Purses and Personalities

As I was going thru the drive-thru of Starbucks today, an interesting thought crossed my mind. I thought of all of the different purses on the market along with the manufacturers, designers, visionaries, and marketing specialists who made their displays possible. Years of research probably went into surveying women on their likes and dislikes and more research probably went into studying behavior and personalities. What if purses really do reflect personalities. Today, I am carrying a shimmery tote. Why was I drawn to this purse? What attributes did it have that were so desirable? Well, I picked a color that would go with basically anything I wear. Does this mean I am practical? I typically wear black, red, gray and different shades of brown. Well, I picked a shimmery gold and this hardly screams practical (although, it was for the holiday season.) The reason for the tote style is so I can throw anything in there and know that I will eventually find what I need. Does this mean I make more work for myself than necessary when I need something? These thoughts just flashed by in an instant, but today I felt the need to write them down. Just think of all of the different types of purses on the market, some are big, some are small, some are square, some are round, some have many pockets, some are simple, some are bright and some are dull, some are cheap, some are expensive. Does the purse you choose depict your preference and personality?

New Year and New Beginnings

I am confident 2012 is going to be a year filled with courage. There are many exciting projects in the works, none of which are for the faint of heart. Lauren and I recently watched the movie We Bought a Zoo and one of my favorite parts of the movie was when the dad was talking to his 14 year old son about courage. He encouraged him to have 20 seconds of courage. My motto for this year is to take even more risks for the Lord in every capacity, whether it be in my relationship to my husband, kids, friends or extended family or whether it be serving and volunteering to advance his kingdom. Out with the old and in with the new sounds so cliche' but it is honestly the way I feel. God's grace will enable a fresh start filled great and mighty works. Courage will be the underlying theme of risk-taking, boldness, and a new sense of purpose. Fear of failure will be conquered, because in failure are the most prized lessons to be learned about others, self and especially our heavenly Father who delights to pick us up when we fall and who is slow to anger and abounding in love. My belief system will stay sustained on the basic principle found in John 20:31 which just so happened to be given to me at the end of 2011. It came framed and is now hanging in my kitchen. It reads "Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." Somehow in 2011, I had gotten off the beaten path to think that everything was on my shoulders. Intellectually, I know that even the government is on my heavenly Father's shoulders, but in my sin, I confess total stress and anxiety about my life in 2011 and trying to get everything I was doing "just right for him." Well, he doesn't necessarily want me to get everything "just right" and certainly delights in my heart's intentions and efforts, therefore, perfection is clearly his alone. He just wants all of my heart to trust him to work all things out exactly the way he has predestined and orchestrated them to be. A new year filled with courage and trust. I am really looking forward to what the Lord has in store for all of us. Believing takes courage! Knowing that courage can come in 20 second spurts, I will be praying for courage to believe, trust and know who is God :)