PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

 Today's post was inspired by a sweet reader who left a comment a couple of weeks ago.  She told a story about her early years and the bad advice a trusted source gave her on what type of job she should pursue.  Her comment was she did not wish the source any ill will and was never rude to him (even when he might have deserved a good tongue lashing), but instead moved on and lived her life.

I have had a note in my possible blog topic page from a recent sermon I have been mulling over.  The note-

FOCUSING ON THE PAST OR PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

 Both of these are a definite sign this needs writing about.

I have personal experience with learning the difficult lesson on leaving those negative occurrences behind.  When we become stuck in the ills of the past---we are going to sink deeper and deeper in the mire of negativity.  Those life experiences can become the quick sand in time--keeping us stuck in something we cannot change.  The more you stomp around in quick sand--the deeper you sink.  We are not able to plan for the future as long as we are stuck in the past.

SO---what do we do with those life altering negatives?  Consider them a short course in life and learn from them and move on with the gained knowledge from experience.  We can fan the flames of hate and discord or we can choose to walk away from the fire and let the burns heal.  The choice is always ours.  My personal life experience---forgive--and do not harbor the event, but instead the knowledge gained.  That old adage---"I forgive, but I do not forget" does not fly.  As long as you are focused on the negative, it is controlling you and preventing forward motion.  Why would we let another who has hurt us control our lives with the wasted time spent dwelling on the past?  

You never know when I might take one of your comments and run with it.  I am thankful for each and every response.  They always make me think!

"Remember not the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing;"

Isaiah 43:18-19a

MAGIC MIRRORS

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The grands are all big fans of "Harry Potter".  They have read through the series of books at least a couple of times and watched the movies so many times they can recite the lines.  They are trying to educate Lulu on the intricacies of the World of Potter.  The last time I was there we watched one of the movies which had a magic mirror in it.  Professor Dumbledore thought he had it put away out of sight, but, alas, Harry discovered it on one of his forbidden nightly  wanderings through the halls of school.  The Mirror of Eirsed reflected your greatest wish.  Harry became stuck staring at the reflection of his mother and father with him in the middle.  His parents were killed by an evil nemesis when Harry was a baby, Harry's greatest wish was to be a family again. " Things were also not as they seemed with the Mirror of Erised. The old device reflected one’s deepest desires but kept them just out of reach."  Harry had become stuck staring at the refection of his deepest wish.  "Dumbledore knows that life can pass you by while you are clinging on a wish that can never be or ought never be fulfilled."  DEEP Stuff there, Friends!

The minute I heard Dumbledore gently correcting Harry, it hit me how profound and true this can  be.  You cannot change the past, nor is it wise to continually stare into the past.  There is a song by Bruce Springsteen called "Glory Days" which addresses being stuck in the past.  Life flies by while we tell the stories of yesterday.  NOW, I am not saying there is anything wrong with reflecting on our fond memories, BUT when we refuse to believe it could ever be any better ~ we are stuck in the deep mire of memories. 

AND THEN, we find ourselves not making new memories of today, but instead dwelling on yesterday.  It seems to me, we are responsible for making our memories, in most cases.  I love to be home, but I know one thing to be a fact, I am NOT making memories here alone.  It takes making an effort and engaging in community to write those new memories.  

What if David decided the pinnacle of his life was slaying that giant and went home and closed the door on the world.  He spent his days and nights re-telling the same old story until one day he woke up to find no one to listen.  All his admirers had moved on to their latest hero and left David to stare into the past.  What a sad tale that would have been.  But God was not finished with David and David was willing for God to use Him.  David had a long life with many more memories to be made.  The Word is filled with his life story.  Are we not glad David continued to live the life in front of him and did not stay stuck staring into the glory of yesterday.

Perhaps we begin to believe it could not get any better.  You may be right, BUT you will never know until you stop gazing into yesterday and step into today.  I am pretty certain God wants us to relish the gift of today and make the most of it.  There are lessons to be learned--even from Harry Potter.

"Remember not the former things,

nor consider the things of old,

Behold, I am doing a new thing;"

Isaiah 43:18-19

STANDING IN THE GARDEN IN YOUR NIGHT DRESS

"Next thing you know, you'll be standing in the garden in your nightdress and wondering how you got there."  I love this quote from a BBC series I am watching on Amazon Prime.  It grabbed me as soon as it was uttered and the wheels immediately began turning. Consider the scene--the lady who has declared herself terminally ill---YEARS ago--has gotten up from her supposed death bed after learning her husband has lost interest in her--she is standing in his prized garden when discovered by the mail deliverer.  When asked what she is doing--that was her reply.

How often have we all stopped in life--looked around us-and with a puzzled expression asked the same question---"How did I get here?"  This is NOT going according to my plan.  As we begin our trek as independent adults after school, we have aspirations and dreams of how our life is going to look. We will marry--live happily ever after--have 2.5 children---live in a house of our dreams, drive a fancy foreign sports car--travel the world--and watch golden sunsets in our brief old age.

There will be no struggles--financially, emotionally, or physically.  No bumps in the roads, no car wrecks, no storms, no illness, no death, no loss--it will all be a life just like a fairy tale--with us as the Queen/King.

Our plan is NOT God's plan--this life is NO picnic--we will not necessarily grab the golden ring---it probably will not look anything like our dream.  One day you look around and there you are standing in the garden in your night dress and trying to decide how you got there.  One day I woke up and my bed is in Fort Worth, Texas and I am trying to decide how I got here.

The answer is quite simple---it is NOT my plan--it is His plan.  In a step of obedience, I moved to Fort Worth.  My life does not look like I EVER thought it would.  He has His reasons for where I am and why I am here---I now stand on faith--faith that it is ALL for His good purpose.  So for today---standing here in the garden in my nightdress--I choose to believe He knows my future and what today looks like---He is not surprised by where I am--and He has plans for me and my future.  No time for questioning--time to move forward and being attentive--for the next right thing to do as He reveals His good plan for my hope and my future.

"God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." (The Message) 

Ephesians 3:20

OH MY--GOT MY HEAD DOWN

What is that old song'

"If it weren't for bad luck--I'd have no luck at all"?

I have always heard that bad luck or troubles come in three's--as I posted earlier I was fortunate enough to become the latest victim of the Bubonic Plague---my SO SWEET daughter accused me of being dramatic--WHATEVER!

Next my computer dies---and I mean crashed to the depths of the cyberspace cemetery for the dearly departed of techno life.  I called my sweet brother--who informed me that my impatience had led to this early demise--but then gave me some advice.  SIDE NOTE--Why must brothers ALWAYS remind you of your stupidity before coming to your rescue?---JUST SAYING--  I find a reputable computer man via I phone (another blog on trying to goggle on a screen the size of my palm.  He comes out and sadly shakes his head---"It's really bad!" I will spare you the LONG details--but new hard drive---all is lost at the moment including work on 3 books---one that I had actually started writing-the other 2 outlines and brain-storming.  PERHAPS same brother might be able to recover something???  I am mailing him the hard drive in hopes that he might cause a miracle--I will even take the stupidity lecture again if he does.

SO--if the old saying is right--I have my head down--waiting for the incoming!  TWO DOWN- ONE TO GO!

THEN I took a DEEP breath---reminded myself that FAR FAR worse things have happened.  AND THEN began to look for the bright side--EVEN if all is lost---perhaps God has something even better for me to write!  I also know it is all up in my head--it's just finding the side railing where it is parked that is the problem.

I DO NOT believe in luck---I DO believe in God.  I do not believe in co-incidences---I DO believe in God-incidences.  Everything--Everything happens for a purpose and at the right and proper time.  SO I am back up and running-I may have lost some files--but perhaps they needed losing and I am back pecking away---LOOKING FOR THE JOY!  Today there is JOY in the acceptance of what life is--here in Fort Worth Texas with a new hard drive under my fingertips!  ALWAYS-ALWAYS--COUNT IT ALL AS JOY!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

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