T's Weekly Thought: Live It!

Hey Everyone!
So this week has been full of so many highs and so many lows!  One of the great highs was celebrating our kids being here from Ghana for one year!  What a year it's been.  I think with all the talk of the anniversary - a lot of memories surfaced about their "old" life.  Their past......and the way it used to be.

Without going in to a lot of detail here - let's just say that their lives in the orphanage......well, were just not good, happy, safe, or fun.  And they have experienced things that I just wouldn't wish on anyone.  Especially precious children.

As we talked through some of those memories this week - it was tough.

And even more tough to know what to say - how to "make it all better" - the way that moms are supposed to do.

How do you put bandaids on the past?  Make it go away?

I'm quite sure that not a single person receiving this email was adopted from an orphanage in Ghana.  BUT......I do know that every single one of us has a past.  And that each one of our pasts for is littered with "stuff" that we wish didn't happen.  Whether it's something we have done - or something that has been done to us - the past is full of "no take backs" or "do overs" - it's just......well......past.  Done.

So how do we move forward?  How do we move on?  How do we use our past to TEACH us - but not DEFINE us?

There's a very big difference.

I was talking with my sweet wise dad today about all of this and he shared a great quote with me.  Here goes:

"The past is gone.  Learn from it.

The future is yet to come, prepare for it.

The present is here now.  Live it."

What a great quote!

Our precious Savior did not die on a cross for us to wallow away in the sins and regret and hurt that EACH ONE OF US have experienced - by things.....in our past.  He came to give us Hope.  Hope in every new beautiful day.  Every precious moment.

All of us (well, except me) are about to start a new school year -some of you are leaving for college and starting a new life in a new place.

Wherever you are in your life.........LIVE IT. Consider who you are.  Who God created you to be.  What you want to become - and gosh darn it - stop making excuses for why it can't happen because of this or that or him or her - or what is in the past! - LIVE IT.

How many excuses did Jesus have for NOT dying on a cross?  Well, for starters He was God........in the form of man.  And that's just for starters.  He made no excuses.  He just did what he knew he was sent to do.

Why don't you?

Stop making excuses.  Stop using your past - either what you have done or what's been done to you as some excuse for why you can't LIVE today.

Today is a precious gift.

Live it.

I love you.  Always will.

T