to be comprehension of such an existence. And I’ve come to discover that the limits people give themselves, or the ones they continue to identify with, will always be their portion. (Enjoy ??‍♀️) So, I don’t waste time attempting to prove myself, I simply am myself, and that is always enough. 

I had an encounter with my creator, and from that moment on I made a decision to live my life in support of a mission that liberated the decided from those restricted places. I chose to stand for those who can’t be simplified by man because God requires more. I’m the coach for people who have no box. We are comfortable switching lanes because we understand that’s why turn signals were created. We’re pulled by vision, making it impossible for our past to dictate a future it knows nothing of. Our souls are submitted to the navigation of our Authenticator and we are subject to the speed He sets. We are the ones that understand deliverance is a choice, therefore we choose freedom. We choose not to be the subjects of people who believe there’s only one way and we believe even our bad choices work for our good. 

You see, I tried to walk the path that I was shown and it made me itch. My creator made me allergic to that rundown road and His plan and my obedience to it is the only cure. So, on that day He said, “remember you’re bigger. I made you a Giant.” I knew then that was the only name I had to go forth in, in order to succeed. I am, that He says I am. As I grabbed the mic, like the dope-ic (dope + epic) person that I AM, I declared I AM A GIANT! to the audience and I encouraged them to listen for what He called them too. Living in a society where we’re encouraged to play it small, I live a message that says “your small thoughts aren’t cute.” You see there’s no way to serve the God of creation and not understand you’re an expression of that. God is infinite and from infancy He created me. From that same source you come!  

So take a note from the day He released The Giant, and Go forth in what He calls you. And remember, you don’t owe anyone an explanation for what He says, because following The spirit causes your life to do the explaining. 

In the posts to come, we will work together to unleash what you’re called to. The first step in this is understanding who and what you’re not. We’ve all been on the other ends of people’s opinions, we’ve also fell victim to our own small thoughts concerning ourselves. What are some things you’ve answered to (your actions may have answered for you) that you know is not reflective of where you’re headed to? By identifying the titles you’ve acted out you’re able to renounce them and take on one that not only empowers you but one that propels you into your created destiny.