Two Lives

2012-01-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

"Well, I believe we have two lives. The life we learn with and the life we live with after that." Glenn Close as Iris in The Natural.

I love this movie, and I've watched it at least a few dozen times, but that line of dialogue never stood out to me until I watched it again over the weekend. Two lives. That really strikes me at this point in my life. I certainly believe there are many who would say the same thing. For a Christian, there is the life we live with before we are saved and the rebirth we experience through salvation. For the backslidden, there is the life we live and the falling away which occurs before we return to that fruitful relationship with God. As children and young adults, we learn so many lessons which we use to guide our days in later years. As I look back over my childhood and young adult days, I see so many lessons being learned, and I think of the Garth Brooks song about thanking God for unanswered prayers. Oh how I thank God for unanswered prayers, and not really that He didn't answer them, but that He knew what I was praying for at the time (and thought I would just die without) was not in His will for me. I can clearly see the fingerprints of God over my life as I look back through the years. My grandfather's passing and parents' divorce which chiseled deep into the carving of my life seemed almost unbearable at the time, but were in fact just mountains I had to climb to reach the valley on the other side. A green and fruitful valley which I would never have known existed without climbing over those mountains. Yes, I believe we have two lives. I learned so much in that first one, and while I'm still learning every day, I'm living so much more today than I was before.

Focus and Purpose

2012-01-17T14:53:00.000-08:00

One year ago, as the bells were ringing in a brand new year that in such a short span has now become history, I heard people talking about choosing a word. Just choose one word to set a theme for yourself for the coming year. Words danced around in my head, but I never seriously picked one word to be my focus for 2011. Oh, it was a great idea, and I loved hearing about other people's words, but mine never came into play. As 2012 is sprouting and fresh, I actually haven't heard anything about people picking that one word, yet my heart has been pondering... What is it I want to achieve in this new year? There are so many projects that have been dancing around in my head like the seed tufts of a dandelion, and I'm praying they all land on fertile ground this year. I'm going to do my best to prepare the soil and nurture their growth with focus and purpose. As I was driving home one evening and really asking God to speak to me, not just at that moment, but throughout this year, those two words came into my thoughts... focus and purpose. Lord, help me have focus and purpose. Whether it is at work where I let files pile up on my desk and emails fill my inbox to overflowing or at home when I'm playing with my kids; let me have focus and purpose. Let my mind be totally engulfed in whatever I am doing at that moment. Let me work with fervency and perseverance and let me play with joy and delight. Let me be focused and do everything with purpose, not just let time pass me by like sand through my fingers, but do the work, play the games, serve and worship You with focus and purpose in 2012.

A blog for me, learning photography to capture the stories of my family, a healthy me... I have a lot to focus on this year, but I'm excited.

Halo Headaches

Two Lives

Focus and Purpose