Around this time of year, I traditionally do an end of the year recap. I wanted to change it up a bit this year. My reasoning for this is that when you find that a direction is calling you...follow it.
When a year comes to an end, I like to reflect on everything that happened because as long as a year is, it can go by in the blink of an eye. That whole year, is a piece to my puzzle called Life. And the dawn of each new year allows for a fresh start, a new beginning, a new hope. It paves the way for dreams to be fulfilled.
I'm a dreamer. I have been since I could walk. If I could only give you one piece of advice for 2019 it would be this: No dream is stupid. No dream is too big or too small. If you have at least one, fight for it. Do whatever it takes to make it happen. In doing this, you will feel so alive. You'll see life through a different lens. And the moment that dream becomes a reality, you'll realize everything you went through to get there was 100% worth it. You'll reflect on that moment for years to come.
I say this from experience. If you've been a long time reader of this blog, you'll have seen this topic come up quite a lot. You'll also know that travel is in my blood. When opportunity arises, I snatch it. This year I went to Cincinnati, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Chicago, Seattle, and New Orleans. Visited 2 new states (32 left) and three new cities. But what's the current dream you ask? First and foremost, Italy. Has been for as long as I can remember. Rome, Florence, Venice, Sicily, the list goes on. That's priority #1. Followed by visiting all 50 US states and thirdly, seeing an baseball game in every MLB stadium across the US. Pretty ambitious no?
So what happens if a dream becomes a reality? Live in the moment, soak in every detail, capture it in any way you can. Then what? Pursue the next dream. Because it is those who dare to dream and see those dreams fulfilled, who really know how to live. Some of the best moments of my life come from the adventures I took and the people I did them with along the way. NYC, Boston, Raleigh, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, Sydney, New Orleans. Those adventures will live forever inside.
As for 2019, be on the look for the New Orleans posts. But if you can't wait for the in depth detail, check out the Vlog (3 parts): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-tJmTEIGew&t=15s
Also for 2019, I'm going to do an entire month of top 10 lists. If you know me, you know that I love to make lists and I've done something similar in the past. Plus these lists will reveal it bit more about me you may not already know. If you don't care for them, that's fine. I won't be offended. Just put the blog on hold until the next month.
As 2018 draws to a close, I look forward to what 2019 has in store. I'm going to leave you with some quotes I discovered this year.
"I think summer is the world reminding us to get out and live a little."~Casey Neistat
"Every dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."~Harriet Tubman
"Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."~Oscar Wilde
Friday, December 28, 2018
Saturday, December 1, 2018
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
There's a hymn that I find myself singing more often than not. It's the title of this post. When you explore this hymn, you find how rich, profound, and true it is. For something written like this, you'd think it would've taken hours, maybe weeks. But in reality, it was written in 5 minutes. There's not a whole lot of things you can do in 5 minutes. Yet the words penned in that amount of time have touched many and continue to do so to this day. Below is the entire hymn.
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Light, that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
I yield my flickering torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy, that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross, that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
I love this hymn for many reasons. The first being the four points the verses talk about. O Love. O Light. O Joy. O Cross. Believe it or not, they all represent one thing, or person for that matter. They all represent Christ. And each verse opens with something marvelous Christ has done, and in response, the author does something in return. But let's dive deeper shall we?
The first verse talks about a Love that will never let go. No matter what you do in life, no matter how awful you have been, no matter if you think no one will love you, this Love will never let go. Then the verse goes deeper. The author says: I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths it's flow may richer fuller be. Christ gave us life. Christ gave up His life for us. We owe him our life. But in this case, not to an end. To lose ourselves so deep in the Love of Christ, that it'll make it rich and full. That's amazing.
Verse two talks about Christ going wherever we go. Lighting our path so we don't stumble and fall on the things that darkness hides. He will never fade and never go dim. In light of this, we ourselves are but a candle compared to His blaze. I yield my flickering torch to Thee is the author recognizing this and surrendering it to Christ.
The third verse is one that penetrates the inner depths of my soul. Where there is much pain, there is no joy. But the Joy of Christ will seek you in that pain. Even though every ounce of your being wants to shut Him out, your heart just can't do it. And with this Joy comes the promise that though there may be pain in the night, His Joy comes in the morning. No matter what you are going through, have hope, that Joy shall soon return.
The fourth verse can be really tough to take. But it's meaning is so powerful and is the epitome of the Christian life. After three verses of hope, comfort, joy, love, etc, we get a more sobering one. It takes about an amazing picture of Christ's sacrifice for us. Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. The cross lifted up His head. When you choose Christ, you too are sharing in His death...and resurrection. The author realizes that because Christ hung on the cross for him...for the world, that as painful as it was and the suffering that sometimes comes from following Christ, is not worth leaving. Because life's glory on this earth is truly dead. But when Christ died, and His blood was shed, that sacrifice, that ultimate gift, promises eternal life to all who believe. "And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt69WDtYNLo
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
I love this hymn for many reasons. The first being the four points the verses talk about. O Love. O Light. O Joy. O Cross. Believe it or not, they all represent one thing, or person for that matter. They all represent Christ. And each verse opens with something marvelous Christ has done, and in response, the author does something in return. But let's dive deeper shall we?
The first verse talks about a Love that will never let go. No matter what you do in life, no matter how awful you have been, no matter if you think no one will love you, this Love will never let go. Then the verse goes deeper. The author says: I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths it's flow may richer fuller be. Christ gave us life. Christ gave up His life for us. We owe him our life. But in this case, not to an end. To lose ourselves so deep in the Love of Christ, that it'll make it rich and full. That's amazing.
Verse two talks about Christ going wherever we go. Lighting our path so we don't stumble and fall on the things that darkness hides. He will never fade and never go dim. In light of this, we ourselves are but a candle compared to His blaze. I yield my flickering torch to Thee is the author recognizing this and surrendering it to Christ.
The third verse is one that penetrates the inner depths of my soul. Where there is much pain, there is no joy. But the Joy of Christ will seek you in that pain. Even though every ounce of your being wants to shut Him out, your heart just can't do it. And with this Joy comes the promise that though there may be pain in the night, His Joy comes in the morning. No matter what you are going through, have hope, that Joy shall soon return.
The fourth verse can be really tough to take. But it's meaning is so powerful and is the epitome of the Christian life. After three verses of hope, comfort, joy, love, etc, we get a more sobering one. It takes about an amazing picture of Christ's sacrifice for us. Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. The cross lifted up His head. When you choose Christ, you too are sharing in His death...and resurrection. The author realizes that because Christ hung on the cross for him...for the world, that as painful as it was and the suffering that sometimes comes from following Christ, is not worth leaving. Because life's glory on this earth is truly dead. But when Christ died, and His blood was shed, that sacrifice, that ultimate gift, promises eternal life to all who believe. "And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt69WDtYNLo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)