Greeitngs,
Life is funny! I am not talking about the funny ha ha's of life. I am talking about funny as in strange. I use the word strange because it doesn't seem to matter who's life you look at some things are the same to everyone. One thing that seems to be true for everyone is that we have things in our lives that we have become accustomed to.
As a result of my surgeries I have constant pain in my head. I am not talking about the occasional headache or migraine. I am talking about the kind of pain that you rate as a 7 on the "how bad does it hurt on a scale of 1 to 10" thing. I have had it for 7 years now and it takes a toll on me. Many people ask me how I can function in my life when I am dealing with that kind of pain. My reply is always the same. I tell them that, after a while, you kind of get used to the pain. Now, that doesn;t mean that I don't feel it simply means that it has become so much a part of my daily life that I recognize it but have accustomed to it.
I think that becoming accustomed to things can be good or bad. I often wonder how many other things I have become accustomed to in my life. There is danger in that thought. Have I become so accustomed to my faith that I know longer recognize it's impact in my lefe? Have I become so used to the Lord's parayer that I really don't even recognize and process it when we say it during worship? Have I become so use to the Sacrament of Communion that I, simply, eat the bread and drink the juice without one single prayer or on single acknowledgement of God's gift to us in Christ Jesus?
On my journey home I have realized that a daily recognition of God's presence in my life keeps me motivated. What about you? Are there things in your life that you have become so accustomed to that you simply repeat it day after day with no thought or comprehension o what it is that you are really doing it for?
If this is the case I challenge you to stop and look at your life with new eyes. Examine your life from the view point of newness. Each day that we are given is a new challenge. This challenge calls us to a realization of who we are and what we believe. God has given each of us a new day to be inspired by Him. Let's not waste it by, simply, repeating the same things over and over without ever stopping and deciding why it is that we are doing what we are doing.
I pray that your spiritual journey would be filled with a sense of newness each day. I pray that God will inspire you to new ways of thinking and looking at the world. And I pray that He will bless you in a miraculous way. Until next time. I will see you on the journey.
Blessings,
Derek
Hey brother! That Christmas countdown clock is freakin me out! Way too many things to do! You know how we are an emotional loving family....we say "I love you" an awful lot. Now, that isn't a bad thing, but after reading a Dear Abby column Terry & I sat & talked about being accustomed to things!The woman in the column is married into a family that says I love you all the time....her dilema is this; She only was raised to say I love you when you "really mean it". Her husband tells her all the time...she very rarely says throughout their marriage. Thus her advice from Abby as to what to do? When I say I love you to someone....I mean it! When Terry says it too me..he means it.....when my children or my parents or my brothers tell me, I know they mean it! Terry says, "Do you ever get tired of me saying I love you all the time?" NOW WAY! Am I accustomed to him saying it...do I take it for granted? Boy, I hope not! When I close my eyes @ night do I know for sure that God will grant me a morning? No, so I open my eyes every single day & thank him for it! Oh by the way, Abby's advice....when someone says I love you & you don't want to reciprocate (for whatever reason) just say simply "Thank you"! Have a great day, Oh & I LOVE YOU! Sis
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