Musings...

It's Sunday night and Ray should be getting home from Okinawa in about two hours.  I'm so eager to wrap my arms around him and welcome him home...

I've been inspired all weekend, and hope that this blog is the place to express some of this inspiration.  The source of these urges of joy and passion, creativity and energy are all commonly tied to God, He being the source of all that is good.  In heartache and struggle, I've found there is the looming joy of victory.  Even in death, Christ gave us the option of Life.  Ah, there is too much to rejoice.

Here in Japan I've had more free time on my hands than I ever have in my life.  I've mentioned this earlier in the blog on several occasions because it is a profound newness in my life, and it has been not only a huge blessing of this experience abroad, but also a huge struggle.  I've noticed that it takes a distinct effort and discipline on my part in how I choose to deal with this "time".  It can all too easily be wasted, thrown away, discarded to TV or internet, or bad moods and wasteful thinking. (Anything in excess is waste).  Time is valuable.  We are given short moments that equal our life and it is up to us what we make of them.  The discipline needed to manage too much time, is no different than the discipline needed to make time in a busy schedule.  It's all based on choice.  I choose- with utter intent and ambition- to make beauty out of the moments I'm given.  Or at least I want to.  There's too much worth living for.

I think of all the beautiful people I'm blessed to know... and how they, with their simple lives, choose to be joyful, which in turn blesses others in a profound way.  What ministry that is!!  In the absence of words, bless others with your life!  I think this is Jesus' hope for mankind, that we would find joy in loving one another, and thus contagiously pass it on.  Without joy, we lack life.  And the world needs more people who are truly living!