I'm watching the Royal Wedding (please don't judge me!) and someone important just spoke about being at peace. This is something I have been thinking about alot lately...
As a Christian, I should put all my trust in Him and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs) but is that completely possible? The entire point of my blog and shifting my focus is to let God work in my life without me meddling too much but I still want to control some areas, i.e. my love life. Here I am, watching the Royal Wedding and half of my heart is thrilled that two people get to be part of such an exciting experience and the other half is darkened with the hurt and pain of still being single. I instantly begin to think of what I need to do in order to find Mr. Right and then I stop myself and realize that in order to have what I truly want (a marriage that is everlasting and built on God) that I have to be patient. God works on His time and not mine. I need to be at peace with this decision.
Coming to peace with a decision is a great undertaking. I must be able to turn all of my concerns and anxiety over to God for Him to be able to fulfill His plan for me. As a human, is that possible? Is peace truly attainable? Do these questions mean that I am lacking Faith? In my head, being at peace means that I will never feel this hurt or pain or want to take control over this area of my life. Is my idea of peace unrealistic?
I don't do well with uncertainty. I hate not knowing what is going on or how something is going to work out. If God could simply send me an angel in my dreams to tell me that I will get married in X number of years, I would greatly appreciate it! I don't think that's asking for too much. If only He worked that way...I will continue to pray for peace and patience, with the faith that one day I will receive it.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Perspective
One of my favorite quotes is from Thoreau, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." How profound is that!?!?! Perspective is everything! It's kind of one of those glass half full or empty, life gives you lemons kind of a thing. How are you going to see your world? And that's the best part...you get to decide the lens through which you view your life circumstances. Is there a better gift than that? You have the power and the ability to make lemonade or complain that your glass isn't as full as your neighbors.
Today one of my PAs made the comment that his plate is overflowing with school work, med school applications, PA responsibilities and many other things, but he has decided to tackle everything with a positive attitude. To him, there was no point in grumbling about all the tasks he has to complete, but realizing that it will be much easier to conquer the mountainous "to do" list with a positive attitude. Why is it so difficult for the rest of us to follow suit and live life with the same attitude?
My singleness is probably the issue that I struggle with the most. I often times view it as a prison sentence instead of a time to explore and learn about myself. My perception of my current circumstance is totally off! A dear friend advised me that instead of praying to find Mr. Right, that I should focus on being thankful for the life stage that I am in. I am in a phase of my life where I can pick up and do whatever I want to! I can move across the country, take a vacation anywhere I want, splurge on a manicure or have cereal for dinner, all because I want to! I was so focused on the negative aspects of being single that I never stopped to realize that my cup was overflowing with opportunity. I was looking at my life and seeing disappointment but when I shifted my focus all I saw were possibilities. Once I changed my perspective I was able to move ahead and become much more joyful in my approach to life.
My wish for you is that you will take a deeper look into your circumstances and identify areas that you can "see"differently. Thoreau was right, its not what you look at but what you see! A potter doesn't see a mound of clay but a beautiful bowl or a stately statue. How can you change your perspective and find more joy in your life?
Today one of my PAs made the comment that his plate is overflowing with school work, med school applications, PA responsibilities and many other things, but he has decided to tackle everything with a positive attitude. To him, there was no point in grumbling about all the tasks he has to complete, but realizing that it will be much easier to conquer the mountainous "to do" list with a positive attitude. Why is it so difficult for the rest of us to follow suit and live life with the same attitude?
My singleness is probably the issue that I struggle with the most. I often times view it as a prison sentence instead of a time to explore and learn about myself. My perception of my current circumstance is totally off! A dear friend advised me that instead of praying to find Mr. Right, that I should focus on being thankful for the life stage that I am in. I am in a phase of my life where I can pick up and do whatever I want to! I can move across the country, take a vacation anywhere I want, splurge on a manicure or have cereal for dinner, all because I want to! I was so focused on the negative aspects of being single that I never stopped to realize that my cup was overflowing with opportunity. I was looking at my life and seeing disappointment but when I shifted my focus all I saw were possibilities. Once I changed my perspective I was able to move ahead and become much more joyful in my approach to life.
My wish for you is that you will take a deeper look into your circumstances and identify areas that you can "see"differently. Thoreau was right, its not what you look at but what you see! A potter doesn't see a mound of clay but a beautiful bowl or a stately statue. How can you change your perspective and find more joy in your life?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Finding Gold!
The other day I read a quote on Twitter that has really made me stop and think. The quote was, "all that glitters is not gold." That has stuck with me over the couple of days as I have thought about what I want in my life. How many times have you seen someone with something that you want and become green with envy? My life story!! I even did it today in church, there was a couple sitting a row in front of me and he had his arm around her shoulder. I thought to myself..."I want that, he must really care for her"; but in reality I have no idea what goes on in their relationship. This could have been his way of being territorial and she could have been cringing by the touch of his hand. I saw something that glittered, but had no idea if it was made of gold.
Jealousy and envy run rampant in our world. We are constantly comparing what we have and how we look against others who we have no idea what their struggles or identities are. I once told a friend that when I see couples at restaurants I get a little envious because they have what I want. She confided in me that if I would have seen her and her ex-boyfriend together I would have seen a perfect couple on the outside but would never have known the torment that she felt being in a relationship. I saw glitter and perfection but would not have known it wasn't really made of gold. I also do this when I see a girl in a cute outfit or see someone that I think is skinner or prettier than me, but I have no idea what the story is behind the outfit or if the person is dealing with an eating disorder or other body image issue. It is so much easier to assume that everything has come very easily for that other person while we beat ourselves up for our own lack of perfection.
Everyone has their own internal struggles that we will never know about. I may have a wall full of Coach purses (yes, I said wall...I hang them up like artwork, don't judge) but I will be first to tell you that they have all come from the outlet mall and I had a coupon; but when someone sees me carrying one they probably think that I am financially stable and can afford to buy an expensive purse. This is far from the truth, I am horrible at managing money and some months I am strapped for cash and live off of oatmeal for a week People may see the glitter and make assumptions but have no idea that money management is one of my biggest stressors.
The book of James is probably my favorite book of the Bible. There is a particular verse that I am drawn to when I think about gold, glittering and "wanting". James talks about desire giving birth to sin, and that "everything good and perfect gift is from above". This is the Truth! We all have desires and wants and we all see what we perceive to be gold in other people's lives and our jealousy or envy can drive us to make choices that aren't acceptable. For instance, maxing out credit cards, remaining in unstable relationships or coveting what our neighbor has. We must turn to God and ask with unwavering faith (James 1:6) for wisdom and when we do He will bless us! God is the gold that we should be striving for, He is the only perfection we will ever know. Next time you see someone with something you want, stop and say a prayer and be thankful for want you have and where you are in your life and you will start to see all your blessings sparkle and glitter a little more. .
Jealousy and envy run rampant in our world. We are constantly comparing what we have and how we look against others who we have no idea what their struggles or identities are. I once told a friend that when I see couples at restaurants I get a little envious because they have what I want. She confided in me that if I would have seen her and her ex-boyfriend together I would have seen a perfect couple on the outside but would never have known the torment that she felt being in a relationship. I saw glitter and perfection but would not have known it wasn't really made of gold. I also do this when I see a girl in a cute outfit or see someone that I think is skinner or prettier than me, but I have no idea what the story is behind the outfit or if the person is dealing with an eating disorder or other body image issue. It is so much easier to assume that everything has come very easily for that other person while we beat ourselves up for our own lack of perfection.
Everyone has their own internal struggles that we will never know about. I may have a wall full of Coach purses (yes, I said wall...I hang them up like artwork, don't judge) but I will be first to tell you that they have all come from the outlet mall and I had a coupon; but when someone sees me carrying one they probably think that I am financially stable and can afford to buy an expensive purse. This is far from the truth, I am horrible at managing money and some months I am strapped for cash and live off of oatmeal for a week People may see the glitter and make assumptions but have no idea that money management is one of my biggest stressors.
The book of James is probably my favorite book of the Bible. There is a particular verse that I am drawn to when I think about gold, glittering and "wanting". James talks about desire giving birth to sin, and that "everything good and perfect gift is from above". This is the Truth! We all have desires and wants and we all see what we perceive to be gold in other people's lives and our jealousy or envy can drive us to make choices that aren't acceptable. For instance, maxing out credit cards, remaining in unstable relationships or coveting what our neighbor has. We must turn to God and ask with unwavering faith (James 1:6) for wisdom and when we do He will bless us! God is the gold that we should be striving for, He is the only perfection we will ever know. Next time you see someone with something you want, stop and say a prayer and be thankful for want you have and where you are in your life and you will start to see all your blessings sparkle and glitter a little more. .
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