Self-Less
“It is only when we arrive at a deep sense of self-acceptance that we are able to be self-forgetting and spontaneous.” –Sam Keene
I believe self-acceptance and humility is not thinking less of self, but thinking of self, less. If you aren’t wrapped up in self-issues, there is a freedom that comes with it: a freedom that just lets you BE, not perform, second-guess, worry, nor protect one’s own image.
The Essence of a Healthy Life
“Sometimes you bend and sometimes you stand, sometimes you turn your back to the wind.” –Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts)
A flexible approach to life seems to me like the only way a person doesn’t snap in two pieces when curveballs are thrown at you. Flexible employees and spouses seem to be the ones who weather the tough times best, with the best attitudes. This doesn’t mean being a waffle, though. There is a time to anchor in with a core value and not budge because it’s the right thing to do–and even to protect it with boundaries. Then there’s the times to go with the flow, to enjoy life’s simple pleasures without stress or time limits or perfection-pursuits or people-pleasers. This seems to be the essence of a healthy life.
Rainbows Through the Rain
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” –Dolly Parton
Isn’t that the truth. No one just drifts to beauty, excellence, or achievement. It takes hard work and endurance of the dark days, naysayers, and obstacles coming at you. Most people stay held down by those downers and never get to the rainbows in their lives; it’s more comfortable to stay there, but life lacks luster in that place. Be a rainbow person, and persevere through life’s negative circumstances, and visualize how worth it, it will be when your life is ablaze with color!
The Action of Waiting
“To wait is to trust that something may happen without conscious intention, without willpower.” –Sam Keene
For many of us, it’s hard to stay put, to hang tight, to wait–especially if it means staying in a painful place without taking evasive action! But consider this: action is still in order; waiting is a verb, you know. While we wait and pray, God is actively at work on our behalf. That’s cool to realize. And, something may resolve during that waiting process that couldn’t have, had we muddied the waters with our impulsive actions. Waiting lets God do the work, while we focus on Him. Waiting builds our trust muscles and allows us to be spectators of something awesome.
Grasping for Security
“What I’ve learned in my life: one thing greater than my strife is His grasp–so hold fast.” –Hold Fast (Mercy Me)
I feel such a sense of responsibility and trust when my daughter puts her hand in mine when she gets scared or uneasy about something, or just needs that connection with me. Similarly, I can choose to put myself in her situation when I reach up for my Father in heaven when life hammers me or I start getting anxious or overwhelmed. He is stronger than anything that comes at me. I have one role to play: holding on for dear life! And He is the Giver of dear life!
A Coach That Sticks with His Players
“Oh so faithfully, You’re committed to the process that makes me like You.” –Just the Way I Am (Big Daddy Weave)
It’s weird to think how God is more committed to the process of making me more like Him than I am! It’s like when a coach sticks with remediating a player who has a weak area–when the player him/herself wants to quit. Then there’s the process. I know as a life-coach I like to work individuals through a process to assist them in getting to their personal goals. God, our Life-Coach, has the process/game plan of excellence/godliness, and He wants to get us from point A to point Z over the course of our lives. How much are we going to follow the game plan and come out a champion on the other side?