Five Reflections of 2008

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 bought into the thought that listening to your life matters. God is speaking to you. I believe that if you listen carefully and intently you will actually hear God’s voice. God loves you and wants you to be joyful. Jesus declares in John 14 that his joy will be complete if we accept it too.

When you listen to your inner life and act upon it, you are tapping into a stream of consciousness that is God-driven. You are listening to the part of your soul that only you and God know about. Listening to this allows you to own and grasp the secrets you have always wanted to live by and helps you identify what your hearts deepest gladness is. Frederick Buechner says that when your heart’s deep gladness meets the world’s greatest need – then you are doing the will of your father. The first step is tapping into your heart’s deep gladness.

3) When you stop looking for fair, mercy takes on a new meaning

This year I was hurt and broken from many different things. I had separated relationships, broken friendships, knee surgery, my apartment was broken into, I nearly ran completely out of money, and the list goes on and on.

God, however, has only magnified for me this year. I am in a place spiritually that I have never been before and I love every minute of it. This year I have learned the hard lesson that life is not fair, but when I stop looking for fairness, I see God’s mercy in a whole new light. God’s mercy is not for me to have everything I have always wanted, it is however, good enough for me to experience the joy and love of a relationship that transcends nominal possessions and forgettable grades and dwell in a relationship that I don’t deserve.

2) Finding home can last a lifetime…being at home in your own skin is a good place to be in the meantime

I hope every person in the world could feel at home in their own skin. I am almost ready to say that this matters more than anything else in the world. To not wish you were different but to accept your flaws, your personality, your quirks, your friends, your lot in life seems to be more holy than any of the other discoveries mentioned. God created you the way you are. To reject that is sort of rejecting God’s intent for you. To accept it, is to glorify God by saying, I am proud to be the person you have asked me to be.

1)It is up to you to write yourself a good narrative

You make your choices in this world. Your life is yours to live. Your story is your story and you play the biggest part in it. It is up to you to write yourself a good one. Choose the things that lift you up, make you happy - choose to fall in love, to risk what needs to be risked, etc.

It is up to you to write yourself a good narrative (story) - you have the final say in what you choose to do - if you don't choose this - then life will pass by and it will be missed.

I think this is what I have learned most in 2008.

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