Life comes with a lot of challenges, huh?  One of the challenges is how to deal with those challenges.  In my younger days, I would roll over and there really wouldn't be a challenge because whatever people said to me, about me or around me, I just accepted.  I had limited self respect and basically doormat was my usual state of being.  Then I decided to stop being a doormat.  I used the skills I had learned in college to not only debate to legally but to formally stand.  Instead of getting mad, I defended myself.  Initially, I did it without grace, integrity or poise.  Sometimes, I still do that on occasion.  I am not perfect, that is for sure.  Ask my sisters, they will tell you.  They know too many secrets on me but what they may not know is that I have secretly been very envious of them. When problems have come their way, they have stood up.  They have done that since we were kids.  I just learned that skill about 12 years ago.  Being a nerd, thick glasses and just not quite as glamorous as my sisters made me feel ill equipped to stand.  In the last 12 years, I have found myself in situations that have required me to either defend myself or have my reputation seriously compromised.  The comments were never founded in truth and frankly those people got very angry when I stood up but I did it.  My self respect is very different these days.  I now realize that as a believer in Christ, I am not only defending myself but a representative of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am not a pushover.  I do not always use poise and grace.  I do stand up....LOUDLY.  I guess I am making up for all the years that I didn't stand.  Life is too short to drag it out. 

So here once again in my life, comes another challenge.  Sometimes I still drastically fail to demonstrate grace and poise but integrity and to know the difference between right and wrong, I know.  So I am standing again this week.  I have already been viewed as non compliant for expressing my opinion and frankly expressing the policy with my opinion, which I favor.  So instead of writing a book, I wanted to ask you, how do you handle challenges?  And here is another question.... when did it become ok for men to speak boldly and even with anger but never acceptable for women?  Oh yeah, I asked it.... what are your thoughts on the subject?