Go Ahead and Play!

"We play because our God is good. Grace is sufficient for us. God wants us to be full of joy, and play is a way to experience the goodness of God and the richness of life." -James Bryan Smith

I agree. During this crazy, stressful, and busy November, I'm reminded to take time to enjoy life.

I'm a big fan of playing. Playing games of all sorts is one of my favorite things to do--board games, card games, video games (especially racing), and word games! I like it all. In fact, when I get the chance, I watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on TV as a way to relax during dinner after work because I enjoy the game.

I do believe playing is a healthy thing and too often people don't do it. They lose sight of what playing can do for them. It's not about winning or losing, though I do let my competitive streak get out of hand sometimes! Life can be so serious and weigh us down but playing reminds us of the creativity and energy we were created with. Playing allows us to express our excitement. Our excitement for the game, for the energy, for the imagination, and for life ... especially for life! Each moment is special and playing allows us to see the fullness of that moment.

It's too easy to get caught up the past or the future, the regrets and hurts of yesterday and the worries  and unknowns of tomorrow. Though it may not be wise to live life careless, it can't hurt to be a little more carefree! Part of this journey is about finding the balance in enjoying each moment and preparing for the next. Playing helps make the transition a little smoother because it allows for enjoyment of the moment and creates excitement for what could come!

So, I wonder, do the people around me take time to play? If not, go grab a friend and find a new game to try out. Create some new memories!

Rear-View

I have a confession.

I'm a paranoid driver.

I have been rear-ended three times; all within a year and a half.

On the way home  from work the other day, I caught myself looking too much at the rear-view mirror. I noticed I was slowing down when it wasn't necessary and at other times, I was a second delayed in noticing what was happening in front of me.

My First Car Accident

Because of the accidents, I am constantly looking at my rear-view mirror. And I get nervous and anxious at least once almost every time I drive. It doesn't matter if it is a ten minute trip or a three-hour trip. It doesn't even matter if I'm the one driving, although I was driving all three times. A five-minute trip was my worst accident, the most minor accident was a one-hour drive.

It reminds me of how we as people treat our past sometimes. The rear-view mirror is there so we can occasionally glance back and see what is behind us. The mirror is there to help us move forward. It is not there for us to only watch behind us at all times and it is not there for us to completely ignore so that we never look back. It is too small for us to only watch our backs and it wouldn't be there if we were only supposed to focus forward.

Sometimes things happen to us that hurt us and we've been hurt to a point that we feel like we can't move past it or let go. While I don't think we need to ignore the hurt and pain we've experienced, I think we should work through it and realize there is hope. As Christians, we believe in a God of hope and love. I think that God would want us to live a life focusing on the love and hope we have instead of the hurt and pain that can hinder us. Glancing back on the pain and hurt can encourage us to look forward to a journey of growth and love.

Just as driving is a journey from one place to another, our life is a journey and we shouldn't spend too much time looking backwards or we won't get notice where we are at or where we are headed. However, it can be hard. Things can happen to us to cause us to focus more on our past, just like accidents can cause us to focus more on what is behind us.

I pray that on my journey ahead, I will focus on where I am and what is ahead, but not forgetting what is behind me.

Did you know...?

"Did you know...?" is one of my favorite phrases. I love reading and learning things. A lot of friends laugh at me because I seem to know the most random things (but they always seem to want me on their team during trivia games, hmm).

Humans are naturally curious people. We want to know why things work a certain way or what happened to who. When I hear about something that I don't know what it is, or an event that has happened, I immediately want to know about it.

I think it is important to learn new things. The world is in a state of constant change and people are always evolving. I mean, look at technology! By the time one device comes out, a newer, updated version is about to be released. It's almost impossible to keep up.

One of my most visited cites is CNN. I check it about twice day and scroll down to see the headlines and read any that stand out to me. It's fascinating what new research has discovered and to think about how far we've come.

Now some people may think that's too boring and don't have time to read the news, which I think is sad, but the internet makes it so much easier to discover the latest news. For instance, on Twitter, CNN Breaking News instantly updates with the latest news so people can know immediately what has happened and gives the option to read more about it.

In fact, I have even incorporated learning new things into my job with students. In my emails, I include a random fact to make them laugh and give them something new to think about, whether they realize or not! For those who find news articles too long and boring, just googling random facts is entertaining. I have found a Random Fact Generator that provides many fun facts and become great conversation starters!

I encourage those around me to embrace learning. It can be fun!

So, I wonder, do those around me take time to learn new things?

Thankful

What I am EXTREMELY thankful for right now:

I love my brothers.

We love to be silly!

We love each other!

We're goofy and we know it! :) 

I've been missing my brothers lately. As we get older and distance separates us, times together are more cherished as we laugh about the crazy things we used to do and make new memories together. I miss all the fun times we had but I'm thankful for all the times we had together. I am blessed to call each one of these amazing guys my brother.