Do You Enjoy It?

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

-Unknown

Part I

I recently posted this question as a status update on Facebook.  The responses I got were pretty tame. Some people said things like, "Fly" or "Anything, just because I could" while others simply "liked" it.  I remember feeling a little disappointed that not one of my friends even dared for a minute to think outside the box.  I knew it was simply just another sentence on their news feed but I was disappointed because it made me feel like I was the only one who's insides were screaming for something more.   

I can't help but wonder if we have come to a point where we no longer allow ourselves to dream, question and ask, "what if" because we are afraid of being hurt when things don't work out, we are afraid of taking risks, afraid of the unknown, afraid of the free fall, afraid of tripping and getting scraped up. 

Or is it that we've become too busy? Are we so wrapped up in our everyday lives, in all the things that are so important to us that we don't even have time to appreciate them?  I have this friend who is extremely talented, passionate and hard working but lately it seems that his life has been overtaken by all these things he "has to do," things that he loves and things that he has chosen for his life but at the same time something just seems off.  I recently asked him, "Do you enjoy it?" and at first his response made me feel a little better, "Deep down I am. It's just hard to realize because of everything else." But some time later I began to feel like something was off with that answer.  You see, here is this guy who is "living the dream," setting himself up for a successful future and doing things he always dreamed of but he can't fully enjoy because he is stretched out in so many different directions.  What good are blessings if we have turned them into burdens? What good are these blessings if we can not fully engage in them because of all the other responsibilities in our lives that we are afraid to let go of?

Individual blessings usually come along only for a period of time (some longer and shorter than others).  For example, college, jobs (and unemployment), trips, relationships (even the different stages of relationships), babies, children, vacations, living in a certain area, engagements, weddings, etc.  And I can't help but feel like most of the time we allow ourselves to be robbed of the pleasure God intends for us to find in that blessing because we don't make it a priority.  We often recognize the blessing but then put it on the same playing field as every other aspect of our lives.  We practically make it mundane.  We even say things like, "Oh, this is going by so fast." or "I wish I had more time or energy to focus on _____." But we do nothing about it.  We don't sit down and make a plan.  We don't look at the different stories our lives are writing and decide which ones need to be cut out (Thanks, Caleb for this line).  We just keep on going.  We tell ourselves to enjoy the moment, to live in it and not rush but our actions say otherwise. 

So now, I have to ask you a question, "Are you enjoying it? Are you glad you are doing it?" If your answer isn't "YES!", if your answer is more like, "Yes, but I hardly realize it" then PLEASE stop and do something about it.  Make some changes.  Do something different, step back from something if you need to.  Take control of your schedule and manage your time better.  Do something different so you can enjoy the blessings you have been given right now.  Because before you know it, they will be gone. 

 Just A Little Something Extra....

Are you a newlywed couple that just can't wait to have kids? Why? Do you realize you have your whole lives ahead of you? Have you taken the time to enjoy your spouse and this season of your lives together? If you can't figure out how to enjoy them how will you ever learn to truly enjoy your children? You only get this season of your life once, don't rush through it. Don't forget to enjoy it.

Are you engaged? Why are you rushing everything? Why do you feel the need to get married yesterday? I understand you are excited, believe me I do and I am sure I would be right there with you but seriously, you only get this ONCE! Relish in the moment. Be excited! Live out each moment and experience it fully. This is your time.

Oh, college student! My goodness, enjoy it! Go to class and LEARN! Take advantage of all the opportunities in front of you. Meet people! Leave your shell and comfort zone behind and build relationships. Quit counting down the days and years till graduation. You only get this once, appreciate the people around you and go crazy!

And to "all the single ladies (and gentlemen)," can we please just relax? We have the rest of our lives ahead of us. I know the child in you is feeling "SO OLD!" but seriously we are in this season for a reason and there is still so much fun to be had! Let's embrace it! Let's learn to enjoy every aspect of it (including the Friday nights at home and wedding invites with no "plus one") so that when the next blessing comes along we will be ready for it, we will know how to embrace and appreciate that season.


(A few weeks later:  Just read this article from Relevant and thought it really applies to this topic.   http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/26793-the-pride-of-busyness)

If Your Life Were A Movie...

Person #1: "How was the movie last night?"

Person #2: "It was good. We enjoyed it but the plot really wandered at times...  It was worth watching but was missing something.  ...It wasn't worth five stars and well, I wouldn't really give it four stars either.  I guess it would be three stars.  I liked the storyline, it just wandered..."

Sounds like a pretty average conversation, right? But just this once something jumped out at me. After hearing her response, I thought, "WOW! Isn't that life?!"

How many people are settling for a "three stars" kind of life? It isn't really bad but it isn't really great.  It's just ok enough to get comfortable.  If it was bad, we might actually be motivated to do something about it. And if it were really great, we would be out shouting about it like we do with all the great films we watch.

Think about what is happening when the plot of a movie wanders.  The storyline is missing the point and straying from fulfilling its purpose.  Is the storyline of your life wandering?  Are you missing the point or are you fulfilling your purpose? How many stars would your film receive?

".... A Fun New Journey!"

Don't you love when Facebook pops up with an old status update in your side bar? It almost always makes me smile. Today, it gave me my status from one year ago (August 22, 2010). I had just moved back to NJ after being away for ten years and was experiencing my first Sunday away from The Grove.
           
Upon the suggestion of my Aunt I went to visit a church she suggested that morning. Maybe my guard was up, maybe it was just too soon, maybe I was being extra critical because I know what I like and don't like about churches or maybe it just wasn't the right time. For whatever reason, my insides didn't scream, "THIS IS IT!" when I walked in the door or at all while I was there. People were nice enough, I introduced myself to the Senior Pastor and he was very genuinely excited to meet me. He insisted his wife would love to meet me as well but was unfortunately in a meeting. Instead he introduced me to his daughter who was also really sweet and I knew I could be friends with her. But off I went, disappointed that I hadn't found the church for me.

Playing in the snow with some of
my favorite Grove women!

As I returned home from church, I began receiving text messages from friends at The Grove in response to the "What's Happening At The Grove" video featuring my goodbye.This only made me miss my normal Sunday routine more, my "Monkeys" and "KangaRoos" (their smiles, giggles and cries), the specialty coffee bar, David King and his smile at the back door as Jodi and I wander around trying to remember all the random little things we think we can leave till the last minute, Leroy and Fannie stopping by my desk with trays of pastries as they come upstairs from the kitchen to stock the coffee bar, fighting Jeff for the opportunity to use the printer and copier followed by a sarcastic comment of some sort which really means how much he loves having me on the team, Autumn and Eliana, followed by Greg and Paula (insert the names of any family with a toddler here) coming down the hallway as they announce Emma Grace has wandered off again, all soundtracked by the amazing group of talented musicians practicing down the hall.

I can't imagine my life without these
beautiful and inspiring women!

I reminded myself in that moment that The Grove is unique and the relationships I found there could never be replaced but that at the same time I knew God had called me to NJ and it was time to move forward and trust him. So at 11:54am, I updated my Facebook with the following, "missing the Grove this morning but trying really hard to be open minded." Among the many responses was this note from my dear friend, Sarah Speier, "You are on a fun new journey! ENJOY IT!"

Well, it is now a year later and I can announce that it truly has been an amazing journey! Almost every expectation I came with has been shattered but I am in no way hung up on that. After that Sunday, I decided to just attend my Aunt's church until I figured out where I needed to be. I always knew it would be temporary but I felt like it was important to get plugged in with people while I was there. I made some amazing friends during that time and was so amazingly challenged and encouraged by so many beautiful people. The message each and every week was right on target with the challenges I was facing and I was able to just soak it all in and get charged for my week. God was definitely at work through it all but it was just a layover, not my final destination.

On a Friday, in late October, almost exactly two months after first visiting, I felt that I was supposed to go back to that first church. So... off I went. I can't say anything profound happened that day. But I believe there are two things that spoke to my heart and said, "This is where you belong." The first is that an usher sat me in the second or third row and these girls (I am pretty sure they were teenagers, sitting in the front row) realized I was sitting alone and decided to make me sit with them. I have no clue who they were and at first I was a little thrown off by the fact that they were so young but in the end I was just impressed by their boldness and excited spirits. The second defining moment was when the Senior Pastor saw me and gave me a big hug. I realize to many people this may sound strange and I don't necessarily believe he hugs everyone who visits once and returns two months later but he is an old friend of my Aunt and Uncle so I think that is why I got a hug. But for me, that hug said a lot.

Just two months earlier, I had walked away from more than just a church, a job or some friends. I had walked away from a family. I had brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, moms and dads, grandfathers and grandmothers. I had people who valued me and loved me unconditionally. I had people who challenged me and saw past my flaws. And I had DADS, men to encourage and cherish, to serve and to exemplify Christ. Because of my background, because that was something I did not grow up with God used the faithful men at The Grove to fill that void. But amongst all of that, I also played a role. I was a sister, a daughter, an aunt, granddaughter and strange as it sounds, even a mom. And although I had been making friends and being encouraged at my aunt's church I still felt like just another face in the crowd.  I still felt like someone attending an event and I wasn't sure what more my role there was.  As I said before I love these people (it just wasn't where I was supposed to be) and I found friends in the crowd but I did not find brothers and sisters.  I didn't find moms and dads, grandmothers or grandfathers and well, the only aunt and uncle I found were really my aunt and uncle.

When I received that hug, I was acknowledged and welcomed. It said, "You mean something, you are valuable, we want you here and there is a role for you here." I can't say anything dramatic happened right away but I knew that was where I was going to be on Sunday mornings. A week or two later I attended a women's event and was introduced to a lot of people and slowly began to build connections and get involved with a reality group and a team. I've now been a part of True North for almost ten months and at times it almost makes me sick to think about how blessed I am.  After such a bizarre year, I find myself with even more joy and that is crazy!

So many people are missing out on the best life has to offer, they are sleeping through life or as my good friend, Katie (yeah, the Senior Pastor's daughter that I knew I could be friends with) would say, "They are zombies. Not dead but not alive. Just walking around bumping into things." They have no real direction, purpose, excitement or passion.




I'm blessed to be living this life! I got to spend five weeks back in May and June at The Grove visiting my NC family and working with my old team. It was a beautiful blessing that added to my year but the most exciting part was knowing that while I was enjoying every millisecond there I had another incredible family up in NJ waiting for me to return. The Grove is not True North and True North is not The Grove.

At True North, I'm getting to be a little sister, a big sister, a daughter and a friend. I have people speaking into my life and I have the opportunity to speak into other's lives. I'm surrounded by men and women (really young, sort of young and old) who LOVE Jesus and pursue him on a daily basis. Their faith is alive and a part of their everyday lives. I am surrounded by people who are LOVING life. For us it isn't about striving to survive, it is about enjoying every moment, not wasting a blessing, living fully aware! I'm blessed to have these people walking alongside me, lifting me up when I'm hurting, encouraging and challenging me with deep conversation and cracking me up on a regular basis.  The struggles still come, the questions and worry still creep up but none of that competes with the joy that comes through fully and actively engaging in life.

As the blessings continue to exceed my expectations I can't help but wonder, "What will Facebook be saying another year from now?" 

I love you all and I am so thankful that I get to experience life with you! 

"You will rejoice and no one will take away your joy."  John 16:22