weary.

Sometimes life beats me up a bit.  Some things do not come easy.  Some things don't go as planned.  Plans are put on hold.  De-tours are required.  Sometimes I feel wounded, raw, sensitive, bruised, vulnerable...

These are the times I take a break.  I retreat for a few short moments.  Listen to something quiet, Drink something warm, Read something moving.  Then I get back out there.

Because I know these are the times I will be most proud.  These are the times I acted instead of reacted.  These are the times that will shape me to be who I will be am.

and in all things I am grateful.

My prayer

My prayer for you on this fine Tuesday morning:

Ironic.

It's ironic how the source of greatest joy is also the source for greatest suffering...









on repeat today...

Alive.

This morning I read Romans 8-17 and it spoke straight into my heart.  Had to share.  I'm just recapping in my own words.

Paul starts off by saying, If your sinful nature controls you, it will will control you mind, producing negativity, but if the Holy Spirit controls your spirit, than it produces things pleasing to God.  He continues to contrast the two in more depth.  The spirit controlled by the Holy Spirit is light and peaceful, but the spirit controlled by the sinful nature is one of hostility, muck, & general negativity, a heavy blanket.  Then Paul says - but wait! Don't Forget!! You ARE controlled by the Holy Spirit!  Remember, God lives in YOU!  Your spirit is ALIVE!  You don't have to live in the muck, You are FREE!  Don't live like a fearful slave.  Remember who you are - you are a child of God.  He wants you to start living like one - to share in His joy, to live the good life.  This doesn't mean life is easy, but it is indeed good.

This passage just breathed fresh air into my soul.  Lately I have had experiences that I am not proud of.   It is so easy to focus on my failings, my shortcomings, to get bogged down, to wear that heavy blanket.  I think that's one of Satan's tricks, to make the negative so pervasive and so....final.  If we only focus on our shortcomings and the negative, we lose sight of who God is, who we are, and who He has called us to be and the incredible beauty of that entire dynamic.

As I read this passage, I felt like God had pulled away my blinders, allowing me to see the periphery.  Into my soul I heard, "This.  This is who you are because of Me.  So go.  Live. Drink Deeply. & Love Freely."

New Year

I have never been one to make resolutions...they seem too limiting.  And there seems to not be much forgiveness when they aren't met.

What I do believe in is setting intentions.  With intentions, there is a freedom for the intention to be expressed in a multitude of ways.  And there is a playfulness when exploring the different expressions of an intention...

This year's intention is to love.  Intentionally & purposefully...however easy or difficult.  I've realized this last week that I'm really good at loving when it's easy, when I'm joyful, and when people are like me.  I am terrible at loving when it's hard, when I'm frustrated, and when people make poor choices and are different from me.

I know that love is cultivated in my life through praying, stretching, serving, & creating.


Here's to a lovely 2012