How do we dare to be ourselves in the world?
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkeness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just some of us; it's everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
---Marianne Williamson
Perhaps the most wonderful part of #BlogElul has been the opportunity to discover so many new (to me) voices out in the world, with messages that lift my heart and give me new ways to think about the world and our place in it.
My thanks to Rabbi Micah Lapidus for an inspirational message, from which this quote is drawn. Rabbi Lapidus is author of the blog rabbi's pen, Director of Jewish and Hebrew Studies at The Alfred and Adele Davis Academy, Atlanta’s Reform Jewish Day School, and president of PARDES: Day Schools of Reform Judaism, the consortium of Reform Jewish Day Schools .
Thank you Phyllis Sommer for leading us in the #BlogElul project. Today is your day to dare to dream, and to wish and work so that ALL things are possible.
