Growing up

     This morning I was reading over some old journals of mine. I love to read old entries I have forgotten. Here's one on growing up.

     You grow up into the person you believe you are. We always ask children what do you want to be when you grow up and then what happens?  Do these children grow up to become the person they know inside they are? Hardly, I think. Why?  They listen to the wrong voices in the world. The more they listen- the more they believe the wrong voices.  Then who they knew inside they should be becomes vague, so very vague until so much time passes they don't remember at all. How sad.  Is this why we become so sad?

     Sometimes I write snips and pieces of favorite books in my journals. One favorite is "Windows of the Soul" by Ken Gire. He wrote this.

"The future can fill your lungs with refreshing air and your heart with hopeful dreams. Do you hear it? Somebody calling your name, only in a language you can't quite understand? Have you recognized your calling or to what you have been called?  Do you recognize your name?"

    If I look back over my life I can put frames around the things that have brought me joy. If I look I see pictures. When I listen, what do I hear? Do I hear it above all that has called to me over the years. In a graduation address, author Frederick Buechner said, "The voice we should listen to most as we choose a vocation is the voice that we think we should listen to the least, and that is the voice of our own gladness."

    Life passes quickly.  My hope is that we all find the joy that our God intends for us to have.



Love's Focus

   I awoke this morning with a rapid succession of thoughts about love. The first one was how much God loves me. The second was how much I want to love him and others more. The third being that it is only possible because God loved me first and I receive His love for me.   Later on in the morning I thought of something my husband, Mike had done for which I was grateful. As I continued to think about his love I saw the parallel to my first thoughts of the morning. I realized that I spend more time thinking of how much Mike loves me than I think of loving him. (It should be obvious by now that I have a wonderful guy!)
     My focus of Mike's love for me has not created selfishness in me- quite the contrary. It has made me want to love him more and to give to him more. It has placed me in a position to receive more of his love and more of what he wants to give to me.  I know that God is love and that it is possible to love him because He loved me first. The only place I can get love to give away is from Him. As I focus on how much God loves me I will be able to receive more of His love. The more I receive means I have more available to give away, first to Him then to others.
     Happy Valentine's to all you family and friends who love me. I am very blessed to have you to love me. Your love is sweet and very precious to me. I want you all to know that. I have another desire and it is for everyone to know the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ Jesus.