Category: five-minute friday

To connect is very closely linked to trust.

Being connected is work.  Staying connected is even harder.  How can begin connecting without different levels of trust in place?

I think everyone desires to be connected, in some way, shape, and/or form.  When God created the world, His intention was not for humans to be isolated.  Yet, we disconnect ourselves from everyone and everything, usually whenever we get a chance.

We’re always working to get away.  Get away from the office, from the kids, from the spouse, from the mall, from the thoughts in your head, from the bad habits, from sin.  We need alone time.  Time to stop and breathe.  Maybe even to smell the roses or just to be still.  Despite all that, we still work hard at connecting with someone.  Efforts are made to find that one person who truly understands you, who feels you down to your core without saying a word.  That person with whom you can have the deepest of conversations, just by looking into their eyes.  That person who ignores your appearance, your size, your junk, your everything bad, and just loves you for you.

Problem is that that person is often hard to find.  It’s like searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Some of us are blessed to find those friends, those connections.  Others work hard, put forth effort and hope that things go well.  Until our images are shattered.

Part of why it’s hard to connect is because it’s hard to trust.  I’m guilty of this.  My preference is that you show my yourself first, while I feed little pieces of myself.  When I feel comfortable, I share more and more, yet there’s still so much that I guard. 

While I may be fooling myself into thinking that I’m “playing it safe”, I’m really just playing.  I can’t complain about not being connected if I’m not willing to connect for myself.
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Your turn.  Some weeks, I question whether or not 5 minutes is truly long enough.  Today, it wasn’t.  So, I went a wee bit over, but I did stop myself.  Go at it for 5 minutes straight, through all caution to the wind.  Click below if you’d like to get “connected” this week.

I have colour that appears in two forms: inward & outward. 

The outward colour; the deep rich, mahogany is one that some people tend to notice first.  Yes, even in 2011–almost 2012, some people still do stop short of looking further than the surface level.  And for the ones that tend to notice colour, they tend to associate pre-assumed thoughts with the colour.  What’s cool is watching what happens when their ideas, their notions, their assumptions get blasted as they get to know me.

On the flip side, I’m thrilled to say that most people notice the inward colour first.  That deep red of my blood.  It’s most noticeable because they too, are red inside.  When they look at others they’re not looking at shape, size, accent, hair texture or colour.  They’re looking characteristics; kindness, grace, love.  These qualities transcend all colour barriers.  They do not fit into a box to be checked or a term to label.  These qualities reveal much about a person. 

Character is what counts.  This is what I notice when I see people; that is what I want people to notice most about me.

(((I wasn’t quite done yet.  However, my five minutes ran out.  Maybe I’ll be brave enough to post more on this topic later)))
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This was a tough one.  Give it a try.  5 solid minutes of writing.  Click the button below to join up.  Read some other  posts and leave an encouraging word too.  It does wonders for the soul.

Tired.  Weary.  Stale.

Those are things I don’t like to be; I don’t enjoy feeling. 

Physical tiredness is one thing.  I’m a mom to three kids ages 5, 3 & 10 months.  The physical fatigue is to be expected.  Besides, I know that personally, I could do better.  Make more time for workouts to boost the energy.  Get to bed earlier.  Curb the diet a bit.  But c’mon: chocolate is a necessity…

I don’t ever want to look stale though.  I don’t want to become so complacent with my life that my face only reflects fatigue.  There’s a lot more negative around me than positive sometimes.  More month, more bills, more wannabe commitments than funds.  There’s always a need for something essential.  The news is full of all sorts of creepy stories.  Usually some tired people who no longer could hold back and reacted with poor judgement.  The amount of illness, cancer, corruption that seems to be exponentially increasing–crazy!

But then I glance at my family’s smiley faces and that gives me renewal.  They’re motivation to arise each day, stretch and smile.  They’re constantly giggling away.  Those giggles turn into full blown laughter, and the occasional tantrum when they do tire.  Regardless, their energy, their hope, knows no limit.
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Your turn.  Find 5 minutes to let the words flow.  No critics in this group; only fans.  Feel free to link up below too.  Please do visit some other posts and leave word of two for a warm fuzzy to their day.

To be truly grateful is work.  Hard work!

Sometimes saying “thank you” is almost like a platitude; something that’s said just because, and not necessarily with any meaning behind it.  For example:

Hi-how-are-you?
I’m-fine-thanks.

If you’re like me, you’ve noticed that many times, people who ask how you are do it because it’s the thing to say, and they do it in passing, never expecting a response, let alone an honest response.  So, the automatic reply is “fine, thanks”.  Except that more often than not, we’re not fine.  And we certainly ain’t thankful about it.

There’s a cute little passage that tells us we should thank God no matter what happens because that’s how He’s called us to live.  **sigh**  His ways are never easy, are they?!  We’re to love each other, including our enemies.  We’re to be kind to each other.  We’re to turn the other cheek.  And now we’ve gotta work on being grateful as well, no matter what??

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that this little verse comes after we’re told to be cheerful and pray always. 

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.  1 Thess 5:16-18 (The Message)

Reality is though, that it’s easier to get through life when we are working on being more cheerful and prayerful.  It’s easier to see the things worth thanking God for, even when everything around us seems like an epic fail.  Or worse yet, when the people we’ve been praying for get their extra special God blessing, in our gratefulness on their behalf, in the back of our minds, we wonder when will it be our turn…

((Bonus:  I saw the keyword for today’s five minute Friday topic and this song immediately came to mind.  I wanted to share it with you all.))

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Your turn.  It’s Thanksgiving time in the United States.  Those of us in Canada already got a head start on our gratitude and gratefulness in October.  I certainly don’t mind spending more time being grateful.  So, write away, for 5 minutes straight.  It’s amazing the twists and turns your mind will take on this exercise.  Click below to link up.  Please visit a blog or two (or more) before you and leave a comment for them too.

Grow.  To me that means an increase.  Increasing, yet never stopping.

Lots of things grow.  Hair.  Nails.  Size.  Girth.  Relationship.  Rumours.  Tumours.  Lies.  Gossip.

And people.  People grow.  I grow.  Not only have I grown from a tiny cell into an embryo.  I’ve come from nothing into something.  I’m a “grown up” now, yet I’m still growing.

Sure, my body is one thing.  But that’s only one aspect of growth.  That’s just the outside.

What about my inside?  Growth needs to happen internally.  Beneath the exterior shell, lies what’s real.  It’s what keeps me going everyday.  What helps me to wake up and make the effort because I think that my life is worth it.

Some of my talents have grown.  I say some, because really, the ones that I have used, and practiced have all grown.  The ones that I have lay down by the wayside, put on a semi-permanent pause, have all faded.  Died, really.

That’s what can happen when growth stops. I don’t even want to stop growing.  I’m not ready yet to quit on life.  Some days are hard; some days are easy.  But it’s not worth stopping just yet.  I strive to keep growing, keep going. 

If I stop growing, then life comes to a halt.
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Your turn.  Click the button below to join us in this writing exercise.  No editing required.  Just 5 minutes of the freest, most liberating yet focused writing you can pour out.  And then another couple moments to add your title, and post and link up.

Unexpected.  The surprise I feel when a prayer is answered.  If I asked and believed when asking, why the surprise?  Why did I not expect God to come through for me?  He’s always promised that He will.

Unexpected.  The things that happen every day of my life.  Sure, I wake up each day with a plan, an idea of how I think my day could play out.  And each day, something else happens.  It’s never according to my schedule, to my imaginary blueprint.  And that’s okay.  Usually it’s better than what I first expected.

Unexpected.  The journey you’re taken on when you choose to walk by faith and not by sight.  It’s a hard choice to make.  I know I often waver in that choice.  But I firmly believe that it’s the best choice.

You never expect the hard times.  Sure, you hear about them from others and your pray that they don’t happen to you.  But then the enemy hits you with temptations tailor made to suit you, to fit you like a glove, almost.  Things that wouldn’t bother anyone else get under your skin.  You never expect the failures, the doubts, the regrets, the second guesses.

All that can change.  And a beautiful, transforming, unexpected moment can happen.

You can surrender it all to God.  He’ll take your stuff, your mess and reshape it.  You can be renovated so that even the people around you no longer recognize you.

That’s the unexpected that I’d like to be.
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Why don’t you join us?  I’ll admit that in this post, I encountered something unexpected.  I struggled from the opening line.  The words were flowing, I just wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted to write.  But, I’m surrendering.  It’s great.

The “rules” (loose application of the word) are very simple.  Write freely, no strings attached for 5 minutes.  When you’re done, hit publish.  You’re welcome to link up. Please do leave a comment on a blog or a few blogs who have linked up before you.

It’s amazing the number of memories that can pop into our minds.  And the types of memories.

We tend to remember the good, at death.  The good times, the laughs, the happy moments.  The lessons learned, the way they looked, smiled.  That one super hilarious funny moment that still makes you guffaw.  Then, the not so pretty stuff also starts to seep into our remembering.  The last words spoken, the last encounter.  What you would’ve said or done differently had you known it was going to be your last encounter.  You remember the arguments, the disagreements and the grudges.  The nitty gritty that no ones wants to dwell on. 

You remember all the things that were left unsaid.

As I think about life & death, I realize that death often comes way to soon.  Life tends to get “cut short”, even for centenarians.  But there was One who lived a short life.  If I were given the same life span, my life would end in the next 2 years.  How’s that for perspective?! 

What’s cool about God and His master plan is that He left us with everything.  So, in the moments that we do forget–and we tend to forget a lot.  Too much and too often.  We have a big history book.  From the moment sin entered the scene, God put together the plan of salvation.  Jesus arrived on earth with a specific time frame with which to be born, grow up, connect with God.  And then spent only 3.5 years in ministry.  And then it was over.

There are such words of wisdom, of comfort, of love found in His Word.  There are words of warning, of direction, of protection, in His Word.  We’re encouraged to keep these things in our hearts, to learn them and teach them to our children. 

But in case we forget, it’s all been written down to help us remember.
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Your turn.  I must confess that I took a wee bit longer than 5 minutes today.  A cousin died today and it was much too fitting that the writing prompt was “remember”.  So, I put fingers to keyboard and just let God direct me.  No editing required; no editing recommended.

Relevant.  To me, this means the things that matter.  What matters in my life?

Regardless of whatever someone says or does to me, what matters is how I react and how I respond.  My Bible says to love one another.  I need to respond with kindness and in love.  That’s what’s relevant.

It doesn’t matter how many hours of sleep I got or didn’t get during the night.  What’s relevant is that I take care of my family, my responsibilities and give it my best.  That’s what’s relevant.

It doesn’t matter how good something tastes or how many times I can refill a plate because the portion seemed too small.  What’s relevant is that I take care of my body, my temple and practice moderation.

It doesn’t matter how cold it it outside or how hot it gets in the summer.  The mosquito population has nothing to do with me.  If I can’t control it, I shouldn’t complain relentlessly about it.  What’s relevant is that I embrace each season and be thankful for that fact that I get to see changes all year long.

It doesn’t matter how many great ideas are brewing around in my head, just waiting to take shape.  One excuse after another only hinders the outcome. What’s relevant is that I seek God first and make sure that what I say is approved by Him.  And not speak first, then hope to gain approval.

There is so much in my life and while all of it seems to be a big deal in any given moment, what’s relevant is remembering that it’s not all about me.
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Your turn.  Today’s topic of ‘relevant’ comes courtesy of the Relevant Conference.  One of these years, I hope to attend myself.  Click below to link up today.

I first thought of beyond as something far.  Something way out there that was a bit further than my reach.  Think of the term “above & beyond”.  People are grateful when we not only extend ourselves, but over-extend ourselves.  In fact, the lengths that some people go through–it’s more like hyper-extending themselves.

Then I started wondering why “beyond” always seems to be associated with “out do”.   I think the reality is that for some, beyond is a lot closer than we think.

Sometimes we’re so wrapped up in ourselves, so self-consumed that we can’t see past the tips of our noses.  So, to redefine beyond–I’d say it’s outside your personal bubble.  When you start to put yourself aside and do things that aren’t limited to your comfort zone–that’s beyond.

When you step out in faith and work to help someone–that’s beyond.  When you pray for others, sincerely believing in God’s mighty power though your own prayers seem unanswered–that’s beyond.  When you don’t think twice about helping someone else and do it without keeping a running tab–that’s beyond.

When you set aside yourself and choose to give and exude love & kindness to everyone, in all circumstances–that’s beyond.
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Your turn.  It’s Friday–time to stop, drop & write.  Go beyond your comfort zone & link up too.  Or at least browse through a few other posts and maybe leave a comment or two or more.

Oftentimes when we think of “catch”, we think of a ball or the common cold.  Mostly ball, though.  Another thing that pops to mind is more dismal.  As in “what’s the catch”?  The popular question that more and more people tend to ask when a deal sounds wayyy too good to be true.  It’s said that if it sounds too good, it usually is.  Lots of skepticism in the world, which is unfortunate.

But this thinking is everywhere.  Cell phones and their hidden fees.  Airline tickets and their extra surcharges.  Contests and their disclaimers.  Coupons for great savings, but only if you purchase multiples of the item.  We need to ask what the catch is now, upfront, before we sign on the dotted line or commit to anything long term.  Even marriage hopes come with pre-nuptial agreements.  A “safety net” in case something goes wrong. 

Thankfully, there is one thing in life that’s completely free and catch-less.  God and His gift of salvation.  It’s free.  There is no catch.  All we need to do is accept it and it’s ours.  No amount of money, no long lists of deeds done, no record of people witnessed too could ever repay such a priceless gift.  His love, His overflowing, overwhelming, unconditional, everlasting love is poured out on everyone.

There is no catch.  Since God cannot lie, this deal is guaranteed.
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Welcome to Friday, where you’re invited to join in.  Stop, drop & write for 5 minutes flat.  At the end, hit “post”.  (Note, I didn’t say to stop and edit.)  No editing required for this exercise.  You’ll soon be hooked.  Oh, and you’re invited to also link up and leave some encouraging words on other blogs as well.