Too Many Things Occupying My Brain
Today I actually felt like I had a brain again. This summer seemed to make my brain mushy. It must have been the warm weather, which I love, but for some reason, I couldn't concentrate on anything, and my mind was constantly wandering around for most of the days.
There's been a lot of change in my life lately, and I think that may have played a role. I like change, generally speaking. When I was in high school, and college, my favorite part of the semester was planning the classes for the next one. Part of it had to do with the progression - I was obviously moving forward with my education, and with that came accesss to the better classes. Part of it was that I was always hungry for more information. Anyway, all the changes lately have been good, and life is sweet right now, generally speaking. It's not without its challenges, but the challenges for the moment do not outweigh the sweetness.
I've been struck lately with the negativity that had taken hold in my life. In fact, I was quite convicted of it on Friday night. Chris and I were at our new church, taking a spiritual gifts assessment, and the pastor was making some comments about negative people. His point was to turn the conversation to the positive, so that they associate their interaction with you as positive and that they no longer have something negative to say to you (the overall message was to love them). I thought that was an interesting thing to say (and I probably didn't reproduce what he said very well), and realized that I have been a very negative person for a long time. I can see this now and definitely do not want to continue that pattern.
I've also noticed how life goes in cycles. It has phases. Even moods. We have periods of unrest and instability...then the air clears and we move on to the land of milk and honey, but usually not permanently. Our lives can so reflect those of the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. There are high points, and low. Times we grumble and "murmur," which make our journey longer, and times we see the presence of the Lord more evidently than ever. Nothing is static. We constantly ebb and flow, changing with the events around us, and hopefully with the nudges of the Lord.
I've seen this over the last 10 years of my life. I look back at it and wonder what I was thinking at times. I hope I've grown wiser. I know I have. I've seen the valleys and bemoaned being in them. Then I see the mountain tops and wish they could last longer. I hope as I grow that my attitude continues to develop and change and become more steady - not getting upset when things aren't looking like a rose garden, but persevering through it. One of my favorite verses, Romans 5:3-5 says this, "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." I like that. Hope is a good thing.
Ten years ago. Gosh. I was a brand new sophomore in college. I'd just changed my major from Music Education to just plain old Music. This is where my struggle really began, and this is where the Lord starting making changes in me. It's crazy to think about the things that have take place since those days in Noehren Hall, third floor. I'm glad I'm not a college student anymore!
Well, enough reminiscing. Onward, I say.
There's been a lot of change in my life lately, and I think that may have played a role. I like change, generally speaking. When I was in high school, and college, my favorite part of the semester was planning the classes for the next one. Part of it had to do with the progression - I was obviously moving forward with my education, and with that came accesss to the better classes. Part of it was that I was always hungry for more information. Anyway, all the changes lately have been good, and life is sweet right now, generally speaking. It's not without its challenges, but the challenges for the moment do not outweigh the sweetness.
I've been struck lately with the negativity that had taken hold in my life. In fact, I was quite convicted of it on Friday night. Chris and I were at our new church, taking a spiritual gifts assessment, and the pastor was making some comments about negative people. His point was to turn the conversation to the positive, so that they associate their interaction with you as positive and that they no longer have something negative to say to you (the overall message was to love them). I thought that was an interesting thing to say (and I probably didn't reproduce what he said very well), and realized that I have been a very negative person for a long time. I can see this now and definitely do not want to continue that pattern.
I've also noticed how life goes in cycles. It has phases. Even moods. We have periods of unrest and instability...then the air clears and we move on to the land of milk and honey, but usually not permanently. Our lives can so reflect those of the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. There are high points, and low. Times we grumble and "murmur," which make our journey longer, and times we see the presence of the Lord more evidently than ever. Nothing is static. We constantly ebb and flow, changing with the events around us, and hopefully with the nudges of the Lord.
I've seen this over the last 10 years of my life. I look back at it and wonder what I was thinking at times. I hope I've grown wiser. I know I have. I've seen the valleys and bemoaned being in them. Then I see the mountain tops and wish they could last longer. I hope as I grow that my attitude continues to develop and change and become more steady - not getting upset when things aren't looking like a rose garden, but persevering through it. One of my favorite verses, Romans 5:3-5 says this, "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." I like that. Hope is a good thing.
Ten years ago. Gosh. I was a brand new sophomore in college. I'd just changed my major from Music Education to just plain old Music. This is where my struggle really began, and this is where the Lord starting making changes in me. It's crazy to think about the things that have take place since those days in Noehren Hall, third floor. I'm glad I'm not a college student anymore!
Well, enough reminiscing. Onward, I say.
posted by Heather | 1:49 PM
1 Comments:
Yea for onward. Yea for change. Yea for perseverance. And yea for the warm weather, even if it makes for a mushy brain.
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