love lessons from survivor.

I love survivor... SO MUCH! I love the competitiveness. I love the drama. I love that the survivors seem to be clueless. Everyone is always so shocked when they are voted off. But here is a short lesson we can learn from the greatest reality show! Attitude weighs more than loosing. What I mean by this is something we can apply to life. The survivors that weigh the team down more are not the old slow survivors. They are the survivors with the poor attitude. It amazes me that both team moral and success seldom improvs when the physical weakest link is voted off and the team does not go on to improve. However, when the players with the bad attitude are voted off, the team seems to fly. The weight of a bad attitude is a heavy load. I often have bad attitude days... don't we all! But here is where I may be different than others. When I have a bad attitude, I know it. I sometimes dwell in my bad attitudes. I let my attitude weigh me down and affect every aspect of my life. I carry this weight around and get so used to it that after awhile it seems like nothing. I build up a tolerance to it. But, oh the sweet moment I let it go. That sweet savory moment that your bad attitude melts away. Don't you feel like you can fly when you let it go? I do. I feel good. I forget when made me mad. I feel like I can go on to win... Anything. It is just nice to vote off the attitude. The sad part about writing this is that I know I will go on to have bad attitudes in my life. Unfortunately it is human nature. Sin in its most selfish form. But here is what I hope I can do. I hope I can learn to let them go sooner than I would normally let go. I hope that I can remind my self of the strength gained by the beauty of leaving it behind. God is good. he gives us the strength we need to let go of the sin and negativity in life so that we can fly above it. Amen? Amen!

lessons from Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz... Mr. A-Z... Man of fast words, good music, and life lessons. What? Yup. That is what I said. I listen to him a lot. I mean, his CD is always in my car. (I would say in my frequently listened to play list on my I Pod, IF I had an I Pod!) How is it that sometimes something you hear over and over again can go with out being noticed? I sing along, but I guess I don't pay attention. Here is what I heard that finally hit me today:

" The planet's taking about a revolution
The natural laws ain't got no constitution
They've got a right to live their own life
But we keep paving over paradise

Cause we're only human
Oh yes we are, only human
If it's our only excuse, do you think we'll keep on being only human?
Oh yes we are, only human, so far, so far..." - Jason Mraz "Only Human"

Well shoot. Mr. Mraz; I think you are onto something. Isn't the point of life to try and go beyond simply being human? Are we not called to life a life according to God? If that is the case, why are we falling back on the excuse of being "only human?" why are we content to continue to knowingly sin? Why is it that we feel no need, no pressure to change our ways... stop paving over the paradise that our lives are meant to be with tar made from sin?

I like analogies... I think that is a good one. Another favorite song of mine is "Big Yellow Taxi" many artist have covered this, but they are all the same chorus...

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you want till it's gone, paved paradise to put up a parking lot..."

What are we paving over lately?

If I am going to fly, I am going to need a park to fly in. I don't want to fly over a parking lot, or a building, I want to fly over a life that is clean, and full of natural beauty... wouldn't you?

So this is where I am today... I am starting a disaster relief clean up effort.

building my wings

So, I am figuring out that it takes some time to even plan a take off. I am no architect, but I am trying to build my wings.

For starters, I need a base. A foundation. Psalms 118: 21-23 has David crying out to the Lord:

I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

I am finding that I had the right capstone, years ago. I had a fit. But, I ignored it. I let it get dirty. I neglected care of my capstone. While still in good shape, I thought it old. I replaced it with a new stone. A "me" shaped stone. Again, left to survive on its own, this one has deteriorated. Why did I reject that initial capstone? Why did I think it not fitting. With some care, it would be able to stand the test of time.

It is time to all the Lord to be my architect. It's time that I allow God to replace what has become old with something new... well sort-of. It is time to replace my initial stone as my base. It is time to see the beauty and character that the initial stone has. It is time to see that stone as something marvelous.

If you read on in Psalms 118 to verse 24 you will find one of the most well known Psalms:

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today I will rejoice because I am marveling at what God has shown me. God will continue to build me. To mold me into a creature that can fly free knowing that I am His. God will give me what I need to defy gravity.

Taking off, a prologue if you will.

How do I take off? Planes turn on their engines, taxi to the run way, and then after getting up to speed, a lot of technical stuff happens and BOOM, a huge piece of metal is in the air. How do I even turn on my "engine?" How can I conceive a take off? I think this is it. I think that starting to write my life is a start. A beginning. Short. Simple. Sweet. A prologue to what is to come.

My life has been easy compared to most. I have been provided for. I have had bills paid for. I have never been hungry, I have never been with-out. I have been loved.

While those around me have held me up, I have held myself back. I have kept myself sheltered. I have been afraid most of my life to go beyond my comfort zone and succeed.

Now, how do I go about that? I guess it is time to be a little bit brave.

I am scared.