Chapter 8 a.k.a Why I'm Starting to Rest

I'm ready. 

I have a Starbucks on my desk, chapter 8 of Own Your Life up on my iPad (complete with notes and highlighted text), and just completed my daily devotional.  I'm ready to get back to our bible study and subsequently back to "owning my life".  :)

I'm not sure how Sally does it, but she easily and amazingly hides a meaningful message in every single chapter of your book.  Every.  Single.  Chapter.  The message I overwhelmingly received from Chapter 8 was the importance of rest.  She talks about how choosing to rest both physically and mentally is essential for staying alive spiritually.  Read that a few more times to let it soak in.

Since having my daughter, I haven't had a chance to get reacquainted with my old friend "rest" and my other pal "relaxation".  They have been elusive and at times I feel they are intentionally ignoring me.  Believe me when I say I really, really miss their presence and am just not my sane self without them.  So, needless to say, I subscribe to Sally's theory that rest is important in many different aspects.

She mentions that "...constant activity will slowly undermine our perspective on life and kill our souls.  When we are preoccupied with our work, we almost always exclude the person right in our midst who is hoping for a relationship...".  Message received.  That "person" we are excluding can be anyone:  a friend, spouse, family member, pet, neighbor, etc.  But my interpretation as to who that "person" is in my life is God.

A doer by nature I'm constantly focused on productivity.  How many chores can I get done during these 10 minutes of free time?  How efficiently can I unload this dishwasher?  If I just do a few more things today I won't have to do them tomorrow.  These statements run through my mind on loop every single day.  It seems that my former besties "rest" and "relaxation" have been replaced by new acquaintances "high-capacity" and "high-strung".

And while it's not necessarily a bad thing to want to be productive and hard-working, it is a bad thing if you're constantly choosing work over meaningful relationships.  It is a bad thing if we keep saying "sorry, too busy" to the people who need us in favor of the things that could care less (i.e. housework and Facebook). 

Sometimes I feel my propensity to want to "do" all the time is simply a defense mechanism against being still and listening to what God is trying to tell me.  If I take time to rest and really open myself up to hearing God's instructions, what will I learn and most importantly, will it scare me?  Will resting and relaxing and meditating require me to act on God's advice?  Of course it will!  It will require introspection and action on my part.

But since I pride myself on being so productive with work and home life, why can't that pride and effort be expanded into being productive in my spiritual life?  The benefits of opening myself up to God's dialogue can only be experienced when I'm willing to do the work.  He will not lead me down the wrong path if I'm allowing Him to do the leading.  And to allow Him to lead requires me to give up the work, in essence, to rest.

I'm ready.

Psalm 62:5 “Yes, my soul, find rest in God: my hope comes from him.”

Living in the Spirit

Here I am again bringing up the rear posting on chapter 7. Some time back I was attending a bible study at our church on the fruits of the spirit. It was an awesome study and I decided to keep the fruits in front of me at work so I made a graphic and colorful list of them and have it posted on my wall at work. I agree with Ashley how nice it would be to bear these fruits more consistently in my day to day living. I must admit that on those tough days at work it has quite helpful to look at that list and then reorganize my mind to be more in line with Christ. I now have the list memorized and now referring to the, in my mind is an automatic reaction. I can feel a change in my heart and my thoughts.

Over the past week I have seen God working in my life in ways that just amaze me! Kasie, I see God doing a great work in your life! You have been continually lifted up to him in prayer since you were young and I've never prayed more intently for you than when you went to college and then married and became a mother. I am literally witnessing a transformed spirit within you. This change has happened and is happening from the inside out and it is seen by others not just me. I pray your desire to search for God and his wisdom never wanes. Seeing you respond to the awakening within you fills my heart with pure joy!

Ashley, each time I get to see you and talk with you I see more evidence of your growing relationship with Christ! I have watched your transform from curious about faith to a totally devoted woman of faith. You show your dedication in your household and in the activities you arrange for your children. At the Beth Moore Live event I listened as you talked with Kasie and the depth of your knowledge concerning reformed theology amazed me. I remember long phone calls and sitting up with you until 1:00 a.m. when you had the jewelry party here and I could just hear the yearning in your soul to learn more. God is truly using you and shaping you into a wise woman. I pray for your continued growth.

Our friends Chad and Lynette have never gone to church. The past few months I have felt the need to pray for them on a regular basis. They were over last Saturday night. I remember asking God in my mind to be present in our conversation while they were here. After eating at Applebee's we came back here and usually we play cards but that night they didn't want to. They just wanted to talk. We sat on the patio until almost 1 in the morning and guess what we talked about?! Church! And God. And the Bible! Chad brought it up somehow and the conversation just flowed. God was here! And the evening ended with Chad wanting me to contact our minister and have Pastor Tom come to our house to meet and talk with he and Lynette! So this week I'm in the process of setting up that meeting.

Ladies, we serve a God who loves us so deeply and completely it's not truly fathomable. He hears us. He shapes us and he is always, always there.Christ is at work in our lives at every moment of every day. I can say I am evolving, maturing and learning so much about him through the two of you as well as my alone times with him.

Yes we truly are blessed to have each other in our lives and Christ at the center. Let's see what Chapter 8 reveals in our next posts!

An Evolution in Prayer

I guess one reason I was slow to post about Chapter 7 was because I needed to have my prayer epiphany last Saturday.  I have a feeling God had one hand firmly on my shoulder holding me back saying, "Wait for it....".

Interestingly enough, the act of praying has been on my mind lately.  Perhaps it's because I've kept up my prayer journal since January (no small feat) or because Jensen has been sweetly singing "Jesus Loves Me" without restraint in enthusiasm or volume, or maybe just because God has impressed it upon me for reasons I don't yet know.

Anyway, last Saturday a half dozen ladies and I participated in what we've now decided will be an annual Day of Crafting at the local Catholic church.  We set-up our machines at 7am and sewed, quilted, talked, laughed, shared and ate the entire day.  It was truly a Mother's Day gift to all of us!  The priest was very interested in our projects (and had lots of time on his hands) so he visited us often and usually around a meal time. ;)

At lunch as we all sat down to dig into our taco salads, Father suggested we pray.  All of the ladies except me were members of the congregation.  Although I haven't been to a Catholic mass in forever, the bowing of the head and folding of the hands and the formal, scripted Catholic mealtime prayer came naturally to me.  As we finished the prayer with the sign of the cross and dove into our meals, I couldn't help but realize that I didn't recall one word of that mealtime prayer.  I mean, I repeated it and knew the prayer itself, but I never realized the meaning of it.  It was just a formality, something I memorized to say at the right time, but I never really put meaning to the words.

And to be even more honest, I was actually surprised at that realization.  It was as if after the prayer was finished my mind said, "What did I just say?  What did those words mean?".  And my shock continued when my last thought was "Well, that wasn't a very personal prayer".

I was raised Catholic.  There's nothing PERSONAL about Catholic prayer!  Why was I so surprised by that?!  Now, I'm not knocking Catholicism or Catholics or anything of the sort.  Rituals and scripted masses and prayers are quite comforting to folks, especially those who prefer routine and like to know what to expect.

But while that prayer epiphany was surprising, it was very much needed.  Jon and I have been debating which church to return to.  Our hearts keep telling us to find a church and get involved and be the example for our daughter.  We go back and forth between the Catholic church or the Baptist church or the Methodist church.  Which one suits our beliefs, worship style, our family?!

Thanks to God telling me to "Wait for it..." and awakening my heart to a more personal relationship with Him, we have crossed the Catholic church off our list and will move forward with one of our other options.  One where we can truly get to know Him and feel He can get to shape us.

"For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God"  Mother Teresa

Chapters 5 and 6

I was a bit behind so decided to post on two chapters at once.

I gleaned from Chapter 5 that ALL that happens to us is by grand design. God as the grand designer, in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), is with us and using all circumstances to shape us ultimately for his purposes and glory.

I am reminded as well that apart from him we can do NOTHING. Our every breath is dependent on him.

In Chapter 6 I began to rethink my position that finding my purpose was a journey I had to make deep inside myself. I believe now that thought is incorrect. I cannot find answers within myself as I do not and cannot hold any answers. The only way to find and fulfill my reason for living is to look outside myself to the God who created me. I need to get my eyes off of myself and onto him. How many times are we reminded of that throughout the New Testament? Even Peter was able to walk on the water as long as he was looking at Christ. As soon as he looked down and took his eyes and focus off of Christ, he became concerned about the circumstances he was in and began to sink.

In this chapter, Sally touches on the power of exercising gratitude. I am a FIRM believer that keeping a gratitude journal refocuses our brain and our energies and changes us from the inside out. I admit I don't journal everyday now - but when I did - I was at a point in my life where change was necessary. This simple exercise reshaped my focus and my heart and I continue to use this exercise during difficult times even today.

I am grateful I have a short drive to work. Every day I see God's creation and see him in it. I LOVE my drive to work. It is a time of prayer and thanksgiving both. I really can't remember a time in my life when I didn't marvel at God's creation. I love the woods, open spaces, water. All of his creation is beautiful. Gee, perhaps I need to remember that when dealing with persons I don't feel are so beautiful. After all, he created them too...........

Chapter 6

So in Chapter 6 Sally encourages us to become more childlike in our view of God.  To approach our days with a sense of wonderment and amazement in all that God is and provides.

I totally agree with her encouragment.  Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the life I live and the people in it.  But being grateful is not necessarily the same as being amazed or captivated.  That is what she's meaning by being more childlike.

I can see that kind of emotion in my own child nearly every day.  She marvels at something on a daily basis and typically she is confounded by the simple things like seeing our cats run around the house, watching Barney on TV or splashing around in the bathtub.  She's enthralled by things I tend to take advantage of, if/when I even take the time to notice them.

What a wonderful world in which she lives.  Always something to see, do, experience and enjoy with little to no intention on her part.  Her world happens right before her eyes and she is a willing and able participant in anything that unfolds.  She's carefree, curious and captivated by anything God throws at her.  Except her friends at school.  She bites them.

Anyway.

Chapter 6 really inspired me to take a look around at the beauty and splendor in my life.  Take a seat and literally "people watch" all the happenings in my life and be amazed.  Whether it be a beautiful sunset, a great meal, busy traffic or a sleeping baby - life provides many many moments to be awed. 

Forget the grandiose stuff like the Grand Canyon, solar system and Vera Bradley handbags...everyone is amazed by those, of course.  But its the little things, the seemingly mundane, run-of-the-mill, familiar experiences that happen everyday that we should be stunned by.  Those are the things that God puts in front of us everyday to remind us we are real and so is He.

How lucky we are to be reminded on a daily basis of His existence, when we decide to look and be astonished.

"During a walk or in a book or in the middle of an embrace, suddenly I awake to a stark amazement at everything. The bare fact of e...xistence paralyzes me... To be alive is so incredible that all I can do is to lie still and merely breathe--like an infant on its back in a cot. It is impossible to be interested in anything in particular while overhead the sun shines or underneath my feet grows a single blade of grass." 
W.N.P. Barbellion

Chapter 4 - Holy Vessel

Sally writes, "God considers us to be sacred, holy vessels."

This prompted me to look in the Bible to see what I could find to confirm that statement.

2 Timothy 2:21
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

I got to thinking - when was the last time I considered myself through God's eyes? When did I last remind myself that he sees me as holy, sacred and worthy to "hold" his wisdom, etc?

You know, I feel so much better when I read the Bible. By sacrificing my time to give to God and learn about Him I end up getting so much more in return. Reading Own Your Life reminds me to keep the communion going between my Creator and me. It also reminds me I'm not created as a sponge only to take in information or a vessel only to hold information. As His child I am made to work on His behalf.

2 Timothy 2:15
Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Summing up my thoughts on the 4 chapters thus far:

I am responsible to God. I work for him and will account to him. Only I can serve the purpose to which he has created for me to provide. I must make the effort to ask and listen for guidance from him. I trust he knows what he is doing in my life - even during the trials and valleys in our lives.

I came across this quote last night reading in bed and knew I had to post it on this blog:

All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.
         - Jorge Jouis Borges

I am the owner of my humiliations, misfortunes, embarrassments, etc., and out of those God will show me how to create the art for which I was designed to construct.
 

Chapter 5 - God as My Life Coach

I had never thought of it that way before, but oh my there is truth in it!  God is my life coach.  My strategic planner.  I wonder if I can go as far as to say he's my board of directors, in a way?  He has coached me through good times and bad and has spoken through others when I've needed them most.  He's presented opportunities I never expected and shoved me into them when my natural tendency was to second guess and run away.

Here are some quotes I really liked from this chapter:

 

"He crafted us to live fully as creative beings, agents of his own capacity; to rule, subdue, and express our own imprint on the world, filled with the life and scope of His Spirit, who lives within us."

 

 

"...And so man became his own source of knowledge, purpose, and morality.  In short, with the absence of God inside him, man was left to his own limited and corrupt perspective on how to live.  Man has been living for himself and by his own faculty wisdom since the separation between God and man."

 

 

"...He wants us to accept His training, even when it seems difficult.  He knows that ultimately His discipline will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives."

 

 

"...but in the end, His goal is to ensure we have the character of Christ and can live into our original inheritance of reflecting His very image to the world."

 

 

"When we accepted God's offer of salvation, the Holy Spirit came into our lives.  He was given to us so we might have His wisdom, develop godly character, and experience the productive lives we were made for.  Once we understand our history and our part in God's story, we begin to understand how we can take back ground lost at the Fall."

 

 

"To have the peace and blessing of God, we must intentionally identify and move away from the sources of chaos.  Only then can we begin living consciously into God's design for our lives."

Chapter 4 a.k.a Just Do It!

Whatever inspiration Chapter 3 may have lacked, Chapter 4 made up for it tenfold.  I don't know about y'all but it spoke more volumes than the encyclopedia Britannica.  I found myself nodding in agreement as I read it and may have even said, "yep" and "mm hmm" out loud a few times.  It was that compelling.

Sally (the author, I feel like we can be on a first name basis now) talks about listening to God's plan for us and acting on it no matter how small or how grandiose it may seem.  She encourages us to live a Christ-like life in our everyday efforts and to realize those efforts shape a Christ-like bigger picture.

The one phrase (although there were many others) that touched me most was this:

"It is natural to quarrel, to be selfish, to live a small-minded life.  It is supernatural to love unconditionally, to serve others, to live a life of vision and faith."

Hallelujah and Amen.  This reminds me of a blog post I read and sent to you ladies awhile back.  It was from the blog, Life in Grace, and it basically encouraged everyone to live out God's will in typical, everyday ways.  Of course, Os Guiness said it much much better than I just did:

"Grand Christian movements will rise and fall. Grand campaigns will be mounted and grand coalitions assembled. But all together such coordinated efforts will never match the influence of untold numbers of followers of Christ living out their callings faithfully across the vastness and complexity of modern society." ~Os Guiness

 

 

How fantastic is that?! 

 

To know that we CAN make a difference in the world by following his calling and recognizing the spiritual potential of simply connecting with a neighbor, reaching out to a friend/stranger in need, sending an encouraging text to someone, praying over our food, hosting a sleepover for our kids friends or simply showing more affection/attention to our spouse.  What may seem mundane can actually be quite monumental in terms of living out God's will.

 

"He has placed you in various stations in life and called you to serve your neighbor, since all of YOUR needs have already been met in Him. He has gifted you in certain ways, so that you may serve your neighbor and meet his needs. And the beautiful kicker is this—God hides Himself in your vocation, so that all the service you render to your neighbor, is sacred, because it is, in reality, GOD at work through you, meeting the needs of the neighbor."

 

 

Glory be.



Chapter 3

Chapter 3

This is a chapter I read and re-read and made several notes in my notebook.

The negative voices in my head began in my early childhood. It amazes me how much I have been influenced over the years by that voice. The good that came from that experience is I think it helped me to become a better parent than perhaps I would have been otherwise. And the other is that when an encouraging and loving father figure is absent in a girl’s life it forces her to find that love and worth somewhere else. In my case God became important to me early on in my life.

At times I still hear that voice from long ago along with a few other voices – mainly my own – and the negatives come rushing back to take over.

I can look back and see how those negative voices influenced my decision making at the time. Let’s just say the results of those decisions weren’t so pleasant or right. 

I have found that affirming who I am in Christ beats those voices down and substantiates my worth. I am a child of God. He is my Father. He loves me. I have been adopted into his family and am his heir. No one or nothing can pluck me from his hand. The “helper” lives in me – the Holy Spirit. I am never alone. I am saved. I do not fear death. I have been given holy armor – a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, shoes to swiftly and peacefully proclaim the gospel and the sword of the spirit (which is the word of God). I am saved.

Using the above as a filter has greatly influenced most everything I do including making decisions. Do I still make mistakes – absolutely! Do I love myself more – absolutely.

Something else I’ve been understanding more of is that when I am in the “valley of life” that that’s where all the “molding” takes place. It’s in the valley that the renovations take place in my soul. The mountain top is where I rise to from the valley to thank God for the adjustments he has made in me. The mountain top is a place for giving praise and the valley is God’s workshop.

"Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the Lord do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and your grandchildren."  Deuteronomy 4:9

When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you get into the light. -Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest

Chapter 3 - The Voices in Our Heads

This will sound very smug, but while I have many voices orating in my head, none of them are so negative that they hinder me from doing something I want to do.  Unless you look back to my last entry where I discuss my desire to write a book but never feeling I'm good enough to do so.  Aside from that one (which I'm working on, by the way) I really feel okay and at peace and content with my self and my abilities (or lack thereof.  Who said that?!) and I'm fine with that.

I really have no profound wisdom for myself or anyone regarding this issue. 

Because I know that's what you are expecting.  Profound wisdom.  From me.  Bwahaha!

Instead, let's take a look at how my over-inflated ego and propensity to listen to the voices in my head who suffer from delusions of grandeur have effected my decision making over the years:

In no particular order, here are some goals I set for myself that, um, let's just say, didn't work out...

• Become an animal rights activist (although I did create a pretty cool club called The Animal's Choice when I was like 8 and made all my friends join)
• Become a fitness model (this didn't happen.  Gee, I'm not sure why.  Where is the other half of that donut I started this morning....)
• Move to NYC (actually it's probably safer this hasn't happened considering I'm a little uncomfortable and kinda paranoid when I walk through the Fort Wayne mall on a Saturday afternoon.  Where do all those people come from?!)
• Never have children (HA!  The Lord works in mysterious ways my friend!  This was divine intervention as it's best.  God clearly knew Jensen needed to be in this world and although I think he was a bit under the weather/loopy from cold medicine when he chose Jon and I to be her parents, I'm forever grateful he did.)
• Never carry a purse (y'all, I have no idea where these voices come from!  I'm only an innocent bystander to the scenarios that play out in my head.  I have no idea why purses were the devil when I was what, oh 10 years old?!  I'm just so glad that Vera Bradley and I have become friends.)

At any rate, for anyone struggling with negative self-talk that is hindering accomplishment of realistic life goals, I have this to say:

Chapter 2 Epiphany

Last night after I tucked the girl in bed I put another log on the fire and curled up in a chair to re-read Chapter 2 of Own Your Life. 

I say re-read it because I originally read it 2 weeks ago but have long since forgotten what I read.  My memory is terrible, really, ask mom.  I'm beginning to wonder if all those childhood migraines have effected my brain in lasting ways but then I realize I can recite nearly every line of the beloved song Step by Step by New Kids on the Block which came out in, oh the 90's.  So, I guess I'm fine.

At any rate, with an open mind I whizzed through Chapter 2 only to become a little concerned as I neared the end of it because I just wasn't finding my "a-ha moment" in the chapter.  I was becoming a little anxious kinda like I do when I scavenge the display of cardigans at Target hoping to find the perfect pink one in my size.  Clearly you ladies know what I'm talking about.

Luckily, with only a few pages remaining I spotted my source of insight:

"We are made to accomplish great feats of faith and courage and to live a life worth telling"

And while there are many nuggets of inspiration in just this one line, without a doubt the word/phrase that made my monkey mind calm down was:  "courage" and "live a life worth telling".

Y'all it was as if the good Lord himself was standing right behind me peering over my shoulder as I read (and re-read) that line and said "Uh huh, that's exactly what I've been trying to tell you!"  followed by "Can you hear me now?!"

I would be remiss to not completely open myself up and lay it all out there to you ladies.  After all, that's exactly why we are reading this book and sharing our experiences and encouraging ourselves to Own Our Lives.  So in the interest of full disclosure (and to appease the all-knowing fella standing behind me last night) I'm going to courageously and humbly and fearfully admit that for years I have longed to write a book.

For years I scribbled out book ideas, infrequently attended writing groups, performed writing exercises and haphazardly jotted down journal entries.  It was all very elementary and inconsistent.  I was never confident about the genre or the subject or the caliber of my writing.

But last night's ephiphany opened my eyes and made me realize that all I need is the courage to write about my life.  I don't need a grandiose, extremely eventful or traumatic life in order to write about it.  I mean, look at the Kardashians...no one knows what they have done to become famous...not that I want to be famous, I'm just sayin'.  Perhaps the story I am to tell is a very normal one that anyone can relate to.  I mean, for crying out loud if Madonna can write a children's book there is certainly room for my words at the literary table somewhere.  It's true, she did write a children't book called The English Rose.  Go figure.

Allow me to wrap up this stream of consciousness rambling by thanking you ladies for actually reading this whole entry and if you play your cards right I'll give you a free advanced copy of my upcoming book.  "Upcoming" as in, "may never actually be in print but it was a good goal anyway".  Ah, the Lord works in mysterious ways...

Own Your Life

I am not surprised that when I contemplated the questions at the end of chapter 2 I found out I am the voice that hinders myself. It's true. I am my own worst enemy!

At this point in life I am not actively parenting young children. So each day I think about what I am going to do. If not kept in balance the "I" becomes the most important thing in my day. It is impossible to serve two masters. Each day when I get up I recite Matthew 6:33 to keep my focus on Him. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."

This verse ties in well with the book. Sally is telling us we need to take responsibility for our lives and ultimately our walk with God. The first word in the verse is a verb. An action word of something we must do. We must seek. We must FIRST seek the kingdom of God. So now my focus is in alignment with God. It's on Him and not me. The context of the verse is Jesus telling us not to be anxious about food and clothing. The verse tells us if we search after God He will take care of us.

The challenge each day is to keep God the center of my attention instead of myself. I am not my own. God made me and I am here for his purposes. Not the other way around. I pray to him not for him to do my bidding but for me to learn how to do his bidding.

It's so easy to get caught up in all the things I want to do and get done that I "forget he's around". I need to remind myself often he's right here with me all the time. He knows and cares what's going on in my life.

Psalm 139 says:

O Lord you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand on me.

So i am hoping to focus on God and humble myself to allow him to use me for whatever purpose he has planned for each day. And as the days go by they will bring me closer to understanding his love.

Finding Purpose at Each Juncture

The first chapter of Own Your Life is entitled Seeing Beauty and Purpose in Your Ordinary Days.  At the end of the chapter the author, Sally Clarkson, offers some study questions to aid in further introspection.  Question #2 goes something like this:

"Learning to see each turn in the road and each unique circumstance as a part of what God has ordained has helped me find purpose at each juncture.  I ask Him 'Lord, what can I learn from this?  What message at this moment might prepare me to encourage someone in the same circumstances later?  Show me Your faithfulness now so I can keep learning'".

I find it fitting that her questions are impressed upon me at this time in my life because every single day I find myself saying internally and out loud that same phrase, "What can I learn from this"?  Some of my other popular phrases include, "This too shall pass", "The days are long but the years are short" and my personal favorite especially during tantrums (my daughters, not my own) "Serenity now!"

So far, I have learned tons of things in my 32 (soon to be 33, but who's counting) years of life which include but aren't limited to the following:

• Faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse
• Time is the wisest counselor
• Marriage means commitment; of course, so does insanity
• Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out
• Get in the Starbucks line before 7:30am to ensure a better day
• Nothing is as bad as it seems
• There are three types of pain; pain, excruciating pain, and stepping on a Lego

But perhaps her second question is the one that shed the most light and made me realize the burden of learning:  "What message at this moment might prepare me to encourage someone in the same circumstances later?"

Well, I never thought about it like that before.  Selfish me just learns the lesson of life, becomes more humble/humilitated (what's the difference), pats herself on the back and continues on feeling she's full of new wisdom.  Now, I have the added pressure of encouraging someone in the same circumstances later?  So, not only do I have to learn the lessons myself but now I have to pass the wisdom on to others in need?!  Well, if that doesn't define purpose then I don't know what does.

Needless to say, that question was a bit of a wake-up call for me.  The author doesn't talk about finding meaning at each juncture, which, I've learned is really what I've been doing.  Which is fine and all, but owning your life and showing MY faithfulness requires turning my lessons into purpose by encouraging others who are walking the road I've been down.

Challenge accepted.  :)

So I'll start with this tidbit:  Make sure to perform a visual and tactile sweep of the floor for any stray Legos....