Helicopter Flight

An illustration was presented to me by a dear friend yesterday, and it really allowed me to see things more clearly. It was based on the verses from Ephesians 2:4-7.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

We all have mountains in our lives that we need to conquer in some way, and they can usually seem extremely daunting. I know mine always feel that way, but the mountains don't have to continue to be so scary. This friend told me to picture myself at the base of a mountain. Looking up and thinking about what it would take to get to the top makes the whole process seem completely impossible. But all of a sudden a helicopter comes down, and the pilot offers a ride. He offers to take me to the TOP. I decide to accept and climb inside. We gradually rise to the top, and what I can now see is incredible. It is a whole new perspective -- I can see so many things below and around. This mountain has been conquered, and I did not have to fight as hard as I thought I might need to. I actually did not have to DO anything...I simply had to take the ride.

This is how the Lord wants me to be. I keep trying to figure everything out and DO whatever I can to make things right, but that's not what all of this is about. He wants me to LET Him conquer my mountains. I can't do it by myself, and the more I try, the more I will fall. This whole time I have been thinking that it is all about how hard I try and all about what I can do, when it is not about that at all. It's not my responsibility to figure things out. God will show me what I need to let go of or how He wants to work in me. I don't need to constantly worry myself about being perfect. For one, I could never perfect myself. And two, all God wants to do is love me and give me his grace and mercy. I make things so complicated when they don't need to be that way. I tend to WORK so hard to be a certain type of person, but that is just not necessary. I think letting all of this really sink in will take a little time, but I am continuing to learn about this grace and that it is not about works at all. Thank goodness for that. God's grace is freely given, even though that is hard to accept and understand sometimes. I know I tend to think that I don't deserve this grace and this love, but He still gives it all anyway. He LOVES no matter what. NO. MATTER. WHAT.

Something New

All of this blogging is very new to me, and I'm not sure why I am just now getting into the groove. I love reading other people's blogs and catching up on their lives, so I figured I should give it a shot.

I've titled my blog "Day by Day," because that is how I have to manage my life. Most of the time, I get too far ahead in my mind, or I dwell on what is in the past, which only creates mental chaos and fear. So...I have started to give in to the idea of taking life day by day or even moment by moment as it comes. That's all we can really do anyway, right? We can't change the past, and we have no idea what the future will hold. So living in the present is probably the best way to go. Of course, we can hold onto our memories and dream about what may come, but we have to engage in the present to fully experience our lives. That is what I want to do - fully experience my life.

I want to enjoy and to know the people who fill my days. I want to show them love, to somehow let them know how much they matter. My God has revealed to me a love that I cannot explain, a love I have recently begun to accept as real and true. I simply want to give that love away to others, hoping that they will know how much the Lord loves them as well.

I want to learn. I'm not exactly talking about education here. While it is a good thing, school is NOT my favorite aspect of this life. I've been enrolled for a long time, and I still have a long way to go. Maybe if I quit changing my major, things would go a little more quickly! :) But really... I want to learn how to live. I want to gain wisdom and insight in a personal way and in a broad way.
I need to learn more about who I am, my identity. For so long I have shoved this idea to the side out of FEAR. It terrifies me to think about getting to know who I really am outside of my struggles, but I know it needs to be done. I have a feeling that it might be freeing, that maybe I wouldn't feel so bogged down with trying to keep up with some "perfect" list. I have recently learned that I am not to identify myself with my issues and struggles, that I am much more than those things - now I just need to find out who I am. There is a lot that I need to let go of, many things which I have had a tight grip on for quite some time. It is time to let go one by one, day by day. YIKES!
Broad learning encompasses a great deal, and it would take too long to list everything I'd like to know about life and the journey it provides. But basically, I would just like to learn in whatever ways I can. I know I cannot determine how life will go, but I want to figure out how to handle things a little better, no matter what happens. I want my faith to grow immensely, and I want to be able to trust the Lord through it all. If I fall or fail, I want to be able to get back up. If I feel like all strength is gone, I want to keep going. If I feel as though I cannot do something, I want to try until I get a better outcome.

Day by day is how all of this will happen. I can't change that, and I want to be able to embrace it. I'm writing all of this to say that I'm on a journey just like everyone else, and all I can do is move step by step, trusting that I will be taken care of.

That's about all for now. Until next time...