even when the rain falls...

It has been pouring rain the last few days, and there is an area out my front door that accumulates water as it pours. The drain gets overwhelmed and soon a lake of water forms. Today that lake formed quickly as the sky poured itself out. And then, for a little while, the sun poked through the clouds and the clouds gave the ground a little break. Just enough to allow the water to drain and the lake to disappear.

The rain has started up again, and the lake is not yet forming, but it is only a matter of time. The ground has soaked up what it can, and if the rain keeps coming, it will get overwhelmed again.

I have felt that way today...like I've soaked up all that I can and as a result, I began to feel overwhelmed. How many times will I allow myself to carry too much and try and do too much on my own before I let God step in? Like the ground, I can only handle so much...then I am over-saturated. There is nothing I can do to stop the rain, in my life or the rain outside...but I can allow God to soak it up for me. His capacity is well beyond mine.

reading on a lunch break

...a late lunch break! I just read this, and found it not only encouraging in the end about being single, but overall. I have always loved Hebrews 11:6, and like the author, have struggled at times to walk out the second half of the verse. I love her conclusion about the answer to prayer not being the end of prayer but rather the beginning of more. :) Thought I'd share.

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002211.cfm

out of my head into the world wide web...

It is the end of what has felt like a long work week...probably because it is my first full week in two weeks. By Wednesday, I was shocked there were two more work days left...haha, but I made it to Friday! My mind is starting to get out of vacation mode and back into routine. However, since my brain has been a little...off, I am going to share some random tidbits floating inside :)

-I have never seen a more confused winter season! The hills are green, the trees are dead, and the weather is gorgeous...for spring time! What happened? I have sweaters and boots wanting to be worn, scarves wanting to be tied, and they are sadly stuck until a colder day comes out to play. And the other half of the U.S. is getting bombarded by ice and snow...so weird.

-Where do you imagine the worst place to have a spelling error occur would be? I wish I would have taken a picture of it, but when I visited my family last week, I was driving by the Jr. High which proudly displayed "HAPPY HOLDIAYS!" on the side I was passing. (***Note: the reverse side had the correct spelling.) Haha, I think that the schools we are sending our kids to should have some kind of double checking system for that! Needless to say, I laughed pretty hard at that.

-I am afraid of the roundabout in Morro Bay. I encounter the most bizarre driving skills in that thing, and don't trust the people to use it correctly. Today I had a close encounter with the Cadillac kind who did not seem to understand the meaning of the word "yield". And yet, I have to drive this thing several times a week. Sigh. And the opening of Bob's Big Boy right by has, I think, only increased the issues.

-I am so giddy about planning my vacation in April. My friend Stephanie and I are flying to North and South Carolina for a week. Why? Several reasons, and I promise that none is greater than the other. 1. I made it a goal to travel somewhere I have never been before this year. I have never been there. 2. I have always wanted to see the east coast/south. Blame it on the civil war project I did my 8th grade year. 3. We are going to see NeedToBreathe play a few home shows. And I get to meet some of the friends I have made through their street team site. Am I a little crazy? Yes. But honestly, I am looking forward to an adventure full of laughter, good music and friends...something I rarely let myself really experience. Trust me, you will hear lots about this trip, both before and after! Wheee!

-After I planned the above trip and planned a mini trip to drive down to see NeedToBreathe in Pomona, they announced that they are coming to San Luis Obispo!!! Haha, so this means that I am going to FIVE shows in three weeks. I am even laughing at myself.

-To kick start myself into losing weight again, I am doing a 6 day eating plan combined with exercise, which is basically high protein...it is day one and I am hungry 15 minutes after I am done eating...haha. This will be fun. At least it is only 6 days, and I know I will be excited to keep going and eating healthy once I get through this. :)

-And I will leave you with this...on New Year's Eve I declared "2010- Bring on the men!" And all the single ladies said, "Amen!!!"

Happy Friday.

old excuses, permanent markers

I have been doing a lot of reflecting and looking forward, as many people do during this time of year, and in my prayer time this morning, I wondered why I have not achieved some of the goals I have made in the past. And the answer came succinctly, and quickly, "Because it has always been that way."

I learned a few years ago in my line of work, that if your answer to a question of why you do something is "because it has always been that way," then something needs to change. I was told that it is not a sufficient reason to keep doing something. The answers must be justified, not excused away. Why shouldn't it be the same for other areas of my life?

This is very timely because I am making goals for 2010, and want to see success.Areas like losing weight, paying off debt, and being single- the answer as to "why haven't things changed much?" has been the very answer listed above. And so God asked me to picture that phrase, and then me taking a permanent marker and putting large Xs through the words. I get to begin writing new goals with the intention for change.

Have you been a person who has a similar excuse, afraid of change because it is simply not imaginable? Then pick up the permanent marker and let yourself cross it out of your life. Until you do, you will continue in the same pattern, because it has always been that way.