Would've Beens

I am thinking about some people this week who are mourning a family member lost in '02.  Maybe they are saying things like "He would have been this old; he would have been married by now; he maybe would have been a father by now."

Most of us have someone who we remember, either at the anniversary of their death or when their birthday rolls around, that we go through the Would've Beens with.  I have some grandparents and a father.  My mom has parents and a husband.  My cousins have a brother.  My in-laws have a son. 

Maybe you don't have someone to think about yet; you will someday.  Did you know that 100% of people on earth die?   :)

But what about ourselves?  Do we ever go through the Would've Beens with ourselves?  Like, I would've been 20 lbs lighter by now if I'd have started that weight loss program last year.  Or, the basement would've been done by now if we weren't so busy.  Or better yet, my kids would've been healthier by now if I had been more consistent with exercise and cooking healthy meals this last year.

The Would've Beens are good for reminiscing about those we've lost - it's our way to remember them and keep their memory alive.  But on the other hand, maybe the would've beens wouldn't have been because we don't know where their life path would have gone if they were still alive.   We don't know and we won't ever know because it wasn't part of God's plan.

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The difference between them and us is we ARE still here...we CAN still make a difference in what would have been, in what could be.  Because if we're still here, that means God has something for us to do. 

But sometimes we get stuck so much in the past and weighed down so much by our guilt of what could have been if we'd just done this or that, we can't get moving in the right direction. 

Instead, we need to focus on what COULD be, on where we can start TODAY to start on the path of where we'd like to go, of where we feel God pulling us.  Taking baby steps towards the goals and plans we make and adjusting along the way as God shows us His will.

Then, a year from now, or maybe two or three, our Would've Beens have become our realities instead of our missed opportunities. 

With God's strength, guidance, and grace we can make it happen!

Having Fun and Ruminatin'

I have been having fun playing around with design on here - creating buttons, grabbing buttons, making headers, etc. etc.  But I realized I haven't gotten anything with any 'meat' on here for you to chew on in awhile. 

That reminds me of this horrible steak I once had.  I only had a fairly 'small' piece of it.  But once I got it in my mouth it felt GINORMOUS and boy, was it tough.  And by tough, I mean like chewing on a piece of leather kind of tough! 

I chewed and chewed and chewed and CHEWED on that piece of meat until I felt like my jaw was going to lock shut!  Do you know what ruminate means?  It's what cows do when they're chewing their cuds. 

It's what I was doing to that piece of tough meat. 

It's also what we're supposed to do with God's word. 

We're supposed to ruminate on God's words and turn them over and over in our heads.  You know, like how you do when you're obsessed with a problem you have with someone, replaying conversations with them over and over in your head.  Or when you can't stop thinking about a trial someone is facing.  Or maybe when YOU'RE in the trial and it's all you can see, covering over you like a heavy wool blanket, making it hard to breath. 

Meditating on God's word is not an emptying of the mind like Eastern Meditation is, but is instead a filling of the mind with the things God wants us to remember when the going gets tough.  Focusing on things like His character, His promises, and His works helps us take the focus off ourselves and our own temporary struggles.

So why not grab a piece of 'meat' in God's Word and chew on it today!



What do you find troublesome about meditating on God's Word? 
What takes up most of your thoughts during the day and how can you take steps to meditate more on God?