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 :)

True Meaning of Life

As I have been reflecting on life, it is imperative and essential to mention there really is no life outside of having a union with Christ. In John 15 it describes the vine and the branches. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. All of life is really about God and everything he has done on our behalf. He enables all of life to work. Jesus laid his life down for us so that we shall live, and when we lay our lives down for him we gain eternal life in him. This begins a new life in him and suddenly life is never really the same again. Each day with him in our heart, he reminds us of his presence in some form. There hasn't been a day that has gone by since becoming a believer that I have not thought of him in some form or fashion within each 24 hour period. He desires our attention. When we are attentive, we get to learn what he has for us and he directs our path according to his will. Over the past 15 years, my life has gradually grown and changed spiritually. Although many days, I still feel challenged with feelings of unworthiness, rejection, shame and guilt, I am reminded in scripture that my sins have been washed clean and forgiven as far as the east is from the west. I have a new life in him worthy of love, acceptance and unconditional love that surpasses all understanding. I am now able to share this generous love I have been so graciously granted. Giving away this free love has brought many friendships and ministries my way and I have found great joy helping and loving others. So life really boils down to love for me. This is why I feel so passionate about Christian education. The more people that come to this realization of sacrifice Christ endured on the cross, the more people will be changed and engage the world for Christ. This gives great hope for a great future when one day there will be no more pain and suffering, no more tears and only great joy with a new heaven and a new earth. This is the true essence of life; living today for a better tomorrow.

Reflections

Being sick this week has afforded me the opportunity to stop and reflect on important questions pertaining to life. What is life? What does it mean? Is life just a series of milestones, work or educational accomplishments, sports, vacations, celebrations, and entertainment? Is life cooking healthy meals for the family and trying to stay physically fit in order to avoid disease? Is life encouraging my children to be their best, study hard and get good grades so they can get into the "right" college to set them up for "a successful future?" Is life just a series of brief joyful experiences or brief sorrows? What drives life and all of the decisions that accompany it? Still reflecting and will post more on this topic.

Courage

Recently, I read Mile Marker 825 by Jason Mirikitani. This book has continued to leave a lasting impression on my heart and mind. There are several intriguing truths and reminders in this book, but one theme that clearly stands out to me is his continued ability to articulate courage. This man in his selflessness and desire to encourage and help others has taken on probably the most difficult task in the world, which is to be completely vulnerable, authentic and real by laying all of his pain and suffering out for the benefit of others. This takes full trust and courage along with complete humility. Humility is a gift from God and Jason actually recognizes this and honors God throughout the book for all the miracles along his journey. He had to rely on truth for survival. The pain and loss he endured is surely next to unbearable, but the strength he draws upon from God is miraculous. He fully trusted even though sometimes he didn't feel God nearby. If there were a category for a spiritual MVP, Jason Mirikitani would be my choice. My life or perspective of justice, fairness and grace will never be the same thanks to this man's courage and selfless desire to see others grow in their faith.

Control

God has control over the entire universe and everything in it. This is a mind blowing concept. Do we really believe it? Well, today I discovered an even more fascinating detail of the car accident on October 15th. While engaged in conversation with the mother of the young man whose car was sitting to the right of mine the day of the accident, she shared her heart with me and proceeded to tell me that weeks prior to the incident her heart was burdened. She brought her cares to a large number of people including close friends and her Bible study group. She said she was very concerned for her son and had specifically asked these people to pray for him. Her heart had been heavy for many weeks. When I shared with her what was laid upon my heart being prompted to pray for protection even a week or more before the accident, it became very clear to me how real the Holy Spirit is and how the Spirit intervenes even before we really know our own needs. This gave my entire body chills all over today several times. This is really refreshing and comforting to think God showered his blessing of protection over both of us and cleared the way for the accident to occur without harm to either one of us. When I received the report back, it clearly defined where each car was located. As she also mentioned today, if I would have pulled to the white line, her son too would have probably been crushed and killed as well. There would have been no way for him to survive with that kind of impact because this car also landed just feet from him (actually next to him, where I was supposed to be.) Her proclamation of thanksgiving went back out to all of those who had prayed for her son with a picture of the accident. I learned in the most miraculous way the power of prayer within the body of believers and how each one mattered for this occasion. My faith has grown today in a different way regarding God's provision for both of us and how it was orchestrated; because even though I realized it was a true miracle; by witnessing all of the debris, car engine and remains of the car, I now realize it was the body of Christ praying beforehand for protection. This gives me complete and utter assurance who is really in control.

Passion

I love English proverbs. My new favorite is "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today." Recently, many thoughts have been entering my mind regarding what I thought could be attained or accomplished by the time I turned 40. With the internet and all of its various sources, skies the limit right? Well, for many years I think assumptions were clearly made in my mind that tomorrow will come and I will have time. My first priority has always been to be here for my children. They come first, and I will have time later to pursue my dreams and passions. My thoughts have been challenged lately, and I am wondering what exactly are my dreams and passion? Do I still have dreams and passion? If so, what are they and how can I seek to fulfill the desires that have been inbedded in my heart? After studying the Bible for close to 15 years, God has made very clear my number one passion is to tell others of his great love for them and to give them hope for a future. At heart, I would love to be a missionary. However, this mindset needs to start in the home and thanks to many amazing women who put value on the role, I have been able to have confidence motherhood is making a difference in their lives and the lives of their friends now and later. I feel that I have set my priorities straight by being here first and foremost for my children to teach them right from wrong and to be servant leaders in every capacity, whether at home or in the classroom or on the field in sports. Looking back over the past 15 years, I really don't really have any regrets. I have been doing what is most valuable and most important - instilling great biblical principles and values in their hearts for kingdom service which is the highest calling and utmost privilege a human being can have. I am delighted to say these years have been the most enriching years of my life, and I am so blessed and fortunate God have me an opportunity to experience motherhood. Hopefully, there will be many possibilities to share stories of the great miracles and testimonies of those who have come to faith and how they have walked despite hardship and challenge.