Life "Isn't".....

We so often focus on the isn't in life, but we don't realize that that's not always a negative thing. When you constantly hear people speaking of: my life isn't what I thought it would be, my marriage isn't that great, my career isn't what I had hoped. Those are the negative "isn't" thoughts and they tend to be what we focus on most often. The things that aren't right in our life, the things that didn't work out the way we had planned. But do we ever stop to focus on the positive "isn't"? Didn't think there were any, did you? It is true, the word "isn't" naturally looks like a negative 4-letter-word. But think of it in the context of it helping us to focus on what we SHOULD focus on instead of what we HAVE been focusing on. Confused yet? Sound like an oxymoron? Let me explain in a little more detail.

There are six things we usually contemplate in life, six things that constantly run through our heads like a hamster in its little wheel over, and over ,and over...and most often with the same ending. That being nowhere, running the same circles, never gaining any distance in any particular direction. What I'm talking about is the who, what, when, where, why, and how of life. We learn those in grade school, but we learn them in the context of writing a story, defining a plot, what paragraphs and focuses are supposed to be included in a good story or paper. But we lose focus as we get older, and stop seeing it as writing on paper, and fail to realize that it still controls our lives--but in a very different way. Those six elements are always there, it's our approach to them and our attitude toward them that changes.

Did you ever notice that the older we get, not only have we lost our innocence, lost our patience, and lost our joyfulness…but we have lost our positivity, our inspiration, and our aspirations? Why does this happen? Why do we go from a small child who believes anything is possible; becoming a princess, becoming a superhero, becoming the most sought after person in the world...to feeling that nothing is possible, we are nobody, and we stop seeking things and dreams. But there are a few things that will always hold true...to God we are all superheroes, He will never stop seeking us, and by living through Him ANYTHING is possible! In knowing just those three things, that should make us focus more on the positive "isn't" circumstances that our lives hold, rather then the negative "isn't" thoughts that we have grown accustomed to. So what are the who, what, when, where, why, and how positive "isn't"'s? It's taking an "isn't" and using it to help you see what "is".

Life isn't about who we don't have, it's about who we become.

Life isn't about what we don't have or what we can gain and show off, it's about the small blessings that are around us at every moment and about what we do for others and what we give back.

Life isn't about when we will achieve something or our dreams will come true, it's about what we do with our lives every second in the meantime to achieve those things we have a passion for.

Life isn't about where we can get to as fast as we can get, it's about embracing the moments along the way and never missing one moment or treasure that the Lord places in our path.

Life isn't about why we go through struggles and why things don't go the way we want, life is about why we trust in God and why we choose to build up strength to get through those times and help others through theirs.

Life isn't about how to get everything we want in life, life is about how well we walk in Christ's image every day and how we strive to do everything God wants for us.

So may we all do our best to focus on the CORRECT who, what, when, where, why, and how of life and use it to help us live a life that nourishes us, encourages others, and glorifies Christ. And what are the correct things to focus on? You may each have your own, but I will share mine with you:

WHO- Christ...let us live our lives with Our God as priority

WHAT- Our salvation...this was given to us freely, but we must continue to honor it and serve

WHEN- Today and the "now"...let us not live for the past or future, but in the blessings of the present

WHERE- On the cross...Jesus began his work when he sacrificed for our sins, but we must continue it

WHY- Love...God is love, Jesus teaches us love, and we are to live our lives in love with one another

HOW- The Bible...stay grounded in God's Word and in community with like-minded believers

Please feel free to leave a comment with your list of focuses, or things you would like to make your new focus. God bless, and may you be provided for and looked upon with favor and grace.