I waited so long once to get permission that I wet my pants before I ever got it.  True story.  It happened in first grade.

What??

The rule was that if a student needed to use the restroom, he or she first had to raise their hand and wait for the teacher to give permission to go to the restroom.  I needed to go, so I raised my hand and waited.  And waited. And waited some more.

10 minutes had passed.  I even waved my hand in the air.  Slightly. And then 15 minutes.  I’m holding my hand up, and supporting it with my other arm because I mean, who can hold their hand up for that long?!

Motivated by fear of the consequences of acting without permission, I chose to wet myself.  Being the rule-abiding kid that I was,  I literally believed that I could not act on my behalf without permission.  As I stared down at the puddle around my feet, I wondered if I had made the wrong choice.

We Are Taught To Wait For Permission

We’re conditioned as kids to wait for permission.  We become adults who think we have to wait for permission. And sometimes we don’t act on our own behalf simply because we’re still waiting for permission. Permission that may never come.  Do we allow what we perceive as the lack of permission to then hold us back?

Of course, there are plenty of examples of times when we absolutely have to wait for permission.  It’s the right thing to do.  For example, at the airport security, you simply have to wait for permission to come forward in the line when it’s your turn.  I’m pretty sure that not waiting for permission to go through security could bring undesirable consequences.  If you’re a teenager, it’s generally a good idea to get your parent’s permission to drive the car or stay out later than usual.

However, sometimes we think we need permission when we really don’t.

You Have All Of The Permission You Will Ever Need

You don’t need permission to live your life, pursue your dreams and live out your call.  Yet, we can tell ourselves that we’re waiting until the time is right, or until our spouse gets behind us, or someone recognizes the contribution we’d like to make, or until we get the ‘yes’ we want from that person or institution. And we live in a perpetual state of waiting, believing that someone or something needs to grant us permission to act on our own behalf.

Each of us is created to do something important with our lives, to make a contribution to the world that matters and makes the world a better place for others.  We have choices to make.

We can either wait around for permission that we don’t really need and then live with the consequences of that.  (Think about that!)

Or, we can give ourselves permission to live the life we’ve been called to live, which I believe is our best possible life.

Think about something you’ve always wanted to do or be.  Why hasn’t that happened? Could it be that you are waiting for permission that perhaps you don’t really need?

If what you want to do is good, true, kind, adds value to the world, makes life better for others, creates beauty, shows grace, etc. then you already have permission to go for it. That permission comes from the One who created you to bring something unique and special to the world.  Don’t wait to find out too late what the consequences are of not acting.  Because there are consequences, as I found out in first grade.

Now you may just need to give yourself permission.

Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash