Thursday, February 23, 2017

Go Get It

Confession. During my last year of high school, the office only had my signature on file in the space that belonged to my mother. That's right, every excuse for being late, skipping school or missing assignments, I wrote it. Seems like I was always trying to get myself off the hook for all sorts of offenses or laziness. Whenever caught, I never owned up to it. I could always find a scapegoat. (Yes, I was a rotten kid!) Result: I was going nowhere fast or good.

Let's be honest. Sometimes when life gets hard, it's easy to blame others or circumstances for why we aren't who we want to be or where we want to be.

I guess there are three types of people.
1. The ones who blame others and do nothing about it.
2. The ones who blame themselves yet do nothing about it.
3. The ones who take responsibility and make necessary changes.

Pretty sure I've been in every category at varying times of my life. But the older I get, the more aware I am of how little time is left and it's no one's fault but my own if I'm not growing or achieving my goals.

Projecting that responsibility to someone or something else just enables me to stay stuck.

I'm reading Eric Metaxes's book 7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness and saw the movie Hidden Figures the other day.* Here are some lives that can really inspire. These women had vision, guts and motivation - not just for their own advancement, but to win something for those coming behind.

Besides their faith in Jesus, I think a common denominator is that each one owned their own cause, passion and/or circumstance.

Ties into what I'm reading about Jesus' disciples. How in the world could the Gospel have spread the way it did (thousands of souls saved at a time), had they said to themselves, "this environment isn't helping me" or "I'm not growing because of my church. I don't get anything out of it." or "If so-n-so did such-n-such, I'd be able to succeed at thus-n-so."?

There comes a time in every life when one must strap on a seatbelt and declare, "if I want fill in the blank then I have to make the decisions and effort that will get me there." What's that old Nike slogan? Just do it.

Life as I know it is now filled with twenty-something-year-olds, my kids included. I'm learning a lot about their generation. They've got so much potential and good hearts but the temptation to settle loom near.

If I could give a piece of advice, it would be this.

If you find yourself stuck or stagnant, not moving forward, don't write yourself a pass.
No excuses.

If you want to grow spiritually, don't blame your lack of momentum on anyone or a current situation.
Make the changes you need to make.
Read your Bible. Do what it says. Pay attention to its' warnings and avoid the traps.
Pray. Ask God to help you.
Watch for His movement and join what He's doing.
Forgive the jerks. Love everyone. Serve anyone.
Deny yourself. Get rid of the things that are holding you back. Don't sin.
Give thanks. Glorify God in all ways.

You're only given one life. Don't waste it waiting for it to be spoon fed to you.  
Go get it.

Not sure where to start? Check out this amazing chapter in the Bible...Colossians 3...there's so much here I can't begin to highlight. Well, maybe just a little.

This is what I pray for you...

1-2 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

9-11 Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

 So good! Move out of the backseat and get upfront where Jesus, who loves you so much, is driving. Best adventure you can imagine up ahead.

P.S. I'm crazy about you too.

______________________________
 *highly recommend both book and movie



P.S.S. I'm just going to leave these here.. 
because I'm an obnoxious first time grandmother.

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