The Beauty of Doing What You Love

“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish the work of our hands.” - Psalm 90:17

Sometimes it takes a slap in the face to stop us from spinning at breakneck speed through our lives and missing what is important. That is what this journey through Johnny’s cancer has done for us. We have learned the beauty of stopping to smell the roses.

We have found our entire life to be put on hold, as we struggle to make it through each day. Our priorities have changed. Our activities have changed. Our love has changed. The lense through which we look at life has changed. Despite the horrible circumstances which have caused this change, I know I like this view of life better.

We have returned to simplicity. It is all about getting back to the basics of things that really matter in your life. We have found the moments that count, are the sum total of all the little moments. It is the little moments we realized, that got left behind in our race through life to make money, pay our bills, keep crazy schedules and give priority to that which was really unimportant.

Our awareness of what is left, when all the rest is stripped away, is a joy to behold. My writing is a good example of this. I have wanted to write with unbridled pleasure all my life. I never took the time because I was always too busy. I now believe that what I kept inside by not releasing it, was destroying a little piece of my soul every day. Now I do write everyday. I don’t HAVE the time – I MAKE the time, because I have realized how important it is to me.

Here’s another example. Johnny and I are getting to know each other and appreciate things about each other, that we never took the time to know. When you are given a deadline to do it, you don’t waste a minute on other things that don’t matter.

This is what has brought our family closer together. This is where we drew the line in the sand, by turning to God instead of our own power to solve situations. This is what has breathed life into our spirits, despite the physical health problems we encounter. This is what has brought the beauty back into our everyday living – into every moment.

It didn’t have to be this way to get to where we are now. We could have figured this out a long time ago, by making the choice to put God first in our lives. One thing leads to another. Once your list of priorities is in right order, everything else starts falling in place. Once you seek Him with all your heart you will also find what you were born to do.

My suggestion to each of you is to make a “divine appointment” with God. Schedule Him into your life and into your appointment book. Start prioritizing what really counts, the same as you would any other appointment. Be determined to make the right turn – which is always, back to Him, to discover what your true goals should be. Make your spiritual goals as important as your financial, business or pastime goals. Don’t wait until catastrophe hits to be backed in a corner and finally “get it.” You can start this today.

It is never too late to be what you were meant to be. You will discover the beautiful truths you are searching for in the little moments. God designed our lives to be pretty simple. Somewhere along the way, through all the wonders of modern technology, and the way our lives have changed because of it – we have lost the lifeline that matters most. That is the connection to God, and to each other, and to the gifts we each were given.

I notice the younger generation would rather email, text, twitter or facebook, than even pick up the phone to visit or talk. I think we need a little less Blackberry and a little more one to one living in our lives. We start by slowing down. We start by truly looking at what is in front of us.

My question to you today is this. Are you doing what you truly love in life? What about your job? Are you working to fulfill your purpose or to simply pay your bills? I read a book a long time ago with the message “do what you love and money will follow.” I wish I had paid more attention to it then. I am paying attention now. I don't think I have ever been this happy as I am now writing everyday. I wake up each morning with a heart filled with joy and the anticipation of doing what I love.

This is what we have tried to teach Scarlett about life. Johnny never got the chance to be the wonderful history teacher he could have been, or the great coach I think he was destined to be. Working to make a paycheck got in the way. His passions were squeezed into spaces left in between appointments. I think passion should come first. I think this is where our happiness lies.

Though I know you can’t just up and quit your job, you CAN start seeking that which you love, and turn in the direction that honors your soul. This is part of what we were being taught, when we are told to love our neighbors AS OURSELF. It all flows from there. Being true to you. It leads us to the life of our dreams that God intended when He created us. I believe the purpose of living is to manifest our unique gift.

We are each different blueprints of God’s love. We were each born to be beautiful glimpses of Gods power and might. My prayer for you is that you will look in the mirror and see how wonderfully made you are, and start on the path today to your true destiny – just do it. I hope you can find the real life God intended for you.

Don’t look back at the end of your life and say I “would of, could of, should of.” You can find the “beauty of the Lord” by finding what it is you really love to do. They say your gift lies in that which you can spend hours doing and not realize so much time has passed until you suddenly you look up. I believe this is the work God wants to establish your hands to do.

They also say that a man who loves what he is doing never works a day in his life. My wish for each of you today is to have the courage to follow your heart to the happiness of doing what you really love.

Beautiful Blessings,

Rene