Learning & Growing

I love the fact that we never stop learning about ourselves and that our potential for growth never ceases. I'm beginning to wonder if our potential for growth actually increases as we get older because we can be more in tune with ourselves. I am learning so much about myself as I am learning some new hobbies...some good stuff...some stuff that I need to grow from. As I learn scuba, I am learning that I have some, what I think are unfounded, fears. It's interesting. What I am also learning is that I have the choice to allow myself to grow out of those fears. As I learn rock climbing I have realized that improvement, even when it is minuscule, is still improvement. I had a friend recently tell me that one of his goals in skiing is to fall down less and I thought what a wonderful growth concept that was. We don't have to be perfect, the goal is to be moving in the positive direction on the growth continuum. Isn't that true in life too? The things I learn....good thing I'm never too old to learn :-)

WOW!!!

I have to laugh because so often I say "God works in mysterious ways" and I think God chose this week to show me that He may not always be "mysterious!" This week I got to see God move in not so mysterious ways...actually in some pretty concrete ways and I have to say although it bordered on a bit scary for me, I'm in awe that the God of the universe is willing to communicate with me.

This week the MCCC staff & I were at a conference called Next Leadership at Savannah Christian Church. It was an amazing conference but there are 5 events that just leave me smiling the biggest smile inside. The first 3 are very similar. I went to three workshops and all three of them took a kernel of a ministry vision that I had in my mind and showed me how it could look in it's fruition. It was so exciting. The really wild thing was listening to the workshop leaders use exact words and phrases that I would have used. Way cool. The 4th thing was a prayer time during one of the workshops where I think God directly gave me an answer to a concern of mine. The workshop leader was relaying a story that so could have been me (I know it wasn't because the workshop leader has never met me) and in the process of the story relayed his response to an issue and it was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment...in the exact words and phrases that I would have used if I was communicating the response to someone else. The last one was getting to see a rock climbing wall and recreational center that they had in their youth building...WOW, it can be done.

The other thing that happened during this trip was getting to connect with two of my college professors, one of which I hadn't seen in 20 years. It was so AWESOME getting to reconnect with them and just hang out with them but the most incredible thing was getting to listen to their stories and seeing how God was using them so incredibly to change the world and in doing that he was utilizing the "junk" that had occurred in their worlds. It was so cool to see even more evidence that even when we make really stupid choices or bad things happen, if we reconnect with God, He can use even those BIG ick moments to teach us stuff that can help further His Kingdom. AWESOME!!!!

Seize the day!

I'm learning more and more that what I do in my world is all up to me. I can make or break my happiness by my outlook on the world. I firmly believe that God is in control but thanks to free will he leaves my reactions to the world round me up to me. One of my favorite books is "Man's Search For Meaning" by Victor Frankl. His whole essence is that every moment has meaning and it is all in what we do with that. Life may send crappy junk our way but it is our choice if we are going to become a victim of our circumstances or are we going to use it to grow more into the person God designed us to be. Life goes on even when the worst things happen and we have to decide what we are going to do with that. Grief, sadness and disappointment will be a part of our life experience and we must allow ourselves to feel those emotions...if we stuff them, bad things will happen. However, bitterness, disillusionment and dissatisfaction are all choices. The past cannot be changed but we have control on how we let it affect us. Seize the day! Grow into who you are designed to be and don't let the past stop you from doing that. I am learning it's well worth it!! One of my favorite quotes of all times is from Carl Bard and says “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”