Liminality

I find moments of reflection to be vital for the decisions and directions we choose for the future. In 2008, I have come across some significant discoveries. This is my Top Five Countdown. 5) Life is daily…what you do with your days is how your years turn out Your days make up your years. The way I choose to live today is the way I will be next year and later on in my life if I don’t change. This step inevitably makes me reflect on my life. What am I doing with my days? What would I rather be doing? If I am here this year, where do I want to be next year and what steps do I need to take to get there? Personally, I never want to stop growing, learning, discovering, adapting, etc. In order for that to happen, I must realize that the choices I make today, affect who I am later in life. 4) Working reaches goals…Listening to your life (and acting upon what you hear) makes dreams come true. I go on silent retreats. I love them. The reason why I do is because I have b...

What you can’t see in yourself, you will never be able to see in others. If you don’t recognize your strengths, how will you see it in people around you? If you don’t see yourself as God’s Beloved, how will you communicate that to others? You help usher in the Kingdom and people listen for God’s word through you. If you don’t claim your identity daily in Christ, how can people walk with you? What you don’t see in yourself, you will never be able to see in others. Your true identity is as a child of God. This is the identity you have to accept. Once you have claimed it and settled in it, you can live in a world that gives you much joy as well as pain. The temptation to disconnect from that deep place in you where God dwells and to let yourself be drowned in the praise or blame of the world always remains. Gradually, though, you will begin feeling more connected and become more fully who you truly are – a child of God. There lies your real freedom. [1] We must c...

In the Gospel of John, Jesus sums up pretty much everything by saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). He said it at the supper that he knew was the last one he’d have a mouth to eat. Happiness turns up more or less where you’d expect it to –a good marriage, a rewarding job, a pleasant vacation. Joy, on the other hand, is as notoriously unpredictable as the one who bequeaths it. [1] There is difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is quick and momentary. Something can make you happy but a few seconds later the feeling is gone. Joy is more than this. Regardless, both joy and happiness seem to be tied to the choices we make in life. You are constantly facing choices. The question is whether you choose for God or for your own doubting self. You know what the right choice is, but your emotions, passions, and feelings keep suggesting you choose the self-rejecting way. Self-rejectio...

For some people holiday seasons can be tough. They are the times when people express their deepest love and affection for the ones she/he considers deserving. This inevitably forces people to remember the ones that do not get to share in the moment. We are compelled to reflect on friends and family that are no longer with us; and for those of us who are single, it forces us to realize that we don’t have someone to share the holiday season with. Either way, death and heartbreak are real reasons that keep people from experiencing great joy during the holiday season. I know for me, I experience loneliness during this time of year because I’m still single. When I go home, I go home to a family that is entirely married except me. Whether I want to think about this or not, I’m forced to answer the question: “So, when you planning on getting married?” My response has recently been one with quite a lot of sarcasm, “Oh! That’s right. I’m still single.” Regardless, if we a...