I love this tree I found on my morning jog today. I was taken by the bursting brilliance of the red leaves and the gentle turning shades of the yellow in the midst of a vast supply of clinging green life.
It is a picture of transition and change. A beautiful symbolism of how we ourselves experience transformation in our lives.
Sometimes so gentle and slow that we hardly recognize it is happening. Other times we experience a bold breakthrough that catches our attention and we know that our lives will never be the same.
If you hang out much around young children, you know this is exactly how growth happens. Consider learning to walk. Slowly. Faltering. One step forward and two steps back and boom on the bottom. And then suddenly - it's done. She knows how to walk. And by then she is not only walking, but running and there's no stopping her.
The slow and steady work that gives way to the suddenly.
Don't judge yourself when you are in the stumbling barely recognizable beginnings of a life change. It's challenging and kind of messy. Yes. Just the same, it is as beautiful as the changing colors in this tree if we only step back and see the big picture. Your can trust your suddenly will come and what was once hard will become easy. Your life will never be the same.
Living your best life is colorful, radiant, and filled with various shades of transformation. The depth of the bold breakthroughs are set within the shades of ordinary and and every color in between only adds richness.
Remember to enjoy today everyday. This, my friends, is how you live in sync with the rhythm of grace and live your best life.
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. - Greek Proverb
At the beginning of 2015, our church hosted our annual Vision Night. It is here I shared our prayers and dream of having a ministry devoted to 'tweens' ages 10 - 12. Following the service, 74-year-old David made a beeline to me. "Sign me up!" he said with enthusiasm. After we clarified what he was signing up for :>)... I knew down deep that somehow our tween vision was really going to happen this year.
Here we are 10 months later and his enthusiasm has not slowed down - but grown! He has hung artwork in their new classroom, dug out resources for class time, encouraged parents, and done an incredible job of connecting with the young people. He brags on their artwork, asks how they are doing, and even shares his own needs so the kids can pray for him. David consistently prays for the young people and families and wants nothing less than God's kingdom to be revealed in their lives.
He is a model of following Jesus in the golden years.
As I look around at the world I live in, I give thanks for the 'grandparent generation' we are blessed to have. They are the ones who...
- give big hugs and make us feel loved and valuable no matter what
- have good conversations that aren't distracted by their cell phones
- remind us of our manners and what's important in life
- share stories and jokes and wisdom along the way
- celebrate our accomplishments, big and small
- faithfully pray and give generously to us
Are they perfect? Have it all together and figured out? Nope. Most are well aware of that. But they do have a purpose and I am thankful they are here to share it.
Let's honor the older generation and make sure they know how precious their investment is in our lives. Their purpose has not diminished with age. They are truly in their golden years and have the most to offer us. And let's listen to their lives and follow their example.
Living our best lives includes receiving from those who have gone before us and allowing it to shape us into better people as they are.
Today I took a quick jog on my lunch break. With a full schedule planned for the day, I didn't even take the time to put on headphones to listen to music. I'm so glad. About halfway through my run, the church bells began to ring. Within moments, echoing peals of Amazing Grace filled the air and my heart.
Absolutely delightful.
Refreshing. Centering. Joyful. Wholeness.
All this richness in under five minutes.
Which brings to mind a moment from yesterday, when my daughter Natalie arrived home after a five-hour show choir rehearsal... "Mom, it smells so good in here! What did you make?" Watching her peek into the apple crisp on the chilly fall afternoon was nothing less than absolutely delightful.
I remember that feeling from my own childhood. Coming off the school bus in the afternoon, I RAN into the old farmhouse as mom always had a snack awaiting us. Very often, something warm and yummy that she baked fresh. Best part of my day! Every single worry and care I had melted away as I absorbed the wafts of homemade breads, pies or cookies.
One of the keys to living our best lives is to find and relish daily delights.
Too often we relegate the care of our lives and stress management to things that take more time or money than we have on a daily basis. Massages, vacations, long workouts, leisurely dinners, movie nights, sleeping in... you name it. All wonderful, but highly impractical in our day to day living.
I suggest you make a list of daily delights today. Things you can do in 10 minutes or less that really can make a difference in the amount of joy and peace you experience.
Here's a few to get you thinking...
- Get a move on it - stretch, breathe, jog or walk a lap around the block.
- Listen to your favorite song REALLY loud.
- Light a candle and enjoy the scent, as well as the flicker of the flame.
- Slow down to savor a favorite beverage or snack.
- Shower or in a tight pinch just wash your hands / feet / hair with a favorite soap.
- Read the comic section in the newspaper.
- Pray through a Psalm.
Most of all, enjoy your life right where you live it. What is right around you that you really enjoy looking at? Smelling? Hearing? Take the extra moments and absorb it today and always.
After all, living your best life is simply about living your best day every day. Enjoy it.
Last Saturday, I stirred up my inner adventurer and took off on a bike ride looking for where it would lead me. I had only discovered the trail near our house weeks ago and have been excited about exploring it ever since. In this photo, you see the railway bridge turned bike trail bridge over the Des Moines River. A cool find indeed!
As I consider how simple and enjoyable this outing was; I can't help but realize how I make life harder than it needs to be at times. The analyzing, processing, thinking, sleeping on it brain often churns long and hard as I make decisions. I think I need to "be responsible" and have this perfect, completely thought out plan in place. And pause, hesitate, and second guess myself into moving at a crawling pace.
Now hear me, not that it's wrong to seriously consider and process our decisions. I would just say it's wrong to give into our fears and risk avoidance all in the guise of "being responsible". Consider this...
So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above. Philippians 3:14
Did you catch it? Run.
Yes. Do it. Tap into the inner adventurer and go for it.
Living your best life is letting go of the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves. It's thinking as much as we have to, but not more than we need to. It is RUNNING towards our goals as we abandon the if only's and what if's.
It is seeing the goal and wanting the prize. Embracing the I am's and I can's. It is breathing the fresh air of anticipation and new beginnings deep into our lungs.
Oh the places we can go. This is your best life. Go out and run it.
This teddy bear is a fond keepsake of mine; crafted from a little patchwork quilt my Grandma Klocke made for our baby dolls. I was one of 63 grandchildren, so I am pretty sure it swaddled many baby dolls over the years as young children played 'house'. Who knows how many adventures that quilt went on with us farm kids!
When I look at the assorted fabrics, I can't help but wonder where they all came from. Each one has a memory it lived... a dress that was worn to church, an apron that prepared the family meals, and a flannel shirt that worked the field. Maybe some was left over from making a new wedding or baby quilt.
Sewn together the quilt tells a story of life. The joys, the heartaches, the hard-working, the laughter, tears, and a bunch of very ordinary days in between. The life we live.
There's something amazingly beautiful when it all comes together.
It is so in our lives as well. Every experience, moment, relationship and memory contributes to the amazing patchwork of our lives. Not one needs to be left out. Even the very ordinary or dreary shades find beauty when placed by a master quilter.
"We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan." Romans 8:28
Living our best lives is an invitation to accept every moment of our lives and to offer it to the Master Quilter. He knows how to handle the thin, worn out fabrics. He knows how to weave in the dull and darks with the bright and beautiful. Each one is held, laid out, and affirmed as an important part of the whole. Each one knit together into the story of life.
In his hands it all comes together.
We've all been there, in small and big ways. Whether it was training for an athletic event, writing a late night research paper, applying for a job promotion... or hearing a medical diagnosis, parenting difficult children, facing financial devastation, or the loss of a loved one. That point where we crash head on into the hard reality that reminds us we all have limits.
Stretched.
Life's challenges test the strength of our mind, body, and spirit evoking all sorts of emotions and thoughts... we want to run, hide, kick, fight, escape... and sometimes all at the same time. Oh, and those voices... How did I ever get myself here? I can't do this. This is insanity. What am I going to do now? I should have... could have... would have's... On and on.
Fear is driving us and we don't even know it. We are worrying, anxious, intimidated and doubtful.
And then there is... Courage.
Yep, right here. The ability to face the difficulty, pain and fear.
How so?
On our knees. Several years ago, I remember processing a very dear friend's Leukemia diagnosis. Having lost my husband and mom recently, I wasn't handling well the possibility and prognosis that I could lose another loved one way too early in life. I remember being in a small group of friends and praying together. The Lord gently drew me to my knees. He said, "Becky, if you bow before me; you won't bow to the fear." I found great peace. I encourage you to go to your knees as 'life hits' and quietly spend time with him. Courage anchors your soul.
Walk through. There's still a life to be lived. Choices to be made. One day at a time, courage enables you to call upon your resourcefulness and embrace the difficulties. Just as resistance builds up muscle in your body; it is here that you find the emotional and spiritual strength that carries you through. You find opportunities that you never thought of and progress is made. Slowly and steadily courage helps you gain ground.
Rise up. And lastly, there's something so powerful about using the very difficulty that resists you to lift you up. Think of how an eagle uses the headwinds to lift her so she can soar. In these moments, a song of praise is born. You give to someone else. You find that there is no mountain that can stand in your way.
Living your best life is realizing we may be stretched, but we will not break. Don't let fear hold you back. Rest, walk, and rise up in courage!
This weekend, I enjoyed having some extra time to begin working on the overgrown jungle in my backyard. We've had a summer with delightful amounts of rain, causing all vegetation to flourish here in Iowa. Pictured here is my handy dandy Ace shovel which was invaluable at the efforts of eradicating the weeds, which were over my head in places! I was reminded again of the importance of a good tool.
Whether you are a cook with a favorite knife, an artist with a particular paintbrush, or an editor with a must-have laptop... we all know what a good tool is in our industry... and how much of a difference they make in getting the job done well.
What are the tools of living our lives well?
Naturally, there are a few paths in which we could walk into this topic - from practical tools such as organization and time management to physical well-being, social and mental health. Today, I feel compelled to take a path of the heart.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
If everything we do flows from it, we can quickly see the importance of caring for our hearts. So, what are the tools for heart health?
- Love. Unearned. Just because. Acceptance. As a blanket swaddles a newborn, so love holds us close until the fears disappear and we know that everything is okay. No matter what. Everyone needs it.
- Joy. Exuberant delight. Quiet celebrations. Purpose for the day. A song in the night. Joy is oft' as surprising as a rainbow and as charming as the birds' song in the morning sunrise. Gratitude. Tears. Laughter. Let it fill you.
- Peace. Joy at rest. Awakened presence. All is well. With my soul. Peace is a lighthouse, the beacon to shore for weary travelers. Hope arises. Faith anchors. Sleep comes.
And tomorrow we begin again. For living well is one day at a time. For you and for all the people in your life. Your best life begins with the heart.
