Thank you for all your love and prayers since my post yesterday. A day of taking it easy and having an early night was clearly the right move and I am feeling much better this morning.
Better and ready for the week ahead. Highlights for this week include our first meeting with our doula, a Dr's appointment and blood glucose test, brunch date with a friend, signing up for the MOPS program starting this fall at my church, and a large history paper, (other homework is on the list but crossing this essay off the list will be a real highlight!).
I continue to be inspired and challenged by the teaching each week at church and yesterday was no different. In spite of not feeling well I am so glad that I went. Richard continued in his series on the psalms of ascent. The simplified version of what I took to heart was that often in life we have a place in our mind that we want to get to, whether deepening a relationship, overcoming an addiction, changing a habit or learning a skill, we have an end in sight. But the work to get there is hard, and so we allow ourselves to stay content to stay in the place where we sit today. We might even take a few steps towards that goal, but when it gets hard or uncomfortable, we stop, content to stay on a ledge below the summit.
He challenged us that sometimes we want to be somewhere but we don't want to go there. I totally identified with this, anyone else? How many times have I started something only to give up when it got tough. How many things have I mastered to mediocre? Many. How many goal do I set myself but fail to actually make time for in my day? Again, many. This is not the full and abundant life God wants for me.
I have many friends who inspire me for different reason, but during message one in particular came to mind. Her name is Lindsay. Lindsay was our wedding photographer, have you seen our wedding pictures? They are phenomenal because Lindsay took time to pursue her passion and truly perfect her skills. Lindsay is also a sign language interpreter because God gave her a passion for that and so she went to school and got trained to a professional level in that too. She also decided a few years ago that she wanted to start running. So she did. She pushed through the hard initial runs and set a goal of a marathon - years later she has multiple marathons under her belt, as well as triathlons and even a half iron man. She wasn't content to just jog around the park. This is just a small slice of her life, not to brag about her accomplishments but to illustrate the way she lives life. She truly inspires me. Sometimes its easy to let the hard work of life keep us from our goals, but she has a true gift for getting every last drop of juice out of life. I want to be more like her when I grow up!
I am what stops me reaching the mountain tops in my life. I let the journey intimidate me because I am so aware of my own weakness and the places I lack strength, patience, peace, grace...the list could go on and on. It is easy for me to forget that if left to my own devices I would fail because I am lacking in all those areas but I am forgetting that I am not in this alone. God can be my source in all the areas where I am lacking if I just let him. It is his desire that I live fully. In his message, Richard prompted us to pray a prayer of appropriation thanking Him for his provision in the area that we feel lacking. We can trust him to meet our needs. We can trust him to be our guide on this journey of life.
The things that I want to accomplish, overcome, and succeed it are available to me with God by my side. As He shows me the next step along the path and I am obedient to follow his lead I can become all he created me to be. Am I willing to take the steps I need to to reach my goals, or am I content to let the hard, maybe uncomfortable steps prevent me? For too long I have been satisfied with the view from 500 ft below the summit, but I want to change. So, taking one day at a time from today, I am setting out on a new adventure to more fully become who I was created to be.
Glad you are along for the ride. I am sure we will have bumpy days, but I am truly inspired and encouraged to start today with a new perspective and a new energy.
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