31 Days Of Strength In Scripture: An Eternal Perspective

I have been through different seasons in my walk with God. There have been times when it was dry and dusty, and I thirsted for water that I couldn't find, times when the sun shone and the path was beautiful, and times when I thought the cold would swallow me up. There were times when I led the way and He stayed ten paces behind, and times when I felt closer to Him than anyone else. What a difference the right focus makes. When I am consistent in my pursuit for God's will in my life, when I am not concerning myself with the trivial issues of this world, when I am setting myself aside (man, that's a hard one), I truly am a different person.

No one can serve two masters. “...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:21

The Bible tells us to store up our treasure in heaven and not here on earth, but how can we do that when we are here on earth? It's rarely easy to lay aside what we think we should have in favor of what we truly need, especially since we're constantly surrounded by messages that contradict that particular teaching. But it starts in our minds.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12: 1-2

I have to change my mind about what matters, sometimes several times a day. Am I presenting my whole body as a sacrifice to God? Or am I worshiping something else entirely? Because it isn't possible to do both. Anything done in this life that has no eternal value is worth nothing. That's a hard pill to swallow when I think about how often I'm engaged in activities that don't matter at all. Yet when I look back on those seasons of my life and consider which ones were the most fruitful, it doesn't make 'renewing my mind' seem all that difficult.

I used to wish I had the superpower to see into the future, but that was because I wanted the ability to control it. Now I know that's a useless endeavor – the question is am I willing to operate in faith in the future that has been promised to me. That is when true transformation occurs.

Thirty Days Of Thankful

November always sneaks up on me. October tends to feel like a downhill plunge from the summit of a roller coaster – the anticipation barely has time to build, and before I know it, I’m exiting to the left and wondering what the heck just happened.

I’m exhausted. Through and through. Today I just feel completely worn out. After all the traveling, the wedding, the teething, the trick-or-treating, and all that October has brought me, I’m ready to take it easy and relax.

Not gonna happen though. If October is the roller coaster, November is that ride you look at and think “oh, this won’t be so bad”, and then when you get off, you can barely walk and feel like you’re going to puke your guts up.

And don’t even get me started on December.

The reason it’s this way, however, is entirely my fault. I just get overly ambitious toward the end of the year and think I’m going to magically become one of those Pinterest women whose party planning and baking skills rival Martha Stewart.

Is it the weather change? Is it the full moon? Is it because I’ve put off doing the 987 projects I’ve planned throughout the year and suddenly remember all of them at once?

I don’t know, but I do know my world is about to be filled with loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread, themed birthday party and holiday decorations, and a muddled brain as I try to figure out which writing/scrapbooking/photo editing/video making project to tackle next. (Until I crash from all the cleaning and kid-chasing and decide that a nap sounds much better.)

No matter what I end up doing, there is one thing in particular that I’m challenging myself to do daily – be thankful. After all, this is the month of Thanksgiving, and what good is doing anything if I’m doing it without a grateful heart?

As we approach the end of the year, I realize I have much to reflect on and much to look forward to. My little boy will turn one year old. My little girl will turn three. We are all currently so healthy and so happy, and I shouldn’t want or need much else.

Enjoy my gifts – that should be my focus this month. I’m thankful I have all of these activities in my life to choose from because they make my world – and my heart – so full.

 

Focus {Five-Minute Friday}

I'm glad I discovered Five-Minute Friday. It's great practice to write solidly for five minutes without editing. I have a free thought journal (separate from my regular journal) that I write stream-of-consciousness in, and sometimes the stuff that comes flowing out astounds me.

Sometimes it's stuff I wouldn't normally share publicly. Consciousness gets crazy. ;)

Anyway, here's my first five-minute post. This week's topic is Focus.

GO

I look through the lens and press down the shutter button halfway until I hear that beautiful beep.

I love when I get the stuff in focus. I love that sound that tells me the picture is clear. I push the button down all the way and hear that satisfying click.

Sometimes the pictures are fuzzy. Sometimes they’re clear, sharp, lovely.

I wish my life was always in focus the way I wish those pictures were. I wish I could push a button and make everything like crystal, sparkling with a beautiful light.

I don’t always know what to put in focus. Sometimes I choose the wrong subject, sometimes I wonder if I should have taken a step to the right. If only I’d taken a second to recompose…

Photography is an art we have to learn. Life is an art we have to live. It’s hard to know when to shift our focus, when to put other things in the foreground, what to put in the background…

I’ll never take perfect pictures. But I’ll take a few great ones.

Along the way, I’ll get some amazing shots.

 
STOP.