Matters of attitude and matters of faith
Oct 11th, 2005 by Accidental Thinker
Mike had a great post on his blog this weekend that really resonated with me, about taking control and making your own good day vs. relying on others to do it for you. So for the second time in a week, I am stealing words I wrote elsewhere to reproduce here because I think they speak a truth about the person I want to be. This is the comment I left for Mike in response to his post:
I love this post! I always try to have this attitude but alas, sometimes fail despite my best intentions. You are absolutely right, though… we can choose to focus on either the positive around us or the negative, and that choice makes such an impact on what we believe about ourselves, and correspondingly on our quality of life. I’m happy because I choose to be happy. I could just as easily dwell on hurts and slights and disappointments, and be miserable. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel all those things, I just try not to let them consume my life.
Somewhat related but maybe not, I’ve been having a bit of “blogger’s block” for the past week or so, and I think it’s because I haven’t been writing about what’s really been on my mind. I normally don’t write, or even talk much, about my personal religious beliefs, out of consideration for those who don’t share them, but also because I’m just not comfortable doing it. It feels too personal and I’m usually afraid of exposing my lack of knowledge. But then I remembered—it’s my blog and I can write about whatever I want. I don’t think I’ll get over the writer’s block unless I get this out first.
What I want to say is that I have been experiencing something of a renewal of my faith this year. My husband led me to God before we were married, and for some reason this year I have begun remembering why. So I guess the timing was right when I read, on the recommendation of a friend, a Christian fiction trilogy that hit home for me in a way I never expected. Perhaps because I had an open mind and an open heart, but I really latched onto the spiritual symbolism in a, for me, unprecedented way. I’ve come away truly inspired, with a deeper personal commitment and more security and certainty in my faith than I’ve probably ever felt before. While reading some scenes in these books, I wanted to curl up and wrap myself in God’s love. This may be the most candid and vulnerable thing I’ve written yet in this blog. There probably won’t be much like it here, but at the moment I wanted to share my joy.
The books are called The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, and White), by Ted Dekker, for anyone who is interested. They are a clever, entertaining, and fast-paced read. I was so hooked that I devoured the last two books in the series in a single long weekend.
“… I wanted to curl up and wrap myself in God’s love.”Is there anything better? 🙂
God does miss us when we are away. The boat moves away from the shore –
the shore doesn’t move away from the boat. I’m happy for your renewal.
I believe God wants us to talk with Him throughout our day – everyday.
And that the most important gift we give our children is to live our
faith.I once heard someone say he would rather be in an aircraft about to crash with God; than anywhere else without Him.Oh, and thanx Monique. 😉
Mike, I wouldn’t say I’ve been away so much as sometimes only
halfheartedly there. On second thought, maybe that’s the same thing. In
any case I’ve been working on that this year.
Excellent. I’m glad you realized this is YOUR blog, and you can write whatever YOU want.Savor the moment…
Monique: I don’t know if you read Paul’s blog or not, but this is a post you’d probably enjoy:http://writingfromthehip.blogspot.com/2005/10/there-he-is.htmlIn
fact, I suspect you’d enjoy EVERYTHING Paul posts. He’s a GREAT writer
and his sight is both inspiring and entertaining. Check it out!