Marked by eternity

I have this train of thought often that I don't typically share, but I have read about it many times since the first time I had it, and I hear traces of it in the metaphors people create. A piece of refracted sunlight beams through the sun and catches a glimmer on the nape of a friend's neck and then I look down at my shoe and notice the droplet of water that has marked my boot and then with squinting eyes I look up and before I know it the moment is gone. It's in times like those that I wish I had a bottle that I could pour the contents of the prior moment into and seal the cap and put it on a shelf, and when I'm having a nostalgic day I can take it off the shelf open it up and re live the moment. Of course, there are more substantial moments and memories that I would like to have this bottle preserver for.

Of all the things that are possible though, that could be possible if the Lord had granted us the ability to do so. However, I believe He desires us to live in the moment. I don't stand convicted that the past should absolutely under no circumstances be re visited. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I believe re visiting the past from time to time brings great insight and serves as a reminder that we have grown and are making progress. I've talked about this with a wise woman before: if we can't look back on our lives in a year, or even a month, and not see growth or progress then we aren't letting the Lord use us the way we should be. How awful would it be to look back on your life in a few years and go, "Man, I really wasted that year and have made NO progress at all..." Unfortunately, that may be the sad case for many individuals. I pray that I'll never have that opportunity.

I pray my hands and feet will be so busy serving others and my King that when I look back I can say, "Man, I really allowed the Lord to use me when it hurt the most, when my tissues of strength were being ruptured and building themselves back up to be stronger..." And, yes, of course, I will use such poignant vocabulary and metaphors ;)

I digress!

I have a dear friend, a dear friend named Kaitlyn whom I love and adore in the full context of those words. She is smart, creative, a great cook, and LOVES the Lord. Anyway, she is currently embarked upon a 3 week journey called the Daniel's Fast. I too have decided to join her. Now, this isn't some vain effort to have my hot bod ready for swimsuit season (although that would be nice..). More importantly, it's to learn self control when it comes to food. For far too long, I have allowed myself to eat whatever I please. Now, this is nice given my youthful age. I am resilient, I still have lots of elasticity in my skin, and my hips aren't expanding too much yet. I will have carelessness in my diet no longer!

As I sat eating my pasta and vegetables at lunch today, I thought about how making good eating habits now will pay off later when it's harder to lose weight, when my elasticity is decreasing, and my hips are rapidly expanding. So it's Day 1 of the Daniel's Fast, with some minor modifications due to my lack of resources, and I'm feeling okay. This will be fun :) Say a prayer or two for me as I learn the discipline of self control.

Hope you're having a blessed day!

In light of the first paragraph of this post, I wanted to post a picture of myself from just a few moments ago, so when I look back on this post,
I can remember what I looked like that day... may be weird,
but what's the fun in being "normal"?

(My shirt says: What is the Price of Life? Just in case you were wondering.)