Moving Past Good Intentions

We can dream and we can plan and we can hope for the best. 

But everyone knows what road is paved with good intentions.

Business books and self-help books are my favorites (well, cheesy mysteries run a close second.)  I’ve read so many that I can recognize which authors read each other and which ones are just repackaging last year’s top hits.  With each book, I just knew it would be the way forward—the key to opening that last door to real success.  Each time I would write notes in my bullet journal and plan and think about how to apply whatever the new insight was.  And then I would get a new book and do the same.  And again.  And again.

Some might have helped.  Some might have been a waste of time.  And some might have been actually harmful, but I’ll never know.  I wasn’t ready to lead with my heart.  And I wasn’t ready to let go of my fear. 

Fear of failure.  Fear of success.  Those are two sides of the same coin.  What if I fail and everyone sees?  Or worse, what if I succeed?  What will people think?  What will I do then?  Will I be the same person?  Better to keep my head down and stay in my lane.

Except this: 

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 

My witness to the world is to show what is possible… through Christ.  I know what I need to do.  I just need to do it.  

Prayerfully.  Joyfully.  Completely. 

What is that one place for you, friend?  That place that feels empty and undone.  The one that you think about, but stuff back into the corners of your consciousness, until it pops up again.  That’s the one, the one you should consider.   What will it take to feel success in that place?  You know you’ve thought about it.  You know you’ve planned for it, prayed about it, and then ignored it. 

Start today.  Figure out that first step.  Make it easy.  Make it doable.  And then do the second step.  And the third.  So many times when we finally get something done, we discover we have spent more time planning and dreading the thing than it would have EVER taken to just do it. 

Take hold of your thoughts and make them work for you.  

You’re ready.  

You can do this thing.  

Go make your world a more a beautiful place.

Dreamcatcher

I had a birthday last week.  Not a big birthday.  Not one of those that end in a zero and feel like a step into a new stage of life. But this day, like most birthdays, made me pause and remember the year past. 

Did we dream audacious and outrageous dreams together?

Did we make the space for each other to travel toward those places that seemed so out of reach?

That’s my job as a mama and a wife.  To be the dream catcher.  To catch the bad dreams and watch them disappear in the light of day.  To keep the good dreams and help them become real.  To believe in a bigger reality.  To believe in hope.

This year we have added new ventures, moved on to new places, stopped doing old things and started doing new ones.  All of us.  We have helped each other grow and cheered each other on.  We’ve held hands during disappointment and listened to each other while we worked through some tough decisions. 

This is what family does.  This is what I dreamed of when our family grew.  To be a launching pad for new adventures and a soft place to land.  In this world that can be so hard and unforgiving, I want our home to be a refuge.  I want it to be a place to be honest and raw, but to know we are always loved.  Always. 

Our faith in our heavenly Father; our hope in all that is possible; our love for each other, for others, for Him.  These are the things that made the past year a success.  These are the things that make me look forward to another year.  "And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."

Go Be That

"You know what you are.  Go be that."  

Those simple words jumped out at me and grabbed my heart's attention.  

In the middle of an errand run, I was listening to a string of podcast episodes I had downloaded, running at 1 1/2 times speed because who's got time for regular speed?  

In the middle of the busiest season I can remember, making sure all the boxes are ticked, forms filled out, checks mailed and my people making it to all the places they're supposed to be.

In the middle of worrying about making sure I am teaching my children to not just do their best but to be their own best selves.

In the middle of all that, I heard those two short sentences.  What does it mean to know "what you are"?  Who I am is my identity, my essence, my values, my soul.  What I am?  I don't know.  

I play a lot of roles, but I don't know if I'm ready to define what I am by what I do.

I'm a traveler.  I'm a musician.  I'm a writer.  I'm a dreamer.  

So much better than "I like to..." or "I wish I could.."

I'm trying to remember what I am.  And I'm going to go be that.

Walk This Way

I’ve been thinking about new beginnings, these first few days of the new year. This go round, I think I’ll take a different path.

I've been thinking about the Wise Men.  The Christmas decorations are still out as we wait for Epiphany and still search for the One who came to give us freedom.  I think about them leaving their homes and setting out on the ultimate road trip to find Who the star was leading them to.  Did they think about being remembered in homes and churches two thousand years later?  Or did they just set out to do what they were called to do?  They looked.  They listened.  And sought.  And obeyed.

I've been thinking about goal setting and productivity.  Instead of striving, I’ll try to do more seeking. Looking for ways of shining even one small beam of light in this dark world. A little less cynicism and a little more hope. 

I've been thinking about inner peace and outer calm.  Our world is a bit heavy on Justice and a little light on Mercy. We could all use more love and understanding. Let me be a reflection of that this year.  Let me extend the same grace that's been given me.  Without expecting it.  Without demanding it.

I've been thinking about journeys.  Finding my way hasn’t always been easy. I've stumbled and gotten lost and at one time didn't think I'd ever find my way home.  Funny thing about traveling is that it's more fun together.  I think it’s time to walk this world with a Friend.

Blessings to you in this new year, friends. I wish you all the peace, love and joy meant for you.  Reach out with your heart and receive it.

Hear the cry from Bethlehem 
O children come 
Son of God now born to men 
O children come 
Bring your troubles, bring your fears 
Bring the needs that draw you near 
Find the hope of all the years 
O children come 
O children come 
Peace on earth good will to men 
O children come 
Righteous rule that will not end 
O children come 
Lay down all your bitterness, 
Turn from sin's toil and distress 
Find His grace and perfect rest 
O children come 
O children come 
Where the Father's grace has walked 
O children come 
Where you see the hurt and lost 
O children come 
Show the mercy shown to you 
Gifts of kindness to renew 
Love from hearts sincere and true 
O children come 
O children come