Do you ever feel like your life is closing in on you? Like a maze that you're going through that someone continues to draw as you trek through totally clueless that the maze you thought would be simple is in fact more complicated than you could have ever thought and may never ever ever end? Well, maybe not, but I definitely do. Wife, mom of 2, full-time minister and leader, support-raising missionary, part-time youth pastor, new job that is increasing in hours, juggling my kids in numerous meetings and dinner appointments, messy messy messy messy apartment that is only clean when someone is "scheduled" to come over... trying to help others reach their goals and dreams without losing myself... and it just keeps going and going and going... sticking my kids in front of the tv to write newsletters, send emails, check budgets.... and on and on and on. And somewhere in the midst of the chaos, having time with Jesus to make sure I'm not spiritually fading away, taking time to date my husband, call my mom, let my big sis know how much I love her, and be a friend to the amazing people around me...
You might be thinking, "Well if you're so busy, how do you have time to write a stupid blog??"
I'm not ranting a list to sound important, because believe me important is not how I usually view myself. And I'm not ranting a list to complain or whine. But I'm attempting to be "authentic" in efforts to relate to so many others who feel the same way I do, like life is not slowing down and not taking no for an answer. And in the midst of us trying our best to live life with no complaints and no regrets, there are so many distractions. And one of the biggest distractions and discouragements for me are facebook statuses. Yes, I said it. You're waiting in line at the bank or on the potty (yes, I said that too) and you begin to scroll through the endless facebook statuses and tweets about everyone's day. And for me it's like reading the paper. It helps me wake up, pass the time in walmart lines, and keep up with people I care about as they too live their busy busy lives. But what we don't realize sometimes is that having everyone's lives (or what they choose to tell you about their lives) at your fingertips is not always healthy. You can easily begin to compare your life to others and feel inadequate, too busy, not busy enough, and simply wanting to kill the whiners. You know, the one's that read, "Just walked around the block and I'm dying!" or "I could use a vacation!!!" when they just had about 10 of them. Now there is nothing wrong with being real or needing a vacation, because we all need to do both in my opinion. But I'm pretty sure that all of us at one time or another have rolled our eyes at someone else because our life if just soooo much harder. Right? Right? Or am I the only one?
And what I'm beginning to realize about the way I see my life and the lives of others is that I see it in Sarah-vision, not God-vision. And if I could see myself and others and the mazes we are all treking through the way God sees it, life could be so much simpler and easier to wrap my mind around. I have a God who gave it all just to be in relationship with me, a Godly man who loves me, 2 healthy and happy kids, amazing pastors who have blessed my socks off and continue to want to do life with me, a crazy amazing group of people who I call church family who want nothing but to know Jesus and make Him famous, a team of young adults on the journey to becoming missionaries who plant churches and change the world, traveling the world with a purpose that is so much bigger than lil'ole me, supporters who believe in us and invest in us to reach the world... and the list goes on and on and on... And isn't this list so much more refreshing than the one I gave earlier? Both lists are very real and very true, but it's the way I view it that makes it what it is. So today, I choose to see my life the way God sees it, with joy, purpose and meaning. And looking forward to the day when I can fully rejoice in our differences, if that day ever comes! :) Join me as I choose to see my life and the lives of others not from my own point of view or my own opinions, but those of our God, the guy who knows and understands everything and sees it for what it really is.
