This new year of life has been presented to you as an opportunity. An opportunity to do things you’ve never done before. An opportunity to go where you’ve never gone before. An opportunity to become who you’ve never been before. And with this opportunity comes two emotions: Excitement … and Fear.

It’s exciting to imagine things actually being possible for you this time. It’s exciting to imagine breakthroughs and successes. It’s exciting to imagine your best self finally showing up to live your days.

And it’s also scary as heck thinking about leaving behind old ways. It’s scary stepping into the unknown.

Daring to show up at the gym when you have no freaking clue how to work a single machine. When you’re surrounded by firm bodies in spandex and you poured yo’self into some sweat pants, it’s scary up in that gym.

Boldy deciding the ways you’ve been coping with the stress are not healthy and you’re making a change, that’s scary.

Pouring out the wine and vowing to not cope with it any longer is scary.

Pitching the cigarettes, going cold turkey and deciding you’re not willingly giving yourself lung cancer causes fear. Fear if you have the willpower to stick with it this time. Fear if you can fight through the withdrawals.

A decision to stop eating your feelings and hiding in shame with a bag of chips, a pan of brownies, a plate of doughnuts, a bowl of icecream, the 3rd helping of fried chicken or whatever your ammo is, that’s scary. Changing what you’ve always done is naturally met with fear.

A decision to take your life back and get off your darn phone creates anxiety. How will you resist the urge to do what you’ve always done? How will you break this habit? How will you change?

Change creates fear.

Understand what you’re doing here sister … that change you are seeking this year, whether I’ve mentioned it or not, is an act of tearing down a wall.

We’ve all built walls. Walls that keep us confined in a little life when we were created for a BIG Life! 2020 is the year of tearing down some freaking walls.

If you watch any of the popular remodel shows on HGTV, you’ve heard wall tearing down day referred to as “demolition day”. It’s time for some demolition in your life. There’s a word for someone this year. Demolition: This year I’m tearing down the walls that have held me back. I’m moving beyond the things which are no longer serving me and I’m stepping into new exciting territory. Girl, tear down those walls.

The walls you’ve built keep you safe in your familiar old ways of living, but they have also kept you stuck in a pattern of settling and sinking. Sinking deeper into sadness as you gain another pound in the week. Sinking deeper into debt as you once again ignore the bill. Sinking deeper into the mess as the junk drawer becomes a junk room, and pretty soon you’re a candidate for the next season of Hoarders. Sinking deeper into a doomed marriage as your only emotion is anger and your only volume is yelling.

This is the reality of your comfort zone your walls have created. It’s not happy in here. It’s not hopeful in here. What’s happening inside these walls is your very life is being sucked from you. It’s time to TAKE IT BACK.

Take back your life. I’m talking about the one you were created for. Take it back. From the beginning there has always been a bigger life available to you, one you were designed and equipped for, and I’m telling you that life is still available to you. It’s not too late. You’re not too far gone. You’re not hopeless. God has made a way for you, and the way is only through tearing down those darn walls.

This morning I woke up to a quote one of our BIG Life girls shared with me. It’s a quote from Jen Sincero which says “The walls of your comfort zone are lovingly decorated with your lifelong collection of favorite excuses.” Oh that’s good.

Our favorite excuses are the wallpaper on the walls of our comfort zone.

Did anyone else grow up in a house in the 80’s with floral wallpaper? Every room in our house had a different pattern wallpaper. And what’s even worse is I helped hang that wallpaper. But dang we thought it looked good at the time.

That’s the thing about excuses, we think they look real good at the time. They not only look good, they feel good. Excuses like “I can wait until later … I don’t really feel good today so it’s okay if I don’t do what I said I was gonna do … It’s too early and my body needs more rest today … One little bite won’t hurt … One little drink … one little smoke … everyone else is doing it too.” Each excuse justifies our continued existence in a life smaller than we were created for. Each excuse holds us back from stepping out into the more that is available to us. And each excuse decorates the walls of the comfort zone which threatens our future and our success this year.

They say wallpaper is making a comeback. I’ve seen it in a few magazines and honestly it makes me throw up a little in my mouth. You see, I’ve torn down wallpaper before. I’ve peeled that crap off the wall in tiny one inch pieces and nearly lost my religion over it. Lord, if you’ve ever painstakingly peeled down wallpaper you will NEVER want to have it again.

And the same is true with your lousy butt excuses. If you’ve ever torn those down before, if you’ve ever overcome them, if you’ve ever broke through and tasted success, you never want to live with excuses again. Even your best old excuses become repulsive to you once you’ve torn them down.

SO GIRL, DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO WANDER BACK INTO A COMFORT ZONE WITH WALLS DECORATED IN THOSE EXCUSES AGAIN.

You serve a God who tears down walls! You serve a God who can demolish old strong holds. You serve a God who can make a way.

Remember the story in your bible about the Walls of Jericho? You can read the story in Joshua chapters 5 & 6. Jericho was a city protected by walls. The walls protecting the city were about 15 feet tall and 5 feet thick. Walls that could not be scaled. Walls that could not be torn down.

The Israelites faced the impossible of trying to battle Jericho and their walls. But those walls came down, oh yes they did … but do you remember how? in the most unassuming, simple way. They marched around the wall.

Yes, once every day for 6 days, the Israelites marched around the wall of Jericho. On the first day, nothing happened. Second day much the same. Again the third and the fourth, fifth and the sixth. Nothing. Nothing was happening and still they showed up and marched.

Then, on the seventh day, the Israelites marched around the wall of Jericho 7 times and guess what happened then … the walls fell!!!!!! Joshua 6: 16 says “16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” And the walls collapsed.

This is exactly how our God works. He says do the simple, ordinary right things, and keep doing them. Keep doing them even when you don’t feel like it. Keep doing it when you don’t see progress. Don’t give up when the change doesn’t come overnight. Keep doing it because what’s happening in the process is the walls are being torn down … you just don’t see it yet.

Shout! For the Lord has given you a BIG Life! He has given you this year as an opportunity to overcome and move forward.

God is calling you out of the walls of your comfort zone. The walls WILL COME DOWN THIS YEAR. The way to tear down those wall isn’t really sexy or worthy of a television add. It’s just doing the right thing again and again and again, whether you feel like it or not.

But sister, if you will be faithful, if you will keep going, if you will keep showing up, the walls which have held you back will come tumbling down. You will step into a life beyond your imaginations, free of the excuses that have decorated your walls your entire life.

That’s exciting! Your potential is exciting. Your potential for freedom and growth and change is exciting.

And it’s also scary. But don’t let your fear stop you again this year. God has given you the wisdom to know what’s right and he is giving you the strength to march today. So do what you know to do today, whether you see change or not. Whether you feel like it or not.

Today is demolition day my friend … time to tear down those walls and step into the BIG Life you were created for.