Today's Inspiration: Living Out Loud

Remembering to say "thank you" is a daily practice in my life, and having finally found the creative space and renewed strength that I often need to breathe and write, I’d like to use a piece of it to give a heartfelt "thank you" to all of you for your love and support and for stopping by often to visit my page. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is "The Ten Lepers" (Luke 17), and in remembering it today, I want to encourage you to practice being " one of the ten " who expresses gratitude and joy to God and to others. If you've never read the story, it talks about how Jesus walked through this small village and saw a group of ten lepers.  Naturally, the lepers stood at a distance, as people with this disease in those times were thought to be unclean... But they knew who Jesus was... and that he had the power to heal them, so they wasted no time in calling out to him for help. They said: "Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!"...

May we wake up hungry  for what we have not yet tasted and FEAST on that which has already been given... And may we recognize (sooner than later) that the only place that success will ever come before work  is in the dictionary.. . Rise and GRIND and stay hungry for your dreams and visions that have yet to be fulfilled. -Chana

While many of us are waiting for specific things to change within our inner and outer lives, let us not forget that there is always a "greater" purpose carefully tucked inside these times...   Surrender.. . For many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails... And to everything there is a time and a season... Embrace the wait. ~Chana

We each are born into this world distinctively different and yet, the core of what makes us different is as universal and as common as mud... We "intentionally" have these unique mixtures of unrepeatable facial and body features - as well as a unique mix of environmental upbringings and experiences ( for a reason )... and yet, some people want to be (and expect you to be) like everyone else - or at least, just like them... But I can't help but wonder how being the same would erase our very purposeful parts in the whole... For we each have unique songs to sing, notes to play, things to create and words to speak and write about life, important lessons, paths taken, and experiences of love, losses, loyalties, dreams, disappointments, and many more... that absolutely no one else can say or do like you...  And this is just a part  of God's purpose for the entire universe... and it's pretty important... So please...

I often balance the delicate tension between longing and belonging, discovering and entering, cultivating and igniting many people's hearts and souls - and I like it .  But I also recognize my path as a pilgrim of just passing through ... I trust in my inner compass of hope, courage and imagination while never forgetting to bring my whole heart to the journey...  As I've learned that it is only when I bring my "whole heart" to the journey that I get to complete the journey and then make an "impact"... My hope is always for people to live more deeply and honestly ... and to accept and honor each other's differences , embrace the unknown , celebrate their gifts, be purposeful and passionate, to practice gratitude, grow through their adversities whenever possible, and to simply be true to themselves... It is a tall order, I know... but it is also my path - or some variation of it.... And it brings me great joy to be able to share it...

There is a lion and a lamb inside of all of us, and it is a beautiful thing for me to be able to experience and see them both laying down together.  As we all can relate to being both aggressive and passive, hard and gentle, confident and fearful, and defensive and vulnerable.. But whenever I see more of  one than the other inside of another, I never forget that they both "still exist"... What a beauty...  ~Chana

If you want to be successful and go to the next level in your life, you really have to invest in improving yourself ... Improve your behaviors, your thinking, what you value, and what you do with your time. If you're doing what you've always done and hoping that things will (miraculously) turn out differently - at home, at work, in your health, and your emotions - you are wrong... Improve on the design and build something great. ~Chana