We watched "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" last weekend and something he said has stuck with me. When he is explaining to Mahoney what matters most, he refers to Shakespeare's words in his writing, "He dies." I cannot recall which writing it is, but Mr. Magorium talks about how powerful those two little words are. The power is not in those words, or the sadness they carry, but the meaning of the life lived prior to those words. When you look at your life, do you feel sad? Disappointed? Wondering how you can go on or what is left worth living for? Mr. Magorium makes a great point. It is so important to be thankful for the life we live, every moment counts and hopefully it has been well lived. We cannot get bogged down by sadness, fear, worry, frustration, regret, doubt, anger, resentment...I could go on and on. The point is, life can be good if we live it and live it well! Jesus lived a life so brief on this earth, and although it was brief he made such a lasting impact on the lives he encountered. Think about all those he healed, touched, spoke words of joy and encouragement to, convicted deeply to change and follow His path, loved so deeply as a man as well as the Son of God. I have thought very long and hard since we have moved and started this new chapter in our lives in Indiana, and I have made a decision. No matter what we obtain in this life, jobs, homes, material possessions, accomplishments...I simply want my life to have meaning and to have mattered to at least one person. I hope my life has been lived well. There are moments I'd love to go back and re-do, but then I would not be the person I am today without having had those experiences. Each moment good and bad has shaped me, molded me into the person I am today. God has always been there, and although I have stumbled terribly from time to time He is always right there ready to scoop me up in His arms when I cannot go on any longer. In our weakness He is strong, and it is how we choose to live out those moments that will define who we are meant to be. He has purpose, but not always in the way we see it play out. We cannot have the mind of Christ or the understanding of God, but we can yield at that point of helplessness and just rest in the knowledge of Him. What is life and how will I choose to live it? Hopefully with a little more joy and thankfulness in my heart each day.
Mission trip
Mission trip. The words don't do justice to the purpose, do they? What it is is so much deeper, fuller, richer than the two words actually sound like. Those two words make it sound so simple, but in reality it is an incredible journey that will impact a human life on so many levels. I have had the wonderful opportunity at several times in my life to serve in missions, both here in the United States and abroad. My parents were huge supporters of home and foreign missions all their lives, and we were raised to have a great appreciation for missions as a result. I have incredible memories of our trip to Hong Kong when I was 14 years old. I served in the summer missions program in my hometown, Springfield, Missouri, for several years working in day camps with local kids of all ages. I served in Hawaii for one summer working with some challenging kids in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in a small town on the island of Oahu. I served in Salt Lake City, Utah during the Wi...
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