LIFE IN BLOOM

Learning How to Flourish in God's Grace

Tag Archives: growth


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Understanding the Fight

I’ve heard that throughout our life we are entering a battle, in the midst of a battle, or coming out of a battle; and I’ve found that to be true.  I’ve come to accept that while there are good times, I know that I must prepare for the not-so-good times because they are also on the way.  I say that not to sound like a “Debbie-Downer” but just as a realization of the fact that it’s just how life is.  We are going from one fight to the next, from mountain to mountain, glory to glory.

The joy in being a Christian is knowing that no matter what the fight is, I will win in the end.  And because of that fact, I have to approach and understand the fight from that perspective.  If I know that the fight is going to be 12 rounds, and that at the end, I’m going to be declared the winner, I cannot be so caught up in a loss that occurs in the 3rd round.  My focus has to be on the victory that is to come.  If I spend time focused on anything other than that, I can mess around and lose the entire fight because I was so distracted by this 3rd round loss.

We have to make sure we maintain the proper perspective.  There’s a difference in losing a battle IN the war as opposed to losing a battle FOR the war.  Don’t get so caught up in short term disappointments that you’re unable to move beyond them towards your long term success.  Take time to understand the fight and to understand YOUR fight.  While we are all engaged in fight, we’re not engaged in the same fight.  Thus, we can’t expect that the same methods and strategies will work.  When you maintain the proper perspective and understand your fight, you’ll be better equipped as a fighter, and closer to your victory.

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!


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Be Aware

This past weekend, I was in Walmart picking up a few groceries.  I was exhausted after traveling to Carowinds with Preacherman’s school, attending a marriage seminar at my church, and going to a friend’s bridal shower.  I couldn’t wait to get home and just go to bed.

As I headed to check out, I detoured (not at all unusual for me in Walmart or Target) back to the produce section to look at celery.  I have been wanting celery to pack in my lunches as a healthy snack, but have been unable to find small prepackaged bags of celery.  I was hopeful that Walmart would have what I was looking for (if you can’t find it in Walmart, it may not exist), and sure enough, they had the exact item.

I checked the expiration date (which read 04/27/2013), and was all set to add it to my cart.  In my mind, I thought, “Man, those celery are gonna be fresh for a long time.”  I was just about to drop it in my cart, when I realized that the expiration date was actually a week prior.  My fatigue and my lack of awareness almost had me make a choice that could have been detrimental (slightly to my wallet, but moreso to my health).

I think we are all like that sometimes.  We can get so caught up in the doing of life, and get so into a routine (and so rundown from that routine) that we lose our sense of awareness.  When we lack awareness, we can make decisions that seem to be good on the surface, but could have detrimental effects.  Not only that, a lack of awareness can cause us to fail to recognize the goodness and blessings that surround us each day.

Let me encourage you to be aware- of the choices you make each day and their impact, of the blessings that surround you, and of your life and daily routine.  Be aware of ways that you can serve and assist others.  Be aware of your areas for growth, and seek tangible ways to improve.  Life is too short to be numbed from your busyness and your technology.  Imagine how much better our world/country/state/city/town/home would be if we each took the time to unplug and be aware.

My challenge to you: don’t let another day go by where you’re lacking awareness.  Find the good in each day, in each person, in each situation.  Search for the good, and be grateful for it.

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!