SEEK!
SEEK Definition – attempt to find something
Search for, try to find, look for, be on the lookout for, and be in quest for
Well the weather outside is beginning to feel a bit like autumn/fall. Our leaves haven’t really turned colors this time of year but the acorns are falling and the daylight is getting shorter. I love the change of seasons; each one has a special meaning and purpose as we move through life. I am sitting here sipping on a delicious cup of Teavana Citrus Lavender Sage tea mmmm it is scrumptious! I love how they mix the flavors and it steeps for just the right amount of time. I am also watching a squirrel scampering across the top of the fence. Nature and tea truly brings warmth to my inner soul.
I hope each of you have had your “Takin Time Out” this week. It is soooo important for your health and well being to slow down a bit, reflect on where you are, where you have been and where you are headin…don’t forget to take those BIG Deep Breathes. Let’s do it right now take another deep breath in hold it and count to 10 then let it out very slowly, don’t you feel a bit more relaxed? Oxygen is sooo important, becoming more centered now let your mind relax, sort of a state of mini meditation. Hmmmm I love doing this a few times throughout the day especially if it is really busy and crazy. Relax those shoulders maybe rotate your head around and loosen up those neck muscles. How many of you live with consistent stress, working on the computer and driving in the car tightens up around the shoulder and neck area. I like to take my shoulders and try to reach my ear lobes and drop them quite a few times in a row. Amazing simple little exercises can loosen us up and make us feel better.
This week I want to share my 3rd word of the Year in 2009 “SEEK”! It was based on a verse I chose also that year found in Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye.” I wanted to SEEK to find the good in all things, with all people and in all circumstances. It actually has been my quest from that year forward. It is not always in my nature but I work really hard to put myself in other folk’s shoes, to try and figure out why they think like they think, act like they act or say what they say. I don’t always have to agree but we usually can come to some sort of common ground even if we agree to disagree. Once you have a better understanding of the other persons situation or how they are wired or tick you can choose to respond it a more positive reactive mode or be able to communicate more effectively. This gives you power, it gives you satisfaction, its gives you hope as we live our daily lives…
I always loved the game Hide and SEEK, remember how fun it was to try and find the best hiding place? Especially if there were a bunch of you playing? Trying to be still and quiet as a mouse hoping you will be the last to be found? Also, some of my favorite memories spent at my great-grandma Winegarner’s was playing Hide the Thimble, she would call out whether my cousin and I were Hot or Cold as we spent hours in that tiny little house SEEKING to find that little silver thimble. Have you played either of those games recently, even though we are adults we can still find joy or contentment in the fun of being a child once again. I think that is why we have grandchildren…teaching them, enjoying them, and playing simple games we did as a kid, laughing and having that innocent free spirit curiosity of a child, explore and watch their expressions…nothing like it and then we can send them home! Love being a grandparent without all the parenting worry and responsibility…It’s Priceless!
What comes to your mind when you hear the word SEEK? Maybe another couple of verses? Act 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; SEEK and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Or possibly Matthew 6:33 “But SEEK first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” This was given at the Sermon on the Mount…it is basically saying if your first priority is God, the rest of your life will fall into place. There is incredible power in having the proper priorities. As a matter of fact, you could sum up the problem in most people’s lives with this one sentence: They fail to put first things first. By putting God first in your life doesn’t mean your life will be perfect or a life without trials and tribulations but it can be a life of Joy and Contentment (My first two Words of the Year). I hope each of you have found this to be true as well and if not you will consider committing your life to him? If you are not ready then I encourage you to continue the journey in SEEKING the truth.
Stephen Covey wrote a book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People“, it is a self help book and Habit 3 related to another way of viewing, “First Things First”. He then actually followed up with a whole book, “First Things First”. In his teaching we are basically to live a more balanced existence; you have to recognize that not doing everything that comes along is ok. There is no need to overextend ourselves, (of which I have been very guilty of over the years). Not “Takin Time Out”. You know what? It really is ok to say, “NO” and focus on our highest priorities in life. How about you, are you guilty of overextending yourself? I find it is very easy to do…in our fast pace, advanced technology world we live in. People actually can reach out and touch each other 24/7. Our children have so many opportunities with extra curricular activities, between immediate family, extended family, school, church, sports and community. It literally is non-stop. Whew makes me exhausted just typing out the analogy…”First Things First” has a compass. I love that, we all need a compass in life especially when we are SEEKING. The caption underneath has “To Live, To Love, To Learn, to Leave a Legacy”…I like to add “to Laugh” and that pretty much sums up what I am SEEKING this last halftime in life!
SEEK is so powerful. I SEEK to be a Christ follower, I SEEK to be the best wife and mother I possibly can be, I SEEK to be the best daughter and sister and cousin and in-law. I SEEK to be a good neighbor (just like State Farm LOL), I SEEK to be a good friend, I SEEK to be a productive employee, I SEEK to be a leader in my industry, I SEEK to be a teacher, I SEEK to be the best possible individual I possibly can be and use my unique and God given talents and gifts. But I also SEEK to never stop learning, I SEEK to never stop trying to make a difference, I SEEK to never stop improving and I SEEK mostly to never stop living and especially in the NOW! Not for yesterday and not for tomorrow but be present and be accounted for TODAY!
What would you add to your list of SEEKING? “Takin Time Out” evaluate your situation, your life, your goals & possibilities? Life truly has so much to offer and too often I think we get caught up in the busyness we let the truly important things pass us by. It is November 1, the holidays are fast approaching and I think it is a perfect time to stop, get centered and prepare to SEEK for the best holiday season ever full of Gratitude and Thanksgiving. For many of us we never know what tomorrow brings. We never know who might be there and who might not. I know several of my friends have lost loved ones this past year and during this time of mourning and the first of the holidays they will spend without their loved one being there physically, there will be a void and a sense of sadness. We then truly realize how fast time flies by. I hope each of you have no regrets, I hope you tell those you love each and every day or every time you are with them how much you truly care and appreciate what they have done for you and the joy they bring. For those who may have conflicts or jealousy you will SEEK to find a resolution and maybe say your sorry or learn to forgive those who have offended or hurt you in some way. SEEK to rise above and let’s make a difference in this world! I also ask that you SEEK to find what is truly important during this season, not just buying a bunch of gifts, eating way too much delicious food and getting caught up in the worldly ways. But to spend precious TIME and truly ENJOY the NOW we are livin in. Possibly reach outside your comfort zone and help someone in a less fortunate situation or reuniting loved ones together. How can YOU make a difference? How can YOU SEEK to find a solution? Blessings abound through seeking until next time my dear friend…
QUOTES:
Seek not greatness but seek truth and you will find both. Horace Mann
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community…Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez
