You know when you are little and you want something so badly but you know you will never get it? Perhaps it is a new toy, a puppy or having your birthday party at sea world. You continue to ask… beg…for it over and over again until you have gotten either 1 of 2 results. You either have annoyed the person so much that they have given in and just let you have it. Or you have annoyed that person to the point where you will NEVER get you what you are asking for.
As an adult we continue to do this, maybe not in the same repetitive manor or for the same childhood desires but rather seeking life necessities along with the occasional materialist items. I have recently found myself mentally doing the same thing that I once did as a child. Over and over again I tell myself I want/need this or that. One of the many perks of growing up is you get to be in control of your choices… to a point. You get to live your life and make the arrangements necessary to live it as you want to.
But what happens when you don’t know how to obtain the things in life that you want/need? What happens when the same desires swirl around in your head and you can’t seem to work out any practical way of achieving your goals? Is it time to start fresh and new? Do you seek the advice of a friend? Is there a solution you may have missed? Are there answers?
I wish I could tell you that I have found the solution, but sadly I have not. Unfortunately, as an adult the 2 outcomes that could have applied as a child no longer work when you become an adult. So if you have any words of advice I would love for you to share.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Be strong
"Three in the morning,
And I'm still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I'd say,
If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,
Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I've already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,
Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,
Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say"
That about sums it all up!
And I'm still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I'd say,
If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,
Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I've already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,
Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,
Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say"
That about sums it all up!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
the little things
One thing I used to love are the little things in life. I'm not sure what happened but those little things have slowly become insignificant in my life. And instead of finding joy in them they cause an added stress in my life. Life can be very busy. Social/family expectations mixed in with work expectations make it easy to forget what it is like to take time for the little things.
I thought that I was doing a pretty good job not sweating the little things in my life until I was talking to a friend who made it clear that I am hanging onto things that really don't matter.
As I sat in my living room reflecting I kept thinking, "what happened to getting excited about snow, pretending you are in a make-believe land far far away, or believing in Santa?" As an adult I forgot what it is like to find joy in the little things. Perhaps playing make-believe or believing in Santa is not longer realistic. But, with the fresh snow that came this weekend I suddenly missed building snowmen, sledding, making snow angels, building forts in the snow bank created by the snow plow or catching flakes on my tongue. I forgot about the chore that snow can be. And the "burdons" that come with it like needing to pre-heat your vehicle before driving away. shoveling or icy roads. Instead I was thinking about the joy that something so simple and very much out of my control is. I gladly went outside in the freezing air to shovel the little snow that was resting against my garage. As a child I would have stayed outside in the freezing cold forever. Typically this winter I would go outside for 15 seconds just to travel from my front door to my warm car and whine about getting cold. Today I willingly bundled up and ventured out in the below zero temperatures to enjoy the beautiful weather. And it was wonderfully refreshing!
Working with children can also be refreshing. They look at the world with different eyes. They get excited about things that seem silly to adults. They believe in life with unwavering faith! They don't get worked up about the future and they go with the flow. As I reflect on this I am reminded about a story from the Bible that I loved as a child. Jesus is hanging out with some friends when small children want to come over to him. But his friends ask the children to kindly leave him alone. Obediently they scurry off. In the grown-up eyes of his friends they assume that because he is with grown-ups he wouldn't want to be bothered by children who should be off playing with other children.But Jesus turns and "He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
The child knew that Jesus was special and just wanted to be close to him. He wasn't there to make himself look good or fulfill any expectations. He just wanted to be near Jesus. We are called to live life like a child. Enjoy the little things in life. Play in the snow. Laugh until your stomach hurts. And certainly don't worry about the future, cause it is already planned out for you! There is no greater stress relief for me then to know that I don't need to worry about tomorrow.
Be sure to take time for the little things... they are what truly matter in life!
I thought that I was doing a pretty good job not sweating the little things in my life until I was talking to a friend who made it clear that I am hanging onto things that really don't matter.
As I sat in my living room reflecting I kept thinking, "what happened to getting excited about snow, pretending you are in a make-believe land far far away, or believing in Santa?" As an adult I forgot what it is like to find joy in the little things. Perhaps playing make-believe or believing in Santa is not longer realistic. But, with the fresh snow that came this weekend I suddenly missed building snowmen, sledding, making snow angels, building forts in the snow bank created by the snow plow or catching flakes on my tongue. I forgot about the chore that snow can be. And the "burdons" that come with it like needing to pre-heat your vehicle before driving away. shoveling or icy roads. Instead I was thinking about the joy that something so simple and very much out of my control is. I gladly went outside in the freezing air to shovel the little snow that was resting against my garage. As a child I would have stayed outside in the freezing cold forever. Typically this winter I would go outside for 15 seconds just to travel from my front door to my warm car and whine about getting cold. Today I willingly bundled up and ventured out in the below zero temperatures to enjoy the beautiful weather. And it was wonderfully refreshing!
Working with children can also be refreshing. They look at the world with different eyes. They get excited about things that seem silly to adults. They believe in life with unwavering faith! They don't get worked up about the future and they go with the flow. As I reflect on this I am reminded about a story from the Bible that I loved as a child. Jesus is hanging out with some friends when small children want to come over to him. But his friends ask the children to kindly leave him alone. Obediently they scurry off. In the grown-up eyes of his friends they assume that because he is with grown-ups he wouldn't want to be bothered by children who should be off playing with other children.But Jesus turns and "He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
The child knew that Jesus was special and just wanted to be close to him. He wasn't there to make himself look good or fulfill any expectations. He just wanted to be near Jesus. We are called to live life like a child. Enjoy the little things in life. Play in the snow. Laugh until your stomach hurts. And certainly don't worry about the future, cause it is already planned out for you! There is no greater stress relief for me then to know that I don't need to worry about tomorrow.
Be sure to take time for the little things... they are what truly matter in life!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
"Dance for life."
Let me be the first to say "I Can't Dance." I have no rhythm and can be very uncoordinated. When everyone else goes left, I am 5 steps behind going right. I have recently begun doing exercise videos that incorporate dance into the work out. If I look as awkward as I feel I would be the equivalent to American Idol's William Hung except instead of singing it would be for dance. Even though it is something I find difficult it is something I enjoy doing. However very rarely will I allow anyone to witness my humorous attempt at moving to a beat.
I have been working with my kindergartners to get them to try before they give up. So often they will say "I can't do it" before they even try. That got me thinking that as an adult I am supposed to be positive role model to these kids and many times I have the same mentality as they do. I like to live within my little box. It is safe and warm and contains a nice routine. If something makes me uncomfortable or if I have no control I tend to simply avoid the situation. I allow my feet to get tangled before I even start dancing.
So now along with working on my physical ability to dance to a beat I am also learning how to allow my heart to dance. To follow the plan set for my life by stepping out of my comfort zone and allowing my heart to find the beat. Life is a dance we learn as we go. No one said we have to be good at it. Everyone makes mistakes and gets tangled up at times. But it is what we do and learn from those mistakes that make the difference.
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