Take Time

Take time to work.
It is the price of success.

Take time to think.
It is the source of power.

Take time to play.
It is the secret of perpetual youth.

Take time to read.
It is the foundation of wisdom.

Take time to worship.
It is the highway to reverence.

Take time to be friendly.
It is the road to happiness.

Take time to dream.
It is hitching your wagon to a star.

Take time to love and be loved.
It is the privilege of life.

Take time to look around.
It is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to laugh.
It is the music of the soul.

–Old English Prayer

Source

Paradox

I came across this poem recently and thought it too beautiful, and too profound, not to keep record of:

The Paradoxical Commandments

Mother Teresa
by Kent M. Keith

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, people could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; 

Give the world the best you've got anyway.  

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway."

To me, this poem was a good reminder that I live according to a standard that is not of this world.  In fact, I live according to a standard that is quite opposite of the standards of this world.  And I do not live for this world.  I do not live to please those around me, though I am always happy when I am able to please some.  I give the world the best I have for the sake of my King, for the sake of the Creator of this world.  The reactions that my actions emit from others are insignificant compared to the Glory of my King that I will one day see.  (: 

Healthy (and Necessary) Reminder

Letting Go Takes Love

"To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off, it's the realization I can't control another.

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning through natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it's to make the most of myself.

To let to go is not to care for, but to care about.

To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their destinies.
To let go is not to be protective, it's to let another face reality.

To let go is not to deny, but to accept.

To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.

To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more.

To let go and let God is to find peace."

Sometimes my naturally controlling self needs a friendly reminder...

The Silent Servant

Acrostic: noun. a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word, or words.

Acrostics are great. They are quick, but still effective. They are short and to the point, but still cover all the bases. They are easy to write, as well as easy to read. They are the poem for those of us who cannot write poetry, and they are the poem for those of us who do not have the attentions spans or intelligence necessary to adequately read and understand a "real" poem!

Thus, I often utilize acrostics when I do not quite feel up to writing actual sentences of thoughts; when even the idea of writing a complete paragraph makes me literally want to sob; when it has been a long week and I really just want to go to sleep, but I have that one little thing I feel like must be said before my mind can rest at ease. Times such as these are what acrostics were made for. These times are their chances to shine!

So, thank you, Acrostic. You have allowed me to write, and to still get some sleep. You have allowed me to write, get some sleep, and not wake up with eyes that are puffy from crying over horribly disconnected paragraphs. You have allowed me to effectively express feelings and thoughts without spending hours pouring over pen and paper. In some instances, you have allowed me to effectively express feelings and thoughts without actually writing even one complete sentence.

You have served me well, in spite of often being overlooked or forgotten. For your humble service to the literary world, and for your humble service to me, I thank you.

P.S- Along with my thank-you, I would like to extend to you an apology. I apologize for my complete misuse of you, and for my ignorance of how to employ you correctly. Maybe one day I will learn how to write you in the proper manner; for that is the manner in which you deserve to be written. But until that day comes, thank you for your understanding.

This picture, from Real Simple, has virtually nothing to do with this post; I just liked it, and thought you might too!

He's Got the Whole World

I almost never listen to the radio in the mornings. It seems like, on every station, there is an extra- lot of talking in the mornings: news, weather, traffic updates, commercials. Usually when I turn on the radio, I want to hear music. A lack thereof deters me from listening to the radio most mornings. Instead, I am more prone to pop in a CD.

God had a special treat in store for me this morning though.

I started off my trek to work by listening to a CD. I was listening to Kari Jobe, and praying... trying to get in a good frame of mind (which seems particularly hard some Mondays, and today was one of those Mondays) before starting the day.

Something told me to turn the radio on.

Random.

But I did it; I turned the radio on.

I reached right up and pressed the "FM 2" button...

Come to think of it, I am not quite sure why I pressed 2 instead of 1.

Anyway, not five seconds after I turned the radio on, this song came on. Being slightly out of the Christian music loop, this was the first time I had ever heard this song. It brought me to tears.

And that was before seeing the video. :)

So get your tissues out.

This song could literally go on forever. Because that is as long as God is with us: forever. God is with us in every circumstance and situation; in every season of life, at every time of day. There is never a moment when God is not for me. As a child of God, He tells me there is never a moment when He is not with me. This is not because of anything I have done to earn His unending faithfulness and presence; it is because He is God, and He is Love, and that is what Love does.

Love does not get tired or bored. He does not take naps, or vacations, or breaks. He does not change His mind when I do something wrong. Love does not get His feelings hurt and, in return, disappear or retaliate, because Love is not self-seeking. Love does not abandon for another, whose hurts or needs are bigger than our own. He does not overlook our circumstances in favor of someone who has earned His attention more than us, or of someone whose needs may appear greater than our own. Love is constant. Its endurance does not end.

For these reasons, this song could go on and on; limited only by each person's own story or experiences.

Here is my part of the song for today, based upon what was on my heart as I drove to work this morning. My issues, concerns, joys, and happinesses may be minuscule in comparison to those of others, but Love keeps no comparison, because Love does not keep score. Love cares about every detail... good, bad, big, small.

He's with you when you're overwhelmed
With your new job and wedding plans
And when you're feeling so afraid
That you second-guessing choices you've made.

He's with you in that client's house
When you feel trapped with no way out.
When you don't know which direction to turn
And you wonder if you'll ever learn

He's with you when your own strength fails
When the plans you've made don't work out well
And when you feel completely inept
And real life is just too hard to accept.

When you feel all alone.

He's with you.

Matthew 28:20 - "...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Hebrews 13:5 - "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

I Am...

Beyond Measure. I am
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within is..." - Ephesians 3:20

Loved Unconditionally. For this, I am
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38

Eternally Grateful. I have been
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:16,17

Saved by Grace. I will
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4,5

Sing Songs of Praise. Because
"Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." - Psalm 63:7,8

Even in my Sinful Nature, my God
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." - Colossians 2:13,14

Delivered Me.
"For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave." - Psalm 86:13



Writing poetry is not necessarily my cup of tea, but I figured I would give it a go, if for the sake of time, if nothing else.

In the field of social work, in dealing with people, we talk often of feelings: How are you feeling? What are you feeling? How did this or that particular event make you feel?, etc...

I truly feel blessed. There is no word that describes it better. I know that I am forgiven; I know that I am loved. Even if all the other blessings and happy things in my life were stripped away, I would know that I am blessed because of the forgiveness, redemption, and life changing love that has been bestowed upon me through Jesus Christ, my Savior.

I wake up every day knowing that I serve a God who will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:8). And He has blessed me with more than I could ever have hoped for. He has surrounded me with people who need to be loved; all of those people are blessings. He has given me people who love me; all of those people are blessings. He has given me passions, desires, and goals; all of those things are blessings. He has changed my life and my heart in radical ways... And He is still changing me.

He is patient; slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).

There are days when I do not necessarily feel blessed, but even on those days, I know that I am blessed. On the days that I feel defeated, on the days I feel overwhelmed, and on the days when I am bored out of my mind (like today), I know one thing: I am blessed.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday,
And as a way to celebrate
I am going to try to write in rhyme,
So it might be a short post this time.

I wanted to bake Dr. Seuss a cake,
But the week was so busy there was no time to bake.
I thought I might make him green eggs and ham,
But all i had in the kitchen was butter and jam.

I thought I might buy him a fox in sox,
But there was no money in my pockets, only marbles and rocks.
So I considered buying him a fish or two,
But I could not decide if he would prefer a red fish or blue.

So for this day, I am unprepared
But since Dr. Seuss has passed, he is likely unaware
That I forgot about his birthday until it was to late
To cook him a ham, or bake him a cake.

And I was right about this post being short.
Tomorrow's will be longer, with less rhyming, of course.
But until then, please have a happy Thursday.
And to whom it may concern,
Have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!




I did not bake a cake to celebrate this occasion; however, Jenn at Cakes by Jen did! And she did a much better job than I ever could have done!



Here is Dr. Seuss' biography

Here is a list of his books