Breakfast and a Blog Week 1

Wow, well I feel as though I have really outdone myself this time at my ability to avoid writing.  With all of the thoughts racing in and out of my brain day in and day out, one would think that harnessing those thoughts would be an attractive idea.  Instead, I choose to ignore, avoid, run away or attempt to quiet the chaos.  Almost weekly I have the thought “I really miss my blog” or “I should write about fill in the blank” yet I never sit down for long enough to actually put hands to keyboard.  So here it is… I want to change that.  Initially I had though “I am going to make myself write EVERY day for a week, month, etc” but let’s be honest… I would fail quickly and those who know me know that I do not like to fail.  So I decided to at least commit to weekly, Monday morning blog posts written over breakfast.  I am a morning person by nature (thanks mama Hock) and tend to do my best work before 10am anyway so hopefully at least 1 blog post a week can begin to happen as I work to reign in the thoughts going wild in my mind. 

As this week is the week following Thanksgiving, I couldn’t escape gratitude as the topic on my mind as I eat my oatmeal and peanut butter this morning (If you haven’t tried that, you should…yum!).  I am truly blessed beyond measure and as I sat with one of my two lovely nieces in my arms this week and the smells of a Mama Hock cooked meal in the kitchen I realized that no matter the hustle and bustle of a stressful job, the day in and day out to do list that never feels accomplished and the struggles of figuring out what I am to be doing next in life, I am loved and taken care of by those around me and therefore I am incredibly grateful.  More importantly, I have the love, forgiveness and protection of a loving Heavenly Father who has provided and is providing for me in every way possible, even when I cannot see that provision.  Recently a word has been sticking out to me, I feel as though I see it everywhere.  That word is patience and that one is difficult for me.  I like control, I like knowing what is coming next and when it will be arriving, I like knowing what to expect…all of which are not always conducive to being patient.  This week at church, our pastor referenced a passage in 2 Peter which I found to be another reminder that I need to be patient, as stated in The Message, passionately patient.  The passage reads:

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:3-11 The Message

Praying for you this morning dear friends that you may also hear the Word of the Lord and find the firm footing for your life, which again is something that I am grateful for this Holiday season. 

Focus

It goes without saying but it has been too long since I have posted.  As I look back at previous posts, I realize I do this often.  I write, I break, I write, I break.  I have been meaning to update for months but it has been difficult to find the time or the focus.  Recently I have been working to improve my ability to focus.  I had to ask myself, what do I want out of this life and how do I get it.  This question has lead to more time working out, a better focus on my own health, increased time spent reading and taking “self care” through a difficult job and remembering to focus on my self, my loved ones and my dreams.  It means taking the time to remember to write and not get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday live.  As we all know it can be so easy to get lost. 

This week I was doing my now routine 5am work out and the song Real by plumb came on.  The song that sparked my blog title and my desire to remember the importance of personal authenticity surprised me on one of my work out mixes somewhere between Soulja Boy and the Black Eyed Peas.  The idea of being who we are and embracing that identity means we first must know who we are.  Focus.  I almost feel as though I have already lost that in this post but we all know that I can ramble.  I believe at this point in my life I am at a turning point, a realization that in order to achieve what I would like to and be the person that I desire I cannot be passive and hope for things to happen but rather embrace my power and strength as a woman and as a child of God and focus on how to accomplish that list of dreams that runs through my head at 5am.  Let me tell you, I was surprised how much could be accomplished so early. 

For now, let me leave you with this.  My hope is that you will believe that you can...

via pinterest