What will you focus on?

Why is it in a world with such beauty, love, and joy, we find it so easy to focus on the negative?  

After all these years, I cannot say I have an answer yet.  However, it is not so hard to shift our focus.  Have you found yourself having a lousy day or lousy week?  Don't fret, just find one thing each day that was good and be grateful!  Soon, you might just find that you have multiple things to be thankful for!  If you are really cool, you may find things to be grateful for every hour!  

Personally, this has been a challenging week for me.  However, the amount of beauty in this week is enormous.  Here are a few of my favorite things from this week that as I ponder, I truly am grateful!  The fact that they happened during a difficult week proves all the more how good life is.  God has granted us such good gifts, if we'd only just open our eyes.  

A few of my favorite things from this past week:

~Biking past Lake Michigan for the first time (soo amazing!)

~Catching up with a few friends on the phone

~Receiving a message that made me smile

~A delightful sunset

~An unexpected gift

~Giggling with friends

~Listening to my favorite kid and her friend chat about their day

~Irish music in the park 

~Inspiration

~Tea

~Finally writing my World Vision kids

~Delicious lunch

~Cool breezes

~Being silly in between important conversations

~Singing to the radio in the car

It could go on!  Reviewing this list sure makes it hard to be crabby about a difficult week!  I encourage you to make your own lists and find the good in your weeks and days as well.  As you look, I bet you will find more than you expected!  

~~ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8) ~~

Relief or Relationship

Just a little Story

The little girl sat down on a tiny bench in her room.  She watched as the storms came closer.  Her own heart began to flutter and beat wildly.  Soon, all she wanted to do was scream but there was no one to hear and no way out of the room.  Instead, she said a simple prayer and trusted that her Father would hear her and protect her.  He drew near to her, but the storms continued on and her fears continued to get the best of her.  This went on for some time and occasionally she would feel Her Father's peace and rest in Him but soon her fears and anxieties would crop up again.  After battling them a while, she would look to her Father and seek His comfort.  Sometimes it came, sometimes she didn't feel it.  But she continued to sit on her little bench.  Throughout it all she trusted the Father though often she found herself in the place of crazy emotions as she watched the storms overtake her home.  Ultimately, the storms came and destroyed her home, killing the little girl.  She was barely aware of her death, because she found herself holding the hand of her Father as He walked her Home.  He whispered to her "I love you, well done my child, you battled the storms and trusted in me - Welcome Home."      

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Relief

Sometimes as I walk this life, my emotions get the best of me.  Lately, life has felt like nothing short of a roller coaster, and a wild one at that.  I believe I could walk in peace and trust in the Father completely but I stumble believing that I need to always FEEL these things.  Feelings are fickle but Trust is not dependent on situations or our feelings.  Lately what I've sought is relief from my fears, frustrations, sickness, and sadness but what I really need to do is seek Him.  Our God is Is soo much more than temporary relief.  He is Creator, Savior, Teacher, Comforter, All that is good, Love, Truth, True Peace, Life, Etc.  Whether relief comes or not, I can walk trusting in the One who can use all situations for good.  He offers us a relationship with the Living God.  For as often as we talk about it, I think we miss on the amazing gift that He offers in giving us the gift of relationship.  Truly, what do you most value in a friend..what they give you or the time spent with them?  Hands down it's time but so often we seek only the gifts of God.   A life journeying with God is surely a life well lived.  I can seek him in my misery as much as in my joy.  He is more than able to journey with us while we suffer as much as when we dance.  Seeking and receiving relief does not teach my heart to trust the Lord but teaches my whole being to seek comfort.  Seeking Him teaches my heart to trust and rest in my God no matter what circumstances happen.    

My prayer for myself and whomever may read this is that our lives could echo the voice of the psalmist in 131.  V2: "But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me."

Similariy, my prayer is to truly understand what Paul asserts to understand in the book of Philippians 4:11  "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."

May you know the gift of walking with the Lord, who walked our same road and promised to Never leave us.  Cling to Him no matter what griefs come your way and no matter what in your life never seems to change no matter how much you pray about it.  Healing may or may not come, but His goodness does not change and He loves you like crazy.  Seek Him while He can still be found and know the joy of living a life with the Best friend a person could ever ask for.  

Sprinter, Marathoner, Reactionary

The way I see it there are three types of runners:

The Sprinter, The Marathoner, and The Reactionary.

The Sprinter prepares and gets what needs to be done in a very short amount of time.  In short, they give it ALL that they have in the few moments they have that they need to perform.  Sprinting is an important skill for many sports.    

The Marathoner prepares, runs, and not only works towards building speed but more importantly stamina and longevity.  The marathoner knows the race may be long so they run consistently and don't get as frustrated with off days because they have a longer goal in mind.  

The Reactionary runner is a term I made up.  When I think of this type of runner I picture all the individuals who tell me they'd only run if a lion was chasing them.  Yep, the Reactionary runner acts only when necessary for survival.  

Please forgive me for oversimplifying but when I consider life, I consider these three types of ways to live.

The Sprinter prepares for the bigger and key moments of life.  My bet is they'd be the ones pulling planned all nighters before a big exam or presentation at work or perhaps even a week in advance.

The Marathoner knows a key to success is consistency.  They would be the people studying throughout the semester or improving their skills at work consistently so that they can be ready for the big meetings or changes.  

The Reactionary of course never (or rarely) prepares but instead panic or act only when needed.  This is the individual though who despite knowing for months that their job would be having summer lay offs began looking for work a week after they were laid off and are now hungry.  

Practically speaking, a person can choose appropriate sleep habits, sleep in spurts through the week, or sleep only when physically exhausted and drained.  Spiritually, a person can pray to God when there is a crisis, seek God while preparing for a large event or situation (speaking engagement, helping out a group, wedding ceremony), or spend a lifetime searching and seeking His will.    

Well, guess what - I am a mix (as I'm sure we all are) of these.  I engage in life primarily by sprinting through what I need to get done and then returning to status quo or running around because the lion has been set loose upon me but as soon as I can stop my body collapses.  I actually believe all three types to be useful for various times in our lives, but when I look at the way a marathoner trains and or performs I feel that is the wisest way to live.  I don't know about you but I have had years of training in the art of sprinting and reacting, I want to focus now on how to run the race of life with endurance.  Foremost, I want to keep close to God, to know Him and His ways beyond big moments and crises.  Secondly, I suppose this means I should have regular sleeping habits and eat at least SOME nutritional foods (oh adulthood).  While I'm working on that, I might as well train for a 5K. :)  How about you, what is your primary mode of running?   

Focus on Adding in the Good

It is better to add good things then try to take away bad things.

I doubt it would come as a surprise to anyone who knows me but I am a bit of a soda addict. I have stopped drinking soda so many times (and started up again) I have lost count. Until recently...I just decided to change my focus. Instead of trying to stop my favorite bad habit, I decided to pick up a good one. I began to drink water. It is the funniest thing. When I drink water, I crave soda less. I still have soda on occasion, it's true. Someday I would like to eliminate it fully but if I continue to drink water I am better off. I am healthier and better able to say "no" to the liquid that can only bring hazard to my life.

I believe this concept can work in many other ways.

I also have a fast food problem sometimes. Well, guess what - when I take the time to go to my new favorite store - Trader Joe's and make proper food choices - I spend more time eating healthy energizing foods as opposed to eating food that includes empty, fattening, calories that only drag my energy level down. Fast food is really not appetizing when you have other yummy healthy options available!

The other night, I was having trouble and focusing only on the negative things and feeling pretty awful. Due to this, I was unable get a handle on focusing on the important things. I felt 100% completely inadequate as a person and lost in a disarray of emotions. All those bundled up feelings of emotions can leave you pretty useless. I tried reading the Bible but all I could find was more ways I wasn't measuring up. Honestly, I didn't look too hard because it was difficult to focus at the time. I ended up talking to one of my wisest friends who told me that I was shopping for the wrong pieces of identity. Here I was looking to different aspects of life to decide if I had worth or value. I looked at my job performance, how I perceived people's interactions with me, past interactions, my own definition of success, etc. etc. He advised that it was as if I was shopping and picking out the wrong things to look at. (1 can of the importance of people's perceptions here, a bushel of monetary success, etc) It really hit me pretty hard considering I've been learning how to pick out the RIGHT things in other aspects of life.

Later that evening, I decided to look and see what Jesus would say. Reading through some of John, I saw my Lord loving so many people and sharing Himself (ultimately sacrificing Himself) for the sake of the people He loved. While focusing on Jesus, I realized this really is where my identity lies. Because He didn't just love people in a book but He loves me! He also tells me of the Father's love for me. And Jesus didn't lay heavy loads on people prior to offering His love. He offered the gift completely free to those who were willing to come. I was on the edge of my seat witnessing his interactions with Mary and Martha, Lazarus, the Disciples, the large crowds, and Zacchaeus. When focusing on Jesus, I can see what He sees. I got to thinking about how the gospel writer John formed his identity - "the disciple whom Jesus loved". I'm pretty sure with that kind of personal identity - he didn't get too caught up on what other people thought or his failings. Jesus knew Him in His failings and loved Him. The best thing about finding out what Jesus thought about me is that all my misplaced worries dissipated and those waves of emotions suddenly looked like tiny ripples in comparison to the truths that were revealed. I guess that's what happens when we focus on the good.

I share this with all of you for one reason. We are in a fix it/self-improvement/make it BIGGER AND BETTER kind of culture. As we are doing this, we can get trapped into focusing on the negatives. I believe we will find the freedom and strength we need to preserve and push forward when focusing on the positives. So whether it's that annoying co-worker who gets you down (try seeing the positives in them and striking up a friendship) or maybe it's the pile of bills (but you just got an extra $20 and what a help that will be)! I don't know what may be getting you down, but instead of trying to get rid of that nasty bad habit, or focusing on what you are not or what you don't have, try adding in something good. And more importantly, I really do want to encourage you to get to know Jesus Christ. His love for you is the most beautiful gift any of us have ever been offered and deserves our attention. In a world where we are constantly told we need the next best thing to be enough, His love truly stands out as the water we all so desperately need and crave.



Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man-can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval. John 6:27b NLT

Today's Victory

Darkness came on me as an unwelcome thief
Stealing my joy and peace.
For 24 hours I struggled in wonder as to WHY

The answers are still out of my grasp.
Darkness was quickly joined by lethargy.
Followed again by a sense of hopelessness.

In these times it would seem no one could understand.
This threatens the ability for community to support.
I would pray but feel nothing.

Suddenly, the solution is upon me.
Run. Chase whatever it is that threatens to consume.
Run to God, Run to Action.

Lacing up my brand new shoes.
I felt quickly the surge of excitement.
My heart is reminded - I was made for more than I am.

Arriving at my favored spot, I took stock.
Evening had fallen, cold air pricked at my skin.
As I began, my untrained lungs began to burn.

Still I moved. Amazing. 20 minutes and everything changes.
Goodbye hopelessness. Goodbye Lethargy. Goodbye Darkness.
I have a God who does not abandon me.

No marathons completed today. Nothing noteworthy.
Save this:
Never let what you cannot do, stop you from what you can do.

I walked and ran my little path. Regardless, it was victory.
Tomorrow victory may look different.
Today - Victory can be wrapped up in the use of my running shoes.

You may say God had nothing to do with it.
I know better. He guides His sheep to what they need.
Tonight, I needed to run. I love you, Lord!

Different parts, One Song

I am a student of support rhythms, there are no solo actions. Really, an accomplished drummer much farther along than myself would be a solo artist. I support others who play and I engage in corporate drumming. In my class there are 5 students and our teacher. Together we sound amazing (if I say so myself) as we play different parts which when paired in various ways bring out a life and energy that a solo drummer of our ability simply could not produce. My teacher informs us that together we border on concert readiness. After three sessions, we almost have two songs! o:)

Playing with the group not only holds a lot of responsibility (I must keep my part), it also holds the excitement that one has when working towards a common goal. But playing together ALSO means that a mistake could jeopardize the whole group. We have many beats and bell sounds that play off one another. If one person fails, it could throw the whole thing off. We can all play almost any of the parts independently. But when played together it becomes more difficult to sync it all up. It involves a ton of listening, focus, trusting, etc.

One of the more challenging parts to play has only a few notes repeated but it almost brought me to tears when trying to sync up. I overcame, thanks to a supportive class, but it proved to be my greatest challenge yet. I kept declaring how "it shouldn't be so difficult", as when playing by myself I could do it just fine. It was with the added drums and bells, that I found my rhythm lost and thus derailing our song. Despite the other sounds around me, I had to maintain my specific rhythm.

The other thing I find fascinating is how different drums can really add to various sounds. Sometimes we will silence three of the drums to pair two other ones together. If played solo, one drum may be uninteresting but when two of them are played together, a beautiful sound arises.

Every time we play a song together, we take an audiences attention away from a single drummer to the beauty of the song as a whole.

This all leads me to think about living for The Lord. We all have our roles to play which when we focus on individually may seem very mundane or unimportant. Oh the age old question, is the life I live have any importance? But when we play together, supporting one another in the shared Redemption song, we can see how different actions together can glorify the Lord. Since life isn't about us, and is all about pointing to the one who offers redemption to ALL, it makes sense that the roles we play must not only be intertwined with one another but in some ways very dependent. We need one another to play a better song and we must learn that the song we play is never about us. Playing solo is unnecessary when we have one another because together we can point to the truest masterpiece - Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

This I know

Another evening is here and I find it difficult to sleep again. It has been a typical pattern this week. The worries and concerns of life seem to place a heavy weight on me. My comfort in these times has been in my Pandora Radio. I listen to songs of truth, hope, and celebration of our great and mighty God.

I had a great day today and I am a little surprised to find myself here. Today was one of those overly happy days but even those feelings fade. I have bore the gambit of emotions this week from elation to sadness and just about everything in between. As a contemplative person, I seek to find the stability within all the emotions that interact with the facts, troubles, and blessings of any given day.

It is not uncommon to find me utilizing emotion to explain my understanding of the world. This is an error I seek to correct. For no emotion exemplifies a true reality. I know this because I have felt varying emotions for the exact same fact at different moments.

Facts can be skewed, troubles misunderstood, and blessings squandered. None of these things can define our day to day reality.

But upon reflection, I see one constant truth. God is near.

No matter where I've found myself this week, I know God is waiting to engage with me in it. There is nothing that can separate me from my God. He saw to that. He crossed the great divide to reach out to me and has since never left me. In fact, He calls me His own. I am His beloved.

At the end of the day, He is enough.

Truth worthy of Celebrating

Negative words and lies can bring us down but uplifting words and truth can spring forth new life. I think it's easy for us to listen to the lies of our own heart and the enemy of our souls. How many times do we forget who we are? It is easy to get trapped and forget that we are created by God. To those who trust in Christ, we have been given the right to be Children of God.

Children, loved by the Father are Always Accepted, Always Loved, and Always Secure. It's incredible really. I have this funny feeling that the Spirit constantly speaks this truth to us but we so often fail to listen. Sometimes, like an unexpected text from a friend, my heart has an understanding that springs forth this truth loudly.

Tonight I was brushing my teeth and hit suddenly with the reminder that I am loved because I'm His kid. His acceptance of me is beyond reason and not based upon my actions. Belonging to Him trumps every other identity I hold or will ever hold. It is enough.

I cannot tell you how much I love it when an ordinary moment of life holds grand reminders. What a beautiful life we have been offered and given. If you are reading this, I pray you hear the reminders that are spoken directly to You!

Happy Birthday Peter!

Well, it's been another year, so Peter you would be another year older. Had you lived, you would be 34 years old. And as your baby sister, I would be forced to harass you about this. :) It crossed my mind the other day and I thought the Beckman siblings are getting older. It wasn't so long that we shared a home together. Of course, I do not remember this as you had to leave us 6 months after my birth. But still, for six months we shared our home with Jill, mom, and dad. No one can take that away and you will always be my brother. :o)

I can't let this day pass without throwing a random shout out into the internet universe to you. I love you bro. Happy Birthday!