I've read and heard the story of Jonah many times since I was a kid. But I read it again today, some of it. A couple of things....
Chapter One speaks about how God gave him a commandment to go to Nineveh to tell them about their sinfulness, and that it was going to be their ruin unless they repented and turned to God.
Jonah immediately said "Hell, no. Not me. I'm not the one for the job." His pride and disbelief caused him to catch the next ship out, and run. Once he boarded the ship, he went down to a lower deck level, crawled up on a bunk, went to sleep, and forgot about the whole thing because he was "safe" and could go about his business.
A couple hours later, he was shaken awake by the captain, telling him that there was an immense storm outside, and that he should get up to the upper deck and pray to his god like the others were doing to help calm the storm.
The crew and the captain didn't know who's god amoung them had caused the storm, so they were all praying to see which god would find mercy on them and relieve the storm. The crew finally cast lots of chance to see who was at fault for the storm - and the lots happened to fall on Jonah. He confessed that it was probably him, as he was on the run from God for a job that he had been called to do, but refused.
The fact that his God could pronounce such command over the seas for one man's guilt caused fright among the men. At first, the crew rowed desperately to get out of the waves and storm, and once they saw that their own efforts were futile, they prayed blindly to Jonah's God for relief. They saw that they needed to rid the ship of the "sin" in order to find peace - so they case Jonah into the sea. The moment that Jonah's body hit the waters and he began to sink, the sea ceased to rage.
This very miracle, prayed out of blind faith by this crew of sailors, caused them to see the power of God, and they were saved with the Lord's grace. They made their sacrifices to God and made vows to His glory.
Amazing how one man's life (Jonah) had such an impact - and he hadn't even fulfilled God's calling yet. He was in the midst of running from his God and his mission, and just his "running" was used for God's glory. The crew dropped their gods to follow Jonah's, even as Jonah was sinking to his death, or what the crew thought, to the bottom of the sea.
Jonah's path was anointed. He just didn't know it. He thought that once he escaped onto the ship that he could go catch a few hours of sleep, forget about his problem and let it pass, and soon he would be somewhere else, and not have to deal with the calling to Nineveh. Plus, what was he going to say when he got there anyway? "Repent or you'll die." They'd think he was a lunatic, right? So he was safe, and he didn't have to look like a lunatic to the people of Nineveh. But the Lord was determined to use him for His glory, for His purpose, for His mission - to save the people of Nineveh. He didn't follow the path that the Lord had for him immediately, but that didn't mean that the Lord left him at any point in his life or his journey. He was with him throughout, on the ship while he was sleeping, and even when he was swallowed by the fish on the way down to the depths of the sea.....
The casting of Jonah (the "sin") overboard is much like confessing sin in our lives - ridding the guilt and cleansing our souls for mercy from the storms that rage in our worlds. God touched these mens' lives with Jonah's sin. In our weakness, God is strong, and he uses all for His glory. If you notice, Jonah was long gone, overboard, before these men confessed their lives to the Lord. Jonah would never know that they were "saved" because of something that he had done. This is much like how we touch people in our lives .... we may never know how our lives impact those around us.
Chapter 2 next..... this book is intriguing to me.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Soon....
I apologize I've been lacking in posts in the last few weeks. I've been so out-of-pocket on life lately. So much going on. I'm anxious to get back to writing!!!!! See you all soon. Thanks for checking in!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Defeat
I'm feeling very defeated today. Mostly defeated as a mom. I can't seem to get my son to be acceptant of new things. Unfortunately he's inherited my father and brother's anxiety of "going new places" or "trying new things."
He's refusing to drink from a sippy cup at 14 months of age. I've tried repeatedly to get him to give it a shot, but he's hooked on his bottle. Advice from some very bitter bitchy moms on babycenter.com chat room say "just don't give him a choice." (What an increase to my feelings of failure as a mom..... that whole chat room experience to seek advice was a nightmare. I was told repeatedly of how he should have been off a bottle 2 months ago and how I'm babying him and that makes me a horrible mom. I mean - what??)
He has never held his own bottle. Well, I take that back - he has ONCE. But he insists that we hold it for him while he drinks. I never fought this because I LOVE sitting down with him at feeding time and snuggling and giving him his bottle. But I've never put his hands on it when he was younger to get him to hold it on his own - I didn't know that I needed to encourage this. So now I have a nightmare on my hands. He will drink from a sippy cup (kind of) but I have to hold it for him. I've tried to put his hands on it while its in his mouth, and done the whole "You're a big boy!" and clap and make big deals - but he gets irrate everytime we work on it. And if I leave him in his chair to play with the bottle and experiment on his own, its not 5 seconds before the bottle is on the floor, or he's turned it upside down and presses the rubber spout all over his tray to make the milk come out everywhere.
RAAAAR! I tried today to just take it away, but my nerves are shot from a bad day with him yesterday. I think I'll wait until my husband can be home with me so we can both enforce the rules. I hope I can count on him to help me..... Lately that's been questionable too. He has so much other stuff to do. This defeat has me feeling so alone in this stupid town. Why can I do this on my own? So many other moms can do it. I think I'll self destruct.
He's refusing to drink from a sippy cup at 14 months of age. I've tried repeatedly to get him to give it a shot, but he's hooked on his bottle. Advice from some very bitter bitchy moms on babycenter.com chat room say "just don't give him a choice." (What an increase to my feelings of failure as a mom..... that whole chat room experience to seek advice was a nightmare. I was told repeatedly of how he should have been off a bottle 2 months ago and how I'm babying him and that makes me a horrible mom. I mean - what??)
He has never held his own bottle. Well, I take that back - he has ONCE. But he insists that we hold it for him while he drinks. I never fought this because I LOVE sitting down with him at feeding time and snuggling and giving him his bottle. But I've never put his hands on it when he was younger to get him to hold it on his own - I didn't know that I needed to encourage this. So now I have a nightmare on my hands. He will drink from a sippy cup (kind of) but I have to hold it for him. I've tried to put his hands on it while its in his mouth, and done the whole "You're a big boy!" and clap and make big deals - but he gets irrate everytime we work on it. And if I leave him in his chair to play with the bottle and experiment on his own, its not 5 seconds before the bottle is on the floor, or he's turned it upside down and presses the rubber spout all over his tray to make the milk come out everywhere.
RAAAAR! I tried today to just take it away, but my nerves are shot from a bad day with him yesterday. I think I'll wait until my husband can be home with me so we can both enforce the rules. I hope I can count on him to help me..... Lately that's been questionable too. He has so much other stuff to do. This defeat has me feeling so alone in this stupid town. Why can I do this on my own? So many other moms can do it. I think I'll self destruct.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Day 6...
I know its been a while since I've posted. I've read chapter 6 twice and was stumped on what to write, honestly. The chapter speaks for itself. We are here on this earth on temporary assignment. Makes sense.
Sure it makes sense - but then, there's the pressure of reality, of getting in tune with this "purpose" we all have.
I was hesitant to write much on this chapter because of its obvious nature, but yesterday, something I read in my local newspaper prompted me to think about it in a way that I have in the past, but now with a reminded and refreshed glance.
Over the weekend, our small community lost yet another 17 year old kid to a car accident. He was a prominent figure in his school and community, and always wore an enormous smile on his face, exuding the essence of human acceptance and love, according the people who commented in the newspaper. My babysitter knew him well, and I asked her about him yesterday when she came over to watch my son for a few hours. She said the exact same thing as the folks in the paper.
What I am reminded of here is how often we lose people "too early" in their lives. Even with the recent loss of celebrity, Heath Ledger, its apparent that whether young or old, we will be called to go home with our Father when He is ready to bring us home.
My freshman and sophomore years in college called for a harsh reality with loss. I lost 2 dear friends (ages 18 and 19) in the winter storm storm 24 car pile up in Kansas City in 2000.
A few months later, lost 3 more friends to a drunk driving accident (ages 20, 20 and 21).
A year later, I lost another close friend to a car accident (and almost lost 2 other very close friends in the process) due to poorly marked roads. He was 21.
Recently, I heard of an ex-boyfriend of mine who was killed in a naval helicopter training exercise off the coast of North Carolina that went wrong. He was only 31.
My dear friend "Bo Nannie" who visits this blog is no stranger to this feeling either, especially in these upcoming months. (Girlfriend, your heart is foremost on my mind!!!!! Lean on me, and lets raise a few glasses in a few weeks! There is reason He needs are closest ones near Him!)
Life is so short. Even when speaking to someone who is 90, they feel as though everything flew by in such a short flicker of time. And this world is truly not our home, but its hard to imagine anything else as home, as this is all we've known - life on this earth. Its difficult to frameset our minds to something greater than what we see in front of us. We have to pray that we can see eternity in the eyes of God.
So life is temporary .... eternal is eternal .... and life is an assignment, a trust, a test. This is heavy weight on little shoulders. The biggest test is to keep our heads in the game, keep our eyes on the prize. I often feel panicked that I'm not going to be around long enough to finish my "job" here on earth. That's so silly because I don't really know what my "job" is, and when the Lord takes me, I will have completed what He's set out for me to do. I know that is a dizzying intellect - but that feeling comes on the strongest when I'm sitting. I can't sit long. I get claustrophobic because I'm not "doing" something. Being a mom has really slowed me down, and that's an adjustment I've had to make. I'm finally coming to grips, and I'm scheduling my day so that I have more time to do things other than "sit around" all day. I've just asked the Lord to help me prioritize my schedule to His schedule. I have to pray this every day...
What are the things that test you the most? What are some things that put a harsh reality on the fact that this is a temporary assignment for you?
Sure it makes sense - but then, there's the pressure of reality, of getting in tune with this "purpose" we all have.
I was hesitant to write much on this chapter because of its obvious nature, but yesterday, something I read in my local newspaper prompted me to think about it in a way that I have in the past, but now with a reminded and refreshed glance.
Over the weekend, our small community lost yet another 17 year old kid to a car accident. He was a prominent figure in his school and community, and always wore an enormous smile on his face, exuding the essence of human acceptance and love, according the people who commented in the newspaper. My babysitter knew him well, and I asked her about him yesterday when she came over to watch my son for a few hours. She said the exact same thing as the folks in the paper.
What I am reminded of here is how often we lose people "too early" in their lives. Even with the recent loss of celebrity, Heath Ledger, its apparent that whether young or old, we will be called to go home with our Father when He is ready to bring us home.
My freshman and sophomore years in college called for a harsh reality with loss. I lost 2 dear friends (ages 18 and 19) in the winter storm storm 24 car pile up in Kansas City in 2000.
A few months later, lost 3 more friends to a drunk driving accident (ages 20, 20 and 21).
A year later, I lost another close friend to a car accident (and almost lost 2 other very close friends in the process) due to poorly marked roads. He was 21.
Recently, I heard of an ex-boyfriend of mine who was killed in a naval helicopter training exercise off the coast of North Carolina that went wrong. He was only 31.
My dear friend "Bo Nannie" who visits this blog is no stranger to this feeling either, especially in these upcoming months. (Girlfriend, your heart is foremost on my mind!!!!! Lean on me, and lets raise a few glasses in a few weeks! There is reason He needs are closest ones near Him!)
Life is so short. Even when speaking to someone who is 90, they feel as though everything flew by in such a short flicker of time. And this world is truly not our home, but its hard to imagine anything else as home, as this is all we've known - life on this earth. Its difficult to frameset our minds to something greater than what we see in front of us. We have to pray that we can see eternity in the eyes of God.
So life is temporary .... eternal is eternal .... and life is an assignment, a trust, a test. This is heavy weight on little shoulders. The biggest test is to keep our heads in the game, keep our eyes on the prize. I often feel panicked that I'm not going to be around long enough to finish my "job" here on earth. That's so silly because I don't really know what my "job" is, and when the Lord takes me, I will have completed what He's set out for me to do. I know that is a dizzying intellect - but that feeling comes on the strongest when I'm sitting. I can't sit long. I get claustrophobic because I'm not "doing" something. Being a mom has really slowed me down, and that's an adjustment I've had to make. I'm finally coming to grips, and I'm scheduling my day so that I have more time to do things other than "sit around" all day. I've just asked the Lord to help me prioritize my schedule to His schedule. I have to pray this every day...
What are the things that test you the most? What are some things that put a harsh reality on the fact that this is a temporary assignment for you?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Postings...
Stay tuned....I will be posting soon. I apologize I take so long in between postings. I hate that, but time runs away from me when I only have so many hours to myself in a day. I've read chapter 6 and I'm mulling it over. More to come VERY soon!!!! Thank you for your patience, and your amazing comments! This blog has been an amazing experience, and I'm enjoying growing with you all!
God bless....
God bless....
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Day 5....
I actually read chapter 5 on Thursday morning, but I've needed a few days to (a) find time to write about it, and (b) gather my thoughts.
Chapter 5 ... visualizing our lives through the eyes of God.
My thoughts may deviate from the point of the chapter, but that's only because of an experience I had on Thursday afternoon that I feel tied into this chapter.
I had a service call appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon from our home alarm company to come out and enter a code into our system. I thought the "need" for someone to come out to our house was odd because I figured it could be as simple as the customer service rep walking me through entering the code myself over the phone. But they insisted someone come out. Little did I know....sometimes (or always??) the Lord makes appointments for you.
Doorbell rang at 2:30 in the afternoon. Surprised me a little because I was supposed to receive a courtesy call prior to the visit to let me know he was on his way. No call, just a ringing doorbell. No problem. Dogs rushed the door to see who the unexpected visitor was. I yelled through the door, asking who it was. "Stephen with _____ Alarm." I opened the door carefully while the dogs pushed their way to him to sniff him out. THey seemed cautious, but not hostile. Good sign, always.
He came inside and nuzzled the dogs, and said not to worry as he has 6 dogs of his own.
He began calling the alarm company, putting our system on "test" until he completed his work. He dug through his paperwork to find the directions to entering the code. "Hmmm," he said, "I think its as simple as entering a code. I hope this trip wasn't an unnecessary charge to you." I replied "I was wondering if I couldn't have done this over the phone. No big deal if that's all it is."
He was young. Maybe 22 or 23 years old. He stood about 5'10'' and maybe 165 lbs. He had short spiky, but stylish black dyed hair. He was handsome in his own way, and very courteous. He smiled shyly. He almost seemed like a "skater" if I can say that, and make sense. I almost expected him to be in pain that he had to wear coveralls and steel toed boots instead of over-sized t-shirt, shorts and Vans shoes.
As he was finishing up his work, he was filling out some final paperwork for the service, I noticed he had a tattoo on the inside of his left wrist. As he was writing, I reached over and gently pushed back his left coverall sleeve. I didn't know how he would take personal contact, so I was cautious. I said "I love your tattoo. The design is incredible."
At the same time, I extended my left arm, pushed back my sleeve, and turned my wrist up, and displayed my tattoo on the inside of my left wrist of a simple Celtic styled cross. "I have something as well in the same place. What does your tattoo represent? Is it symbolic for your faith? or does it have some other sort of meaning??"
The design was obviously of eastern descent. He extended his right wrist at that time and revealed another tattoo. "This one is a Chinese dragon tattoo for love, and my left wrist is a Japanese dragon tattoo for protection. I once had a ______ (I can't remember the word he used, but it was along the line of a prophet...) that said that I have been under a spirit of protection in my life. I should be dead. I should have died many times." He hesitated a moment and looked at my expression to see if cared for him to go on. "I've fallen off buildings, I've had brain surgery, I've been hit by a truck, I've been in fatal car accidents. For some reason, I have been spared, all my life. I'm still around and I'm not really sure why. I know I have a purpose that's greater than I can ever see, and I'm trying to figure it out."
He spoke shyly, as he wasn't sure what my take would be on his statement. I think he didn't want to come on too strong about his beliefs, but I showed him that I was very interested and acceptant.
I mentioned that I had started reading "Purpose Driven Life" and I asked him if he had ever heard of it, or read it. I grabbed the book and set it down in front of him. "I'm really skeptical of books like these." I said. "I am of Christian faith but I'm careful about the books I read, or even way I approach people on it."
"I believe in Christ too," he said, looking down at his feet, as they shifted uncomfortably, "but I've just lost my faith in people. I don't call myself a Christian. I just can't. My grandfather was a fervent Presbyterian minister in one of the top churches in _______ but I saw him live one life away from the church and his family, and live another life when in front of his wife, kids and congregation. My mother went crazy when I was 9, and my father, who was a traveling musician had to come home off the road and rescue me from her. He took me on the road with him, and I saw a life that I should never have seen. I just lost my faith in people as they lived double lives before my eyes. Many say one thing, and live another. Since those days, I haven't lived the most purest life of my own. I've been down so many dark paths. I've lived through it, and now I'm understanding that because I've been spared, I need to seek the bigger picture and get off this track."
"Well..." I said, looking him in the eye, "so many people like you, Stephen, are not as open to a pure polished Christian faith approach. They feel its untouchable and unaccepting of anything they have ever done or anywhere that they have been. I am a Christian, but I am as they are - repellent of fluff and polish, and I haven't lived a pure life either. I don't like to push my faith on anyone. I'd rather just show people through love, and reality. I think that touches people more than a "going to hell in a hand basket" speech. Stephen, you've been spared. You've been through hell. And you still believe. You have a purpose greater than you know - and maybe its just to smile and say hi to someone walking down the street, or give a crying child a hug, or just open the door for someone who needs help. Maybe your purpose is to just 'be' available for God to use your story for those who hurt like you did. You just never know...but stay open. Keep thinking and praying. Its out there. You are definitely called. There is no doubt about that."
After speaking for a few more minutes, he finished up and left. We had made an interesting connection that neither one of us were expecting. He touched my life, and hopefully I was able to touch his. Sometimes you just never know...... He wasn't really supposed to come to my house that day, but for some reason the alarm company screwed up and he did. And maybe he has a different perspective on things. I know I do.
Its hard to understand how God looks at people, and understand that we should try to look through "God's eyes" as if he is looking from our inside out. His Word teaches us how to love and live and that's how we should learn to use his vision. You just never know who you will touch, and how - and you may never even know that you do it. But you will find out in Heaven....those are the rewards of kindness. The Lord pays attention to each one of us - so why should we neglect to concentrate on the importance of others - for example, God knows all our names, so why shouldn't we try to remember the names of the people that we meet? I know its hard, but all we are called to do is to put effort into it, right? To put love and effort into relationships, whether close or not?
Heading back to the chapter..... it asks how you view your life? What metaphor would best encompass your life? This is cliche, I know, but I see mine as a long journey. Everything is taken into account on a journey - the vehicle, the weather, the stops a long the way, the scenery, the hills, the valleys and rough terrain, the people you meet at the different stops.
I understand what the book speaks about when the Lord is silent. I experienced a rough terrained time period like this about 4 years ago. This was oddest time in my life. I don't remember a more "growing" time in my life than the time that the Lord decided to not say one single word for about a year. I didn't know that He was capable of this. I didn't know that He would ever REALLY be silent, and then next thing I knew I was "alone."
I knew He was there with me though - just watching. During that period of time, I was more keen to His spirit presence than ever, but I also had never had a period of time in my life that I made more mistakes than then. I've never been more numb to my mistakes as well, which is why I think I kept making the same horrible mistakes over and over. But He allowed me to sin. He allowed me to keep going. He was silent through the whole thing. I knew that He was there, watching, crying, praying over me, protecting me - but still He never spoke. I knew that I was going to climb out of the valley eventually with a huge burden of sin on my shoulders, but also with a world of experience that He was going to use later. I emerged, heavy laden and shamed at the end of about a year , and when I climbed out, I was greeted by my best friend who became my husband. He told me that if I hadn't have gone through what I did, I wouldn't have been seasoned enough to be his wife. The timing was impeccable, and we fell in love, knowing all the we had been through as individuals, and our faults brought us together, totally accepting and loving and forgiving of each other's pasts. God used that silent time for me to find my lifelong soul mate and husband. And He's still using my past to reach those like Stephen.
I didn't pass the tests of life during the time in my life. I failed consistently. I gave in always. And I shamed myself countless times. But He still used me. He has purpose to each plan. He already knows what path we choose, even before we knew we had paths to be chosen from. And He uses our mistakes for his eternal purpose. I think that's the amazing part about being a fallible human. I can't go back to change my past, and if I could, I wouldn't. I am now able to see my life through the eyes of God, and He's teaching me new perspectives every day.
Chapter 5 ... visualizing our lives through the eyes of God.
My thoughts may deviate from the point of the chapter, but that's only because of an experience I had on Thursday afternoon that I feel tied into this chapter.
I had a service call appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon from our home alarm company to come out and enter a code into our system. I thought the "need" for someone to come out to our house was odd because I figured it could be as simple as the customer service rep walking me through entering the code myself over the phone. But they insisted someone come out. Little did I know....sometimes (or always??) the Lord makes appointments for you.
Doorbell rang at 2:30 in the afternoon. Surprised me a little because I was supposed to receive a courtesy call prior to the visit to let me know he was on his way. No call, just a ringing doorbell. No problem. Dogs rushed the door to see who the unexpected visitor was. I yelled through the door, asking who it was. "Stephen with _____ Alarm." I opened the door carefully while the dogs pushed their way to him to sniff him out. THey seemed cautious, but not hostile. Good sign, always.
He came inside and nuzzled the dogs, and said not to worry as he has 6 dogs of his own.
He began calling the alarm company, putting our system on "test" until he completed his work. He dug through his paperwork to find the directions to entering the code. "Hmmm," he said, "I think its as simple as entering a code. I hope this trip wasn't an unnecessary charge to you." I replied "I was wondering if I couldn't have done this over the phone. No big deal if that's all it is."
He was young. Maybe 22 or 23 years old. He stood about 5'10'' and maybe 165 lbs. He had short spiky, but stylish black dyed hair. He was handsome in his own way, and very courteous. He smiled shyly. He almost seemed like a "skater" if I can say that, and make sense. I almost expected him to be in pain that he had to wear coveralls and steel toed boots instead of over-sized t-shirt, shorts and Vans shoes.
As he was finishing up his work, he was filling out some final paperwork for the service, I noticed he had a tattoo on the inside of his left wrist. As he was writing, I reached over and gently pushed back his left coverall sleeve. I didn't know how he would take personal contact, so I was cautious. I said "I love your tattoo. The design is incredible."
At the same time, I extended my left arm, pushed back my sleeve, and turned my wrist up, and displayed my tattoo on the inside of my left wrist of a simple Celtic styled cross. "I have something as well in the same place. What does your tattoo represent? Is it symbolic for your faith? or does it have some other sort of meaning??"
The design was obviously of eastern descent. He extended his right wrist at that time and revealed another tattoo. "This one is a Chinese dragon tattoo for love, and my left wrist is a Japanese dragon tattoo for protection. I once had a ______ (I can't remember the word he used, but it was along the line of a prophet...) that said that I have been under a spirit of protection in my life. I should be dead. I should have died many times." He hesitated a moment and looked at my expression to see if cared for him to go on. "I've fallen off buildings, I've had brain surgery, I've been hit by a truck, I've been in fatal car accidents. For some reason, I have been spared, all my life. I'm still around and I'm not really sure why. I know I have a purpose that's greater than I can ever see, and I'm trying to figure it out."
He spoke shyly, as he wasn't sure what my take would be on his statement. I think he didn't want to come on too strong about his beliefs, but I showed him that I was very interested and acceptant.
I mentioned that I had started reading "Purpose Driven Life" and I asked him if he had ever heard of it, or read it. I grabbed the book and set it down in front of him. "I'm really skeptical of books like these." I said. "I am of Christian faith but I'm careful about the books I read, or even way I approach people on it."
"I believe in Christ too," he said, looking down at his feet, as they shifted uncomfortably, "but I've just lost my faith in people. I don't call myself a Christian. I just can't. My grandfather was a fervent Presbyterian minister in one of the top churches in _______ but I saw him live one life away from the church and his family, and live another life when in front of his wife, kids and congregation. My mother went crazy when I was 9, and my father, who was a traveling musician had to come home off the road and rescue me from her. He took me on the road with him, and I saw a life that I should never have seen. I just lost my faith in people as they lived double lives before my eyes. Many say one thing, and live another. Since those days, I haven't lived the most purest life of my own. I've been down so many dark paths. I've lived through it, and now I'm understanding that because I've been spared, I need to seek the bigger picture and get off this track."
"Well..." I said, looking him in the eye, "so many people like you, Stephen, are not as open to a pure polished Christian faith approach. They feel its untouchable and unaccepting of anything they have ever done or anywhere that they have been. I am a Christian, but I am as they are - repellent of fluff and polish, and I haven't lived a pure life either. I don't like to push my faith on anyone. I'd rather just show people through love, and reality. I think that touches people more than a "going to hell in a hand basket" speech. Stephen, you've been spared. You've been through hell. And you still believe. You have a purpose greater than you know - and maybe its just to smile and say hi to someone walking down the street, or give a crying child a hug, or just open the door for someone who needs help. Maybe your purpose is to just 'be' available for God to use your story for those who hurt like you did. You just never know...but stay open. Keep thinking and praying. Its out there. You are definitely called. There is no doubt about that."
After speaking for a few more minutes, he finished up and left. We had made an interesting connection that neither one of us were expecting. He touched my life, and hopefully I was able to touch his. Sometimes you just never know...... He wasn't really supposed to come to my house that day, but for some reason the alarm company screwed up and he did. And maybe he has a different perspective on things. I know I do.
Its hard to understand how God looks at people, and understand that we should try to look through "God's eyes" as if he is looking from our inside out. His Word teaches us how to love and live and that's how we should learn to use his vision. You just never know who you will touch, and how - and you may never even know that you do it. But you will find out in Heaven....those are the rewards of kindness. The Lord pays attention to each one of us - so why should we neglect to concentrate on the importance of others - for example, God knows all our names, so why shouldn't we try to remember the names of the people that we meet? I know its hard, but all we are called to do is to put effort into it, right? To put love and effort into relationships, whether close or not?
Heading back to the chapter..... it asks how you view your life? What metaphor would best encompass your life? This is cliche, I know, but I see mine as a long journey. Everything is taken into account on a journey - the vehicle, the weather, the stops a long the way, the scenery, the hills, the valleys and rough terrain, the people you meet at the different stops.
I understand what the book speaks about when the Lord is silent. I experienced a rough terrained time period like this about 4 years ago. This was oddest time in my life. I don't remember a more "growing" time in my life than the time that the Lord decided to not say one single word for about a year. I didn't know that He was capable of this. I didn't know that He would ever REALLY be silent, and then next thing I knew I was "alone."
I knew He was there with me though - just watching. During that period of time, I was more keen to His spirit presence than ever, but I also had never had a period of time in my life that I made more mistakes than then. I've never been more numb to my mistakes as well, which is why I think I kept making the same horrible mistakes over and over. But He allowed me to sin. He allowed me to keep going. He was silent through the whole thing. I knew that He was there, watching, crying, praying over me, protecting me - but still He never spoke. I knew that I was going to climb out of the valley eventually with a huge burden of sin on my shoulders, but also with a world of experience that He was going to use later. I emerged, heavy laden and shamed at the end of about a year , and when I climbed out, I was greeted by my best friend who became my husband. He told me that if I hadn't have gone through what I did, I wouldn't have been seasoned enough to be his wife. The timing was impeccable, and we fell in love, knowing all the we had been through as individuals, and our faults brought us together, totally accepting and loving and forgiving of each other's pasts. God used that silent time for me to find my lifelong soul mate and husband. And He's still using my past to reach those like Stephen.
I didn't pass the tests of life during the time in my life. I failed consistently. I gave in always. And I shamed myself countless times. But He still used me. He has purpose to each plan. He already knows what path we choose, even before we knew we had paths to be chosen from. And He uses our mistakes for his eternal purpose. I think that's the amazing part about being a fallible human. I can't go back to change my past, and if I could, I wouldn't. I am now able to see my life through the eyes of God, and He's teaching me new perspectives every day.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Day 4: Forty Days in the Trenches Taking Grenades
My mind was everywhere today when I read todays chapter on death and thinking eternally.
First of all, the book of Ecclesiaties is one of my all time favorite books in the Bible. ALL TIME. For a believer, its a handbook. For the unbeliever, or the fence rider, its a book that makes you think, and leads you to truth about the true meaning of life here on earth in an "earthly" or "human" sense. Its more human than any other book, in my opinion. There's many books that refer to purpose, but Ecclesiates takes the cake in my opinion.
Anyway, this chapter speaks generally on setting your mind to eternal thinking. IT is important to always think toward eternity with God in heaven.
"How do you imagine heaven," I thought. This has been something on my mind since before I accepted Christ a long long time ago. It still pulls at me to this day.
We are such a vision driven species. We have seen on TV, read in books, heard about near death experiences about the perspective of heaven and its grandeur. The Bible gives us a little taste of it as well. THere is no possible way for us to envision heaven.
I think it is interesting how the Bible refers to the streets of gold and its indescribable beauty. Again, our human attraction to shiny things .... the Lord refers to these attributes in order to peak our interest about the physical riches of His kingdom. But maybe these golden shiny attributes are metaphoric? In a way, I hope so, as we are reminded daily here on earth of how unfulfilling material wealth can be. Or maybe it IS literal. I find that easy to see, yet hard to imagine, if that makes sense.
But the Lord also refers to the extremely eternal aspects of his Heaven - and this is what I feel Heaven's definition would be on earth anyway - is the absence of pain and suffering, and we will be surrounded by loved ones and friends, and we will not want or need for anything. That's heaven to me.
Maybe heaven will be perceived differently by each person?
Imagining heaven is just as crazy as trying to understand God's direction for our lives. We can't perceive His greatness or His possibilities. We can only take in so much at a time. We aren't to know about things until we get there - whether on earth or to Heaven.
Another thing that's hard to do - perceiving when and how we will die. I don't think its death itself that scares me - its when and how. Will I have completed all I need when I pass? Will my family be taken care of? Will my death be tragic or a quiet passing? I can't worry about these things, but its easy to let these things occupy a mind when you see death all around, and we are such "here and now" thinking. The world has our thought processes in such a box these days. its hard to imagine life outside our daily routine. We have our heads down, and we're hustling to make it through the day. Its easy to take our minds off the target of eternal without thinking morbidly instead of joyously. It just takes some readjusting when you find your mind thinking about eternal in black death instead of golden life everlasting.
I hope all this made SOME ounce of sense. I just wrote as I circularly reasoned. ha!
First of all, the book of Ecclesiaties is one of my all time favorite books in the Bible. ALL TIME. For a believer, its a handbook. For the unbeliever, or the fence rider, its a book that makes you think, and leads you to truth about the true meaning of life here on earth in an "earthly" or "human" sense. Its more human than any other book, in my opinion. There's many books that refer to purpose, but Ecclesiates takes the cake in my opinion.
Anyway, this chapter speaks generally on setting your mind to eternal thinking. IT is important to always think toward eternity with God in heaven.
"How do you imagine heaven," I thought. This has been something on my mind since before I accepted Christ a long long time ago. It still pulls at me to this day.
We are such a vision driven species. We have seen on TV, read in books, heard about near death experiences about the perspective of heaven and its grandeur. The Bible gives us a little taste of it as well. THere is no possible way for us to envision heaven.
I think it is interesting how the Bible refers to the streets of gold and its indescribable beauty. Again, our human attraction to shiny things .... the Lord refers to these attributes in order to peak our interest about the physical riches of His kingdom. But maybe these golden shiny attributes are metaphoric? In a way, I hope so, as we are reminded daily here on earth of how unfulfilling material wealth can be. Or maybe it IS literal. I find that easy to see, yet hard to imagine, if that makes sense.
But the Lord also refers to the extremely eternal aspects of his Heaven - and this is what I feel Heaven's definition would be on earth anyway - is the absence of pain and suffering, and we will be surrounded by loved ones and friends, and we will not want or need for anything. That's heaven to me.
Maybe heaven will be perceived differently by each person?
Imagining heaven is just as crazy as trying to understand God's direction for our lives. We can't perceive His greatness or His possibilities. We can only take in so much at a time. We aren't to know about things until we get there - whether on earth or to Heaven.
Another thing that's hard to do - perceiving when and how we will die. I don't think its death itself that scares me - its when and how. Will I have completed all I need when I pass? Will my family be taken care of? Will my death be tragic or a quiet passing? I can't worry about these things, but its easy to let these things occupy a mind when you see death all around, and we are such "here and now" thinking. The world has our thought processes in such a box these days. its hard to imagine life outside our daily routine. We have our heads down, and we're hustling to make it through the day. Its easy to take our minds off the target of eternal without thinking morbidly instead of joyously. It just takes some readjusting when you find your mind thinking about eternal in black death instead of golden life everlasting.
I hope all this made SOME ounce of sense. I just wrote as I circularly reasoned. ha!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Today's Drive, Classified as Anger
I know and acknowledge that I'm driven by anger, and injustice.
I just wrote 4 full paragraphs of why this is on my mind today, and what inspired me to write about it so fervently, and then I deleted it. It wasn't right to write it, and post it. It was more of a bitch session than something that could help someone else.
In a nutshell, my husband just made me mad. Really mad. Insulted me. And I'm mad as a raging bull.
When I am driven by anger, I notice how I morph into Stone Cold Steve Austin and, in a tornadic swirl, I develop this anti-world attitude, telling each issue to just kiss my ass - I am woman, and I'm stronger than what just leveled me, and NOBODY has a right to mess with my right to respect, and damn them if I become less-than-a-no-nonsense, soft hearted person again. I began tearing through my physical world around me - picking up toys, doing dishes, folding clothes, making my house spotless, organizing my office, replying to emails I've been putting off, answering the phone in a sterner tone - things of the such. I "clean up" my world, and beat myself up for being any less than perfect, and subconsciously tangle with potential that I deserved to be talked down to, or insulted. This lasts for a few hours, until every muscle in my body loosens up, or I can get my aggression out by exercise (the latter is the best....helps the aggression go away faster).
Does this make sense? Does anyone else do this, or something similar to this? I've always been this way. Always.
I believe they call this the "fight or flight" philosophy.
I don't know what to do about this. My anger gets the best of me. I've never heard myself yell at him like I just did a second ago. Without going into detail, it has been a long time coming. We argue about the same issue about once a week, but my voice keeps getting louder, until today I erupted. For some reason he doesn't hear me. Maybe he did today. We've been "off" lately on communication, so that doesn't help the situation. Just fuels it worse.
I'm going to go clean up my office until I figure out how to handle this a different way......
I just wrote 4 full paragraphs of why this is on my mind today, and what inspired me to write about it so fervently, and then I deleted it. It wasn't right to write it, and post it. It was more of a bitch session than something that could help someone else.
In a nutshell, my husband just made me mad. Really mad. Insulted me. And I'm mad as a raging bull.
When I am driven by anger, I notice how I morph into Stone Cold Steve Austin and, in a tornadic swirl, I develop this anti-world attitude, telling each issue to just kiss my ass - I am woman, and I'm stronger than what just leveled me, and NOBODY has a right to mess with my right to respect, and damn them if I become less-than-a-no-nonsense, soft hearted person again. I began tearing through my physical world around me - picking up toys, doing dishes, folding clothes, making my house spotless, organizing my office, replying to emails I've been putting off, answering the phone in a sterner tone - things of the such. I "clean up" my world, and beat myself up for being any less than perfect, and subconsciously tangle with potential that I deserved to be talked down to, or insulted. This lasts for a few hours, until every muscle in my body loosens up, or I can get my aggression out by exercise (the latter is the best....helps the aggression go away faster).
Does this make sense? Does anyone else do this, or something similar to this? I've always been this way. Always.
I believe they call this the "fight or flight" philosophy.
I don't know what to do about this. My anger gets the best of me. I've never heard myself yell at him like I just did a second ago. Without going into detail, it has been a long time coming. We argue about the same issue about once a week, but my voice keeps getting louder, until today I erupted. For some reason he doesn't hear me. Maybe he did today. We've been "off" lately on communication, so that doesn't help the situation. Just fuels it worse.
I'm going to go clean up my office until I figure out how to handle this a different way......
Sunday, January 13, 2008
"Thank you, God. Amen."
My son ... he is 13 and a half months, and he can say "God" and "Thank you" and "Amen." He hasn't put them all in the same sentence yet, but I hope we can soon. It will be the most precious thing in the world........
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Day 3: Forty Days in the Trenches Taking Grenades
The things that drive a life, a purpose....
Lately, I've struggled with finding what drives me. I'm getting closer, I think, to understanding. Maybe I'm already there. For the last year, almost, the temperature gauge on asking the question of my purpose went from lukewarm to red hot. Becoming a new mom last year, it was obvious that was one of my "new" purposes, next to being a wife, and a manager of our business. Once the business thing started to head south, I became questionable of my whole entire purpose altogether - which leads me to believe I held a lot of stock in my career.
I don't miss the business that we were in. I miss many aspects of it - but the things I miss are things that drive a human ego - such as the relationships with celebrities, going to posh parties, "moving up" the music business ladder (of which women didn't really move up, unless you were almost "too old" and bitter, and well, frankly, "bitchy," but I was determined NOT to be one of those women.). I don't need those things - and frankly, once I had those things, or experienced a little bit, I wanted more. But honestly, I'll say that those things were a lot more fun when I was single too - I'm not single anymore, and I don't really "care" about those things. In my soul, I never really "cared" for them, and I'm glad I'm not around it anymore to create a "care" for it. Its only my ego that misses them. Moving forward...
So our business closed up, and my husband took another job in another state, but only 4 hours from our previous place of residence. So we moved. My son was 7 months old. Husband started his new job, and I was left at the house with my son, and a bunch of boxes to unpack. Once all was unpacked ..... then what? I found myself as a mom - which i was before, of course, but now REALLY a mom (with no day time assistance with the little man), and worst of all - no "job." I was no longer economically making my way in the world and climbing a competitive ladder, and most likely, I would never make an impact in the business world. "Me? Jobless? While my husband has something that gives HIM personal gratification and sense of accomplishment? I need that feeling too, that I'm 'doing' something!" I melted down.
Post partum, I thought. And I think I was right. I sought help, and a mild med to make me functional throughout the day - which I had become nearly disfunctional and unfunctional with my available time to do "something."
All the while I was thinking all of this, I still had it in my heart that "C'mon. You've been in WORSE situations before. More hopeless situations. Darker holes. The Lord has NEVER let you down, and has always proven He has a bigger purpose for you than what you were experiencing at the time, AND what you could EVER dream. Don't sell out to these feelings." The tug was unbelievable, but I just couldn't get right.
I obviously had my sights driven in the wrong areas. I still get pings and stabs of "well.....what are YOUUUU doing? Don't you want to do SOMETHING else other than sit around this house? What will be YOUR contribution to family and life once he goes to school?"
I have dreams. I have things I would like to do. I'm not competitive in a great sense. I am creative though. I've been asking myself "What are my gifts and talents?"
I've had some very rough spots, but I'm finally ok with my current situation with my son. I am his mom, and the more he grows, and the faster he learns, the more I see my role in his development. Before, I felt meaningless in a way. He's almost 14 months and he's a sponge - he's picking up a new word or two every day. Disciplinary action is needed more these days, and he's showing more dependence upon me than ever. His eating habits are changing, and his play intensity is growing. He's never not interactive. We play games, we go for walks, we go to the store (and learn items and colors, and talk to people), we sing, we count, we tickle, we snuggle, we exercise.... he needs me, and I see it.
Anyway - my gifts and talents .... Its hard sometimes to pin down your own, so I asked my husband. These were his answers off the top of his head:
Talents: writing
work ethic
naturally musical
artistic minded
running
Gifts: kindness
love
giving
sincere / unsuperficial
I don't know if he'll mention any others later, but these are what I begin to pray over. I have fear of my talents. I've never believed anyone's opinion of my talents if remarks were positive. I've never wanted to be the fool, believing I had a "talent" that was praised in front of a false smile. When I ask for real honesty regarding some of my talents, I don't get straight answers. Therefore, I fear to step out in boldness to put my talents to good use. For example, I sing. I have since I was a little girl. But I can't get a straight answer out of someone telling me if I'm any good or not. I know that sounds funny.... My feelings wouldn't be hurt because all I care about is "knowing."
My prayer is that I will finally understand my true list of gifts and talents, and that I will recognize what actually drives me - if its good or bad. If its negative, I need to make it right.
Lately, I've struggled with finding what drives me. I'm getting closer, I think, to understanding. Maybe I'm already there. For the last year, almost, the temperature gauge on asking the question of my purpose went from lukewarm to red hot. Becoming a new mom last year, it was obvious that was one of my "new" purposes, next to being a wife, and a manager of our business. Once the business thing started to head south, I became questionable of my whole entire purpose altogether - which leads me to believe I held a lot of stock in my career.
I don't miss the business that we were in. I miss many aspects of it - but the things I miss are things that drive a human ego - such as the relationships with celebrities, going to posh parties, "moving up" the music business ladder (of which women didn't really move up, unless you were almost "too old" and bitter, and well, frankly, "bitchy," but I was determined NOT to be one of those women.). I don't need those things - and frankly, once I had those things, or experienced a little bit, I wanted more. But honestly, I'll say that those things were a lot more fun when I was single too - I'm not single anymore, and I don't really "care" about those things. In my soul, I never really "cared" for them, and I'm glad I'm not around it anymore to create a "care" for it. Its only my ego that misses them. Moving forward...
So our business closed up, and my husband took another job in another state, but only 4 hours from our previous place of residence. So we moved. My son was 7 months old. Husband started his new job, and I was left at the house with my son, and a bunch of boxes to unpack. Once all was unpacked ..... then what? I found myself as a mom - which i was before, of course, but now REALLY a mom (with no day time assistance with the little man), and worst of all - no "job." I was no longer economically making my way in the world and climbing a competitive ladder, and most likely, I would never make an impact in the business world. "Me? Jobless? While my husband has something that gives HIM personal gratification and sense of accomplishment? I need that feeling too, that I'm 'doing' something!" I melted down.
Post partum, I thought. And I think I was right. I sought help, and a mild med to make me functional throughout the day - which I had become nearly disfunctional and unfunctional with my available time to do "something."
All the while I was thinking all of this, I still had it in my heart that "C'mon. You've been in WORSE situations before. More hopeless situations. Darker holes. The Lord has NEVER let you down, and has always proven He has a bigger purpose for you than what you were experiencing at the time, AND what you could EVER dream. Don't sell out to these feelings." The tug was unbelievable, but I just couldn't get right.
I obviously had my sights driven in the wrong areas. I still get pings and stabs of "well.....what are YOUUUU doing? Don't you want to do SOMETHING else other than sit around this house? What will be YOUR contribution to family and life once he goes to school?"
I have dreams. I have things I would like to do. I'm not competitive in a great sense. I am creative though. I've been asking myself "What are my gifts and talents?"
I've had some very rough spots, but I'm finally ok with my current situation with my son. I am his mom, and the more he grows, and the faster he learns, the more I see my role in his development. Before, I felt meaningless in a way. He's almost 14 months and he's a sponge - he's picking up a new word or two every day. Disciplinary action is needed more these days, and he's showing more dependence upon me than ever. His eating habits are changing, and his play intensity is growing. He's never not interactive. We play games, we go for walks, we go to the store (and learn items and colors, and talk to people), we sing, we count, we tickle, we snuggle, we exercise.... he needs me, and I see it.
Anyway - my gifts and talents .... Its hard sometimes to pin down your own, so I asked my husband. These were his answers off the top of his head:
Talents: writing
work ethic
naturally musical
artistic minded
running
Gifts: kindness
love
giving
sincere / unsuperficial
I don't know if he'll mention any others later, but these are what I begin to pray over. I have fear of my talents. I've never believed anyone's opinion of my talents if remarks were positive. I've never wanted to be the fool, believing I had a "talent" that was praised in front of a false smile. When I ask for real honesty regarding some of my talents, I don't get straight answers. Therefore, I fear to step out in boldness to put my talents to good use. For example, I sing. I have since I was a little girl. But I can't get a straight answer out of someone telling me if I'm any good or not. I know that sounds funny.... My feelings wouldn't be hurt because all I care about is "knowing."
My prayer is that I will finally understand my true list of gifts and talents, and that I will recognize what actually drives me - if its good or bad. If its negative, I need to make it right.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Day 2: Forty Days in the Trenches Taking Grenades
Well, obviously I'm not doing this study every day, on the day. I'm skipping a few days in between, simply because I just don't have time every day to sit and do this. I wish I did. And I DO have time to read it, just not always time to write. I may combine days - I dunno.
Chapter 2 - I'm not an accident.
I know. I've never believed that I was an accident, or that I didn't have a purpose on this earth. In fact, I've always known that I've had a great purpose. I've never known what the purpose was - nor will I really ever "know" I don't think. But that's not for me to know......
Chapter 2 - I'm not an accident.
I know. I've never believed that I was an accident, or that I didn't have a purpose on this earth. In fact, I've always known that I've had a great purpose. I've never known what the purpose was - nor will I really ever "know" I don't think. But that's not for me to know......
Feeling Human Again
I apologize for disappearing for a few days. After Christmas, my family and I have struggled to fight off colds and flu, and in the last few days, my cold has knocked me straight on my rear end. Last night was the worst. I hardly slept at all with loads of congestion in my head. I had to take 2 sudafeds to feel somewhat better - but even at that, it dried up everything BUT my nose and sinuses. I woke this morning feeling like hell, and wondering if I should even come within feet of my son, but my husband had more to do today that most days, so I had to suck it up. I convinced him to visit the drug store for some DayQuil for me before he went to work. He's a wonder - he did THAT, as well as fed the little man AND bought me breakfast.
I can tell you that DayQuil is my new friend. NyQuil will be my friend tonight. I'm feeling somewhat human again after taking DQ. I was at least able to wash my face and put make up on. I haven't done that for days now, nor have I left the house. I haven't really wanted to, honestly, just feeling so crappy.
Anyway, I think I'm "back." I finished the Secret Life of Bees the other night. Great story. I loved it. I've skimmed Chapter 2 of Purpose Driven Life. I need to go back over it - but honestly I don't think I have much to say about it, so I may combine chapter 2 and 3 in my next post. I will as soon as possible. I'm still not 100% yet, so it may take me another few days to get back on track.
I can tell you that DayQuil is my new friend. NyQuil will be my friend tonight. I'm feeling somewhat human again after taking DQ. I was at least able to wash my face and put make up on. I haven't done that for days now, nor have I left the house. I haven't really wanted to, honestly, just feeling so crappy.
Anyway, I think I'm "back." I finished the Secret Life of Bees the other night. Great story. I loved it. I've skimmed Chapter 2 of Purpose Driven Life. I need to go back over it - but honestly I don't think I have much to say about it, so I may combine chapter 2 and 3 in my next post. I will as soon as possible. I'm still not 100% yet, so it may take me another few days to get back on track.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Houses as reflections of soul
I'm up late tonight laying in bed, and I just remembered a dream that I had last night.
The dream was concerning a house that I used to live next door to in my old hometown that is 10 hours away from where I live now. This house was an old stucco styled, two-story home. When we moved in next door into the house that we built, there was a lady named Mary who passed away about 5 years later, and I was 10 or so. Several families have come and gone, different owners have occupied the home, but its always seemed to be "old." In fact, my mom and dad lived there when my brother was born, before they moved to town about a year before I was born.
Anyway, in this dream, it was snowing, heavily. I was going out to my mailbox to put Christmas gifts inside. I had a whole sled full of packages and the snow was blowing so hard. I made it to the end of my driveway with the packages, and I noticed a young woman walking over to me from the stucco home. It was probably around 7 o'clock in the evening and the moon was out and full (odd, because it was in the middle of a snow storm). She came over and invited me to come to the house to meet her mother and sister, of whom she lived with, and also to see how it looked inside, as the previous owner had done some spectacular renovations. I agreed and followed her over.
We walked inside and the home was a mansion, unlike what I've ever known the home to be - which was small, old, nearly dangerous to be inside with old paint and gas heating. There were rooms I had never known to exist inside, as well as a completely redone kitchen. There were now 3 stories, instead of two. It literally resembled that of a Aspen Colorado cabin of grandeur.
I met the young ladies mother and sister. They lived there together. I don't remember their names, but I do remember that they were beautiful. They didn't resemble each other at all, seemingly.
They took me on a tour of the home. More changes before my eyes. A grand atrium in the middle of the home that all the rooms surrounded. Everything was a deep rich pine wood from the floor, to the walls, to the support posts, to the ceiling. It was a decorative wood style as well - slats of wood placed strategically in perfectly symmetrical patterns and shapes. Past the 3rd floor was an attic that the women raved about. It was only half finished, but they didn't seem to mind - but they went on and on about the treasures that they were finding between the cracks of wood floor paneling in the attic - things that were from a different era of time, which gave them an adventuristic desire to learn about who had lived in the house in the past. They led me up to the attic, and I was surprised to see that this is where the renovations had abruptly stopped. It looked as though they started to refinish the attic area, but then were interrupted. Half way up the stairs, the wood slat-work stopped, and the drywall began, and the stairs were all of a sudden old again and creaky, old planks that felt as though they could give out at any moment. The attic smelled of old must, and I could see partially planked walk areas, lit only by the reflection of the light from below off the ceiling of the attic. The attic only went as far back as I would imagine the "normal size" of the house to be, not this "new" size that the house seemed to have grown into.
I ran my fingers through the cracks of the wooden planks where I traced gaps and holes with my tips. I found a few little pieces of paper that had my mother's aunt's name on them. This confused me, as my mom's aunt had never lived in this house before. Confused, I turned and asked the mother how much she bought the house for. She replied "Only $147,000. It was an absolute STEAL."
We climbed back down from the attic, and went all the way back to the kitchen on the main floor, and chatted around the huge marble island . We discussed the previous owner and what he looked like (tall, with a full head of dark hair and a dark mustache - a very pronounced looking man in his late 40's or early 50's).
Then my dream was over.
I'm not sure what this dream means.
The night before I had a dream about jumping in the "S" river that is just down the hill from my home 10 hours away from here. I don't remember WHY I jumped in - I think I was running from someone. I jumped into a canoe, but the dam didn't exist in my dream, and the water was flowing the opposite way than normal. I floated past a few other boats of fishermen, or people of "interesting" nature (meaning I didnt' quite catch what they were doing, who they were, or why they were there), and also people on shabby man made rafts put together out of tree trunks. I also passed some cows wading in the river as well. I remember thinking that it must be a season of drought because otherwise the cows would be swept away in an instant. Before I reached the 1st bridge, I knew that I needed to jump out of my canoe and swim ashore because after the second bridge, there would be no hope for me to be able to swim ashore as the current would increase dramatically, and there would be no shore to grab onto. Then the dream ended.
- - - - - - - - - -
Last night's dream - I'm too tired now to try to analize, but I'm up writing about it because (1) I didn't want to forget it, and (2) I've really been thinking about houses a lot lately. I know that sounds really funny. Not thinking about houses in the sense that I want to purchase one (although that topic will be coming up sooner than later in my life in the next few months), but more or less about the "life" with in a house - the physical structure of a house.
Have you ever noticed how a house has life only when life is within? If the life within moves out, the house is empty in more ways than just physically being empty. And also, it doesnt' really even matter if someone moves out - it can be if a person goes away for 6 months or any period of time, and there is someone to keep the grounds, the house seems to slump in dismay.
I've noticed this before over the course of time, but I really started to think about it over Christmas when I went running past a house that we were going to purchase in my husband's hometown a few months back before the Lord took us to a different town. The house hadn't been lived in for a few months yet it was dark and dismay and simply empty. No life whatsoever. Since we've moved to our current place, with in the last 6 months, a new family has purchased the home, and when I ran by, I noticed that not one physical thing had changed about the house, except for it had a glow about it. Even the roof line seemed to not slump any longer. There was life and light and joy exuding from the windows. It was the oddest thing. Could it be possible that homes have "souls" as well? Or are they just metaphors of our souls when we have life and light and joy within? Maybe both? I don't know...... Thoughts?
I suppose I should go to bed now and let these crazy thoughts subside. I'm sure I'll have more dreams to discuss soon.....
The dream was concerning a house that I used to live next door to in my old hometown that is 10 hours away from where I live now. This house was an old stucco styled, two-story home. When we moved in next door into the house that we built, there was a lady named Mary who passed away about 5 years later, and I was 10 or so. Several families have come and gone, different owners have occupied the home, but its always seemed to be "old." In fact, my mom and dad lived there when my brother was born, before they moved to town about a year before I was born.
Anyway, in this dream, it was snowing, heavily. I was going out to my mailbox to put Christmas gifts inside. I had a whole sled full of packages and the snow was blowing so hard. I made it to the end of my driveway with the packages, and I noticed a young woman walking over to me from the stucco home. It was probably around 7 o'clock in the evening and the moon was out and full (odd, because it was in the middle of a snow storm). She came over and invited me to come to the house to meet her mother and sister, of whom she lived with, and also to see how it looked inside, as the previous owner had done some spectacular renovations. I agreed and followed her over.
We walked inside and the home was a mansion, unlike what I've ever known the home to be - which was small, old, nearly dangerous to be inside with old paint and gas heating. There were rooms I had never known to exist inside, as well as a completely redone kitchen. There were now 3 stories, instead of two. It literally resembled that of a Aspen Colorado cabin of grandeur.
I met the young ladies mother and sister. They lived there together. I don't remember their names, but I do remember that they were beautiful. They didn't resemble each other at all, seemingly.
They took me on a tour of the home. More changes before my eyes. A grand atrium in the middle of the home that all the rooms surrounded. Everything was a deep rich pine wood from the floor, to the walls, to the support posts, to the ceiling. It was a decorative wood style as well - slats of wood placed strategically in perfectly symmetrical patterns and shapes. Past the 3rd floor was an attic that the women raved about. It was only half finished, but they didn't seem to mind - but they went on and on about the treasures that they were finding between the cracks of wood floor paneling in the attic - things that were from a different era of time, which gave them an adventuristic desire to learn about who had lived in the house in the past. They led me up to the attic, and I was surprised to see that this is where the renovations had abruptly stopped. It looked as though they started to refinish the attic area, but then were interrupted. Half way up the stairs, the wood slat-work stopped, and the drywall began, and the stairs were all of a sudden old again and creaky, old planks that felt as though they could give out at any moment. The attic smelled of old must, and I could see partially planked walk areas, lit only by the reflection of the light from below off the ceiling of the attic. The attic only went as far back as I would imagine the "normal size" of the house to be, not this "new" size that the house seemed to have grown into.
I ran my fingers through the cracks of the wooden planks where I traced gaps and holes with my tips. I found a few little pieces of paper that had my mother's aunt's name on them. This confused me, as my mom's aunt had never lived in this house before. Confused, I turned and asked the mother how much she bought the house for. She replied "Only $147,000. It was an absolute STEAL."
We climbed back down from the attic, and went all the way back to the kitchen on the main floor, and chatted around the huge marble island . We discussed the previous owner and what he looked like (tall, with a full head of dark hair and a dark mustache - a very pronounced looking man in his late 40's or early 50's).
Then my dream was over.
I'm not sure what this dream means.
The night before I had a dream about jumping in the "S" river that is just down the hill from my home 10 hours away from here. I don't remember WHY I jumped in - I think I was running from someone. I jumped into a canoe, but the dam didn't exist in my dream, and the water was flowing the opposite way than normal. I floated past a few other boats of fishermen, or people of "interesting" nature (meaning I didnt' quite catch what they were doing, who they were, or why they were there), and also people on shabby man made rafts put together out of tree trunks. I also passed some cows wading in the river as well. I remember thinking that it must be a season of drought because otherwise the cows would be swept away in an instant. Before I reached the 1st bridge, I knew that I needed to jump out of my canoe and swim ashore because after the second bridge, there would be no hope for me to be able to swim ashore as the current would increase dramatically, and there would be no shore to grab onto. Then the dream ended.
- - - - - - - - - -
Last night's dream - I'm too tired now to try to analize, but I'm up writing about it because (1) I didn't want to forget it, and (2) I've really been thinking about houses a lot lately. I know that sounds really funny. Not thinking about houses in the sense that I want to purchase one (although that topic will be coming up sooner than later in my life in the next few months), but more or less about the "life" with in a house - the physical structure of a house.
Have you ever noticed how a house has life only when life is within? If the life within moves out, the house is empty in more ways than just physically being empty. And also, it doesnt' really even matter if someone moves out - it can be if a person goes away for 6 months or any period of time, and there is someone to keep the grounds, the house seems to slump in dismay.
I've noticed this before over the course of time, but I really started to think about it over Christmas when I went running past a house that we were going to purchase in my husband's hometown a few months back before the Lord took us to a different town. The house hadn't been lived in for a few months yet it was dark and dismay and simply empty. No life whatsoever. Since we've moved to our current place, with in the last 6 months, a new family has purchased the home, and when I ran by, I noticed that not one physical thing had changed about the house, except for it had a glow about it. Even the roof line seemed to not slump any longer. There was life and light and joy exuding from the windows. It was the oddest thing. Could it be possible that homes have "souls" as well? Or are they just metaphors of our souls when we have life and light and joy within? Maybe both? I don't know...... Thoughts?
I suppose I should go to bed now and let these crazy thoughts subside. I'm sure I'll have more dreams to discuss soon.....
Friday, December 28, 2007
Day 1: forty days in the trenches taking grenades....
The first thing I do when I begin a new book is remove the dust jacket. It simply gets in the way, and I will ruin it before I get to chapter 2, so off it goes.....
The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren: my new adventure in reading. The Secret Life of Bees is still in my reading agenda, as I'm 100 pages out from finishing, but I need to start this new one. I'm still not sold on it, but I'm open minded.
The reason why I'm not in.... I already have a purpose-driven life. My heart is in the right place. I feel that I have a deeper calling to my purpose that I'm saddened to not understand, and I'm frustrated to not see. Such is life, though. I've never been able to see my "purpose" until later, but that's how I've always liked to live my life. I've never wanted to state a claim to future goals and ambitions. I've always wanted to live my life by going into each day with a new beginning, and then turning around at the end of a period of time, or a chapter in life, and observing the path I had just came down. That has been fulfillment to me; that has been what has excited me about life and kept me charged for the next chapter.
But anymore, I find it hard to do. Maybe its because I'm married now; maybe because I'm a mother. I tend to find myself hoping for more predicatability and structure, so as to not inconvenience my child or husband. I know that sounds wierd as they are in this journey with me, and we are on a journey together. As a single person, I wasn't too concerned with where I was going personally because I didn't have any "baggage" (not spoken negatively....only spoken in the terms that I wouldn't inconvenience those on the journey with me). I could go and go and go, and wherever I would end up, that's where I was - good or bad. Now, if bad, that's where I have my child and husband. Its a weird twist. Being new in marriage (almost 3 years) and wanting so badly for it to work forever, I haven't exactly grasped the concept of "togetherness" in its full capacity. I still feel alone, most of the time, on my journey and tend to take for granted that I have a partner in life. I know thats a dizzying intellect, but you'll find that my logic goes in circles sometimes. Just trying to type as I think.... I figure out my theories that way.
I've never felt like my life was my own. That's not negative - its simply truth. I've always believe that my purpose in life was for whatever the Lord has for me. I am His to use, period. Lately, I have struggled with that theory. I still believe it, but my mind and flesh keep tugging at my heart, telling me that my own personal "need" for self-accomplishment is the key to my happiness and fulfillment. Not so, says my heart, but my mind is taking over. This has been the source of my depression for quite a few months. Now that I have a baby, and my time is now diverted to his needs everyday, I have anxiety about the things that I SHOULD be doing instead - and I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm doing what I SHOULD be doing NOW - not what anyone else, or even my mind says that I SHOULD be doing. I'm doing what the Lord has me doing - and that is preparing my son's life for greatness in the Lord. I'm his mother, and there's no other job more noble or fulfilling. Everyday I get a little closer to realization.
So on to the introduction to the first chapter. I'm very impressed with the verse used to introduce the chapter:
Jeremiah 17:7 -8: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose trust is the Lord. For he is like a tree that is planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit."
THIS VERSE is going to go on an index card and taped to my bathroom mirror.
The very first page of the first chapter shares the same views as I have - my life is not my own, and I exist only because its God's will that I exist, and He is my creator.
Interesting .... Warren refers to "self help" books as leading to dead ends. Thank GOD my theory was thwarted there about THIS book. I was under the impression that this was one of THOSE books. He happens to hate those books too. (GOOD BYE to books like "The Secret." BAH!) The focus on "self" is actually the single downfall of man - Adam and Eve believed that they could be their own gods, and focused on saving themselves, and ate the apple. The serpent gave them them "self help" advice. "Eat the apple, and you will be like God." They successfully ate the apple, but then missed the point. They were miserable, and soon were humbled by their focus on self, and ashamed, and therefore began the spiraled downfall of mankind - the focus on "self-fulfillment" and such. Self centered does not constitute a God-centered life, unless YOU are God, and YOU (and I) are (am) not.
Warren mentions that there are 2 ways to discovering God's purpose for your life: SPECULATION and REVELATION.
Speculation is merely guessing. Obviously.
Revelation is asking God to reveal.
God doesn't always reveal in the ways that we feel he should, right? He doesn't just shout it to us, or whisper in our ear what our next move should be. This frustrates us in our day of instant communication. Patience and being still and listening is NOT a waste of our time. I have the hardest time with patience - but this is something I need to realize is part of my purpose. My every move should be based on what God wants me to do, and that I need to take the time to listen to his "voice" in whatever form it may be.
I think the thing that is hardest for us, as human beings, as creatures of GOd, to understand and grasp, is that our purpose is for a far bigger plan than we can ever understand, and than we will ever have the opportunity on this earth to see. We have a selfish desire to "want to know, and know now" what our purpose is, and how we fit the mix, that we often get discouraged, and resort to the self-fulfillment philosophies of life because they are the instant gratifications and immediate happiness, and fill us with pride for our accomplishments. Its time to get over that. And I'm going to work on this.
The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren: my new adventure in reading. The Secret Life of Bees is still in my reading agenda, as I'm 100 pages out from finishing, but I need to start this new one. I'm still not sold on it, but I'm open minded.
The reason why I'm not in.... I already have a purpose-driven life. My heart is in the right place. I feel that I have a deeper calling to my purpose that I'm saddened to not understand, and I'm frustrated to not see. Such is life, though. I've never been able to see my "purpose" until later, but that's how I've always liked to live my life. I've never wanted to state a claim to future goals and ambitions. I've always wanted to live my life by going into each day with a new beginning, and then turning around at the end of a period of time, or a chapter in life, and observing the path I had just came down. That has been fulfillment to me; that has been what has excited me about life and kept me charged for the next chapter.
But anymore, I find it hard to do. Maybe its because I'm married now; maybe because I'm a mother. I tend to find myself hoping for more predicatability and structure, so as to not inconvenience my child or husband. I know that sounds wierd as they are in this journey with me, and we are on a journey together. As a single person, I wasn't too concerned with where I was going personally because I didn't have any "baggage" (not spoken negatively....only spoken in the terms that I wouldn't inconvenience those on the journey with me). I could go and go and go, and wherever I would end up, that's where I was - good or bad. Now, if bad, that's where I have my child and husband. Its a weird twist. Being new in marriage (almost 3 years) and wanting so badly for it to work forever, I haven't exactly grasped the concept of "togetherness" in its full capacity. I still feel alone, most of the time, on my journey and tend to take for granted that I have a partner in life. I know thats a dizzying intellect, but you'll find that my logic goes in circles sometimes. Just trying to type as I think.... I figure out my theories that way.
I've never felt like my life was my own. That's not negative - its simply truth. I've always believe that my purpose in life was for whatever the Lord has for me. I am His to use, period. Lately, I have struggled with that theory. I still believe it, but my mind and flesh keep tugging at my heart, telling me that my own personal "need" for self-accomplishment is the key to my happiness and fulfillment. Not so, says my heart, but my mind is taking over. This has been the source of my depression for quite a few months. Now that I have a baby, and my time is now diverted to his needs everyday, I have anxiety about the things that I SHOULD be doing instead - and I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm doing what I SHOULD be doing NOW - not what anyone else, or even my mind says that I SHOULD be doing. I'm doing what the Lord has me doing - and that is preparing my son's life for greatness in the Lord. I'm his mother, and there's no other job more noble or fulfilling. Everyday I get a little closer to realization.
So on to the introduction to the first chapter. I'm very impressed with the verse used to introduce the chapter:
Jeremiah 17:7 -8: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose trust is the Lord. For he is like a tree that is planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit."
THIS VERSE is going to go on an index card and taped to my bathroom mirror.
The very first page of the first chapter shares the same views as I have - my life is not my own, and I exist only because its God's will that I exist, and He is my creator.
Interesting .... Warren refers to "self help" books as leading to dead ends. Thank GOD my theory was thwarted there about THIS book. I was under the impression that this was one of THOSE books. He happens to hate those books too. (GOOD BYE to books like "The Secret." BAH!) The focus on "self" is actually the single downfall of man - Adam and Eve believed that they could be their own gods, and focused on saving themselves, and ate the apple. The serpent gave them them "self help" advice. "Eat the apple, and you will be like God." They successfully ate the apple, but then missed the point. They were miserable, and soon were humbled by their focus on self, and ashamed, and therefore began the spiraled downfall of mankind - the focus on "self-fulfillment" and such. Self centered does not constitute a God-centered life, unless YOU are God, and YOU (and I) are (am) not.
Warren mentions that there are 2 ways to discovering God's purpose for your life: SPECULATION and REVELATION.
Speculation is merely guessing. Obviously.
Revelation is asking God to reveal.
God doesn't always reveal in the ways that we feel he should, right? He doesn't just shout it to us, or whisper in our ear what our next move should be. This frustrates us in our day of instant communication. Patience and being still and listening is NOT a waste of our time. I have the hardest time with patience - but this is something I need to realize is part of my purpose. My every move should be based on what God wants me to do, and that I need to take the time to listen to his "voice" in whatever form it may be.
I think the thing that is hardest for us, as human beings, as creatures of GOd, to understand and grasp, is that our purpose is for a far bigger plan than we can ever understand, and than we will ever have the opportunity on this earth to see. We have a selfish desire to "want to know, and know now" what our purpose is, and how we fit the mix, that we often get discouraged, and resort to the self-fulfillment philosophies of life because they are the instant gratifications and immediate happiness, and fill us with pride for our accomplishments. Its time to get over that. And I'm going to work on this.
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