Some of the most rewarding times in our lives is when we stop and reflect on what we have to be grateful for. We can often miss how life is playing out, what we have surrounding us, when we don't take the time to see where we've been, were we are and where we want to be. A great leader and fellow friend, Bret Nicholson, made this statement in one of his lessons recently that reflected some of the thoughts I myself had been chewing on, "It's not always about what you see, but how you see it."
After celebrating our 25 years of marriage, I have an awareness of how full our lives really are. Those years are full of all sorts of challenges, ups and downs, highs and lows. I would say that it is easy for me to look at our lives as two people teaming together to just get though this life that we so readily see as heavy and strifeful. I can see two people not alike, not always in sync, not always going in the same direction, that can cause stress and tension to our own agendas. Another way, is discovering to look at it through the trajectory of two people building something that can stand the test of time. I can see how we have learned so much together, weathered some storms and had some great adventures. Building something good takes hard labor, commitment, dedication, tenacity, resolve. We can choose to look at the hard work as an relenting labor, or we can see it as a intriguing, courageous, vulnerable, one-of-a-kind, beautiful story being told. It has not always been easy, but the story is good and strong.
Whether or not we are talking about marriage relationship, friendships, local community, career, global vision or our faith, we are all writing stories with our lives. Some chapters may be full of regret, while others might seem as though you had no control of what was being written. Some of them are written with full assurance that life is good. Everyday, something is being written in our time spent.... in how we respond to life.
Reflecting on where we've been and seeing how God's grace and mercy is weaved through out, builds my faith for today and gives me hope for tomorrow. It inspires and motivates me to be intentional about what I'm writing in my story. It stirs questions like, "What do I want the next five, ten, twenty years of my life to read?" "Am I making the choices that will reflect the ending that I hope for?"
Story writing our lives is certainly no easy task as each day gets penned out. However, hope is always in the future, always ahead of us. When we know where we want to be, it guides the choices we make today to lead us there. The question of the day is, is two fold. How do you want your story to read and what are you doing today now to write it out that way?
After celebrating our 25 years of marriage, I have an awareness of how full our lives really are. Those years are full of all sorts of challenges, ups and downs, highs and lows. I would say that it is easy for me to look at our lives as two people teaming together to just get though this life that we so readily see as heavy and strifeful. I can see two people not alike, not always in sync, not always going in the same direction, that can cause stress and tension to our own agendas. Another way, is discovering to look at it through the trajectory of two people building something that can stand the test of time. I can see how we have learned so much together, weathered some storms and had some great adventures. Building something good takes hard labor, commitment, dedication, tenacity, resolve. We can choose to look at the hard work as an relenting labor, or we can see it as a intriguing, courageous, vulnerable, one-of-a-kind, beautiful story being told. It has not always been easy, but the story is good and strong.
Whether or not we are talking about marriage relationship, friendships, local community, career, global vision or our faith, we are all writing stories with our lives. Some chapters may be full of regret, while others might seem as though you had no control of what was being written. Some of them are written with full assurance that life is good. Everyday, something is being written in our time spent.... in how we respond to life.
Reflecting on where we've been and seeing how God's grace and mercy is weaved through out, builds my faith for today and gives me hope for tomorrow. It inspires and motivates me to be intentional about what I'm writing in my story. It stirs questions like, "What do I want the next five, ten, twenty years of my life to read?" "Am I making the choices that will reflect the ending that I hope for?"
Story writing our lives is certainly no easy task as each day gets penned out. However, hope is always in the future, always ahead of us. When we know where we want to be, it guides the choices we make today to lead us there. The question of the day is, is two fold. How do you want your story to read and what are you doing today now to write it out that way?
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