Note To Self

By Way of Reminder

2 Peter 1:13

How many times have you said to yourself, "I wish I had written that down!"?  As I've gotten older, I've gotten wiser to that little nudging and taken heed.  I actually come from a past of penning my every thought.  I kept a journal from third grade without fail until I was 21 years old.  I planned on continuing until after I got married, but, well...life got busy as I met my future husband and I had less time to write about my life because I was too busy living it (that was a good thing, by the way).

Off and on over my adult years, I've kept a list of to-do's, checklist of accomplishments, documents of recipes I enjoy most, and notes from bible studies along the way.  If I write it down, it is noted for future reference and that makes me feel safe from the mental block I get from time to time.  Jotting things down also helps me to remember events, words of encouragement, and specifics in terms of prayer and my insatiable need to know more about the bible and what God says in it.  Without putting pen to paper, I'd be lost quite honestly.  Plus, it's fun to see events and thoughts of mine evolve and a narrative emerge.

Recently, I went through the journal I'm currently using.  It's first date was in 2009!  I was honestly surprised that one book held all this information from the past six years.  It's not an everyday activity anymore, but when I find myself needing a space to "get it all out", that's my go-to spot.

Like I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm on a mission of sorts to find myself again.  Looking into the past has been helpful, especially with my thoughts and feelings and ideas archived and at my fingertips.  These pen-to-paper posts have revealed volumes to me.

There is one theme that is worth mentioning here:  the pondering of my calling.  It is my firm belief that we are all uniquely gifted and that special combination of gifts, talents, ideas, and abilities leads to a calling.  Even though we were given these attributes before we were born, our mission does not always evolve into our vocation, although it can be intertwined.  After paging through my journal, I noted several times that I felt called to write a blog or use my gifts in some way that involves the written word.  Finally after years of thinking about it, and even covertly writing about it, I've taken a leap of faith in starting this blog that you are reading as a step toward fulfilling that calling.

I need to be reminded that this outlet via blogging was more than a mere whim.  In 2 Peter 1:13, Paul writes that he is stirring us up by way of reminder.  It was no "happenchance" that I paged through and found the pervasive theme of wanting to write in my personal chronicles.  God was nudging me forward, by way of reminder, toward His calling on my life.  Prayer answered!

Today, I encourage you to think back, page through past notes, and look into what has inspired you, recount your dreams, and dig deep into what makes you exceptional and extraordinary.  See if there is something that you can tie together because of the cohesive similarities.  Make a list of your personal attributes and proclivities and see what prevails.  More than likely you will find your calling in there somewhere.  The next step is to take action on moving closer to using that in some way to help or improve the world around you.  Just a little reminder from me to you -- finding your calling and exploring yourself in a deeper way will prove that you are BEYOND BLESSED.