One Path

What you are about to read is the backdrop of my thinking. Because I write from my soul, things that are in my spirit will no doubt surface from time to time. The following may help you understand where I'm coming from.

Those who say that there are many paths to God are sadly mistaken. The Bible says that Jesus is the only way to relationship with God. Answering the question - who is Jesus? - is the most important question you will ever consider and answer. I love that the word "quest" is in the work "question". Most questions that are in the deep places of our heart are really about a quest to relate to the God of the Bible. Questions such as "Why am I here?", "What is my purpose?", "What's going to happen to me when I die?". I'm not here to preach at length about the answers to these questions. I would point you to the Bible, the God of the Bible and the redeeming work of Jesus, His Son, on the cross that births our personal relationship with Him. He loves me. He loves you. I relate to Him with each breath I take. You can relate to Him too. I have found peace and security. I have found acceptance and joy. I have found strength and courage. I have not found any of these things inside my "self". My "self" is a weak and miserable portrayal of humanness. I have found these things within my relationship with God. It has been my choice to respond to Him choosing me first.

Go to the Bible. See for yourself that He is Light, and Life and Truth. ( John 1:4; John 14:6)

HAVE A LITTLE VISION, PEOPLE

Undertaking any kind of change - from redecorating, to rebuilding, to moving, to marrying, to starting a new job - can be scary business. One thing I have found that helps is to have a vision of what you want that "whatever" to look like, feel like, accomplish?.

Doing some mental work on the front end allows the necessary steps to get there come into focus. Once you have the end result in your mind's eye you can work backwards to decide how you are going to get there. Let me encourage you that many times there is no right or wrong way to "get there". You and I might want to end up in the same place but take diverse roads to get there.

Let me give you an example. My sister and I both love to plan events. We can easily get a vision for what we want the event to look and feel like, the experience if you will. It's at that point that we take diverse turns. My sister functions best by being fluid and spontaneous in her process. I find more satisfaction in laying out a well thought out plan and executing it step by step. Which one of us is right?

The point is that she has pulled off some spectacular events where everything came together and people felt like things when off exactly as planned. (It's only their perception that's important, by the way) I, too, have pulled off some pretty big deal events where people felt that everything had gone exactly as planned. We both reached the end we had hoped for coming from our own different paths.

Our vision is the most important thing. Capitalizing on our personality traits, gifts and talents helps us figure out how to get there. I love the individuality of vision and arriving at the vision.

What is your vision? How do you plan to get there? Follow your heart and mind right into that change and make it happen.

Key Thought - when it comes to God and our spiritual journey, however, there are not many ways to the same end. See post "One Path". Those who say that there are many paths to God are sadly mistaken. There is only the One True God of the Bible. And He says that Jesus is the only way to relationship with God. Answering the question - who is Jesus? - is the most important question you will ever consider and answer. I love that the word "quest" is in the word "question". Most questions that are in the deep places of our heart are really about a quest to relate to the God. Read more in the "One Path" post.

YOU HAVE A TURNING POINT – A Life Renovation

“You’ll never get anywhere you’re not headed”. A wise mentor

My friend, Amy, recently bought a house that needs a total renovation - on purpose. She’s up for the challenge of doing demo work and removing rubble. She’s excited about making a million and one decisions and choices about what to put in that house to transform it into a home.

I’ve been thinking about renovation, as well. But not a home renovation. I’ve decided to undertake a renovation of the most personal kind. The end goal is wholeness and wellness and joy – from the inside out.

So this blog will be about a million and one decisions and choices I’m going to make along the way. It’s about knowing myself well enough to know what “fits” and what doesn’t in this season of my life. It's about removing rubble and "decorating" with care. It’s about understanding that choices I make today influence my readiness for the unknown of tomorrow.

My working definition of a turning point goes something like this. A landmark/event marking a unique or important change of course or one on which important developments depend. Did you read that?

Your gonna love this one – The point at which a significant, decisive change occurs, a point at which something changes direction.

I’ve given myself full permission to make U-Turns. Those of you that know me understand that I always take that opportunity when I’m on the road and even break the rules most times.

So now I’m applying that in a new way. I’m giving myself permission to make U-Turns that take me in an unexpected, unplanned direction. The choices are mine to make. I have to live with them – good, bad or otherwise.

The quote from my mentor says it all. “Where am I headed?” is an important question to ask myself. On my journey, I’m headed toward God, people and self - in that order by the way. I hope you’ll join me in the fun of decorating my “home”. And along the way it’s likely you’ll discover some turning point moments of your own.