traversing towards destinations

I read a quote today that was really impactful: 
"People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain" -Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, page 100.


As of late, I've been thinking about my life and my desire to "have more fun" or make it more "worthwhile". After thinking on what I mean by these two phrases, I realize that life is what I make out of it. It's like making strawberry lemonade out of lemonade and strawberry Stoli rather than lemonade and actual strawberries. I would be bummed if I had to make it the natural way. Stoli makes it much more delicious, you know. But, I need to learn that just because I don't have the Stoli doesn't mean that I can't make strawberry lemonade at all, I just need to make it with the ingredients that i have. 


How often is it that life is more like an episode of Chopped -which for those of you who do not know, it's a Food Network show in which 4 chefs compete for a prize of $10,000. The whole premise is that they receive a basket of 3-4 foods out of which they have to make either an appetizer, a main course, or a dessert. None of the chefs know what these ingredients are until the time is on the clock and they have to race to make the food. These ingredients are obscure and always interesting. For a main course there could be duck breast, green onions, honey and ginger which, unless you are a good chef and can run with what you're given, it becomes quite difficult to make something that.- The same is true of life. we are thrown into these random situations and unless we have a good attitude about them and learn to ride with the current instead of struggling against it, we will not do well. 


I keep thinking - oh, when I get a car life is going to be better; when I have my own place I'll have lots of people who will come over and hang out, etc, etc, etc. The truth is, life is right here right now. 

Souza wrote: 

for a long time it seemed to me that real life was about to begin. 

but something always got in the way. 

at last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. 

this perspective has helped me to see that happiness is a journey, not a destination :)

And it's so true! I can keep putting my life off until I've gotten it 'right' but I will never, ever, have it right. Nothing is ever going to be perfect or complete or just how I want it. Something is always going to get screwed up or screwed over but I have to realize that I need to make the best out of it. God is good - he provides for me all that I need. I am never alone, never forsaken. He has never left me. 

As an old college friend wrote 

:: I have never been let down by my Savior.
:: I have loved every step of my journey thus far.
:: I am not God, and so thankful for that!
:: God knows what is coming, and I do not need to know.
:: I am seeking Jesus, and in that, He will deal with my mind and heart each step of the way.
:: I choose Faith and Trust through this all.

I was convicted at church on Sunday. The sermon was entitled "Personal Transformation, City Transformation" One of the phrases that stuck out to me the most was "Jesus wanted disciples, not admirers..." and how often is it that I am more the admirer that the disciple. To admire is to regard with wonder, pleasure or approval. to like or desire. A disciple is one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. I often find it easy to watch someone with pleasure and I definitely admire Christ, but I can say that while I embrace Christ's teachings, I often in no way assist with spreading these teachings. Sure, I keep His teachings in my head and in my heart, but am not usually vocal with them, at least not with people other than with whom I attend church. 

What happened to being in the world but not of it. I find that I more identify with being of the world rather than just living in it. Where does my allegiance lie? By my deeds and words, it's here rather than passing through to Heaven. To tie this all back together, it's not going to be until I get it in my heart that I am not destined for what life offers here in the present world but rather for the future world with Christ, I am never going to find that happiness that I so desire. I will find glimpses of it, but never will I be completely satisfied. 

This is my temporary home. It's not where i belong. windows and rooms that I'm passing through. 

This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going. This is my temporary home.