Saturday, February 26, 2011

If Everyone Was Jumping Off A Cliff...


Didja know y'all are the coolest people in the world...as least in my world. Thanks for laughing with me and my attempt at writing in vernacular.  If I told y'all how much time I put in on that post, you'd think I had lost my mind...and you'd be right!

(If you didn't think I was throwed off before...trust me...you may after reading this post!)

I want to share a dream I had earlier in the week, but before I do I'd like to say I believe God speaks to all of us daily and the way in which He chooses can be different each time, but it's up to us to pay attention and listen. This week I truly believe He chose to give me instructions while I was asleep...maybe so I wouldn't have a chance to  interrupt Him.

I dreamt I was going up a steep, twisting mountain road while riding a tricycle. Suddenly I came to a narrowing in the rocky path where all my wheels couldn't pass safely.  Trying to navigate the narrow road and maneuver a U-turn, I pulled forward until my front tire was just almost off the incline, but not enough for a turn around.  I then swung back with my rear tires, but again found myself unable to turn around without going over the edge.

(Think about trying to get out of a tight parallel parking space and you'll get the general idea!)

 I continued to do this back and forth, semi-circle, tricycular cha-cha repeatedly, getting more and more frustrated and getting no where fast.

As the gravel under my wheels became more rutted from my frantic tries at this forward/reverse exercise in futility, feeling trapped, and sobbing uncontrollably, a voice suddenly spoke loudly saying...

"STAND UP"!

  Whaaa...I can do that?  


As I cautiously stood, peering over the rocky precipice into the abyss below, it occurred to me all I had to do was pick the trike up, turn it around and proceed back down.

WELL DUH!!!

Why had I taken a simple act of common sense and turned it into a epic melodrama of monumental proportions rivaling only that of Wile E. Coyote?

The next morning, this dream was still fresh on my mind...every detail vivid.  That isn't always the case with my dreams, but I believe God was talking to me...(not my subconscious y'all)...God!

Sitting quietly in the first morning light, praying for an answer, I read Debra's latest post and there...it...was.


(I repeat...God talks to us in many ways and chooses people in our lives for that purpose.  Debra is blessed with the ability to share God's word and thankfully always in a way I understand.)<p>

  In everything I do, I tend to get sidetracked, sometimes choosing the wrong fork in the road, sometimes completely straying off the path only to end up in poison ivy.  Sadly...when it comes to making some life choices...Daniel Boone I'm not!

Being easily distracted...(think squirrel)...I start things, but never finish them, but will then proceed to start something else that catches my eye or imagination; running back and forth, back and forth with nothing to show at night's fall.  Unfinished projects, half-decorated rooms, paint color chips scattered about like confetti, and my ta-da lists piling around me until finally...I am overwhelmed and don't know where to even begin digging out.  To fully understand what the problem was, all I had to do was look at my office to see...it's ME!  Seemingly, it looked like I had it together

BUT...

...by looking at the complete picture...clearly I did not!
I tend to look at life as the glass half-full, but my life was actually half-baked!
  (I can't believe I'm showing y'all this.  What would I do if anyone were to actually show up at my door unannounced?  Knock knock...hello...there's a light on, but no one's home!)

I have to take my rose colored glasses off and instead take a hard, painful look at myself.  I have to define my faults and start working on changes within myself.  I have to find what works for me instead of against me.  I can no longer be my own worst enemy and enabler.  While I will still continue to view life as a half-full glass, hopefully I no longer will go off into life half-cocked.

No longer will I continue to allow myself to make mountains out of molehills while drowning in chaos, but rather start thinking about what I am actually capable of committing to and finishing.  I have to set realistic goals and not fret about what others are able to accomplish and I'm not.  Mainly...I've got to stop letting shiny objects detract me from being the total woman that God wants me to be (not what I think the world expects me to be) and start staying focused on His word and His plan for me...just me.  He has a plan and a path for all, but yours may not be mine.  I can't follow yours or it will be boulders, jagged cliffs, and no U-turns all the way up.  In all choices, small or large, trying to follow the wrong path is never smooth, but inevitably full of potholes.

I have to be willing to change and for me...that won't be easy.  I have to have faith God isn't sending me back down the road as punishment, but rather as a do-over...a second chance to get it right...His way!  Sometimes to get the top...we have to start at the bottom again...learning from the mistakes made on the first attempt uphill.  Who knows...I may be like Jill and come tumbling down again, but for now y'all...

I'M STANDING UP!

It may take me a little while, but...
I'll see y'all at the top of the hill.
Look for me willya?
I'll be the one smiling...holding a pail of water...sitting on the tricycle!

BEEP BEEP!

(I'm linking to Rebecca's Studio Sunday.)


39 comments:

Sheila said...

Hi sweetie!,
this post hit me so hard...you are speaking the words outloud that I am feeling inside...SERIOUSLY! I am so crazy over here in my my ife that I think CHAOS is the ONLY way of life. I am so tired of unfinished,clutter mountains of junque and such consuming me...that I to am thinking the Lord...is speaking to me also to do only what I can and to be really good at it. Thanks so much for speaking my mind and making me feel like I can make it through my add life :)

many blessings,
Sheila

Laura said...

Dearest Debbie-
You are the voice of reason for so many of us who are like minded.

We are all doing the best we can I guess-
or better yet, we are trying to take care of ourselves in the best way we know how, but maybe some bad habits, or carelessness has developed.

Today while gardening, I felt like I had a low grade fever-
but it wasn't fever.
It was a sense that something could be better, easier, happier and more productive-
not in the rush rush that turn to when I feel I need to do ABC.

I had decided this was not acceptable, so I will be looking at things.

Your 'dream' was for all of us.

LB

Beth Leintz said...

Wow- Lots to think about- I know sometimes my trike is hung up, stuck, going backwards or hanging on by the handlebars. What a good reminder to slow down and look around and ask for His help in finding my way back to the path.

Rebecca said...

Dearest Deb, You are not the only one that has a time management problem. In todays hectic life style with so many distractions there is just not enough time to do it all. I find it a fight to sit and just study, there are so many shoulds, I should be working on my computer room, I should be making product, I should be... when it gets too much pressure then I become paralyzed and do nothing and feel under condemnation. I have been trying to give my time to the Lord and just praise him and thank him for my shortcomings because that is where the Lord can take the trike and steer it. I can do nothing anyway, it has to be Christ in me so that He becomes more and I become less.
Your post today is such a blessing and your words are your gift.
I really hope you link up on my Sunday studio. I would so appreciate it.
Blessings my friend
RE

Anonymous said...

Praise the Name of Jesus!!! who in His wisdom and mercy and grace allows us to fall, but not to stay down. As the song says We fall down,, but we get up!!! A saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up!!!! Thank you for this post. It ministered to me greatly!!!!

Daphne Nicole & Lynda Cade said...

Oh Debbie, I'm so glad you posted this, I can so relate to everything you said, I agree with Sheila at the top~~~ that you are speaking the words out loud that I feel inside too! This has been a very inspiring post, thanks so much!!!
hugs~~~ Daphne

Shabby Vintage Junk said...

Oh GORGEOUS Girl I hear you LOUD & CLEAR....I could have written this post myself....Though I'm SURE with nowhere near the good grace & HUMOUR with which you've assembled your thoughts here....!!

Sometimes it's the MORE SENSIBLE option to take life one SMALL bite at a time rather than try & 'stuff yourself'....I too am GUILTY of doing this....Starting things....MANY things....Starting NEW things....MANY new things....Hardly E-V-E-R finding my way back to finish ANYTHING causing MUCH stress & anxiety....Not to mention the mess....Oh HEAVENS the MESS....!

I've been putting a few things on the 'back burner' now for a while & tomorrow morning when I wake, I'm gonna read your post again & take a 'small bite'....!

I'd LOVE to chat with you about this more when I vist with you in Texas in March....!

In the mean time Deb take care & THANK YOU SO MUCH for the inspiration....You my Friend are a JOY TO READ....!

Cheers from Australia,
Tamarah xx

Debbie's Garden said...

love, Love, LOVE your post. There's a difference in them of having felt "visited" while you sleep. You know if was a message and different than a dream.
A womans brain is thinking 10 things at any one given minute in a regular day. WHEN else is God going to get a word in?!

Garden Antqs Vintage said...

Deb, what a deep deep post! See God even used you to speak to me. This is one of those posts I will read over and over since there are so many messages in it. Thanks for this my friend. Have a great Sunday, T

the old white house said...

You have struck a nerve with me in this one Deb, I have said it before about having so many projects going at once and then something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention and I am starting another one! I can relate with what your dream has shown you and now I need to go see what Debra's post talked about. You have taken me from snort laughing to looking inside myself all in one fell swoop girl, that is a gift from God alone! Very timely too, a week or so ago I was feeling like a mouse in a maze going along frantically with no direction so I made a huge ta da list (love that term, thanks!) and forced myself to see each thing get finished and crossed off. That spurred me on to cleaning and organizing things that haven't seen a dust cloth in well, forever. My week didn't quite feel as harried as usual, go figure :)
Thank you again, you made my day complete and it is just getting started!
I absolutely love coming here to visit with you, and I'll say it again, this one really hit home.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxxoxoxoxoxo

Anonymous said...

Debbie, What a fantastic post! That first picture of the shelves in your office totally impressed me. Then I laughed so much when I saw the set of shelves next to it. Thanks for being real and sharing your heart! I get the squirrel mentality too sometimes and it's not easy getting anything done. If anyone can turn her trike, it's you! I'm cheering for you. Love ya! Glad I've got my computer back and can visit.
-FringeGirl

Mary @ Framed and Tagged said...

You are amazing Debbie...so blessed to be able to put your thoughts down in such a way that blesses us all. I read a book yesterday about this same thing..sometimes I wonder just where it was that I lost myself...I've been so busy trying to stay busy that now I don't know where I am in my life. Guess it's time to find out.
Thanks for this eye opener post!

Lori @ Katies Rose Cottage Designs said...

Debbie ~
Ohhhh girlfriend ~
What an awesome post !!
I am so very much like
you !
It looks like there are alot of
"us" out there reading the
comments ~

xoxo
Lori

Malisa said...

Seriously, think what we could accomplish if we stayed focused and stayed on the right path! I loved your dream, I love that you chose to share your thoughts with us, I love your plan.

"He has a plan and a path for all, but yours may not be mine. I can't follow yours or it will be boulders, jagged cliffs, and no U-turns all the way up. In all choices, small or large, trying to follow the wrong path is never smooth, but inevitably full of potholes."

Amen!

MAL

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

Kindred spirit, Debbie! Such a deep and thought-provoking post. Everyone's got their journey and their own tricycle... I'll be seeing you at the top of the hill when I get there myself :)

Outofmymind said...

You made me smile and I too will "STAND UP" and move instead of peddling nowhere. Thank you so much. Kelli Hansen

Outofmymind said...

I hope you don't mind, I blogged about you today. Check it out and if you don't like it I will remove it. Thanx, Kelli Hansen
http://ithoughtsew.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-had-me-at-talking-trash.html

Debra@CommonGround said...

I love the way God speaks; so visual and makes such an impression. So many of us are in the same place. Loved reading this post!!! We all need to be open and transparent. It can help us so much, and everyone else, when we are!
love ya, my dear,
Debra

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

In light of what I have recently been through I feel that I have changed at bit...and am taking time to listen. I loved reading your post...it touched me and made me think. I must go back and read again and again. Thank you!

Olde Tyme Marketplace said...

Can I get an AMEN SISTER??!!! I loved reading this post! I try so hard to pack so much into a day. With my Mr. still not working, I feel like I need to work work work all the time in order to deal with the stress and feel like I am doing everything I possibly can. Guess what that does...creates more stress! WHEW....when I read your post I gave a huge sigh and said ."well there you are Beth...just like Deb...two peas in a pod!" I need to STAND UP too and be reasonable about what I can do and can't do. I LOVE what I do but I do get to the point sometimes where I feel like I need to sloooowwww down. You spoke VOLUMES to me girl.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Beth

Six in One Hand said...

I only have one thing to say...
"AMEN!"

Anonymous said...

hi Debbie
Its really , really hard some days to give God the control. Even though I know that His way is better than the plan of chaos I had mapped out :)
Thanks for sharing , I've always liked the real you
xo
Sue

Low Tide High Style said...

Such a great post! And there must be something in the air. Just before I read this I had a LONG talk with Mr. Tide about where I'm heading and what I want to see happen over the next year. Like you I'm great at starting, not so good about finishing! It's time I got out of the ruts I've created with my own proverbial tricycle and stood up! Thanks for this, my butt was getting tired from all of that tricycle riding! ;-)

Kat :)

Bohemian said...

Dear Debbie... what an insightful Post and thank you so much for your sweet comment to my Zen Post. God does take care of the details and it is very often in those details, when we take the time to be still and get back to center, that we will have those A-Ha Moments! I can be a very scattered person so I do have to intentionally take time to focus and direct my energies more effectively, my tricycle has a lot of mileage on it. *winks* And God always finds the most unique and amazing ways to re-direct me and get His Message across.

Dawn... The Bohemian

Prior said...

Loved your post. God isn't a God of confusion, but he is a God that created the universe...so I know for sure He is in our creative side and will guide us and direct us, just like He did in your dream. How blessed you are to know your Master's voice! One of my favorite verses is about standing and then standing some more!
Lezlee

FRENCH LAUNDRY said...

Thanks for being so honest dear Debbie. You know, I think as we lurk out here in blogland, its easy to see the beautiful styled photos and wish we were in them, and compare ourselves to everyone else, and feel inadequate and inspired all at the same time. And then we go off on a squirrel moment and get distracted for the umpteenth time. I have been forced to face my little demons because of DH's lack of a job, and I think in the long run, it may be a good thing to deal with the things that are already choking me rather than making more mess. Having said that, I did a post on a good junkin' day I had this weekend, but I digress. Anyway, I've been picking up on more and more of these same feelings on people's blogs and I think that maybe, just MAYBE, there are more of us creatively disorganized squirrel loving gals out there than we think. I am thankful for tight shots and photo cropping cause without it, girl NOBODY would ever come back to my place in blogland! In fact, sometimes I look at my blog just so I can feel like I have it together for a moment (keep your eyes on the computer screen, pay no attention to the happy mess that resides in the background-ya know?). Anyway, I think we can beat this thing and I know for sure we can blog about it cause we're never short of words! LOL! Keep the faith girlfriend!

Hugs,
Judy

Artsy Fartsy Junkin Finds said...

God is good sister and always with us....now Deb don't think I am crazy but when I first started reading your post I thought you were dreaming about the Worlds Deadliest Roads TV show on the History channel. You know the one where the Ice Road Truckers go to India to drive the cliff field roads...LOL! If you haven't ever watched it, your dream had it pegged perfectly. Now you have to watch it just to see why I am talking so crazy!!! Hope all is well, still enjoy reading your posts! Hugs and Blessings, Janna

Southern Shop Girls said...

What an amazing dream! I feel like I'm on the wrong track & God is always trying to steer me in the right direction. Our house has been for sale for a year - - sometimes I feel like yelling, GOD where's my path, what are you doing?
I glad HE knows what HE's doing, even though I have NO idea!
(I have that sign in Noble's room...Whatever is right, pure, & NOBLE)

Jennifer

Lisa Phillippi llelsik@aol.com said...

Wow..that hits home with me too! The next time I feel overwhelmed I will think of your dream and take a moment to "stand"

Unknown said...

Hi Debbie! I couldn't agree more...God most definitely speaks to us, if we are willing to listen! Sometimes I will be driving and hear a phrase from a {Christian} song that will move me to tears because it was just the right words I needed to hear that day...so many times in so many ways He really does speak to us and comfort us! I LOVED this post!!

xo

:) T

The Tin Rabbit said...

What a special post! You are truly a blessing to everyone..can't wait to meet you someday!

Peridots Garden Blog said...

Dearest Deb,

Your post is powerful and as we all know "great minds think alike"!

Thank you for visiting and your sweet comment! I'm smelling cinnamon rolls as I write this!

XO

Sandy

Nancy's Notes said...

Oh Debbie, Debbie, Debbie, I must be your twin! What a valuable post. I'm so overwhelmed and I need to think about a do over too and I'm going to listen with both ears this time.

See you at the top!

Nancy

Teresa said...

Hi Debbie,
I love this post. It felt like you were in my head and speaking for me. I have felt overwhelmed with what I believe is expected of me, for so long, and sometimes I just feel like I am going to crash. Looks like I'm not the only one feeling that way either. You have such a great way, with words, and this post really touched my heart. It's time for me to pick myself up, and start up that hill, too.

Love,
Teresa

LuLu Kellogg said...

What a wonderful post!!! I found you through Anne!
I am headed up the hill too so we can give each other a shove if needed :)

I tend to have a dream that I am standing on a mailbox and Michael Jackson is trying to bite me.....I STILL have not figured that one out yet! LOL

LuLu~*xoxo

Libbie said...

Just found you from Anne's thanks for doing that post for her..It was nice just being back on her page :) I do miss that girl :)

I have been making good changes in my life too so I hear you loud & clear! Hebrews 12:11 has taken control of my life & it is amazing how much a girl can do with that verse haunting every area of her life :)

Hope you are having a fun weekend!

Miss Gracie's House said...

I should have read this post first before I commented...this is so familiar to me...I want to do it all...and the chaos around me shows it....bit by bit I am weeding our...and praying...WHAT am I really supposed to be doing...
Rene
P.S. I did enjoy your post over at anne's place

red.neck chic said...

I love this.

And you.
xoxoxo
robelyn

The Robin and Sparrow said...

Oh my gosh girl! You are one crazy fun lady! Too bad you are in Texas, and not Oregon, we would be besties for sure!! I love your statements of faith. I'm so on board there. But your verbage is so wonderful and encouraging. It's nice to know that there are so many more of us that get distracted by shiny things. I always think that we will all be joining forces and decorating the banquet tables in heaven. Why not? Why would God give us this amazing talent and energy only to have it go away when we sit with Jesus?? Thank you so much for sharing, sweet lady.
xo
clare