VULNERABILITY + FREEDOM or INFLUENCE CONFERENCE RECAP, PART III

farmers market

Ok y’all, so I know you’re probably super sick of hearing about The Influence Conference.  This is the last post on it, I promise.  I learned some fantastic, stronghold-shattering, life-changing stuff, and I really want you to benefit from it, too.

IND Honey

a honey vendor at the farmers market in downtown Indy

God created women to be vulnerable, to connect on a heart level, but our fear and the lies we’ve believed have led us to put up walls around our hearts, and many of us are living “small and scared” (as Haley put it), which is causing us to miss out on what the Lord has for us.  There is such freedom in vulnerability!  In addition to being vulnerable with another, there is sweet freedom in being vulnerable with the Lord, and trusting Him with our dreams.  In her session, Haley spoke about the huge difference between striving (1. To exert much effort or energy; 2. To struggle or fight forcefully) versus chasing hard after the Lord and letting Him place dreams in your heart and prepare the way for you to walk in (Eph. 2:10).  To use the same example Haley  used, think about pulling on a rope super hard to bring something to yourself, versus holding the hand of the Lord and walking peacefully and confidently toward that thing. When we release our expectations and hold our dreams in open hands before the Lord, vulnerable to Him, we become free and blessed beyond measure.  Lara summed this concept up beautifully in her session when she said “the Bible never says to chase our dreams; it only says to chase HIM.”  As we stay snuggled up close to His side, and walk hand in hand with Him, He will place His dreams in our hearts and will guide our steps so that those dreams are lived out.

Believing lies will make us live small and scared.  Lies make us weak.  Lies cause us to go off course.  Some lies I’ve believed that have made life unnecessarily difficult at times: I’m not seen or heard, my voice doesn’t matter, other people are more gifted than I am, so I shouldn’t even try.  One thing that really sunk deep into my spirit at the conference is that my good things will look different from other people’s good things and that I shouldn’t try to mimic what someone else is doing well.  Comparison is the thief of joy, y’all!  As we grow more confident in our identity as daughters of the King, we become liberated to shine, and we liberate those around us to shine, as well.  Your work (whatever that work may be) will be much more effective when you’re working from a place of freedom. 

Lies

a slide from Haley’s session

Are you believing any lies that are causing you to live small and scared? 

(this post was inspired by Haley Morgan, Lara Casey, and Jessi Connolly)

Signature
  • Andrea Corbin

    Thank you, Caroline, for sharing this. There is much to ponder in what you have shared…

  • Grace Cho

    caroline! i wish i could’ve been there last year!! it sounds like it was such an amazing experience!

    • http://CompletelyCaroline.com/ Caroline Grace

      It really was amazing!! I’m so exited about this year–are you going?

      • Grace Cho

        awww i so wish!! i need to save money for it so that i can go one day!