Yesterday I went for a hike to Maxwell Falls, just outside of Evergreen, CO with my friends Anne Marie and Nanci. As we pulled into the parking lot, it looked quite familiar and I was almost positive I had been at this trailhead before. As we kept walking, it dawned on me that this trail was the very first that I hiked after I moved to Denver, a little over three years ago!
It was such a neat feeling thinking back to where I was when I went on that hike three years ago, and where I am now. It's so interesting how one can grow and change, and yet, on the same token, stay the same in a lot of ways.
While hiking, Nanci asked me where I saw myself in five years. It was the second time in a few days that I had been asked that question, and I felt the same both times...I hate that question. I think I dislike it so much because the future is so uncertain. I can make my plans and goals, but most likely, the next five years will look nothing like how I planned. The thought of being disappointed or even failing is not something I want to voluntarily inject into my life. So I usually don't think about what I will be doing in five years, because who really knows except for the One who knows everything.
Today, in church, I was challenged to be someone who is willing to give everything of myself to God. That includes giving up everything that I own or thought was mine. A woman who put two coins into an offering box, equalling a penny, gave more than anyone of the rich aristocracy because she gave all that she had. She gave it all. Am I willing to do the same? Am I willing to give so much monetarily that it hurts; that it makes me question how I'm going to make rent this month?
Getting out into the wilderness, going for a hike to Maxwell Falls, helped me remember that my life is a gift, it's fragile, and it is not my own. I need to remember that I cannot get too attached to the things of this world or this life. They are fleeting, and temporary. Hearing the sermon in church today helped me remember that I need to be open to letting go of all I hold dear on this earth so that I may reap a greater reward.
Now, I ask you, are you willing to give EVERYTHING? Are you willing to give up everything?
1 comment:
Hey Jes, don't know why I never read this post of your before, but it strikes me how much you sound like your Momma—especially in terms of not wanting to try to predict the future or be disappointed by not attaining your dreams (especially when you don't even know for sure what they are!)
But I will say this: Don't be afraid to dream, or to recognize your dreams for what they are. You know what you love doing. You know what comes easily to you. You know where you feel the most fulfilled, and the most natural. Where you can feel God smiling, not just at you but WITH you. When you find yourself thinking, "This is the perfect moment." What can you do to make more of those perfect moments happen?
Looking forward to talking with you more in Nashville. xoxoxoxoxoxox!!!
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