{image from Ms Ladyred's flickr site}As it is for many, this is a busy month for me. So busy, in fact, that on Friday I realized I needed to get going on my Christmas preparations at home. A good plan, I thought, was to get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday to go Christmas shopping, taking advantage of the great extended shopping hours at various retailers. I went to bed early on Friday night, and felt a twinge of excitement at the prospect of shopping by myself, choosing gifts for my family.
At 2:30am that morning, I awoke to a sound that is all too familiar to a mom. My 3 year-old stood in our hallway – sick! I wasn’t sure how long this was going to last, but what I did know was that I was not going Christmas shopping that morning.
As we’ve shared before, we can’t always predict how the tides around us will shift and affect our schedules and plans. But, how we react to these shifts says a lot about “our story”…
I have had the great grace of spending some amazing time with my grandmother recently, and in that time I have had a better sense of “her story.” She has 92 years of lines written for her story, and it’s a blessing to hear it straight from her. This is time that has reminded me of the stories of many women in my life.
These are not perfect stories or ideal stories; but, rather they are stories that have inspired me to want to live a life that it is joyful and purposeful! You see our story is less about what happens to us, and more about how we react to what happens to us. I try to always keep in mind that my character is revealed in my reactions to the situations and people around me.
That’s not to say that my reactions are always great. As an individual with a lot of emotion, I can muster up some pretty good reactions to things. But, understanding that I’m telling a story with my actions, gives me reason to pause and rethink “how” I will react to the events that line my path.
Our stories are ultimately designed by God, but in so many ways our reactions cause us to alter them throughout our lives. What I think we sense as a “tugging” at our heart or a “gut feeling,” is often our need to get back into “God’s Story”.
A great way to reconnect with God’s Story is to begin to tell our own story: share who we are and what is happening to us in all honesty. When we voice our story, it brings to life the reality of where we are, and can help us determine where we are headed. It’s also the way we truly connect with people.
I think in many ways we have gotten away from sharing our stories. We live among many, but few really know us. We hear a lot of “talking” around us, but don’t really “hear” what people are saying. We live in a nation of millions, but so many feel lonely.
When we share our story, I think we are naturally led toward the people and experiences that God intended us to move toward. When we let our pride or insecurity keep us from sharing our story, we can often miss the opportunities that God has in store for us.
What story does your life reveal right now?
What do you think is the story God wants your life to tell?
Until next time, we take a sacred pause…
At 2:30am that morning, I awoke to a sound that is all too familiar to a mom. My 3 year-old stood in our hallway – sick! I wasn’t sure how long this was going to last, but what I did know was that I was not going Christmas shopping that morning.
As we’ve shared before, we can’t always predict how the tides around us will shift and affect our schedules and plans. But, how we react to these shifts says a lot about “our story”…
I have had the great grace of spending some amazing time with my grandmother recently, and in that time I have had a better sense of “her story.” She has 92 years of lines written for her story, and it’s a blessing to hear it straight from her. This is time that has reminded me of the stories of many women in my life.
These are not perfect stories or ideal stories; but, rather they are stories that have inspired me to want to live a life that it is joyful and purposeful! You see our story is less about what happens to us, and more about how we react to what happens to us. I try to always keep in mind that my character is revealed in my reactions to the situations and people around me.
That’s not to say that my reactions are always great. As an individual with a lot of emotion, I can muster up some pretty good reactions to things. But, understanding that I’m telling a story with my actions, gives me reason to pause and rethink “how” I will react to the events that line my path.
Our stories are ultimately designed by God, but in so many ways our reactions cause us to alter them throughout our lives. What I think we sense as a “tugging” at our heart or a “gut feeling,” is often our need to get back into “God’s Story”.
A great way to reconnect with God’s Story is to begin to tell our own story: share who we are and what is happening to us in all honesty. When we voice our story, it brings to life the reality of where we are, and can help us determine where we are headed. It’s also the way we truly connect with people.
I think in many ways we have gotten away from sharing our stories. We live among many, but few really know us. We hear a lot of “talking” around us, but don’t really “hear” what people are saying. We live in a nation of millions, but so many feel lonely.
When we share our story, I think we are naturally led toward the people and experiences that God intended us to move toward. When we let our pride or insecurity keep us from sharing our story, we can often miss the opportunities that God has in store for us.
What story does your life reveal right now?
What do you think is the story God wants your life to tell?
Until next time, we take a sacred pause…
