Mystery

"I just want to know", she said.

"I know," he replied.

"Why, you know. That's what I want to know, why."

"I know".

"And how...my god, how does something like that happen? How does it happen?"

"I don't know."

"Who else knows about it? Do you know?"

"No."

I have been mulling over the thought of mystery lately. From the trivial question of who ate the last cookie to the life question of why is my life the way it is, mystery is at every turn. There is so much that we don't know. There is so much that we can't know. We can study and read and pray and talk but at the end of the day, we have to come to the place where life is a mystery.

We're not good with mystery. We don't like to not know. Whether it is why or how or what happens now, it is imperative that we get to the bottom of the situation and get things figured out. God forbid that there is a little mystery in your life.

But life is full of mystery. We don't get all the answers and when we do get answers, they are not necessarily the ones we wanted. Mystery is that place where we trust that God is good, He is for us and He sees the purpose and the end of what is happening.

The first part of this post was going to be a prompt for people to go off of and let me know what you think is happening in the scene. It's not that now. What is happening will remain a mystery known only to the creator (that's me!). I know what is going on and how it will play out. All of your thoughts are only speculation at this point. You will have to trust that it will end well.

Kind of like life.

Peace.

Inspired

I heard a story on the radio the other day and I don't remember many details but it caused me to think about inspiration. The story was about a man who had a stammer when he spoke and this man was inspired by King George the Sixth of England, who also stuttered when he spoke. That is all I can recall about the radio story.

It caused me to start thinking about inspiration. I don't know if King George ever knew that he inspired this man who obviously went on to do enough with his life that he was featured in an NPR radio broadcast. It caused me to think about people who have inspired me and if they knew they had done so. It caused me to think about people that I have possibly inspired, for better or for worse, I might add.

It's a strange thing, inspiration. How does it work? When does it strike? How do some people inspire others so easily? Is it a conscience decision to "be an inspiration" or does it just happen?

I don't know that I have answers. Maybe a few more posts on inspiration are in order. For now though, I want to know a few things from you.

Who has been your inspiration? Do they know they have inspired you? What if you let them know?

Who are you inspiring? How are you doing it? What are you inspiring them to?

Can't wait to hear from you.

Peace.

To the Point

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

Yet again

Once again, it has been over a month since the last posting here. I seem to find myself caught up between wanting to write, and write well, and wondering who is reading and who am I writing for. (As a side note, I think everyone I have talked with who is an aspiring writer has had these same thoughts.)

I suppose, when it all comes down, that I am writing for myself and when I don't write, it is out of fear...fear of being "wrong", fear of not writing well, fear of putting thoughts out there that might confirm that I am not "normal".

It is amazing the power that fear can wield. No one has told me that I am wrong or don't write well. No one has said "I wish you would stop writing because you are way off and I don't like your style". It is an internal voice that persuades me that things are not going to work out the way I want them to. It can be paralyzing.

My mother once told me that she thought I was a perfectionist. I thought she had missed it because things don't have to be perfect for me (check out my college transcript if you doubt me!). She explained that I was a perfectionist in that, if I didn't think I would be very good at something, I would just walk away from it. I would be done with it and not even give it a second thought.

For me, perfectionism is the same thing as fear. No one gets everything right all the time. NO ONE! I know this and still, I hesitate. I hedge. I talk myself out of opportunities and dreams because...well, because. Fear slips in and continues to back me away from things that God may have laid in front of me.

I am working on it. I have several irons in the fire that could become reality and they scare me a bit. I am doing my best to trust God and His hand on my life. I am asking Him for boldness believing that He will answer.

Peace.