For the past few months I have spent Sundays attending the church I grew up in. My parents still attend and for some reason I felt God leading me back to place where I spent my childhood and youth. It has changed a great deal since I was a member. The congregation is smaller. It is also very diverse. The people that fill the pews every week have various backgrounds, ethnicities (accompanied by various languages) and economic statuses. The church has experienced numerous highs and lows over the past few years, but God has continued to provide and their doors have remained opened.
As I sat in church this morning, I looked around at the people who were worshipping together, and then I noticed something beautiful. The group of people together in that room were all so incredibly different in so many ways, but yet we were all joined together by one common purpose, by one unified Love. We are all brothers and sisters because of Christ and I thought to myself, "this is what heaven must be like". A group of people, who on a normal day might not come in contact with each other, but when it is time to worship our Creator, the bond could not be stronger.
So often I get caught up in my own bubble that I don't even take time to reach out to people that are outside of my inner circle. As I type this I realize how selfish I have been. I am guilty of, at times, only looking at the outward appearance. But really, we are all so much alike. This morning reminded me of that. No matter our differences, we are bonded together by God's grace and love. We all struggle with different areas in our lives. So often I think we look at those areas in our "brothers and sisters" and dwell upon them rather than encouraging each other. And, please know that when I say "we", I really am talking about my own lack of compassion and love.
I guess to sum up this blog all I can say is that God is showing me so much about love. About how love goes beyond the exterior and that I hope I can say I lived my life being more concerned with loving others, than being loved.
This year is going to be such a journey...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Here We Go...
January brings new beginnings. Or at least that is the mindset that comes with the dropping of the ball in Time Square every year. We celebrate, and then we make new year resolutions so that we might have hope that the things we really wanted to see happen last year will finally come about this year. Anything we were unsatisfied with last year, which seems like some sort of vague memory or hazy dream, is allowed to be wiped clean and we are all free to start over. That sounds great, but I hope that I still carry the memory of the people, places, accomplishments and disappointments that the year 2010 bestowed upon my life.
With the fluff of the New Year celebrations ceased and the normal routine of life has resumed, I have been thinking about things that I want to see happen this year in my life. I am in a slightly awkward, in-between stage in my life. I graduated college in May and began my first "real" job in the summer. I am at this crossroad of still being a young woman in my early 20s merged with someone who now has a business card and career goals. A large part of me wants to see the world with no inhibitions. To be able to wake up one day, pack my bags and see this beautiful world we live in sounds like bliss. But, then I am brought back to reality by the constant ringing of the phone on my desk with eager high school students anxiously awaiting me to assist them with their college dreams. And the strange honesty of it all is that I love it.
So, I guess I should get to my point of writing this blog. I have a deep feeling this will be a very unique year for me. There are a lot of things that I would like to see happen this year in my personal life. Most of the things will require a grand amount of faith and self-discipline, but I am in sweet anticipation of the year that lies ahead. I expect some self-reflection with a side dose of growth and maturity along the way. And that excites me. It will be comparable to an "Eat Pray Love" experience. But instead of Julia Roberts it is just Katelyn Graham, and instead of Bali and Italy as the backdrop for my story you have the southern charm of Mobile, AL.
I want this to be my online journal and time line for this upcoming year in my life. I think it is going to be a good year. For me and you.
With the fluff of the New Year celebrations ceased and the normal routine of life has resumed, I have been thinking about things that I want to see happen this year in my life. I am in a slightly awkward, in-between stage in my life. I graduated college in May and began my first "real" job in the summer. I am at this crossroad of still being a young woman in my early 20s merged with someone who now has a business card and career goals. A large part of me wants to see the world with no inhibitions. To be able to wake up one day, pack my bags and see this beautiful world we live in sounds like bliss. But, then I am brought back to reality by the constant ringing of the phone on my desk with eager high school students anxiously awaiting me to assist them with their college dreams. And the strange honesty of it all is that I love it.
So, I guess I should get to my point of writing this blog. I have a deep feeling this will be a very unique year for me. There are a lot of things that I would like to see happen this year in my personal life. Most of the things will require a grand amount of faith and self-discipline, but I am in sweet anticipation of the year that lies ahead. I expect some self-reflection with a side dose of growth and maturity along the way. And that excites me. It will be comparable to an "Eat Pray Love" experience. But instead of Julia Roberts it is just Katelyn Graham, and instead of Bali and Italy as the backdrop for my story you have the southern charm of Mobile, AL.
I want this to be my online journal and time line for this upcoming year in my life. I think it is going to be a good year. For me and you.
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