…is more singing.” — Ella Fitzgerald
Archives for category: wisdom
Fear will get you NOWHERE. Choose love instead.
Me too.
This season at Soulpepper, Krystin Pellerin was in You Can’t Take It With You.
The show’s all packed up now. But…A while ago, I watched the following video.
Krystin and her co-star (Eric Peterson) mentioned a line that rings true to me.
Life is kind of beautiful if you just let it come to you.
(Emphasis added)
Consider the weight of those words. Real life-balance can be an enigma. At times I really struggle, trying to figure out when to push for what I want, versus when to let things happen. And the older I get, the less sense it makes for me to fuss over things that are beyond my control.
There are things that I long to get out of this life. Things that cannot be forced.
Matthew 6 contains an interesting passage. Jesus is talking about man’s favorite mental illness: worry. More often than not, we get worked up over a desire for material things. Deep down I believe that many of us measure ourselves by our possessions. But verse 33 says
…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Can I confess something? Often, when I should be sleeping, I’m online. Do you know what I’m doing?
Wasting time. Looking at things that I want. Not have.
WANT.
For, you see, one day I would like an apartment in a different city, a career that I love, some new clothes…The list goes on and on.
Meanwhile, there’s work to be done. (I’m thankful that I’m learning to use this season of my life to prepare for its next phase.)
Lately, though, I’ve been thinking that I need to stop fussing over the desires of my heart, and start focusing on my mission.
“…seek first the kingdom of God…”
I really shouldn’t worry about anything else.
I mean, what’s the point. Verse 34 breaks it down even further.
…do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The other night, I had to talk to myself.
Staying up late fixating on things that I can’t afford really isn’t gonna get me anywhere. The day is done. And whatever needs to be improved upon will have to wait.
So then. How do I go about seeking the Kingdom? I’m not speaking in an obligatory evangelical sense. (If you know me, you’ll know that I’m no hyper-conservative.) I just believe that human beings were meant for more.
The other day, three things came to mind. I don’t take full credit. Nothing that I mention can’t be found in scriptures.
Do you want to bring the Kingdom to life?
- Do good.
- Stay true to your purpose.
- Show love to your fellow man.
I believe that those three ideas are at the crux of humanity’s mission. They are the heart of what we were called to do. And of letting life come to you. Indeed, they’re all I have any energy for.
Have a blessed day.
I’m starting a podcast. The first episode has been recorded and edited.
I’ve been nervous as hell about it. Mainly because I know I made errors when I was putting it together.
Yet in spite of my mistakes I feel like soldiering on. I’m already planning my next show.
Interestingly enough, just now this popped into my head.
Claire, you’re on the right track. Don’t worry about making mistakes. If you’re gonna mistake your way to perfection, so be it.
I don’t expect perfection. In my head I interpreted that sentence’s use of the word as “where you need to be”. And so, fumbling towards my Paradise I go…
Cue this classic advice from Ira Glass.
I enjoy Proverbs. It’s a book filled with pithy sayings that somehow manage to remain timeless.
And there are moments, of course, where you’ll read a verse and go, “What in the world…?”
But last night, this passage stuck with me.
If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
Immediately I unpacked it as
You need to share whatever good you have been blessed with. If you keep it all, you can wind up killing yourself–not only physically, but mentally and spiritually.
How many of us resist offering others what we’ve been gifted with–however small or ordinary it may seem? I’m convinced that people suffer needlessly when they don’t seize the opportunity to share what’s in their hearts.
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
From this article.
I’m nowhere near the end of my days. Yet that post resonated with me.
When my time comes, I don’t want to be overwhelmed by a rush of “woulda, coulda, shoulda…” thoughts.
As it is right now, all of my dreams are up to me and God. I can point fingers in all of my old directions–I don’t live in The Big City, I didn’t get The Right Degree….
The fact remains that absolutely nothing is standing in my way. All that’s required is effort on my part.
I’m not being arrogant. Just honest.
All of the old excuses are exactly that–meaningless bits of air. Time wasters.
I’ve been procrastinating regarding a project of mine for months. It’s something I can create, produce, and publish broadcast all on my own.
So what’s keeping me?
Fear.
Somewhere deep down, I’m afraid of failure. But I think I’m even more afraid of success.
I don’t know why. A positive change is just the sort of thing that I need…
As for you, Dear Reader, I don’t know what’s holding you back. But unless your hands are literally tied, chances are whatever it is is just a bunch of meaningless mind-fluff.
Go forth and do what you are meant to do. Because more often than not…The only one stopping you really IS you.
