Tag Archives: Light

Feb13

Day 44: My Peace vs. YOUR Peace

Posted on February 13, 2013 by lsgrlr

Peace, does not mean there will be no flat tires on the journey. Peace means you have a spare…

What your definition of peace? Webster defines it as “a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from civil disturbance; harmony in personal relations”. But is peace that arbitrary? Does it really just mean, the lack of bad…silence? Today I read this:

“Peace I leave with you; MY peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives…” – John 14:27

This made me think about God’s peace vs. mankind’s peace. By Webster’s standards, peace is a lack of strife and contention. Therefore, mankind can only experience peace when all’s right with the world. I don’t know about you, but the world that I inhabit is anything but alright. We have family trauma and work stress. There are wars and threats of wars, gang violence and petty crimes. This world is NOT harmonious. If this is the standard of life then, there is NO possible way for us to experience “a state of tranquility”. We have a definition of peace, but no means by which to experience it.

So, then what is God’s peace? Well, first and foremost, it’s not the same as mankind’s, God does not have the same definition. God’s peace does not promise a lack of troubles. It does not promise rainbows, butterflies and unicorns. No…His peace promises that we can walk through our fires and not get burned. We can cross our ranging waters and not drown. His peace promises a steady journey through the strife and woes of life.

Today I had a less than peaceful day. My peace…waits and hopes that the storm will pass. God’s peace…walked me through.

So what am I thankful for today? That I can have peace despite the storm.

Feb12

DAY 43

Posted on February 12, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Today as I sit here, wondering how to write my post.

“If you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can’t wait until sixty-five.”
― Mitch Albom

I had to ask myself, ‘how did I even get to this point?’ How did I become a blogger? For the seasoned blogger this question may seem off-the-wall. But for me a person who never thought about this option before, the fact that I have posted 30 some blogs is beyond amazing. The ability to share our thoughts, beliefs and goals with complete and total strangers is an awesome gift, but finding people that share the same thoughts, beliefs, and goals as you…PRICELESS

This made me think about how important it is to always keep moving forward. Life throws each and everyone of us curve balls and often times we can be waylaid by circumstances. At this point we have two options, throw in the towel or press on. In Option A, we lose more than we will ever gain, because we will eventually find ourselves in a rut unable to go in any direction at all. But…Option B then we will have moments of pitfalls and moments of mountain tops. However, we will also discover our strengths and understand our weakness. We will come out on the other side wiser, stronger…we would have moved forward. We would have GROWN.

So what am I thankful for today? That I have the opportunity to look back and see GROWTH.

Feb11

DAY 42

Posted on February 11, 2013 by lsgrlr

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The road can seem clear, but always beware of traffic.

I don’t like traffic. I don’t like highways when there are other cars on it. I love, LOVE highways when it is just me and the road. Today, I seriously thought about driving over a Prius, with my Jeep Commander. I pictured the smashing of metal and the crashing of glass as my Commander took care of the instrument of my near demise. Demise? Okay, maybe that’s stretching the truth a bit. However, had I not been paying attention there would have most definitely been an accident. The Prius for whatever reason decided (my guess research on how small a space it could fit into) that she needed to squeeze in between me and the car in front of me (whom I was fairly close to). Without warning the driver switched into my line literally causing me and the car behind me (so as not to hit me) to slam on the brakes. As I slammed on my brakes, my mind told me don’t hit the brakes…hit the GAS!

However, at that moment these are the words coming out of the speakers of my car…”forgiveness, forgiveness…WE. ALL. NEED. FORGIVENESS.”..SERIOUSLY!

Then it hit me, my reaction to this situation…my choice to make. On this journey of life, I can’t control the other drivers. But I will always, ALWAYS be able to choose how I react.

So what am I thankful today? That my Commander is not damaged :), AND that I am learning to make right choices.

Feb10

DAY 41

Posted on February 10, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Thy word is lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. – Psalm 119:105

This morning was a comedy of errors. I will give you the run-down: first I woke up late. My alarm that should have gone off at 9:30 did not (I am guessing it was tired, too). My family consisting of me, my mom, and my brother, begin the morning scramble to get ready. Why? Because we have less than 45 minutes to eat breakfast, get dressed and leave the house to arrive at our destination which is another 45 minutes away…deficit number one.

We meet the time constraint to leave the house (Yay!). However, this victory is short lived. As I watch the garage door shutting I realize the moment it hit the ground (literally) that I did NOT unlock the garage door, nor did I remember to pick up the key to the front door. WE are LOCKED out…deficit number two.

Thus, begins our 45 minute drive to church…

Now lets talk about GRACE. Today, my pastor described it this way: “Grace, the inexhaustible supply of the goodness of God. Through which He does for us what we could never do for ourselves.” I am locked out of my house and I can not get back in, I am in need of GRACE. Then I had a thought (lately I have been having a lot of thoughts). What other areas of my life do I need grace in? Am I even aware that I need grace? I am so self-sufficient that I forget that I am not an Island that I can’t do this journey alone…I won’t make it. I need grace.

This day started in such a hustle that I didn’t realize I was leaving behind something I needed, something essential to my day. So many times we live life in the same manner. However, let’s not live life in this way. Let’s not go through the day leaving behind something that we need, something that is essential to our day. We all need GRACE and God has it in spades. So don’t leave it behind.

Oh, and once you get it, don’t hoard it…give it freely. It’s meant to be shared.

So what am I thankful for today? I am thankful that I am sitting in my living-room typing this post (by grace I was saved from sleeping in my car). I am thankful for God’s grace.

Feb9

Day 40

Posted on February 9, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Light dispels darkness…so stand in the light…

This morning I woke up to bad news. Some days are like that. You expect one thing and the complete opposite happens without warning. I am feeling a little down, a little sad and somewhat frustrated. I want to complain and shout about how unfair life can be. I want to be grumbly (yes I know it’s not a word) and complainy (also not a word), but I can’t. Why? Because despite this setback my life is good. I am an adult and as such I understand things don’t always go the way I want. I can’t complain because when I looked up, I saw the sun peeking through the trees and it reminded me that, “this too shall pass”. Then God whispered, “There is a reason”. So I will take this hit, and stand firm. I will know that something else awaits me that is far better than what I was originally waiting for.

I will be thankful for what I have and will NOT complain about what I don’t.

So what am I thankful for today? Thankful that I am learning to see beyond the bad.

Feb8

DAY 39

Posted on February 8, 2013 by lsgrlr

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“Most people don’t grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.”
― Maya Angelou

Today I saw a sign that read, “Don’t grow-up, it’s a TRAP.” My first reaction…a chuckle. My second reaction…agreement. But now as I ponder the sign, I realize the real trap would be to NOT grow-up. Someone recently said to me concerning maturity “no one had to tell me to stop playing with G.I. Joe, it just came naturally”. Growing up is natural. It is what we are created to do. We are designed to change, grow and experience each and every gift God has for us. Every step in the journey of life requires growth. Growth is sometimes painful, yes. It pulls us out of our comfort zone and thrusts us head long into new adventures.

However, the simple truth is this when we look back on our lives…it’s the adventures we remember. It’s the moments of the “scary” and the unknown that fill the pages of our life story.

So DO grow up. Because not doing so is the REAL trap.

So what am I thankful for today? I am thankful that I am not fearful of growing up.

Feb7

DAY 38

Posted on February 7, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Every sunset says, “you get another chance tomorrow.”

Today was long. Not hard, just long. It felt like we had more than the normal amount of patients. It was on the tip of my brain at more than one point to ask…”are we having a two for one sale on chemo today?” But then, I overheard a conversation between two patients that changed my perspective.

Patient One: “What did you just say?!”

Patient Two: “The doctor put in a new hearing-aide and now my feet are swollen!”

Patient One: “What! I have never heard of anyone getting swollen feet from a hearing-aide.”

Patient Two: “I am so glad I can’t hear you right now.

I realized something after hearing their conversation…(apart from the fact that our patients are hilarious). I absolutely love what I do. I also learned that my attitude towards the day was MY choice. On this journey we will have good days and really rough horrible days. Yet, there is always and I mean ALWAYS something to be thankful for.

Lesson of the day: thankfulness… It is not a matter of circumstances, it is a matter of choice.

So what am I thankful for today? Thankful that I made the right choice.

Feb6

DAY 37

Posted on February 6, 2013 by lsgrlr

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scale walls…break fences, be unstoppable.

Today I had this thought, I am where I want to be? Am I satisfied? I have a good job, a nice house, a cool car, all the things that shout…”Happiness”. Yet, so many times I feel as though I am standing on the other side of the fence looking at the sunset, wondering how to reach it. What keeps me on the outside looking in? The answer…FEAR. Fear of failure, fear of reaching my destination and realizing I got off at the wrong stop. However, here’s what I am learning the sunset is worth the FEAR. The reward of reaching our destination is worth the journey…(no matter how scary it is).

On life’s journey barriers shouldn’t keep us from where we are meant to be. So…scale walls. Break down fences. Be unstoppable.

So what am I thankful for today? That I have a destination and I WILL reach it.

Feb5

DAY 36

Posted on February 5, 2013 by lsgrlr

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“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

I learned this fact today and it grieved my heart:

“Approximately 1 billion people throughout the world go to bed hungry every night.”

This is a statistical FACT. However, for most of us stats are just numbers. Numbers used to quantify or classify a situation. Sadly, we DON”T pay attention to statistics. Today this statistic became real to me, as it took on human form. I had a conversation with someone today, that made me realize how much I take for granted, and how little I have to complain about. I, like many people, have had financial issues. But I have never had to take a drill and extract my own tooth…I have dental insurance. I have been hungry, but I have never had to rummage through garbage cans to find food…I have a Walmart card. I complain when my AC doesn’t work, but I have never had to sleep on the streets…I have NOTHING to complain about.

Food for thought. We have many more blessings than we think. Let’s stop looking at what we don’t have. Instead, let us be grateful for what we already have. Here’s a thought…instead of always getting, why not try giving?

So what am I thankful for today? I am thankful that someone (whom the world sees as a statistic) taught me that stats are NOT just numbers.

Feb4

DAY 35

Posted on February 4, 2013 by lsgrlr

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“A broken soul is not the absence of beauty, but a cracked and torn soul reeks of the sweet incense it contains.”
― C. Joy Bell

Why do we hate being broken? I had this thought today. The world has taught us to be strong through mantras like: “never let them see you sweat” or “big boys don’t cry”. The irony is found in the fact that we gain strength from those moments of sweating and crying. Brokenness is not a disease, but a journey of growth. Brokenness gifts us HUMANITY.

Therefore, we shouldn’t hide the broken parts of our lives. Instead we should use it to bring hope to others who need to know they are not journeying alone. The fragmented glass pieces of your life may very well become the mosaic that someone else needs to encounter. So share yourself, the good, the bad and the ugly. I guarantee someone else needs it.

So what am I thankful for today? I am thankful that my broken moments can be a light of hope to a hurting soul.