"Commit to The Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
I went to a 'Storyline' conference in San Diego last weekend. All by myself. It was put on by a few of my VERY FaVOriTe authors. I was the girl sitting in the front row for two days WiDe-EyEd and MesMeRiZed. They spoke of God & Life & Story. I HEARD SO MANY BeAuTiFul THiNgS told by truly BeAUtIFUl peoPLe. They used words like WHeeLHouSe & AgEncy & SubPLoT. They shared personal DrEAMs & PaSsioNs & TrAnSforMaTioNs. They asked lots of brilliant QUeStIoNs. LiKe: What will the world MISS if you don't tell your story? What IS YOuR story? Is it MeAniNgFuL? Do you know WHO you are? Do you know WHAT you want? Can you identify the CONFLICT? What's the PLAN to get there? What are the STAKES? Phew. I know. Deep. SO....If.....I can AnSWeR those questions....I'm LiVInG a GrEAt SToRY. Strong sense of MEaNiNg. Isn't THaT what we're ALL after? A MeAnIngfuL LifE that tells a FAbULouS STORY. I say YES;). I know I am.
EVERy single WoRd said over the weekend (&there were BiLlioNs;) InSpIRed me. SerIouSly. INSPIRED every cell in my body. They SPOkE my language. I've been asking GOD the same question for the past year. HOw do I LiVe a BETtEr STORy? The EXpERiEnCe I'm having in LiFe is My RespOnsibilitY. It's up to me. I get this AWESoMe chance to EdiT my life. CHaNge some thInGs. Re-FraMe. Re-StruCtuRe. Drop & add. Plus...GoD's the BESt STORyTeLLeR. It's the MoST EXCiTinG thought EVER that I am a pArT of HIS BEAUTIFUL OSCAR-WORThY;) STORY. Adventure&Love&Conflict&Transformation. I'm IN. How about YoU? How can YoU LiVe a BETTeR StoRy? Starting today. Let's InSPiRe EaCh OtHeR;).
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Mothering.
"Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the sky." Psalms 36:5
My eNtiRe life CHaNgeD when I became a MOM. It was SHoCKIng. A wild & fierce LoVE took hold of my HEaRt. I still haven't ReCoVeRed. I have a hard time remembering anything before KidS. It's like in the Wizard of Oz when EvERytHinG is in black & white until they FiNaLLy get to OZ and suddenly...BAM!...CoLoR. BRILLiaNt & bEAuTiFuL. ChRySTaL CLaritY. CRAZy LOvE. So SUrPRISING. IT cOmPLetLeY wREcKeD me. For-EVeR. Challenging. Refining. Humbling. Overwhelming me. It's ScARy. It's SaCreD. It's MaGiCAL. It's the BeSt GIfT.
SO.......OvErNigHt.....My TwO little people got BiG. Born & RaiSed. Move to faraway places. Living their OWN liVeS. Making their OWN plans. Dreaming their OWN dreams. Figuring things out. LearNinG BIg lessons. ON. THEIR. OWN. Being their cool grown-up selves. Brave. Resilient. Full of adventure. AND the thing is..actually.....I'm happy to report... I'M FINALLy getting GOOd with NOT being in CHARgE of THEM. NOT knowing their eVErY mOvE. I'm no longer RuNninG The SHoW. Apparently, I'm NoT the BOSS of either one of them AnYmOrE. EvER AGaIN. They're gLaD about it. I'm GLaD about it. (Jeff's really glad about it:) It's Tricky. & Lovely. & a Relief. We're slowly learning a new way of BEING with each other. It feels right & good. Healthy. Grown up & FUn. I SEE my KIdS in a new LIgHt. I REaLLy REaLLy LIKE them. Exactly the WAY they ARe. We're becoming good FRIeNds. I LoVE that;)
This fiERcE kind of LOVE. It's not NEW. It started with God. & His own SON. ThEn. Came to US & OUrS. It's TRUSTWORThY & UNCoNdITIoNAL. SAfE & UnEnDinG. REDEEMInG. TRUE. It's FAiTHFul. EVERyWHERE. In SacRamEnTo. in SaNtA bARbARA. WHERevER my TWO ARE....HE is THERe. HIS FiErCe LOVE keeps THEm. No WoNdErinG. nO WoRRyinG.
Oh. and for the record... MY FiERcE LOVE is NOTHING compared to HIS. yep. HArd to IMaGINE.
But....REALLy ReAlly helpful for a Mama to KNOW. ❤
My eNtiRe life CHaNgeD when I became a MOM. It was SHoCKIng. A wild & fierce LoVE took hold of my HEaRt. I still haven't ReCoVeRed. I have a hard time remembering anything before KidS. It's like in the Wizard of Oz when EvERytHinG is in black & white until they FiNaLLy get to OZ and suddenly...BAM!...CoLoR. BRILLiaNt & bEAuTiFuL. ChRySTaL CLaritY. CRAZy LOvE. So SUrPRISING. IT cOmPLetLeY wREcKeD me. For-EVeR. Challenging. Refining. Humbling. Overwhelming me. It's ScARy. It's SaCreD. It's MaGiCAL. It's the BeSt GIfT.
SO.......OvErNigHt.....My TwO little people got BiG. Born & RaiSed. Move to faraway places. Living their OWN liVeS. Making their OWN plans. Dreaming their OWN dreams. Figuring things out. LearNinG BIg lessons. ON. THEIR. OWN. Being their cool grown-up selves. Brave. Resilient. Full of adventure. AND the thing is..actually.....I'm happy to report... I'M FINALLy getting GOOd with NOT being in CHARgE of THEM. NOT knowing their eVErY mOvE. I'm no longer RuNninG The SHoW. Apparently, I'm NoT the BOSS of either one of them AnYmOrE. EvER AGaIN. They're gLaD about it. I'm GLaD about it. (Jeff's really glad about it:) It's Tricky. & Lovely. & a Relief. We're slowly learning a new way of BEING with each other. It feels right & good. Healthy. Grown up & FUn. I SEE my KIdS in a new LIgHt. I REaLLy REaLLy LIKE them. Exactly the WAY they ARe. We're becoming good FRIeNds. I LoVE that;)
Oh. and for the record... MY FiERcE LOVE is NOTHING compared to HIS. yep. HArd to IMaGINE.
But....REALLy ReAlly helpful for a Mama to KNOW. ❤
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Growing.
".....& to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:19
I love to ShOp. Have I mentioned that yet? If not. I'm gonna tell you now. I'll tell you ALL about it. I think SHOPpInG is SUPER FuN. I wish I could say I was a FrUgAL shopper. You know...the girl who goes to Marshall's. TJ Maxx. Walmart. etc etc etc....Looks for sales. Finds the DEALS..cuts the coupons......but I can't. I don't. I wish I could. I've never been HER. (dang it) Here's the painful TRuTh. I rEaLLy LOVE Nordstrom. Pottery Barn. Target. (Crate&Barrel. Bloomingdales. LULuLemon. etc etc etc..........) A LOt. I know. It's BaD. A little embarrassing really. BuT seriously...have you seen the CUTE STUfF in these places. People. Like. WOW. Especially right NOW. In the SPRINg. Are you kidding me. The new Tory Burch Flats. I could just die. PrEttY ThInGs. NEW ThInGs. Yes. PLEaSe;)) all day.
Shallow. Unspiritual. Superficial. Materialistic. Wasteful. .......I know. I get it. I ReaLizE it ALL. You can't tell me anything that I don't already TELL MYSeLf. Trust me. I'm 51 years old. I've loved JESuS AND SHOppInG (in that order, mostly;) my ENTIrE life. It's not the SHOPpInG that gets in the way so much. It's the SPEnDIng. These places GiVE me CreDit Cards for heavens sakes. Can you believe it? What are they thinking? I am NoT to be trusted with CReDit CArds. I get CARrIED away. I think there is some kind of MaGiC DusT they sprinkle on me when I walk through their doors. ANYWAY......I think you get the picture. Here's the point: I GAVe Up SHOPpInG for LENT. I have a DEbt that I need to pay. My DebT is what has been in the WAY. So. I'm taking care of it. I've actually been taking care of MANY things that have been IN THE WAY. Of LoViNg God. Loving pEoPLe. OF GROWING. OF Being a HEALTHY & HAPPy gIRL. FiLLED UP TO THE FULLeSt MeASuRe. That's my GOAL. FILLed UP With GOOd. with GOD. with LOvE.❤
p.s. BUT if SoMeHoW I ACCIDENTALLY end up at Talulas or The Green Thumb in the next 40 days & you happen to SeE me...point me towards the doors and give me a gentle shove.... I'll thank you later;))
I love to ShOp. Have I mentioned that yet? If not. I'm gonna tell you now. I'll tell you ALL about it. I think SHOPpInG is SUPER FuN. I wish I could say I was a FrUgAL shopper. You know...the girl who goes to Marshall's. TJ Maxx. Walmart. etc etc etc....Looks for sales. Finds the DEALS..cuts the coupons......but I can't. I don't. I wish I could. I've never been HER. (dang it) Here's the painful TRuTh. I rEaLLy LOVE Nordstrom. Pottery Barn. Target. (Crate&Barrel. Bloomingdales. LULuLemon. etc etc etc..........) A LOt. I know. It's BaD. A little embarrassing really. BuT seriously...have you seen the CUTE STUfF in these places. People. Like. WOW. Especially right NOW. In the SPRINg. Are you kidding me. The new Tory Burch Flats. I could just die. PrEttY ThInGs. NEW ThInGs. Yes. PLEaSe;)) all day.
Shallow. Unspiritual. Superficial. Materialistic. Wasteful. .......I know. I get it. I ReaLizE it ALL. You can't tell me anything that I don't already TELL MYSeLf. Trust me. I'm 51 years old. I've loved JESuS AND SHOppInG (in that order, mostly;) my ENTIrE life. It's not the SHOPpInG that gets in the way so much. It's the SPEnDIng. These places GiVE me CreDit Cards for heavens sakes. Can you believe it? What are they thinking? I am NoT to be trusted with CReDit CArds. I get CARrIED away. I think there is some kind of MaGiC DusT they sprinkle on me when I walk through their doors. ANYWAY......I think you get the picture. Here's the point: I GAVe Up SHOPpInG for LENT. I have a DEbt that I need to pay. My DebT is what has been in the WAY. So. I'm taking care of it. I've actually been taking care of MANY things that have been IN THE WAY. Of LoViNg God. Loving pEoPLe. OF GROWING. OF Being a HEALTHY & HAPPy gIRL. FiLLED UP TO THE FULLeSt MeASuRe. That's my GOAL. FILLed UP With GOOd. with GOD. with LOvE.❤
p.s. BUT if SoMeHoW I ACCIDENTALLY end up at Talulas or The Green Thumb in the next 40 days & you happen to SeE me...point me towards the doors and give me a gentle shove.... I'll thank you later;))
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Beauty.
".....her mouth speaks from that which fills her heart." Luke 6:45
ImAGiNe living in a community of people who are beautiful. No. I mean TRULY BEAUTIFUL. People who are transparent. Women who don't gossip. Have no time to judge or CriTiciZE. Girls who have a generous & kind spirit. Ones who are so busy doing good things that they don't have time for nonsense. A place where I am SAFE to tell my secrets & sins & fears & hopes & dreams...laid out...open for all to see. And then sense a collective sigh of relief. Whisperings of me too. me too. yes. meee tooooo. I KNOW. THIS is where true BEAUTY lives. In...honesty. transparency. humility. brokenness. love.
You see. WE ALL have them. Secrets. Sins. Fears. Hopes. Dreams. We do. They're smushed together deep inside. Sometimes smothered by a bunch of other stuff. Hard to get to. Tough to See. Speak. Understand. A little overwhelming. Scary. And so we PREtEND. Hoping they resolve themselves. Go away quietly. Holding our breath. Really really really..hoping....NO ONE finds out. Because you know.....good christian girls are..supposed to be..well.....GOOD. It FEELS as if I'm the only one carrying this load. All this not-so-good. And then..... something unexpected happens. Surprising. Out of the blue. A GOOd christian GiRL shares her secrets. Her sins. Her crap. Her deep down scary stuff. Huh. She's brave. Honest. Open. And BEAUTIFUL. Her story feels a little like mine. Yet. Her HEART speaks LOVE. Healing. Hope. something true. I hear it. I feel it. Her heart is filled with GrAcE. The light ShINeS through her brokenness. aahh. I get it. Grace. It's all GRaCE. beautiful grace.
listen to this. "FRiEndSHiP is born that moment when one person says to another: 'WHAT? you too? i thought i was the OnLy one.'" c.s. lewis. (yep. it's grace;)
ImAGiNe living in a community of people who are beautiful. No. I mean TRULY BEAUTIFUL. People who are transparent. Women who don't gossip. Have no time to judge or CriTiciZE. Girls who have a generous & kind spirit. Ones who are so busy doing good things that they don't have time for nonsense. A place where I am SAFE to tell my secrets & sins & fears & hopes & dreams...laid out...open for all to see. And then sense a collective sigh of relief. Whisperings of me too. me too. yes. meee tooooo. I KNOW. THIS is where true BEAUTY lives. In...honesty. transparency. humility. brokenness. love.
You see. WE ALL have them. Secrets. Sins. Fears. Hopes. Dreams. We do. They're smushed together deep inside. Sometimes smothered by a bunch of other stuff. Hard to get to. Tough to See. Speak. Understand. A little overwhelming. Scary. And so we PREtEND. Hoping they resolve themselves. Go away quietly. Holding our breath. Really really really..hoping....NO ONE finds out. Because you know.....good christian girls are..supposed to be..well.....GOOD. It FEELS as if I'm the only one carrying this load. All this not-so-good. And then..... something unexpected happens. Surprising. Out of the blue. A GOOd christian GiRL shares her secrets. Her sins. Her crap. Her deep down scary stuff. Huh. She's brave. Honest. Open. And BEAUTIFUL. Her story feels a little like mine. Yet. Her HEART speaks LOVE. Healing. Hope. something true. I hear it. I feel it. Her heart is filled with GrAcE. The light ShINeS through her brokenness. aahh. I get it. Grace. It's all GRaCE. beautiful grace.
listen to this. "FRiEndSHiP is born that moment when one person says to another: 'WHAT? you too? i thought i was the OnLy one.'" c.s. lewis. (yep. it's grace;)
Friday, February 15, 2013
L's.
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and it's people are like grasshoppers." Isaiah 40:22
I'm calling this post L's. The letter L. Lots of L's. Loss&Lent&Love. Pretty much sums up whats been happening over here. Lots of all of that. LOTS. My heart is Tender. Repentant. Full. I kinda like how things hit all at once. I know. Weird. But it sure gets my attention. When the waves come and then keep coming....and then hit again.....I'm AWARE of the ONE who keeps me standing. A little salty & sandy. BUt. Still Standing. Hopeful. Breathing. Shakey yet fine. Really very FINE. I get some NEEdEd perspective. And here it is.... I am BUT DUST. A grasshopper. Not that big of a deal. I have a tendency to get carried away. All my GIGANTIC PLANS & ridiculous expectations. hopes. dreams (yada yada)......are really just small & unimportant. Insignificant. You know. i mean...In the BIG picture. There is a REALLy BiG PICTUrE. Massive. God's in charge of it. I'm not. Good to know. Helpful to remember. He's got this.
So...in that light...My vote is that it's not a coincidence that Lent Day & Valentine's Day sit side by side this week. To me they both mean the same thing. This LIFE. At the end of the DAY is ALL aBoUt LOVING GOD & LOvING PEOPle. That's ALL. Every road leads back to THIS. LENT&LOVE. Lent: SToP doing stuff that gets in the way. Love: StARt doing stuff that matters. I'm not kidding. Why do I make things COMpLiCATEd. A BIggEr deal than it is. When it's all rEaLLy SIMpLE. Silly me. Seriously. Come on....How much can GOd expect from a bunch of GrASsHOPPeRs anyway? We're cute but just not that smart;)
I'm calling this post L's. The letter L. Lots of L's. Loss&Lent&Love. Pretty much sums up whats been happening over here. Lots of all of that. LOTS. My heart is Tender. Repentant. Full. I kinda like how things hit all at once. I know. Weird. But it sure gets my attention. When the waves come and then keep coming....and then hit again.....I'm AWARE of the ONE who keeps me standing. A little salty & sandy. BUt. Still Standing. Hopeful. Breathing. Shakey yet fine. Really very FINE. I get some NEEdEd perspective. And here it is.... I am BUT DUST. A grasshopper. Not that big of a deal. I have a tendency to get carried away. All my GIGANTIC PLANS & ridiculous expectations. hopes. dreams (yada yada)......are really just small & unimportant. Insignificant. You know. i mean...In the BIG picture. There is a REALLy BiG PICTUrE. Massive. God's in charge of it. I'm not. Good to know. Helpful to remember. He's got this.
So...in that light...My vote is that it's not a coincidence that Lent Day & Valentine's Day sit side by side this week. To me they both mean the same thing. This LIFE. At the end of the DAY is ALL aBoUt LOVING GOD & LOvING PEOPle. That's ALL. Every road leads back to THIS. LENT&LOVE. Lent: SToP doing stuff that gets in the way. Love: StARt doing stuff that matters. I'm not kidding. Why do I make things COMpLiCATEd. A BIggEr deal than it is. When it's all rEaLLy SIMpLE. Silly me. Seriously. Come on....How much can GOd expect from a bunch of GrASsHOPPeRs anyway? We're cute but just not that smart;)
Monday, February 11, 2013
Grand.
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12
Vivian Olive Kenneth. My Grama. Grams. My GRAND-ma. She was something special. Spectacular, really. No one like her. One of a kind. She passed away last night. Peacefully. Went HOME. She was ready. Well... Kinda. Her mind was still SO SHARP. Amazing. Clear. Strong. Quick. BUT the rest of her....her body...not so much. Her body was Weary. Weak. Frail. She became sad and frustrated. Bed bound. She suffered. It was a struggle to keep a smile on her face and hope in her heart. And so....because of this.....she was ready for HOME. Vivian was not one to WANT to LIvE without a SMILE & a HOPe. She couldn't fake it. She was BORN to LIVE IT UP. To dance & sing & play cards & play piano & swim laps & plant flowers & feed her birds & travel the world. Not one for laying around.
Ninety Four Years of LIFE. 94. That's a lot of living. She had such ZEST for everything FUn. She taught us how to celebrate. Be adventuresome. Spontaneous & SASSY. Even when you get old. ESPECIALLY when you get old;) She was SO FUNNN. Rode waterslides with us in her seventies. Laughing LOUD the whole way down. Always up for a trip. Adventure. Game of cards. Party. LOVED HOLIdAYS. She was a BEAUTY. StYlish. Wore RED & a coiffered Hair-Do. Sold AVON like a champ. Never told a lie. Even if it might spare your feelings. You knew EXACTLY how she felt. About your hair. Your outfit. The gift you bought her. ETC. If she didn't like it. She said. (So FUNNY.) Just layed it all right out in the open. I kinda liked that about her. We got a kick out of her. She got a kick out of life. She's given us such stories. Everyone of them makes us LAUGH. She was a lover of living. She loved her family (us lucky ones) WILdLY & PASsIOnATLy. We're gonna miss her SO. Her spunk. Her sparkle. Her laughter. Her face. She was something special. Someone WORTh REmEMBERInG. SHE was GRAND. ❤
Vivian Olive Kenneth. My Grama. Grams. My GRAND-ma. She was something special. Spectacular, really. No one like her. One of a kind. She passed away last night. Peacefully. Went HOME. She was ready. Well... Kinda. Her mind was still SO SHARP. Amazing. Clear. Strong. Quick. BUT the rest of her....her body...not so much. Her body was Weary. Weak. Frail. She became sad and frustrated. Bed bound. She suffered. It was a struggle to keep a smile on her face and hope in her heart. And so....because of this.....she was ready for HOME. Vivian was not one to WANT to LIvE without a SMILE & a HOPe. She couldn't fake it. She was BORN to LIVE IT UP. To dance & sing & play cards & play piano & swim laps & plant flowers & feed her birds & travel the world. Not one for laying around.
Ninety Four Years of LIFE. 94. That's a lot of living. She had such ZEST for everything FUn. She taught us how to celebrate. Be adventuresome. Spontaneous & SASSY. Even when you get old. ESPECIALLY when you get old;) She was SO FUNNN. Rode waterslides with us in her seventies. Laughing LOUD the whole way down. Always up for a trip. Adventure. Game of cards. Party. LOVED HOLIdAYS. She was a BEAUTY. StYlish. Wore RED & a coiffered Hair-Do. Sold AVON like a champ. Never told a lie. Even if it might spare your feelings. You knew EXACTLY how she felt. About your hair. Your outfit. The gift you bought her. ETC. If she didn't like it. She said. (So FUNNY.) Just layed it all right out in the open. I kinda liked that about her. We got a kick out of her. She got a kick out of life. She's given us such stories. Everyone of them makes us LAUGH. She was a lover of living. She loved her family (us lucky ones) WILdLY & PASsIOnATLy. We're gonna miss her SO. Her spunk. Her sparkle. Her laughter. Her face. She was something special. Someone WORTh REmEMBERInG. SHE was GRAND. ❤
Monday, February 4, 2013
Fearless.
"God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love & of self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7
I'm preparing a talk I'm giving in a couple weeks. At the beginning stages of reading & taking notes. It's about FEAR. How fear robs us of LIfE. How it keeps us STuCK. How it tricks us into thinking we're not GOOD enough. SMART enough. PRETTY enough. JUST NOT ENOUGH. Fear is Slick. Sleezy. Subtle. It doesn't play FAIR. Fear keeps my mind distracted with worry about every POsSIBLE thing that could GO WRONG in my life. Fear disguises itself: It babbles. Is frantic. Comes unglued. Freaks out. Blames. Hides. Makes me insecure. Shallow. Bossy. Restless......Fear keeps me isolated. Small. Bound. Holding my breath.....(and I could go on & on).....I know, huh. It's UGLY. Fear is just ugly. And it WANTS to stay incognito. Unnamed. Hidden. OR it might lose its GRIP. Hmmmm....
Well...... So. That's IT. If I SEE it...RECOGNIZE it...call it out....FEAR just might lose its GRIP on me. Might have to get the heck OUT of my life. Okay then. WHAT EXACTLY am I AFrAID of??? I guess I can begin THERE. A good place to start....& while I'm THERE......I'll take 2 Timothy 1:7 with me....'God has GIVEN ME a spirit of POwER. Of LOvE. Of SELF-Control.' Ha! Take THaT. We DON'T HAVE to be FEaRFUL. Like EVeR. We have a FEARLESS SPIRIT. God has given us His Spirit. He's FEARLESS. Fearless is LOVELY. Breathtaking. Gentle. Peaceful. Graceful. BEAUTIFUL. We're beautiful. We're brave. We CAN do hard things. We're FEARLESS BeAUTIES. You & me.
So FEAR. Here's the THING: I'm breaking up with you. For good. And we are NEVER EVEr EVeR getting back together. Like EVER. ;))
I'm preparing a talk I'm giving in a couple weeks. At the beginning stages of reading & taking notes. It's about FEAR. How fear robs us of LIfE. How it keeps us STuCK. How it tricks us into thinking we're not GOOD enough. SMART enough. PRETTY enough. JUST NOT ENOUGH. Fear is Slick. Sleezy. Subtle. It doesn't play FAIR. Fear keeps my mind distracted with worry about every POsSIBLE thing that could GO WRONG in my life. Fear disguises itself: It babbles. Is frantic. Comes unglued. Freaks out. Blames. Hides. Makes me insecure. Shallow. Bossy. Restless......Fear keeps me isolated. Small. Bound. Holding my breath.....(and I could go on & on).....I know, huh. It's UGLY. Fear is just ugly. And it WANTS to stay incognito. Unnamed. Hidden. OR it might lose its GRIP. Hmmmm....
Well...... So. That's IT. If I SEE it...RECOGNIZE it...call it out....FEAR just might lose its GRIP on me. Might have to get the heck OUT of my life. Okay then. WHAT EXACTLY am I AFrAID of??? I guess I can begin THERE. A good place to start....& while I'm THERE......I'll take 2 Timothy 1:7 with me....'God has GIVEN ME a spirit of POwER. Of LOvE. Of SELF-Control.' Ha! Take THaT. We DON'T HAVE to be FEaRFUL. Like EVeR. We have a FEARLESS SPIRIT. God has given us His Spirit. He's FEARLESS. Fearless is LOVELY. Breathtaking. Gentle. Peaceful. Graceful. BEAUTIFUL. We're beautiful. We're brave. We CAN do hard things. We're FEARLESS BeAUTIES. You & me.
So FEAR. Here's the THING: I'm breaking up with you. For good. And we are NEVER EVEr EVeR getting back together. Like EVER. ;))
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Endings.
"And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..." Ephesians 3:17-18
I need a happy ending. I won't WATCH the show or read the book or go to the movie IF it doesn't end happy. The Brady Bunch was my very favorite TV show. (1970's;)Why? Well, obviously. THE House. THE Parents. THE Kids.......& of course, ALICE. Helloooo. I wanted to LIvE on that show. It was all SO HAPPY. My young & naive self thought that we were getting a glimpse into a real-life family. It was POSSiBLE. Families could actually BE like The Brady's. If EVERyONE just worked together & DID what they were SUPPOSED to do...FOLLOwED THe SCRiPT.....family life would be so EASY....& HAPPY. Conflicts resolved in 1/2 hour. Problem solved. No mess. I LOVED that show. A Happy Ending. Every time. I wish real life were more like that. But ALAS......
Real life is MESSy. People screw up. Relationships are HARd. Not always. But....SOMETIMES. Sometimes people we LOVE hurt us. Sometimes they disappoint. Sometimes they make bad decisions. And...it takes TIME to heal. TIME to work it out. TIME to forgive. To resolve. To pray & get perspective. Sometimes it ends happy. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's just complicated.
That's real life. For EVeRyOnE. No one escapes. So....I DON'T put my hope in my relationships. My HOPE is NOT in my kids. Not in my husband. Not in my family. As much as I LIKE them. I realize we are not a BUnCH of Brady's.
What I DO have my hope in...the SURE THiNG...the one thing that ensures a HAPPY ENDING is the LOVE of JESUS. I understand (grasping a bit of) the depth & width & length & height of this LOVE. THIS LOVE keeps redeeming me. It OVERWHELMs me with HOPe. HOPe for a REaL LiFE HApPy ENDING. The script that has already been written. And this SToRY...my StORY...your StORY...ends WELL. It's a happy ending. Because in the END....LOvE WINS. love always wins:)
I need a happy ending. I won't WATCH the show or read the book or go to the movie IF it doesn't end happy. The Brady Bunch was my very favorite TV show. (1970's;)Why? Well, obviously. THE House. THE Parents. THE Kids.......& of course, ALICE. Helloooo. I wanted to LIvE on that show. It was all SO HAPPY. My young & naive self thought that we were getting a glimpse into a real-life family. It was POSSiBLE. Families could actually BE like The Brady's. If EVERyONE just worked together & DID what they were SUPPOSED to do...FOLLOwED THe SCRiPT.....family life would be so EASY....& HAPPY. Conflicts resolved in 1/2 hour. Problem solved. No mess. I LOVED that show. A Happy Ending. Every time. I wish real life were more like that. But ALAS......
Real life is MESSy. People screw up. Relationships are HARd. Not always. But....SOMETIMES. Sometimes people we LOVE hurt us. Sometimes they disappoint. Sometimes they make bad decisions. And...it takes TIME to heal. TIME to work it out. TIME to forgive. To resolve. To pray & get perspective. Sometimes it ends happy. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's just complicated.
That's real life. For EVeRyOnE. No one escapes. So....I DON'T put my hope in my relationships. My HOPE is NOT in my kids. Not in my husband. Not in my family. As much as I LIKE them. I realize we are not a BUnCH of Brady's.
What I DO have my hope in...the SURE THiNG...the one thing that ensures a HAPPY ENDING is the LOVE of JESUS. I understand (grasping a bit of) the depth & width & length & height of this LOVE. THIS LOVE keeps redeeming me. It OVERWHELMs me with HOPe. HOPe for a REaL LiFE HApPy ENDING. The script that has already been written. And this SToRY...my StORY...your StORY...ends WELL. It's a happy ending. Because in the END....LOvE WINS. love always wins:)
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