Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Choosing (Living the full life)

Choosing.  Life is about choices.  Big & small.  Easy & hard.  Most of the choices we make affect multiple areas of our lives.  They also have the ability to impact us years later. I have been thinking a lot about the choices we make.  There are people in my life who have definitely been hurt by the choices others have made.  Because of that, they are hyper cautious about making sure they do not make decision that will not touch or impact anyone else.  Don't make a mess, because then no one will have to get upset if they see any sort of mess .  With these people, I feel like I can't even ask then for a ride to the airport 7 minutes away when I need it, because they don't request help from anyone else in this way.  
In my mind, we are all in community & should all be there for each other.  This also involves being understanding of others (when the other person is truly repent-full, of course).  This whole concept has been relevant to my life, especially lately.  Of course I am not going to be careless with how I live my life.  And I am going to think about my actions before I do anything.  And of course I am going to think of others.  Don't get me wrong, I also understand that it can be very easy to have the "small stuff" become stressors.  But there is something inside of me that wages against letting it have presidence.
This has also got me thinking about how if life is messy, so how do I deal with it?  Exhibit A: I recently heard back from two of the graduate schools I applied to letting me know I was not accepted.  Yes, I feel loss in not getting into them.  That I wish I could hear that I was accepted, and not be in this funky season of waiting I am in.  That it didn't feel like I did a lot of hard work and it wasn't enough.  But, this is an opportunity to know that God works all things for good.  That this is all apart of my story.  God is doing something even in the middle of all of this.  And I will choose to still praise Him, seek Him, thank Him and dwell on all the ways He has provided and made a path for me in the past.  To me, it's so much more worthwhile to be filled with His goodness and the affirming things rather than but the negative things under a magnifying glass.  I'm going to press on, and press into Him more.  For we are commanded "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  We are not promised to have a perfect life here on earth, but when we keep a heavenly focus, we can also see Him.  And heck, I am going to do that until I breathe my last breath. It is because of this that I am able to see all the places in my life God is so vitally at work, and it makes me feel like I am living such a FULL life.  I've been told that this way of always pressing onward and pressing through things despite obstacles is called grit...and I've been told I've got lots of it.  All the better for me!