Reflections

I'm re-reading a book I've had for years - "Fresh-Brewed Life: A Stirring Invitation to Wake Up Your Soul" by Nicole Johnson. Love it for many reasons - lots of coffee illustrations :0), and it's also just beautifully written, inspiring, and challenging to me to live intentionally, to respond to God's passionate love for me, to embrace my identity as a woman, my gifts, and my dreams, and to live and love others that way that God has intended.

In the first chapter, entitled "Surrender to God" I came across two really great quotes that I wanted to pass along. Maybe they won't do anything for you, but they just stuck with me for some reason.

"A quiet spirit is one in which all of those mixed emotions are sorted out, understood, shared with trusted friends, and submitted to a spirit of contentment. The butterflies in our stomachs don't die; we just teach them to fly in formation!" - (Karen Lee-Thorp and Cynthia Hicks, Why Beauty Matters)

I want that simple, contented quiet spirit in my life - no matter the circumstances.

"Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to think, time to seek God's face, time to contemplate what's working and what's not, so that we can make changes for the better." - (Sarah Ban Breathnack, Simply Abundance)

How often do I make the mistake of cutting out this quiet, reflective time when my days get crazy and busy? Usually, it's the first thing to go, yet the very thing that is the most needed to stay. Teach me, Lord.