Grace | Tracks In The Dust

Archive for the tag “Grace”

18 Jun 2012

The Mosaic of Life

Some days can seem to drone on for a long time. As the summer days in Texas grow longer and the heat lingers on, it gives me pause to stop and thank God for all the people he has put in my life. They have all created a mosaic of memories and experiences that allow me to get to this point and see what I see. It amazes me. Even on those bland and simple days , where nothing eventful of note has left its mark, there is always the reflection of the events and people that have been before this moment.

I miss many of them, but they had their own roads to take and lives to travel. I am better for having them in my life’s paths, and hopefully I helped be a piece of who they are too… Not all of them were the greatest of friends, in fact some were foes. But they all made a difference.

I am also thankful that I have my family. Through the laughter, the tears, the frustrations and triumphs we work through them together as best we know how, with God’s countenance and grace to watch over us. I haven’t seen one of my sons in nearly nine years, and I pray that he is learning this to be true. But I love him still. I am fortunate for my three other children and my wonderful wife that have been in my life these many years.

As the US recognized Fathers Day this past weekend, I want to hope that I have reflected some of the greatness of my father on my children. I think I have. I am fortunate to be able to say that, (when so many don’t wish or want it so)…my children never really got to know my father before he died- but I see him in them. Such precious little time with their other grandfather was hopefully enough to see the man he was and what pieces of him exist in them as well.

So I continue to be amazed. And I hope you can reflect on the mosaic of your life that has brought you to each day, and be amazed along with me in the light it produces. Be good with what makes you who you are today, share it with your family and friends, and be joyful for what adventures lie ahead in the time here on Earth.

“Family” by Joe Walsh

I’ve been alone most of my life
I’ve never known what it was like
To end up somewhere and not have to pack
To be among friends I know have my back

But now I’m here where I belong
I’ve finally found a wife and a home
And a family that matters, means more to me
Than anything I have ever believed

And when we are gathered together
Tell me how blessed can somebody be

Give thanks, break bread, say grace, bow heads
For all of this love that surrounds me
We laugh, we cry, stand together that’s why
It’s all being part of a family

Tried it before, never felt right
I never dreamed that someday I might
Be part of something bigger than me
It makes me feel humble, finally I see

All that we have is each other
And that’s all that I’ll ever need

Give thanks, take time to say that I’m
So grateful for all that surrounds me
We laugh, we cry, stand together that’s why
It’s all being part of a family

14 Jun 2012

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Contentment

Truth is, the grass is never greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it. Being content is a reward in itself, and worthy of pursuit.

And godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).

So many times it appears that there is so much pain in our search for richness in our lives, that for many of my friends and family we tend to forget the simple reward… that is contentment itself. Like a wise friend of mine, a man of God recently recalled the old adage that the grass is never greener on the other side, it is greener where you nurture [water] it.

Some times it makes me sad to see how hard people are working for that contentment. Doesn’t it seem to you that many people are working so hard to define it and pursue it that they don’t realize it is right in front of them? So often we are making plans for the next thing that will get us to the goals we seek, that we don’t stop to see the simplicity of what is right in our path.

We can help others through kindness and compassion,endurance, love and gentleness as so many of my fellow bloggers have said in so many great ways. We can make the world around us a place we want to be. But not through anger and resentment, but through faith in ourselves. But we have to nurture that, we have work to do on making our “grass” on our side of living be green.

And that takes more than just wishing it so, it takes acceptance and peace of mind that by living it – it will come to us. That is the faith in which we need to fight for. Take hold of the eternal life we all can have. It is simple and not complicated, yet we run the other way in pursuit of something that may give us satisfaction, or instant gratification. Like if we grab that golden ring, wow… life will be so much different.

But the reality of life is that it is tough, it isn’t simple in its own daily turn of the clock. It contains the frustration or sadness of death, failures, illness, hate and fear among so many things. The reality won’t change, but you can. Accept that the grass can be green where you stand, with the water you provide to make it grow.

I recall fondly the old movie “Field of Dreams” where a farmer constructs a full baseball field in the middle of his farm in Iowa for what appears to be no reason. “If you build it they will come” the voice whispers. In fact they will come…just grow your faith in what is there in front of you, because others will see it. They will see that your grass is greener and join you for the celebration. The celebration of contentment and the richness of those who will be there with you in this otherwise complicated life while we are here on Earth.

Posted in Before and After Things Change, Doing Things That Will Change Your Life and tagged Acceptance, Faith, Field of Dreams, Grace, Reality Check, Religion and Spirituality, Sprituality, tracks in the dust

13 Jun 2012

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Save It For Later?

I noticed that throughout my life, I have had a tendency to save things and collect things. A good friend and fellow blogger recently discussed this on his site, and it just reminded me of how good I had gotten. Perhaps too good.

Do you put aside things in places like drawers,closets,garages, trunks or other places in your life? You move them to a place that you can remember, and “save it for later”. Silly things like papers, clippings, pens, pictures, along with collectables like magazines or CD’s ( I have way too much old vinyl records by the way still in storage).

What do you save? What do you find yourself putting aside for safe keeping?

Today I have to give my kids credit, they don’t save nearly as much. So much more mobile than the past generation. That can be good I no doubt, but once again my pack-rat mentality says “what if you need it later?” or “you are such a disposable generation” – like they don’t appreciate the value of their “stuff”. Just accumulating stuff though is not an accomplishment.

Collecting and saving money or valuable things or family mementos isn’t a bad thing necessarily…cherishing history is essential to understanding why you are where you are today. It keeps you from making the same mistakes as your ancestors and appreciating the ways in which they survived to get you where you are in life’s timeline. But there are more important collections. Collecting friends and people around you that you can share in God’s grace and enjoy your time while here on Earth. Not putting aside God in your life. Those are the most valuable things I think. They don’t need to be locked up, they are in your heart and in your mind as those you need and want most.

So for some of us I guess we need to find ways to shake the habit, or make sure we understand that eventually we will run out of room or places for our possessions. For others traveling light and having the fundamental things is all that matters. Either way cherish the people and the spirit of the Word in your life, and things can be good. Real good.

PRACTICAL PROVERBS

Posted in Doing Things That Will Change Your Life and tagged being remembered, cherish, Divine grace, Eternity, Grace, Happiness, Life, Memories, tracks in the dust

06 Jun 2012

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The Music of a Rainy Day

It was a rainy day today. A long rainy day. The kind of rain that paints pictures in your head.

Colors the day.

It makes for a glossy picture that can make somethings seem much smoother and take away the sharp edges. Like a painting from Monet. These kind of days always seem to have a soundtrack with music in my head. There are those days that aren’t so musical, but this was.

I love storms and rain, lightening and rolling thunder that comes with it. Some days anyway. It washes away the dust and dirt (and living in Texas, there’s quite a bit of that). Today I could feel the ozone in the air, the change of weather that feels like electricity in the air. Maybe it is the change in the pressure or something. Maybe it is just what comes with the wind that carries on before it. But it can be good.

So there is this song, really not a rain theme song. But it was spinning around in my head, like the world that spins around and creates the illusion that the sun goes down. Be certain I am not sad, but I am sure that I am in love with my wife, and that I am happy to tell everyone that they should be sure to take every moment as one that they can they cannot get back and cherish it with the grace of God. Don’t waste it because everyone eventually dies, hopefully comes to be in the place that is promised by eternity ahead.

Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips

Do You Realize – that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize – we’re floating in space –
Do You Realize – that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize – that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes – let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It’s hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn’t go down
It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do You Realize – Oh – Oh – Oh
Do You Realize – that everyone you know
Someday will die –

Do You Realize – that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize?

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life, Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged cherish, Grace, life is precious, Rain, Rainy Day Music, Slow Down, The Flaming Lips, Truth

01 Jun 2012

Applying Labels

I suppose there is a basic human need for people to want to identify things with a label.

Some people use those little label making machines and label everything in their office or home so there is a sense of organization, others at the grocery store examine labels for contents to be sure they understand what they are eating, while others desperately work to label the identity of the people around them.

Labeling people seems to be a very challenging exercise, sometimes using only one label when another may be just as applicable. Just trying to find a single label that can apply is very dangerous, with it comes all the assumptions of what that label can mean because of personal prejudice or society’s definition.

Labels may be a political one, or about your religion or choice of partners. But there are labels everywhere. It’s not like labeling the container in your kitchen “sugar” when there is sugar in it. Pretty easy, because you can be pretty sure that is what it is when you see it and taste it. Labeling people is so much more difficult to do. With those labels also come some preconceived notions of what that means about the person.

There is a great sense of order by grouping things that seem to be alike under one label. For many of us it is a need. Coming out of that, there is a sense of leaving less to the unknown by having labels assigned. Labels seem to provide peace-of-mind that we know about our world around us. It confirms that we are in control.

Without labels we can lack the idea of being aware of our world, often it may threaten our perceptions of things. How can something be good and bad at the same time? Where are the lines that define the shades of grey? Who decides? It can be defined by opinion or a vote… but who’s opinion and what vote?

So today I am struck by the casual and frequent comments I hear all around me about people and their labels for someone else, and how often that leads to misunderstanding, hatred, prejudice and the lack of willingness to know any more once the label is “assigned”. It can cause a lot of conflict that makes relationships disintegrate, make friends move on, and choices for the future be skewed.

Of course we all have our own personal labels, those that identify us. We create those as we live our lives and make our choices. We often may be proud of that definition. We should. We may not share that with everyone else, because that alone could lead to a label that others may choose not to understand.