Philip Yancey

Can you imagine if people were so awesome to each other that strangers would come up to them and say,

“Hey, you rock.  I want to know your secret.”

I have acknowledged awesomeness in strangers, but now that I think about it, not often for the express purpose of finding out why they do what they do.  I praise parents for having polite children (especially on full airplanes), I comment on folks who do something nice for someone (hey mister you dropped a five-spot), I make known that superior customer service is appreciated (always appreciated), but I don’t think I ever asked WHY.   I’m going to start. The answers should be interesting.

Here is another great quote that should be a companion to Mr. Yancey’s.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

We are not just marking time on this planet until we get to Heaven.   God has given us marching orders.   Go into the world.  GO.  Be my ambassadors He said.  Show the world who you are and then tell them why.

So I think we should be more inspirational!  Model grace, love and acceptance so well that people want to know why we embrace those qualities.   How?  GO into the world and BE yourself.

Help a friend, help a stranger, love the unlovable (that means some of your co-workers, family, etc.), start a rock band,  find the positive in a negative situation, listen, paint a picture, laugh-cry-work-play with others, be nice when someone is not, get through the hard times with grace/faith,  FILL IN THE BLANK____________________, Find your passion and follow it.  Be the change and awaken the longings for more than what this world has to offer.

Then when someone asks and they will, tell them why you do what you do.  Introduce them to Jesus.  I guarantee the conversation will be interesting.

I want to growl.  In a good way of course.  Not the very-hungry stomach growl or the kind of growling that old men are accused of when they are grumpy.  I want to growl with excitement.  Dont you?  I can remember a time when life was that thrilling.   I miss those days.   I think I am going to start growling.  Probably in my car when there isn’t anyone else around, but I’m going to do it. 

I’ll start with the drive home from work.  “I’m going home for the day.  Grrrrrr ”   Dark chocolate is next.   “Grrrrrr.”   How about  weekends.  “Sleeping In.  Grrrrrrrrr!”  Now that I think about it, there are lots of things I can growl about.  Don’t be alarmed if the next time you see me, I’m growling. 

What would you growl about?  Grrrrrrrrr!

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, We are spiritual beings having a human experience. 

This little commercial break changed my perspective as I drove to work.   I wish I could say that I kept my changed perspective for more than a day, but alas, I am still having a human experience.  Right this minute in fact. 

What does this make you think about?

Gilda Radner said, “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.” 

Historically, I have not looked positively at ambiguity.  I definitely would never have called it delicious.  For me the word has been about communication.  When something is ambiguous it can be interpreted more than one way, it is vague, unclear.  I like clear, concise communication.  Knowing where I stand and what I am doing gives me a degree of comfort.  Don’t get me wrong, I like spontaneity and adventure as much as the next person, but when it comes to communication, I like clarity.  Say what you mean for goodness sake!!! 

The quote from Gilda Radner made me think about how ambiguous life is.  The future is not clear.  I look back over my life knowing that I could never have predicted where I am today and most people who knew me as a teenager would never have imagined it either.  (and that is really good).  I look forward and know that I can plan for some things, but I don’t know a lot about what will happen until I get there.  The possibilities may not be endless, but there sure are a lot of them.  And I am going to celebrate that.

Think about your life.  What about:

The situations you have learned from,

The things that have amazed you,

The people you have loved,

The things you have been blessed with. 

Lots of surprises.  Delicious Ambiguity.

We are our country. America is not just a place, but a culture and attitude of freedom. We should celebrate that and the people who have made it possible for us. I applaud our freedom of speech in this country, but never at the expense of belittling the folks who made it possible for me to have it.

I sent the message below to some friends and family that have served in the armed forces.

“On this Veteran’s Day, I wanted to make sure that I thank soldiers and their family members for your service to our country.

I believe that we live in the greatest country in the world. Not perfect, but the best, and I believe that is due in part to our military. I want to make sure that the people I know and love, know that their service, sacrifice, hard journeys and the journeys yet to come are appreciated.

I also want the family members to know that I believe their service is important too. Just ask a soldier how important their family is to them. Priceless. I know what it is like to wait and pray for a soldier, for individuals, platoons, companies, our country and leaders every day. I also know that as I was praying for soldiers I didn’t know, there were people praying for my soldier as well. I am humbled.

No service is too small. Like a chess game, all the pieces have different jobs, some have more responsibility or power than others, but the game could not be played without them all.

Thank you for your service to our country, to me and to our collective future.
In honor, love and respect, Marie”

Thank someone today for their service. No matter how big or small the contribution, it is the effort of the collective that has made the difference.

I wish I had a life highlighter. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to highlight certain moments in your life and revisit them? I don’t mean a video of the birthday party, but a true highlighter that could capture the essence of the moment and let you live it again. I would highlight dancing with Ella.

What would you highlight? Let me know.

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Muriel Strode

Ella’s quote is great. “Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” As a Christian, I need to own that. The Love of Christ is a free gift and He certainly has given me inspiration through His word, His Spirit, my experiences with Him and what I have seen in lives of others. I can’t go wrong if I am following God’s lead.

I also know that He has uniquely gifted each one of us and put a dream in our heart. The first part of the quote is great too. “Don’t give up.” That’s the hard part. Life certainly has a way of getting in the way. But then I have to remember, I have the Love and Inspiration of God within me.

And that takes me to Ms. Strode. Blaze a trail. How exciting. I can be an adventurer, an explorer, a trail blazer. If I follow God, I will blaze a trail through this world. When I read the New Testament books about the early church, I see trailblazers. I see adventurers. I want to live a life of adventure with God. What could be better?

Live Big today. Live like you have the Power of Jesus within you. And if you forget, remember He took care of that part too. Just pick up where you left off and keep blazing a trail.