"Shake Your Shimmy!"

One of my favorite movies of all time is "The Color Purple." There are many components of this film which can be used to illustrate generational and spiritual issues. I love movies like that! To me they are like life impacting illustrations hung on a big screen paid for by someone with lots of money in Hollywood just waiting for someone like me to turn them into a testimony of what God's grace and mercy can do!

In The Color Purple, we find sad, homely Celie who is played by Whoopie Goldberg. One can't help but hurt for Celie! She has a husband who can't stand to look at her or even attempt to be nice and to top it all off, she has negative "0" self confidence. She is so down on herself she even tells her son to "beat" his wife into submission because abuse is all she knows. And furthermore, her darling husband keeps a photo of his "ideal woman," Shug Avery. Celie was compared to a measuring stick that existed only in a dime store photograph of a two bit saloon mistress and the imagination of a husband who promised to love and honor her. No wonder she had issues!

Enter Shug Avery. Yep, for those of you who have not seen the movie, Celie's husband brings home a pitifully drunk Shug Avery and basically leaves her to be catered to by his wife, Celie. (Ha! Try that in 2007- I believe only one woman would have been left standing on that front porch! ) Anyway, Shug takes one look at Celie and says, "You sure is ugly!" and then she breaks into laughter! Still, the ever insecure Celie helps her up the stairs (I would have helped her down!) and takes care of the woman who holds the secret to her husband's heart. A little later, Shug decides to help Celie out a little in the looks department, she dolls her up, yet Celie lacked the confidence that came so natural to Shug. So Shug looked at her and said, "Come on, shake your shimmy!"- Which brings me to the topic of this post! (See, I am going somewhere!)

This may not seem like some "powerful prophetic revelation," but really it is (thanks Pastor Ray for dropping this in my spirit a few weeks ago!). You see, God's given us all a "shimmy" to shake. Shaking your shimmy (in a spiritual sense) is walking confidently in who God has called you to be. It is unashamedly being obedient and fulfilling His destiny for your life.

The problem is, many of us ask more like Celie. We allow our past, our hurts, our insecurities, and fear to keep us shuffling our feet afraid to even lift our heads. We allow unrealistic expectations and the opinions of those who have their own issues to hold us back! Or many times, we hold our own selves back because we feel we lack the potential to have any sort of shimmy at all!

I want to challenge you today to lift up your head and shake your shimmy! Wear your potential proudly, and if it is awkward, still, keep it up and trust in Him. You'll grow into every bit of potential and ability He has placed within you! So go on, shake your shimmy!