Eternal Perspective

So, it's Friday! Again. Already. Is it just me, or have the weeks been
flying by? I mean, I'm excited about the weekend being here, but
sometimes I have to stop and think "What have I done in the past month?
How have I been spending my time? Am I investing in the things that are
important to me, or am I just maintaining? Functioning? Living for the
weekend?"

I want to spend my time and energy investing in the things that really
matter--People. God. (Eternal things.) A friend and I had breakfast this
morning and we were talking about our homework for the class we're
taking. Somehow the topic of values came up, and the difference between
the things God says are valuable and the things the world says are
valuable. It's funny how self-contradicting we are. How
self-contradicting I am. I know what I think my values are...what I want
my values to be. I want to value things that last more than I value
things that don't last. I want to value people more than tasks,
accomplishments, money, or my own comfort. I want to value God, learning
His word, and getting to know Him better more than I value my own
reputation, my own self-promotion. I know that these are things that are
important to me, but soooo often the way I live my life betrays the
reality of my own heart. I spend my time, energy, and thought life
seeking the things that do not matter--the approval of others, lack of
conflict in relationships (at the expense of real intimacy), and
material comfort.

I read this article last week called Values Transformation. It had
questions to ask yourself that are meant to uncover your actual values
(not just what you think you value or what you want to value, but what
you truly value). It was very eye-opening. At the same time, however, it
gave me hope--I can choose to act consistently with what I know is
valuable, making time for the things that do matter, and giving less of
myself to the things that don't. (Jewel: "Lend your voices only to
sounds of freedom...no longer lend your strength to that which you wish
to be free from...")

I read a quote recently from Goethe that was something like "That which
matters most must never be at the mercy of that which matters least."
That's how I want to live! That's what the Bible calls living wisely and
not foolishly--the fool throws his days away and never lifts his eyes
from himself and his own little bubble long enough to discover the true
fulfillment of investing in things that matter. Things that last.

We can lead lives of real meaning! Real purpose! Isn't that cool? I love
that God values us so highly that He gives us the opportunity to live a
life that really matters. I don't want to waste that.

It's freezing outside

Okay, so it’s definitely fall now. I wish I was on vacation like Libby! It’s not freezing-butt-cold where she is, I’m sure.

Check out my famous Aunt Carol! She’s the bomb!

new driver's license

25^th birthday = new driver’s license = new driver’s license photo

My face looks yellow, my eyes look kinda scared, and I’m tilting to the left. My right eye looks bigger than my left eye, maybe because the circle hologram-thing is right on top of it, giving me this lopsided, bug-eyed look. Or maybe it’s due to the tilt-factor. I’ve got the cheesy smile thing going on, but because of the bulging, frightened eyes, the “smile” looks more like a threatened grizzly bear baring its teeth.

Pour me a drink, bartender—here’s my ID. Yes, I promise that’s me, even though it looks like a jaundiced, bug-eyed wild animal falling sideways out of its chair….

New link

Hope you didn't have trouble finding me--I thought it was time to change it up a bit. Also, even though blogs are quite public, it's nice to feel some kind of sense of privacy, you know?

I am NOT super sensitive!

……am I?

Not a lot going on lately. I haven't updated because I've been too busy watching Desperate Housewives. I never watched it last season, but now I'm getting into it and have been watching rented DVDs from last year to get caught up. It is addicting! Even Craig likes it. Ah, television...

loving vs needing

"It's not your job to make everyone like you."

This is advice I received today at work. Well-intentioned advice. Advice from a friend.

Advice I have heard before, and yet am constantly struggling to apply to my life.

And not only is it not my job at McGraw-Hill to make everyone like me, it's not something God expects of me either. My heart wants to live a life of loving people--this is my "job," in a sense. How is it that my sincere attempts to love people can so quickly be warped into attempts to gain their acceptance? I want to love people--I don't want to need people to like me. Sometimes when you're really loving people, it will make them not like you. It sounds bass-ackwards, but it's true. If someone has a destructive habit, they may not like you if you try to show them the damage they are causing, but it certainly wouldn't be loving to help them continue hurting themselves.

"Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" - Paul, (Galatians 4:16)

"It's not your job to make everyone like you."

When will I stop being such an approval addict and start choosing to love people, regardless of the cost?

Show You Love (Jars of Clay)
Speak-
say the words that no one else will ever say
Love-
love like the world we know is over in a day

I'm gonna show you love in every language
I'm gonna speak with words that need no form
I'm gonna give you what you never had before

You're beautiful
and I'm weakened by the force of Your eyes
so shine bright to separate the truth from the lies
I'm gonna show you love

So tie me to a tree and let the smoke and ash collect
No, I won't regret to let love do what love will let
We can drown in mixed emotions
or walk an angry sea
this is the cost of being free

Quiz

What cute little animal are YOU?

I am a: Lamb!

Peaceful and gentle, lambs have been used in religious imagery for millennia. Lambs are baby sheep, an animal tended by shephards since the dawn of history. As a lamb, you tend to stay together in a flock and graze on grassy land. Lambs don't mind being led and tend not to go off on their own.

I almost was a: Bunny or a Frog
I am least like a: Parakeet or a SquirrelWhat Cute Animal Are You?

Christmas shopping

So today I'm starting my Christmas shopping. This is a new Dalton record, and frankly, I'm proud of us! We're on a budget this year, so the other day we sat down and made out our lists, and today I'm getting started. Woo-hoo! Yay for fall and the approaching holiday season!

Started a new Xenos class this morning....Christian Growth. I'm so excited! I love taking classes, and this will be my first full-length Xenos class, so I'm not sure what to expect. I have a lot of information in my head, so I think I'll take some reading material with me to the mall, find a spot to sit, and try to do some processing....