The Road Less Traveled....: down where the sea & city meet

I am giddy with anticipation. With Christmas just a week away I wanted to make a list of the things I have come to dearly cherish & a few things that I am greatly looking forward to.

1. Space, Silence & Discernment:
The past month has been a whollleeeelotta that for me. And although I fought it tooth and nail, I must admit I think it was the best thing I've received in quite some time. It's hard to be away from some one you love. But often times these days, I think most people let their relationships consume their lives and tend to let the person they are investing in, become a greater investment then the investment in themselves. Some how lines get blurred and without ever intending to, the person we care for has taken precedence in our heart over The One who needs to hold that space to the fullest. This month as been redefining those lines, laying the ground work for becoming a future leader, learning just what it takes to be a strong Christian young woman, and letting God define who I am before I let anyone make a determination. I've gained a huge perspective that I wouldn't trade for the world. & even though there have been times of great pain... God has carried me through, just as He said he would. And I am better for it.

2. Community:

I never really understood what it meant to have a community. Probably because through out most of my life I never attended a church that stressed community. Of course people were nice and you said hi on Sundays, but that was it! There was no sense of endearing relationships; with genuine interest or anyone challenging me. No one to sort of come alongside you and walk through life with you. News flash. Community is essential! God commands it! It is the key part to growing stronger in your faith. No one was meant to walk this journey of life alone or in isolation. Life's too hard! and anyone who says they don't need community is simply lying to themselves. I have discovered that I have an entire family at my church. I have real relationships, some I feel will be life long. I am forever blessed by those who I have met at LifePoint church and will continue to do life with these people no matter where I am.

3. Friendship:

The one thing I am forever blessed by are my friendships. Friendship for me, even when I was in college, was so surface compared to the relationships I have now. That may be due to immaturity or what not. But what I have found is that the smaller the number of friends, the greater depth those relationships uphold. At this point in my life, I simply don't have time to try to win the affections of people that are simply passing through my life. Point blank, I'm certainly not going to lose sleep over how someone feels about me, I know those who are walking beside me day in and out. & those are the people worthy of my time and energy. I encourage you to really to take a close look at the relationships in your life. Ask yourself the hard questions about the people you are spending the most time with. Are they as invested as you as you are in them? If not, probably best to move onward as hard as it may be. True friendships are rare to come by, but when they are discovered, they are worth your effort of preservation.

4. Hope & a Future...
ah yes. from one of my favorite scripture passages. Hope, I have heard time and time again is the anchor to your soul. Hope is the one thing that every single person wakes up thinking about, whether they realize it or not. God has encouraged me over the past few weeks that above all things I need to have faith, hope and love. Faith in Him, Hope in a future & a great Love for people. He has laid before me some really exciting/ nerve racking/ just-what-I-may-have-been-waiting-for opportunities, that I feel He is simply giving me the freedom to chose which way to go. & so the next month will probably consist of just that. I believe that 2012 will be a big year for what God will do in me. And I must say that excites me more than anything. He is repairing & preparing me heart. And I simply cannot wait to see what is lies just ahead.