That's Onomatopoeia: POW, BOOM, BAM

My BFF from Tulsa came to see me on Thursday. We make every moment count when we’re together. We call ourselves “Ethel and Lucy” because we can sure have some hilarious (without even trying) times. We were in that mode at Hobby Lobby and then yesterday, just before she headed on her way to her destination, she thought she’d help me by tossing my newspaper to my porch, but her toss was less than exact. She threw it into a huge plant pot that was filled with water. LOL! Par for our course! But the best part of our friendship that truly makes us besties is our prayer times together. You know your friend is a BFF if they care enough about you to pray with and for you. That’s why we’re BFFs because we know enough about each other that we know the best of us is the Jesus in us…..and that’s what He would do if He had stopped by to see me and when He shows up, BOOM! That’s the word used for an explosion. And I like to think that it’s ZAPPING, SPLATTING, and SMASHING the enemy.

Sheila said, “Donna, I hear onomatopoeia coming from you!” She said that as I was praying I was OOHING and AWING. Onomatopoeia is the sound that a word makes and mimics the sound it describes. So when we say an onomatopoeic word, it sounds like the word we’re referring to. For example: “The CLANGING pots and pots woke the baby.” “The bacon SIZZLED in the pan.” “The race car driver REVVED the engine.” “She POPPED the balloon.” “The enemy CACKLES, GROWLS, and HISSES!” Say those words and you’ll actually hear the sounds of the object it is referring to.

So when Sheila said I was making the sound of OOH, AW and I later thought that I desire that my life be “onomatopoeia” – that my life has sound, expression, so that when others hear “Donna”, they are hearing the sound of joy, excitement, wonder, lightheartedness, life, liberated, cheer.”

I really want that. How about you? Don’t we want to be the most incredible version of ourselves throughout our lives? Don’t we want to have achieved our fullest potential and lived a life of relentless pursuit of God and His character? I know for a fact that I want to live my life in technicolor – not black and white. After all, God could have made all of His creation in black and white, but He said “Nah! I can do better than that!” Don’t you know that sound must have been a part of the creation process? BOOM – the skies were made. POW – the stars and the moon and sun brought light to the skies. KAPOW – trees, and vegetation appeared. SWISH – the waters flowed. CHIRP, BUZZ, MOO, NEIGH – and God created the animals.

I want to live my life with onomatopoeic expressions that say “I’m here, on purpose, to be and do and live and declare God lives in me big time, so this CLANGING and BUZZING and ROARING that comes from me is full of life, full of expression, full of determination to live a reckless abandoned life for God. I want my gravestone to say “SHE LIVED”! I want to leave my mark and my sound here. How about you?

Does PASSION Drive You?

My Word of the Day – PASSION: more than just enthusiasm or excitement, PASSION is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as is possible.

What is it that drives you, motivates you and causes you to jump out of bed each morning with exuberance? Is it your family, your spouse, your hobby, or your job that you really don’t even consider it a J.O.B., because you love it so much? Based on the definition of PASSION and the questions I just asked, maybe you can’t think of anything that you are PASSIONATE about.

My youngest grandson, though he knows little about having to make ends meet or being responsible for a spouse or family, I’ve seen such PASSION in him for what he is responsible for – his animals. I’ve shared it before that he provides daily care of his 3 donkeys, 5 goats, a longhorn, his cat and dog. His PASSION for his responsibility doesn’t even seem like a chore to him. These recent photos (I’m here caring for these two boys for the week.) show a little boy that adores his animals. He bounces out of bed and heads to the barn and calls out “Where’s my girls? Where’s my boys?” What a PASSIONATE dad he will be one day.

Thank you for driving my PASSION. I wake up with PASSION to provide yet another blog and FB post. I am relentless to seek God’s wisdom and words that might encourage someone each day. My PASSION for God tops everything else. There is nothing that takes the place of time with Him, knowing He was my FIRST love and will be my LAST love – pleasing Him drives my decisions and everything within my being.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the act of living that we forget why we’re living. While it’s important to do what’s necessary; it’s also important to take time to reflect on the life we’re creating. When our last day arrives, don’t we want to look back and know our life mattered -- that it counted for something?

At the start of this new year, I want to close my eyes and feel my spirit excitingly begin its next journey without fear or regret. I want to live with a PASSIONATE heart. Here’s a few ways that remind me how to live with PASSION:

1. Take responsibility for my life and live every moment, every and every day like it could be my last.

2. Live every day with the expectancy, something good is going to happen in this day.

3. Turn negative thoughts and situations into gratitude by choosing to see what’s good in my life.

4. Love what I do. If I'm not PASSIONATE about what I'm doing, consider what I love to do and then start moving in that direction.

5. Take a honest look in the mirror. Michael Jackson’s lyrics to “Man in the Mirror” are a good way to start making changes that bring about PASSION for something other than myself: "I’m starting with the man in the mirror; I’m asking him to change his ways; And no message could have been any clearer; If you wanna make the world a better place; Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.” If what we see within our heart and attitude needs changing, then we start changing it right now.

6. Make time to follow my heart’s desire. Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

7. Share my love and what is burning inside my heart with others who can encourage and inspire me.

8. Seek God for my PASSION: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make direct your paths.”

Let's start today to live our lives with PASSION and when we do, then every day of 2018 will start out with overflowing joy for what each new day holds!

I'm So Excited -- Are You?

Jesus pointed out that we need to be like little children -- not by being irresponsible, but of waking each day with excitement and enthusiasm about the potential that this day may hold -- being filled with "I'm so excited" joy and with the expectation that "Something good is going to happen today!" I think He also meant that we should be so care-free that we are able to completely trust our Dad, as a little child trusts their Dad. He wants us to give Him our cares, wants, concerns and fears because we know He will work everything for our good.

So, then, why don’t we live with the expectation and excitement about today? After all, this could be the day of great surprises, new beginnings, open doors, good news, and many victories won -- why not BELIEVE it? In the words of Napolean Hill...."Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve!" Time to give some brain power to GREAT EXPECTATION that "something good is about to happen"!!!