Gratefulness vs. selfishness/entitlement
Service vs. being served
Fellowship vs. exclusivity
Lending a helping hand vs. turning a deaf ear

Patience vs. Impatience/Anxiety
Love vs. hate
Diversity vs. starkness
Plurality vs. singularity

Within vs. without

That’s my twenty-nine cents. Blessings.

05.23.11 Bright objects hypnotize the mind

Everyday stereotypes cloud our minds and keep us from knowing and learning

Everyday images bombard my mind

Everyday I’m immersed in the knowledge of what is around me

Everyday I encounter newness

Everyday in my mind I have an ongoing conversation with Him

This ongoing conversation is what keeps me sane

Keeps me grounded, at peace, in life, in purpose, in love

Bright objects captivate my mind because they lead me to Him

Bright objects encompass my mind and keep me grounded

That’s my twenty-nine cents. Blessings.

It doesn’t work. It’s not cool. It’s such a cop-out….living in the gray! It’s uneventful. It’s stressful. It’s draining. Commit to your convictions. Commit to your goals. Commit to your dreams. Live for you and according to your values. Walk knowing that you are amazing and have something special to offer the world! Being focused on what one needs to do doesn't mean that he or she is rude, inconsiderate, acting "funny," or being a snob. Can it just be that s/he is focused and because of that fact s/he doesn't notice the petty or take time to feed into it because doing so means giving energy to a person/event that doesn't produce/yield positive fruit? I mean really. We need to understand that the world offers so many distractions. It's hard enough to focus without working to "assure" the people who are more than likely not doing anything (by their own choice) that we aren't disregarding them. And you know, I think that wishy washy people are in fact not only self-centered, but they are also not willing to step up in order to step out because doing so means that they have to leave their comfort zones behind.....Leaving comfort zones behind, having growing pains, learning from one's mistakes/decisions/opportunities are completely rewarding for the person and the people the person reaches. Wade through the madness the world offers and find peace! Find the place that transforms you from being double-minded. Life is too short!

That’s my twenty-nine cents. Blessings.

Lately, and I’m not really sure why I think it has to do with feeling tired mentally from teaching—so ready for a recharge, I’ve been having bouts with feeling some kind of way about not being able to spend time with girlfriends, friends the way I’d like to. As much as I liked to, I’m often tired and needing to rest because of my schedule with teaching and being with my kiddoes. As I key this, I believe it’s stemming from the fact that I’m not recharging with Him enough…like I’m shifting back into a people pleasing mode, maybe, but like I said really I think I’m just mentally tired, which translates a little to being slightly irritable. People-pleasing was a mode that I had been in for a long time and He’s helping me walk out of that because He truly is the only important factor! Pleasing Him is entirely more beneficial for my future!

This leads to my next thought of people when we don’t respect other people’s time or when we don’t understand them being ‘on their grind,’ which means being fully committed to whatever their vision is. Thinking about it, it’s such a selfish thing for people to do. To take the fact that one is busy being productive and they aren’t as a reason to have an attitude. The self-centered people don’t articulate their thoughts this way, but that is what it essentially boils down to. They’re selfishly focused on their needs, wants, desires, and plans without consideration to anyone else’s. An attitude that is a cover up for what they are or not doing, a cover up for the fact that they don’t have the discipline/drive to pursue what their too afraid to do or lack the confidence to do. Rather than be selfish or jealous, it’s too easy to see what other’s are doing and take it as motivation to pursue their desired dreams, goals. And don’t get me started on when people take Facebook posts as an indicator of what is solely/exclusively going on in one’s life. I mean really some people post EVERYthing on Facebook, but not everyone does that…I don’t know…I sometimes think that if we, as people, considered His Word the way we consider Facebook, how much better off we’d be!

As I’m keying this, I’m really thinking that it all boils down to we as people are seeking something in others/things that can only be filled by our Creator. We truly only find ourselves in Him and only see ourselves when we see ourselves through His eyes—redeemed.

That’s my twenty-nine cents. Blessings.