February 22-Inspirational Thoughts

I haven't blogged much over the last couple of weeks. Mainly due to the fact that I was sick and needed to play catch up following my illness.  However, today I was reading/meditating on some scripture then read through my daily inspirational book and found that I have several things to ponder.  First, I will give a brief synopsis of the last 2 days of thoughts that my Simple Abundance book offers, then I'll just blog about a few things that are on my heart.

Feb.21-Excavating the Real You-part 1

For centuries, women display their sense of style through their personal appearance, the way they decorate their homes, how they entertain, in the work they do, and in their own pursuit of personal passions. The more we learn about ourselves, the easier it is to make these choices that reflect our authentic self.  Today-consider the choices you have made in the past. Do you tend to make choices w/your heart, mind, or instinct? Are you comfortable w/the style you use in making choices? Was there something you did not choose in the past you wish you had?

Feb. 22-Excavating the Real You-part 2

Take your mind back to the home of your childhood. How was it decorated? Did you clean your room? What was your favorite spot in the house? Was your mother a good cook? Where did you go on vacation? Fast forward to your teenage years. Any girls in school that you admired? Envied? Who were they and why?  Now go to when you set up your first home. Where was it? How was it furnished/decorated? Are your early decorating choices reflected in your current surroundings? We tend to think it is the major events that mark our lives, really it is the minor moments and simple things that resonate in our memory.  Pick one pleasant recollection of your past and think about it today.

Learning about ourselves, where we have come from and where we are going, can be either a painful or a pleasant experience, sometimes its both.  I'm sure there is no one that doesn't associate some unpleasantness with some of the experiences that have led them to where they are today.  This life is full of both pain and joy.  Without pain, we cannot understand/appreciate joy.  Without joy, we would never have hope that the pain would pass.   For me, I have discovered that truly getting to know the person God has created me to be is a pleasure. Oh, that is not to say that the process hasn't brought it's share of heartache/pain.  But, in the small moments of my life that resonate deeply within, I enjoy the process of coming to know the real me.  Certainly it isn't because the real me is without fault.  It is because despite my fault/weaknesses, God continues to show me love and longsuffering each day. Each day is a new beginning, a time to redeem-always a second chance with God as long as I am seeking Him-to know Him better, to love Him better.   Each of us is important to God. We're important because He created us-with our own unique talents/gifts/pain/experiences/etc...  There is no one like us-we are an individual.  Despite the fact that we are raised by earthly parents in a unit called, "home", our deepest longing is to be at HOME with God.  God created us with eternity in our hearts.  It is the one thing that remains common among each of us-the longing for something greater-the thing that makes us God's creation-our souls.  It doesn't matter what our past experiences have been-it is what we choose to do with those past experiences that matter.  Do we allow them to immobilize us or motivate us? Do we allow them to move us closer to God and the eternity He's placed within us or do we choose to become more frustrated because we feel "empty" and useless due to moving further away from God and His purpose for us.  One of the things that I've learned in this discovery process is how little I know.  I remember, at different points in my life, feeling like I had certain things figured out. Alas, what I realize is how little I know about anything.  The more I learn, the more I realize I will never know it all.  I will never have it all figured out.  Why?  Because I am not God.  Only God knows all, is ever present, is eternal.  I will only know/understand it better in eternity-when I am with God.  Until then, I continue to learn lessons of all types through my experiences in this life, by spending time in God's word-which is the ultimate source of wisdom, etc...  It is when we choose not to learn from our experiences and therefore go through the same process day in/day out feeling empty, unfulfilled, coming up w/same results, etc...that we come to realize the need for wisdom God has to offer.  It is evident that some never learn this lesson.  They continue in a vicious life cycle of not learning from their mistakes, doing the same thing day in/day out, always trying to find "happiness" in the things of this world through its devices.  Love of the world, things in the world will never bring us fulfillment.  It will bring us no more than a fleeting moment of pleasure.  It is through eternal things-the deeper more meaningful moments (the simple things) of life that will bring us fulfillment.  Not the moments most people scrapbook or document-graduations, special "bdays", etc...but instead the simple little things like having lunch each week w/a friend to share the joys/heartaches of life together, to encourage one another to continue living each moment to the fullest FOR THE LORD, etc...It's the time we take to send a card, email, make a phone call, just to talk about "life", the normal moments that make up each day.  Time is such a precious gift-it is the one gift that resonates with me from my past, present, and future.  Time spent just "being" with someone we love is so important. Not always "literally" being together-sometimes we are with them through emails, phone calls, texts, cards, etc... The reality is that time is fleeting and if we do not redeem the time we have NOW, it could be gone tomorrow.  We are all dying.  From the moment we are born-we all share the same fate-death.  Unless Christ returns before our day of death-we each will face it at a time that only God knows.  Do not take time for granted, it is such a precious gift that could be gone tomorrow.  Truly finding my authentic self has meant coming to the realization that how I use my time is the greatest gift I can ever give to my family, my brethren, my friends, myself, and most importantly my God.  It is a "free" gift in that it is given to each of us just by virtue of waking up to a new day that God has created.  Never assume that this gift is endless and will always be available.  Time is fleeting, the moments are passing as we get closer to eternity.  The question I ask myself each day is "am I using my time to glorify God?"  Glorifying God involves the small choices I make with how I use my time each day.  Am I using my time to know Him more deeply through studying His word so that I may know how to use my time more wisely in ways that truly make an eternal difference?  Am I using God's wisdom to direct my daily activities?  I try to-I am not always successful.  Sometimes I get caught up in details of big life event moments. Then I remember to ask myself-"If I were laying on my death bed, what would be important for me at that moment?  Would this be worth the time I'm giving it or would I desire to go back and use my time differently?"  I truly desire to "live like I am dying" as Tim McGraw so aptly sang in a song a few years ago.  It is the best way to live, the eternal way to live, the most fulfilling way to live.  I want only to have made a difference in the lives of those I know/meet day to day with regard to having them consider their purpose in this life.  Why are you here? What difference are you making? God designed each of us to live for HIM, not for ourselves or the fleeting pleasures of the day.  What is your motivation for living/choosing the activities that make up your daily life?  Mine is simply to bring honor/glory to my Creator-for it is with Him that I will dwell in eternity. 

So, what does living authentically mean for me?  It means putting on the mind of Christ, becoming more like Jesus.  It means choosing to just let a LOT of things "go", not dwelling on them, not allowing them to affect my daily existence.  It means choosing to enjoy my time on this earth by bringing glory to God, because it is a gift that is only available for a short time.  It means truly examining myself each day, growing in the wisdom of God through studying His word so that I may know Him more.  It means saying "I love you and so does God" by not merely words-but more importantly through my actions/behavior/making people a priority to be available to encourage them in the ways of God.  There is a hymn that I am reminded of that sums up my desire to live authentically and the words are as follows:

 "I have one deep supreme desire, that I may be like Jesus.  To this I fervently aspire, that I may be like Jesus.  I want my heart His throne to be, so that a watching world may see.  His likeness shining forth in me, that I may be like Jesus.  He spent His life in doing good, I want to be like Jesus.  My recompense and my reward, that I may be like Jesus.  His spirit fills my hungering soul, His power all my life control.  My deepest prayer, my highest goal, that I may be like Jesus."


There is also a contemporary song that says:

"I don't want to go through the motions, I don't want to live one more day, without Your all consuming, passion inside of me.  I don't want to live my whole life asking, what if I had given everything...instead of going through the motions."
 
I pray that each of us will live each moment of every day with eternity as our focus...living passionately for a God that loves us and desires relationship with us through the precious blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ.