We Become What We Feed Ourselves

Being here at my children’s home while they are away to care for their two furry critters, sure gives me plenty of content for my blogs. You see, my girl cherishes the things and the people that helped get her here to this time and place. Everywhere you look around here, she has vignettes of treasured memories.

Case in point is this vignette of the peace sign figurine. If you’ve ever seen one of Staci's videos, you’ll see her use that sign at the end. Under the figurine are books written by three of her favorite authors and speakers who impacted her life. "Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren is one of my favorites, too. We believe we are here on Planet Earth at this time and this place, intentionally, by God for purposes beyond coincidence. We believe that before we were born, God wanted us to discover the life He created for us to live – here on earth and forever in eternity. I love what St. Paul says in Ephesians 1:11 “Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.” I am forever grateful to know we are products of His divine purpose for our lives.

Next in the stack is “The 360-degree Leader” by another of her favorite authors, John Maxwell. Staci would tell you that her business acumen has come from her thirst for knowledge by reading and devouring successful leaders’ advice and training. She has been driven to be a devoted Christ-follower and leader in the marketplace and books like this have helped her become the leader worth following in her faith, her business, in relationships and her personal life.

And, the book at the bottom which represents the foundation (besides the Bible) of her positive, optimistic, can-do attitude, is "Over the Top". That is just one of the many other books she consumed by her mentor and beloved father-figure while travelling with him for twelve years, Zig Ziglar. Before we were introduced to Zig, we were his followers, so much so that we became little Zigs. His life philosophies, motivational speaking, his Christian witness and his personal “walk” made him our mentor. We raised our kids on those principles and I attribute much of their success to what we spoke into them and lived before them. My husband taught those principles in his own "Born to Win" seminars in churches and organizations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Belize. We desired that others achieve what we knew were life-changing principles. We wanted to pay-it-forward and make the difference in people’s lives, too. “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” — Zig Ziglar

Even in something as simple as dog-sitting, we can find reasons to be grateful for who or what made us the best we can be. It’s reminded me to be thankful for the blessings of ups and downs that showed us how to navigate the waters and come safely to the other side. I’ll bet you’ve had wisdom and knowledge poured into your life that helped you navigate, too. Maybe you can think about them right now and thank God for His plan and purposes that caused you to be the amazing person that you are today!

In the Light of Eternity

One of my favorite sayings is “In the light of eternity….it just won’t matter”! And, I usually say it when discussions go controversial, or when I'm making a trivial decision. Bottom line, like the “God quote” here, this life is just so short, why should we sweat the small stuff? We’re going to spend much more time in heaven, than we are on earth. In his book, "Purpose Driven Life", Rick Warren said “Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity. It is the practice workout before the actual game; the warm-up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next”.

When we really understand that there is so much more to life than just the here and now, and we understand that this life is just preparation for eternity, we’ll begin to live differently. And, my saying “in the light of eternity” will make much more sense. We’ll be able to handle every task, every circumstance, every relationship “in the light of eternity”. Those things that once seemed so important to us—the activities, the problems, the conquests will seem quite unimportant on the radar. Maybe on this earth’s radar, a BIG DEAL. On heaven’s radar, not even a blip on the radar screen.

That’s why, on the day of my Sweetheart’s graduation to heaven, I became his Mid-Wife. I coached him to “Push, Baby, Push!” to the other side….for there he would be living where the wonder and splendor of heaven is beyond explanation. What I knew, is that I loved him too much to keep him from one more minute of the bliss that awaited him. It was time for his BIRTH-day in heaven -- where "in the light of eternity", he was home sweet home.