Tuesday, May 17, 2011

THE BEAUTY OF SILENCE

OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS I HAVE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF SILENCE. RALPH WALDO EMERSON ONCE SAID, "LET US BE SILENT, THAT WE MAY HEAR THE WHISPERS OF THE GODS."

ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME WELL CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH OPINIONS TO GO AROUND, AND I'M GENERALLY WILLING TO SHARE THEM WITHOUT RESERVATION. I AM ALSO ONE WHO LIKES TO THEORIZE ABOUT EVERYTHING AROUND ME. HOWEVER, I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING I WAS TOLD A WHILE BACK. I WAS COUNSELED TO TAKE AN EXTRA MINUTE TO THINK A LITTLE DEEPER ABOUT EVERYTHING. SINCE I'VE STARTED TO PAUSE, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE LEARNED. THE LORD HAS BLESSED ME WITH ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT I KNOW I WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN WITH MY TRADITIONAL "FIRST THOUGHT IN, FIRST THOUGHT OUT" APPROACH TO LIFE.

THIS LIFE IS GOD'S PLAN FOR US AND IT'S HIS DESIRE IS THAT WE LEARN EVERYTHING WE CAN WHILE WE'RE HERE. HOWEVER, WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LESSONS AVAILABLE TO US, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD HIMSELF. HE IS OUR FATHER! WE ARE HIS CHILDREN! HE HAS EVEN TOLD US HOW TO KNOW HIM BETTER... "BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD." PSALMS 46:10 THAT IS THE KEY. WE HAVE TO SLOW DOWN. WE HAVE TO TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE SILENCE AND EVERYTHING WE COULD POSSIBLY FIND IN IT. THIS LIFE IS SO BUSY AND IT'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO AVOID THE DISTRACTIONS ALL AROUND US. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, TAKE A MINUTE AND JUST LISTEN. TURN OFF THE ELECTRONICS, GET AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION, AND LET YOURSELF GET TO KNOW YOUR FATHER. HE LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO COME TO KNOW HIM BETTER.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

RENEWED MOTIVATION

IT HAS BEEN WAY TOO LONG SINCE I'VE WRITTEN ON THIS BLOG. (2 1/2 YEARS, WHOOPS) DURING THAT TIME THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS, A LOT OF EXPERIENCES, AND A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED.

LAST WEEK MY COUSIN, BRIANA BOULTER STEPHEN, PASSED AWAY AFTER A 2 YEAR BATTLE WITH CANCER. SHE WAS A BLESSING IN THE LIVES OF EVERYONE THAT KNEW HER AND WILL BE SORELY MISSED. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE OF THE ETERNAL NATURE OF FAMILIES AND THE BLESSING THAT WE CAN ENJOY OF BEING WITH THOSE WE LOVE AFTER THIS LIFE HAS ENDED.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BRI TAUGHT ME DURING HER TIME ON THIS EARTH WAS HOW MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE OUR WORDS AND EXPERIENCES CAN HAVE ON THE LIVES OF OTHERS. SHE SHARED HER LIFE, CHALLENGES, AND TRIUMPHS THROUGH HER BLOG AND IT TOUCHED PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. THAT EXAMPLE HAS GIVEN ME A NEW MOTIVATION TO UPDATE MY OWN BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY.



AS I SIT ON MY PORCH AND THINK ABOUT HOW SHORT LIFE IS, I CAN'T HELP BUT BE GRATEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHARED MY LIFE WITH ME. GOD IS WONDERFUL AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT I CAN GIVE TO REPAY THE LOVE THAT HE HAS SHOWN. BRI, MAY I LIVE UP TO THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ALL OF US THROUGH YOUR OPTIMISM, COURAGE, FAITH, AND LOVE. YOU WILL BE MISSED.