Sometimes we forget to stop and to say thank you. Sometimes we forget that what we do impacts others. So today I want to share an older song that reminds us of both of these things.
Thank you to everyone who has given and touched my life. Some of you know and some of you have no idea that you made such an impact. THANK YOU!
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Yesterday I heard a sermon which had as one of its points that each of us is remembered by name by God. I was grateful to hear that message because it provided comfort for me. That statement has resonated in my mind for the last twenty-four hours. So as I sat down this morning to write my post, I decided to spend a little time thinking about why I was comforted by those words and why they are resonating with me right now.
When a politician is coming to the end of her or his elected time in an office, many of the political pundits begin to speak about his or her legacy. What is it for which they will be remembered? What type of legacy will be left behind? We hear of individuals who want to secure their legacy through some sort of contribution(s). When donors give to an institution they often have their names engraved on something or placed on a building or room within a building. (Granted, the big the gift, the bigger the recognition) All of this speaks to the human desire to be remembered.
I confess that I have such a desire. As I think about my legacy, I definitely think about my two sons. I am very proud of the young men who they are becoming. I am pleased with the influence that I have, and continue to have, on their lives. They are to me the greatest legacy that I can ever leave. In addition to them, I desire leaving a legacy which encompasses having a positive impact on the lives of other people. I want to be remembered as someone who helped another person grow and become who they are called to be. I have always desired to assist people in growing in faith, growing in their skills and abilities, and growing in their perception of themselves. I realize that in some situations I have lived into that desire and in some situations I have failed in that desire.
So today, I want to know for what you desire to be remembered. I also want to remind you of the truth which I heard in the sermon yesterday, you are always remembered by name by our Lord.
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I think that one of the most difficult things that many people struggle with is the ability to accept themselves. I know that this is an area in which I have had struggles. Each of us grow up with images of the “right person.” We are shaped by what we experience, what we hear, and what we see. We form a definition of this “right person” which is often a composite of characteristics from many different individuals. Then we spend a majority of our lives trying to become the “right person;” only to eventually accept the reality of the non-existence of the “right person.” Once reality sets in, then we are left to try to determine who we truly are and what that means for us.
Over the past few years, I have come face-to-face with this reality. I came to realization that I had been trying to live this image of the “right person” who I had developed in my mind. The truly frustrating thing about this was that I never seemed able to obtain the goal of being the “right person.” I had various times when I would participate in counseling. Each time I was engaged in counseling, I would identify a piece of the puzzle regarding how my image of the “right person” had been developed. I would identify the individuals and the comments which contributed to my development of the image. Yet even though I had obtained many of the pieces, I still was not able to see how impossible it was to become the “right person.”
Fairly recently, I began embracing the truth that who I had been created to be was alright. My attributes, skills, and abilities were the right combination of who I was intended to be when I was created. My responsibility was to enhance those attributes, skills, and abilities, not change them. The truth is that there was nothing wrong with who I was but instead there was a lot of wrong in denying who I was. My education, my training, my efforts should have the positive impact of helping me to become more of who I am. The relationships in my life should contribute to me being who I am not distracting me from it. Only with this viewpoint would I be able to be authentic and real in my life and my relationships. When I am destructive in my relationships, when I make bad choices, when I am destructive to myself are those times when I deny who I am or I fail to enhance the wonderful gifts of myself given to me at birth. Yet knowing this, the most important first step was to accept myself.
When I have truly accepted myself, a lot of doors unlock. By accepting myself, I am able then to realize that my faults, my failures, and my bad choices are part of me. Those are the part of my attributes, skills and abilities which need more polish. The frequently used “diamond in the rough” analogy applies to each one of us. Each one of us have rough edges which need polished. Those rough edges are part of who we are. Our time and energy should be spent on working to smooth those rough edges, not to be something other than a diamond.
All of this takes hard and vigil work. It is very easy to try to conform to the “right person” image which we have created based on the input of society and other people in our lives. Yet the conformity will be futile because we can never obtain that “right person.” I have come to realize that the Lord created me perfectly as the “right person,” I just have some rough edges. I have also come to realize that by working on those rough edges while accepting who I am will move me toward being the perfect creation of the Lord.
So I ask my readers this, “Are you striving to live into an image of being the right person or are you ready to accept yourself as already being the right person who is working on smoothing off your rough edges?”
One of the first musicals which I remember seeing was a high school production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel”. I was in junior high school and was asked to assist with operating the sound system for the musical. I attended many technical rehearsals and naturally all of the performances. It was a terrific experience. One of the songs which stood out to me from the musical was “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” I realize it is not Friday so it technically is not my traditional music video posting day but this song is playing over and over in my head this morning.
I think that one of the reasons that the song has such meaning for me is based on what I strongly believe. I believe that no matter what life offers or whatever path I may find myself upon, I know that I do not take those steps alone. I believe that I have the Lord walking beside me. There are times when I fail to remember this important truth. There are times when I say that I am all alone. However, in the depth of my being, I realize that I am not alone. During those times I have just not turned to the one walking beside me. I have not allowed the Lord to carry me.
So today, I share with you this music video as a reminder that no matter what, you are never alone.
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Today on the calendar it states that it is the Feast of the Transfiguration. This is a day for Christians when we are to recall the events which occurred on Mount Tabor as recorded in Mark 9:2-13, Matthew 17:1-13, or Luke 9:28-36. They tell about an event in Jesus’ life when a few of the apostles witnessed Jesus being transformed by the glory of God. I will let you read the story yourself. However, this has led me today to think about how I am allowing the Lord to transfigure, or transform, me.
It is true that as our lives progress, we change. Sometimes those changes are significant and evident. At other times those changes are unnoticed. The event recorded in the Bible passages which I listed above is one that was very significant and evident to a small group of individuals. I think most transformations occur in a cumulative manner. Over time a person is changed. There are occasions where dramatic events cause major changes, such as accidents and/or tragedies. Yet, this is not how a person usually transforms.
As I reflect upon my own experience, I have come to see that I have experienced a cumulative transformation. Since I am a believer, I credit this transformation to the Lord. The Lord has provided me experiences and challenges which have caused me to adjust my perceptions, opinions, and truths. These adjustments have led me to changes in my life.
I am grateful to the Lord for continually transforming me. I am pleased that I am not the person who I used to be but instead am becoming the person who the Lord wishes me to be. I view this as a lifetime process.
I encourage you to take time today to consider how you have transformed in your life. What has caused this transformation? Are you allowing the Lord to be the transformer? Where might transformation be occurring in your life right now?
I have a great love for the Bald Eagle. Whenever I have the privilege to see a bald eagle, I am moved by their majesty, gracefulness, and beauty. I could sit for hours watching bald eagles. If you enter my office, you will find the main decorative aspect is all the bald eagle paintings and statues which are throughout the office. So today I was reminded of a special song that speaks of the strength and majesty of my Lord.
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If you work with people, you are well aware that there are times when a person says something but their actions is not congruent with their words. I have encountered this with individuals at various times. More importantly, I have noticed this can be a true statement about myself at times (I only notice this when I take time to reflect back.) So one of the challenges that I have placed before myself recently is to strive to reflect what I believe through the way in which I live and act. This has caused me to spend some days considering what I truly believe. While this list is still in progress, here are some of the items which I have placed on my list:
Now I have a few questions for my readers…..
Do your lives and actions truly reflect what you believe?
What would be your list of beliefs?
Do you need to work on aligning your beliefs and your life?
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Yesterday I was reminded of the call to come home. The focus of the Ash Wednesday service was “return”. This focus led to the concept of the Lord calling to us to come home. We even sang the hymn “Softly and Tenderly” which contains these lyrics:
Come home, come home,
Ye who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling
Calling, O sinner, come home!
I can just picture Jesus standing there with arms extended out and saying these words. What a great way to start a Lenten journey!
As I have continued to give this message some thought, I realize that now that my parents are dead and the home which I grew up in is sold, I really do not have a physical home from my youth to return to any more. However, that does not mean that I do not have a home which can be my destination. If you believe the saying, “Home is where your heart is,” then as long as you know where your heart is, you know where home is for you.
While preparing to write this post, I looked up at my collection of mugs which sits on the top of my built-in bookshelves of my office. One mug caught my eye. It is the mug which I purchased when I went out to Newport Beach, OR for the wedding of a very dear and close friend. While I was there, I had the great joy of touring some lighthouses in the area. The mug has the drawings of those lighthouses and a few from the Oregon cost. The lighthouse image also connected with my thoughts of returning home. The place where my heart is stands as a beacon, much like a lighthouse, reminding me of the way back home.
As I continue to journey through this season of Lent, I will remember that it started with a call to come home. My true and permanent home is with the Lord. So I continue my journey to that home. In the meantime, the Lord has provided me a home in this portion of life, it is where my heart is, and I will always strive to return home.
During my devotional time today, I was given the opportunity to think about the need to take time to reflect. This is not something many of us do very often. In a world that is always on the go and in our sense that we need to always be on the move, we do not create times that allow us to reflect on life and on our blessings. We just celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks ago and I would venture a guess that even on a day when we are to recall our blessings, many of us were so busy either preparing food, traveling, or engaged in family activities that we had no reflection time or limited at best.
There is great value in taking time to reflect on life. As mentioned above, reflecting allows us to take inventory of all the great gifts and opportunities we have been given. As a believer, I attribute these gifts and opportunities to the Lord. However, in a world which has a growing sense of entitlement, we often take these gifts and opportunities for granted. We seldom even take notice of what we have received. We just keep hoping for more.
Reflection time can also help us to gain perspective in our lives. If we have the opportunity to contemplate and review, we are able to realize where we have come from, where we are, and help shape where we may wish to go. This can help us to prioritize.
Periods of reflection can also give us opportunity to hear voices that may be overpowered by the noise of a busy life. I place a lot of importance on listening for the Lord and then following what the Lord shares with me. However, I cannot listen and hear if I do not spend time in reflection.
I am not one to sit idle. Some would tell you that I am not one that is silent very often. However, today I am reminded of the importance of times of reflection. I hope that you also receive that reminder. Let us commit to making times for reflection in our lives. Who knows what we may hear and/or discover.
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One of the great aspects of this time of year is that we are given an opportunity to reconnect with people. Through Christmas cards and the letters included in them, we are able to share about our lives and hear about the lives of others with whom we may not have regular contact. It is always a great joy for me to go to the mailbox and see who has sent a card each day. (By the way, mine is in process this week.)
Yesterday, as I worked on Christmas cards, I was thinking about the importance of reconnecting. Not only is it important to reconnect with friends and family this time of year, but it is also important for us to take time to reconnect with the cause for celebration this time of year. In the celebration of the incarnation of Christ, we remember that God truly became one of us. We remember about Christ’s life and ministry. Of course we remember the ultimate purpose of his arrival, the providing us a way back to God by the removing of the stain of our sins. Christ brought the ultimate opportunity of re-connection.
The other significant celebration is the welcoming of a new year. As a believer, I am reminded that just as the Lord was present in my life over the past year, the Lord will be present in this new year. I have no idea what the new year will bring but the Lord does. No matter what each day of the new year holds in store for me, the Lord is right there beside me. I have this connection with the Lord that will not be severed on the Lord’s part.
So I encourage you to not only celebrate the joy of reconnecting with family and friends this time of year but to also reconnect with the significance of your relationship with the Lord. Reconnect with the reality of what the Lord has done and is doing for you.
thoughtfulbeliever 