Flying

One of my all time favorite stories is Peter Pan. It is great, there are adventures, pirates, a magical island and best of all, he could fly. Flying is something that I have always dreamed of being able to do. I remember when I was very little, my Dad picked me up and was "flying" me down the hallway. I remember thinking, "just let me go Daddy, I've got it from here." Of course he kept a firm grip on me because he knew the law of gravity, but I just knew I could fly. In the story Peter is telling the children how to fly and he says, "All it takes is faith and trust...And pixie dust. Now think a happy thought and fly." As I was thinking about this the other day, something occurred to me. So often in this life, we feel as though we are just barely getting by. Nothing seems good or beautiful anymore and we feel as though we are stuck on the ground. And, sadly we have trained ourselves to believe that this is the only way. Oh, but there is so much more. Though we will never literally be able to defy gravity and fly, the One who has given us life desires for us to live victoriously, chase our dreams, love unconditionally... to fly. But you may ask, "how can I ever get past these circumstances? I've lost sight of dreams, love and faith." Well, my advice to you are the words of Peter Pan. Have Faith in the One who loved you enough to die. Trust in Him regardless of the circumstances. And think a happy thought, meaning, believe in the beautiful things of life. Set your mind on the positive, for the only place negative thoughts will take you is in a downward spiral. So next time you start to feel discouraged and stuck, take Peter Pan's advice, Faith, Trust and Happy thoughts...and soar!.

"All you need is faith and trust...And a little bit of pixie dust." --Peter Pan

"Childlike faith focuses on our Heavenly Father--Not on our fears." --Unknown

Live

I've decided something. I look at my life and realize that all to often I have not been living. I've been making do, getting by and, more often than not, struggling. I am so richly blessed and yet I don't often live like it. I struggle with fears, doubts and worries and they do nothing more than dull the colors around me to a muddy gray. I sit and look at my shoes trying to think of all that I have to do to get it right and it overwhelms me because I just can't. And then yesterday something clicked in my head. I felt as though God whispered in my ear, "Beloved, stop. Stop looking at the mud because it's not going to get you anywhere. I have set you free but you are not living in it. It's time to start living." Jesus Christ paid the price for me and you to live a victorious, free life. So I'm going to stop looking at what I think I have to do to make myself worthy of that gift and instead, I'm going to look into the eyes of the One who gave it to me. I'm not saying it is going to be easy, even today I started to look back and get caught up in that nasty, muddy mess. But regardless of how I feel, I'm going to rest in the arms of the One who loves me more than I will ever know. So my challenge to myself and you is this: Let it go. Life is waiting.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." --Unkown
              

The Clocks

 I live in a apartment in a big yellow house on a quiet street in a little town. The people who lived here once, long ago, were watch makers. I made a discovery the other day and it got me thinking. I was down in the basement the other day and there, way in the back was the watch makers desk. It was covered with watch faces, clock pieces and all the tools of the trade. The drawers were full of things just waiting to be discovered and the ledger sitting there dated back to the forties. What really struck me, were the glasses. There was an old wire rimmed pair of eye glasses sitting there amongst the clocks. It was as though the wearer had been in the middle of something when he set them down to run upstairs for a cup of coffee, and he never went back. It made me wonder why he had stopped and what ever happened next. And then I began to think. We only have so much time. Life is a precious gift and yet so often we spend our days worrying, grumpy, struggling, or wishing we were somewhere or somebody else. That is not the way we were meant to live. When God set your life in motion, I'm quite certain He smiled. Because He said, "I know the plans I have for you...They're good plans." So, don't let worry, fear, the grummpies, or discontent ruin your day. Because God has something much better for you, and it may very well be right in front of you but you won't be able to see it if you don't look. So, today with the precious time you have, let it go, smile, laugh and live the life you have been given. It's good.

"Know how to live the time that is given you." --Dario Fo

The Music

Do you ever feel as though the music has stopped. You feel as though life has left you in the dust, and what once was beautiful and exciting feels gray and sad. Stop right now, and listen. Do you hear it? The music is still playing, it may be quiet and gentle, but ever so faintly it plays on. Because, the One who wrote the music promises to never leave or forsake you. Did you know that every organ in the human body vibrates at a certain pitch. That means that you are a living, walking song. The symphony of life is within your very being. God delights in you so much that He wrote His music into you. You can't hear it with your ears, and yet it is there. How amazing is that! Our very bodies are an instrument of praise to the One who has given us life. So, today whatever you are doing, wherever you have been,  regardless of what you feel like, let the music play. Smile! It's going to be a good day.

"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. " --Lao Tzu

Psalm 101:1
"I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to You O Lord, I will make music."