The Week....

One of the most difficult things in life is to admit you stepped in dog poo.  Boy Howdy!  You're sitting in a confined space with a few of your coworkers, or maybe some friends-then it happens, that one nose goes up in the air and the all too often question follows right after, "What is that smell?  Did someone step in something?"  At this point everyone is taking a look at their shoes hoping they aren't "that guy".  A lot of people have been caught up in the dog poo trick bag, forced to take the walk of shame with your shoe in hand.  I've been there my friend, but more importantly, I remember how I felt after it happened.

There are moments which carry nostalgic laughter, and are locked in our memories well into old age. This week was a challenging affair, solving one conundrum and rolling right into another.  Most times we have isolating feelings because we are hard on ourselves, or allow others to intern pass harsh judgement.  The reality is the very same issues which we have turned into breaking news, or as big as the next main event at a UFC fight, is not what it seems.  Storms come and go, however, not everything we go through in life is thunder and lightning.  Sometimes the only thing bearing down on us, is ourselves.  The bustling lives we often lead makes it hard to step outside the shelter we have created, and often blocks the awesome views around our very existence.  My moment of clarity came in the form of an unexpected thank you.  So here's to getting over those mole hills in life, and may God bless everyone on the eve of another incredible weekend.

Thoughts of the week...

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my  light and my  salvation;  whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life;  of whom shall I be afraid?

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-overcoming-21-motivational-quotes/#ixzz3GSSJBLVq


“There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played
He never risked, he never tried,
He never sang or prayed.
And when he on day passed away,
His insurance was denied,
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never really died."

(Anonymous poem)

Down the road

Today's forecast for the Washington, D.C. area, severe thunderstorms!  I thought nothing of the forecast when I heard it yesterday, but apparently I was quickly reminded on my way home from work.  I drove out of DC on my motorcycle and across the Potomac River.  On the horizon I saw nothing but trouble in the form of a storm cell covering the sky.  There were several lightning strikes even before I came off of the bridge.  A few miles down the interstate I came face to face with a wall of grey draped over the asphalt surface in front of me.  All I could think of was the weather report my wife had rattled off yesterday, "severe thunderstorms."  I aimed for the closest off ramp and braced for the soaking I was about to receive.  In less then a minute I was completely soaked from head to toe.  You would have thought I had been baptized.  I ducked inside a parking garage close by and took stock of the poor commuting choice I had made.

When I had set out from the city to head home I had high hopes of avoiding the rain-hope is the key word in that thought.  Hope is an incredible driving force in many aspects of life.  I think a lot of people look for hope in places where none exists; often within the negative vices which define their lives.  I could go on to write an eloquent post regarding hope, however, someone already did it for me.  God provided safety today inspite of my obvious ignorance.  My hope will always be in Him.  Cheers....

Romans 8

²⁴ For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Reminders

There are times I sit down in front of my tablet and think, "I want to write something, but what?"  I have found that taking the time to sit back and just live life has been more enjoyable than trying to necessarily translate it into literary terms for a blog.  I woke up this morning not being able to sleep and I knew what to write about though.  I truly believe God places "stuff" on our minds to share, know, meditate over, act on, etc.  I believe the message he embraced me with is definitely worth sharing.

I often find math equations boring, however, there are those that I am willing to pay attention to more so than others.  Take for instance the sleep equation, a very important one: time + bed= good stuff, or something like that.  Sleep is pretty important, not only for personal health aspects, but it just gives us that time to reset.  One of the things I found that the world around us can wear down quite often is our vigilance.  Vigilance is soemtimes defined as, watchfulness.  What is it that needs watching though?  Ourselves!  All we have to do is take a look around at the crazy and emotionally driven world we all live in to realize this is not what God intended for any of us.  Just because it is easier to let our emotions and thoughtless decisions rule the moment, does not mean that is what should happen.  Although I can personally attest to being guilty of it.

It takes extra work to be vigilant-make the extra effort to watch the language coming out of our mouths, or make morally and ethically sound decisions. There are so many opportunities to slip out there, and none of us are perfect.  The extra effort that's needed to work on myself and the things around me is worth it.  Each one of us is worth the effort.

Philippians 4:6-7

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.