Little Victories

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?" I used to have a shirt that had that printed on the back. Isn't that a great question? I guess it's to motivate us to leave our comfort zones and  try new stuff in life. Could be anything, from some kind of food, to listening to new music, to some new challenge physically. I've recently started doing 5K races, and, while I realize it's not that great a distance for a lot of people, and that I'll never be in the top finishers, it's something I've never really aspired to do until now. But, heck, why not?: Am I fast.......no. But, I finish. (Not bad for a pudgy 58 year old.) Even took some time off my record, so I guess I'll keep at it. At Monday's race I saw a shirt that had the following legend on it: "A Dead last finish is better that not finishing, which is better than not starting at all." Kind of can be applied to life in general. If you start something, you should try your hardest to finish, even if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted. Sometimes, the joy is in the chase, the happiness in the process. So, get out there, and see what the world has to offer. Start small and slow, and who know where you could end up? My next 5K is July, and I'm in training. Want to shave off some more time this time. We need to rejoice in the little victories. (I learned that as a long time Pittsburgh Pirate fan.)

What's So All-fired Important?

I started out to write something concerning our over-dependence on social media to keep in touch with each other, including a tirade about it seems how if you don't have a cell phone with all the latest bells and whistles, you are somehow seen as not with it. Well, I continued to think about this and came to the realization that maybe we partake of these things because we are afraid to be alone with ourselves. Maybe inactivity is seen as sloth, but, really, we all need some time alone with our thoughts and feelings so we can acknowledge them and deal with them. I see people driving, exercising, doing yard work, and any other of a myriad of activities, and they are plugged into some kind of electronic companion. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to rebel and put these things down intentionally for a set amount of time each day. Maybe we need to just sit and take in the world around us with no distractions, to listen instead of talk, talk, talking. How can we be so dependent on something that didn't even exist before fifteen years ago? Is the world, and our words, so important that we speak before we think, say things which we'd never want to be said to us, and feel the constant need to try to make connections with everyone we can in the shortest amount of time possible? Have we become that lonely?
Just a bit of ranting....hope you'll understand.

Clean-up in Aisle 7

There are so many times we cling to things we've accumulated over the years in hopes they may become useful at some point. Boxes, matchbooks, clothes, books, etc. The list goes on. But have you ever considered ideas and beliefs to be in the same category as the materialistic stuff? Really, if you look at what you have gathered over the years, are there not some questionable items there? From time to time, we need to examine and reevaluate what we say we believe, as well as the concepts that we once held dear. Knowledge and wisdom come and go, and the Truth remains. I've always felt growth comes through learning, and learning is stimulated by questioning. If we stop asking, then the knowledge we acquire will become random instead of focused when we have a purpose for learning. There is nothing wrong with collecting random items, but if we inquire about ideas, then the new information will fit nicely into what we desire to know. Also, there is the serendipitous stuff that comes along, surprising us and enhancing what we already know, and even replacing faulty thinking. Question everything from time to time, and the Real Truth will prevail.

Ah, Wilderness!!!!!

    The wilderness! What is it about the wilderness that excites us and frightens us so? Why do we rush headlong into it when it is our own choosing, and virtually crawl with trepidation when we find ourselves forced into it? Excitement comes when we crave a state of wilder-ness. We seek the adventure, and yearn to learn lessons of survival, finding ourselves tested to beyond what we thought our limitations were, only to serendipitously find deep reserves of strength and resources, planted there by our Creator. We marvel at our adaptability, proving how we sometimes sell God, and ourselves, short in how He will provide for us, if only we allow Him control.
    And what of the other, the fear and anxiety inducing, overgrown, overwhelming wild, pummeling us with challenges, and presenting seemingly insurmountable odds that it will prevail? How to handle that? For fear of sounding pat and trite, if you find hidden resources in the wilderness times of your own choosing, why doubt God will give the same to you during these times?
    We may not be always able to select which wilderness we enter, but we can choose Who we will trust, and Who we will call on, and cry out to, to be our strength. As Steven Curtis Chapman once sang, "Saddle up your horses - we've got a trail to blaze......This is a life like no other, this is the Great Adventure."
    Embrace the wilder-ness of life, and hang on for the ride.