Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 34

In Others’ Words: Delightful Impossibilities

Sometimes my God is too small.

Of course, it’s not Him. It’s me diminishing who He is. I forget that God is so much more than the possibilities I see before me . . . He is the God of all the impossibilities I never imagine.

Forgetting who God is comes with looking down … becoming so grounded in here and now and what is that I forget God is not bound by any of those things. He is before and after. Alpha and Omega. (Revelation 22:13) The Author and Finisher of my faith. (Hebrews 12:2)  And isn’t it just like me to think I’m the one who is faithful when it’s so clearly stated that He remains faithful even when I am not? (2 Timothy 2:13)

As 2016 ended and the new year began, I was challenged to dream big … bigger than I ever had before. To let God expand my “possible” dreams to “oh, that could never happen” impossibilities.

As I wrote those prayerful impossibilities down, I felt equal parts timid and brave. Why not dream out loud with my God who loves me? Why not entrust those larger-than-ever-before hopes with the Creator of the universe, the one who already knows my heart, my innermost desires?

I know God loves me. Believing He delights in impossibilities in a personal way — that God delights in the big, big dreams I’m pursuing — is a new way to trust God. Doing so is changing my perspective of God — and it’s changing me, too.

In Your Words: What helps you have the faith to dream big? 

In Others’ Words: Delightful Impossibilities https://ctt.ec/S1Zui+ #InOthersWords #faith #quotes @bethvogt

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“We have a God who delights in impossibilities.” https://ctt.ec/781ME+ #AndrewMurray #quote #faith @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: Getting What You Want

This quote has languished in one of my quote files — yes, I have more than one — for months. I read it over and over. I liked it every time I read it. Truth is, I like a lot of Mark Twain quotes. He’s one of my go-to quote guys.

But when I read it yesterday, it “pinged” and I knew it was time to dust it off and publish it in a blog.

“I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”

Obviously, the illustrious Mr. Twain is exaggerating on two points. He can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life … and he can’t find anybody who knows what they want. Twain’s pretty proud of his own talents, and in the same turn, he’s not impressed with other people.

It’s not easy figuring out what you want out of life. As children, we’re asked all the time, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” — as if we’re supposed to know the answer to that question when we’re 4 or 5 or even 10 years old. TRUTH: I assured my kiddos when they graduated from high school that they didn’t have to know what they wanted to be when they grew up. They still had time to figure that out. And their friends who supposedly knew? They’d most likely change their minds — and their majors — at least once before they graduated from college.

Sometimes we think we know what we want out of life, only to discover we were wrong. Misguided. Mistaken. Or getting what we wanted left us empty or searching for more. Maybe some modern day Mark Twain came along and taught us how to get it — but we weren’t being true to ourselves, to our heart. We were conforming ourselves to someone else’s idea of who were supposed to be, what we were supposed to want out of life.

It’s okay to want things out of life. Don’t rush it. Some of us don’t realize what we really want — who we really are — until later in life. And that’s okay. There’s no expiration date on dreams coming true. 

In Your Words: How do you figure out what you want out of life? Who’s helped you discover what you want out of life?

In Others’ Words: Getting What You Want https://ctt.ec/6V0bz+ #InOthersWords #quotes #MarkTwain @bethvogt

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“I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life … ” https://ctt.ec/bT83a+ #MarkTwain #perspective #lifequote @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: Taking Two with Erma Bombeck

Today would have been Erma Bombeck’s 90th birthday. I’ve always enjoyed her humorous — and truthful — view of life. So, I’m celebrating this wonderful writer today by posting not one, but two of her quotes.

I’m keeping today’s post brief, after spending the past four days in Phoenix, cheering my youngest daughter’s volleyball team on while they competed at the Festival Fiesta Classic. It was a wonderful time — and now it’s time to get back to real life.

In Your Words: What are your thoughts on Erma’s quotes? Which one speaks to you today?

“…some emotions don’t make a lot of noise. It’s hard to hear pride.” https://ctt.ec/3y6u2+ #quotes #ErmaBombeck #InOthersWords @bethvogt

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“There are people who put their dreams in a little box…” Then they put the box away… https://ctt.ec/3ha69+ #ErmaBombeck #quote @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: Just Do It

Maybe 

The thing you think you cannot do.

If I were to ask you what is the thing you think you cannot do, your “thing” might be summed up in the words, “I can’t get through the next hour.” Or maybe you’d say, “I can’t survive this job.” Or “I can’t deal with this person anymore.”

Maybe you’re tired of facing unending disappointment … or chronic pain.

Maybe you can’t forgive someone … and maybe that “someone” is yourself.

Or maybe the thing you cannot do is something entirely different. 

Maybe you can’t open your heart to dream out loud because you’re afraid you’ll be silenced by naysayers and doubters.

Maybe you can’t risk loving again because love has hurt you before — and why give it another chance to invade your privacy … and then walk away.

How do we do the thing we think we cannot do? The hard things, that seem like insurmountable mountains. Or that seem like oceans we must dive into and swim across, no shoreline in sight.

Here are some things that help me do the things I think I cannot do:

We don’t have to do every challenge out there … just the ones that are ours.
We’re not called to take them on all at the same time.
We can just get started … sometimes getting started is the hardest part.
We don’t have to face challenges in our own strength. “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 NIV)  
We can seek the encouragement and counsel of friends — going it alone can often leads to “I can’t” thoughts.
We can always try again.

 

In Your Words: What helps you do the thing you think you cannot do?

 

In Others’ Words: Just Do It https://ctt.ec/oPmcc+ #InOthersWords #perseverance #facingchallenges @bethvogt

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“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” #quote #EleanorRoosevelt #justdoit @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: Love Without Words

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I know people who love Valentine’s Day, and I know people who don’t like this holiday at all.

No matter where you stand on the debate — love it, hate it — I hope that you experience a moment of feeling loved today. Either a moment where someone expresses their love for you out loud with three little words: “I love you,” or an equally precious moment when someone wraps their arms around you and hugs some love into you. I also hope you hear the whisper of our Creator-God as He tells you that He loves you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) And may you also find an opportunity to show love to someone else today.

Sometimes love is all “lights, camera, action” — or is that more “chocolate, flowers, and a Hallmark card”? And sometimes love is quiet — and even more potent. Like the moment captured in the photo above. My GRANDgirl #1 came up to my daughter, CJ, and asked, “You snuggle me?” And CJ complied, complete with a special soft blanket and favorite stuffed animal. No words needed to express love between the two of them.

Sometimes love is grand … and sometimes, sometimes, love is as simple, and as powerful, as a hug.

In Your Words: How would you finish this sentence: Love is ___________________.

In Others’ Words: Love Without Words https://ctt.ec/C69dE+ #InOthersWords #ValentinesDay2017 #hugsomeone @bethvogt

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“They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything.” #BillKeane #quotes #ValentinesDay2017 @bethvogt

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IT’S THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE VALENTINE’S DAY GIVEAWAY! Some romance-loving author friends and I are getting a head-start on Valentine’s Day with a fun giveaway!    Enter for multiple chances to win See’s chocolate, an adorable coffee mug, and a cozy red blanket, plus romance novels by Rachel Haul, Courtney Walsh, Denise Hunter, Becky Wade, Katie Ganshert, Susan May Warren, Melissa Tagg, and yours truly! The winner will be drawn on February 15th.

Enter here: https://promosimple.com/ps/b0e8

In Others’ Words: Three Kinds of Trouble

There are good quotes and there are meaningful quotes … and then there are quotes that hit you right in the solar plexus, forcing you to pay attention.

Today’s quote by H.G. Wells hit me hard:

“Some people bear three kinds of trouble — the ones they’ve had, the ones they have, and the ones they expect to have.” 

Wells made me realize how sometimes I try to live in three places at one time: the past, the present, and the future. I emotionally time travel and burden myself with problems from my past — things I can’t change — and imagined troubles in the future — things that may not even happen. By wasting emotional energy on past troubles and potential ones, I’m less-equipped to handle today’s difficulties, which are the only ones I can do anything about.

I’ve divided my mental resources, thinking about troubles that have come and gone and troubles that are yet to come — but I certainly haven’t conquered anything. It’s challenging enough to persevere through dilemmas day by day. Why weigh ourselves down with past stressors or imagined eventual ones that may or may not occur?

In Others’ Words: How do you avoid emotional time travel — revisiting troubles from your past or taking on possible troubles in your future?

In Others’ Words: Three Kinds of Trouble https://ctt.ec/ym8BK+ #InOthersWords #quote #perspective @bethvogt

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“Some people bear three kinds of #trouble – the ones they’ve had, the ones they have, and the ones they expect to have.” #HGWells @bethvogt

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Some romance-loving author friends and I are getting a head-start on Valentine’s Day with a fun giveaway!    Enter for multiple chances to win See’s chocolate, an adorable coffee mug, and a cozy red blanket, plus romance novels by Rachel Haul, Courtney Walsh, Denise Hunter, Becky Wade, Katie Ganshert, Susan May Warren, Melissa Tagg, and yours truly! The winner will be drawn on February 15th.

Enter here: https://promosimple.com/ps/b0e8

In Others’ Words: The Benefit of Disappointments

 

Disappointments are unavoidable in life. The question is, what will we get out of our disappointments? How, as Thoreau puts it, shall we be compensated by the discouragements that come our way?

Sometimes we don’t stick around after a setback long enough to receive any compensation. We hurry past the disappointment, eager to find a better moment, a happier experience. And sometimes we’re too busy grumbling and complaining about what happened. There’s no quiet, no readiness in our mind, emotions, or soul to receive any benefit when we’re disillusioned or disheartened.

So what can we gain from misfortune or when we face an impasse? Maybe it’s the lessons we learn, something as simple as “Don’t do that again.” Like “Don’t delete all the messages in your Archive folder in your Gmail account — and then delete them in your trash folder, too. Because that deletes all the email messages in your inbox. Yeah, been there, done that a couple of nights ago. A minor disaster, relatively speaking, but still … )

Or maybe one of the compensations of disappointment is the comfort we receive from others. I’m not talking about the “should have, would have” advice other people like to offer when we face defeat. No, I mean the encouraging words that hold no judgment … sometimes even the silent presence of friends who show up to just be with us.

The important thing is to not turn our backs on our disappointments — to not deny their existence. Only as we accept the hardships that come our way can we then discover everything they have to offer us — if we are quiet and ready.

In Others’ Words: What compensation — something positive — have you received from a disappointment in your life? 

In Others’ Words: The Benefit of Disappointments https://ctt.ec/N388w+ #InOthersWords #quotes #facingdisappointments @bethvogt

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“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” #quotes #Thoreau #disappointments @bethvogt

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***

Some romance-loving author friends and I are getting a head-start on Valentine’s Day with a fun giveaway!    Enter for multiple chances to win See’s chocolate, an adorable coffee mug, and a cozy red blanket, plus romance novels by Rachel Haul, Courtney Walsh, Denise Hunter, Becky Wade, Katie Ganshert, Susan May Warren, Melissa Tagg, and yours truly! The winner will be drawn on February 15th.

Enter here: https://promosimple.com/ps/b0e8

In Others’ Words: The Best of Friends

There are so many benefits to good friendships — and by “good” I mean strong, safe, stood-the-test-of-time friendships.

Mutual understanding
Shared laughter
“What? You, too?” moments
Inexhaustible forgiveness 
Unfettered acceptance

I’m certain you could add to my list of benefits. But when you find a friend who encourages your dreams, treasure that friend. Our dreams are fragile things — easily crushed by others’ judgement and doubts. It’s rare to find a trusted friend who holds our hopes dear — praying over them, bolstering our sagging spirits, whispering, “Oh, yes you can!” when we say, “I can’t!”

The best of friends can be trusted with our hopes and dreams — and not everyone is a “best” friend. And that’s okay. I have all sorts of friends in my life, and not all are best friends — and I’m not everyone’s best friend, either. I’m careful who I share my hopes and dreams with. I’m opening my heart to this person, inviting them in to a bit of my emotional “hallowed ground” as it were because yes, I’ve prayed over these hopes and dreams for years now.

With the encouragement of a friend, the kindness of a friend, our hopes and dreams can become bigger than we ever imagined. Stronger. And sometimes we finally dare to pursue the dreams we only talked about because of a friend’s belief in us.

In Others’ Words: When has a friend made in difference in your life by cherishing a hope or by being kind to a dream? 

In Others’ Words: The Best of Friends https://ctt.ec/ViPlZ+ #InOthersWords #quotes #friendship @bethvogt

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“Friends…they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.” #quotes #Thoreau #friendship @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: Courageous Boundaries

Your perspective of a boundary is determined by which side you’re on: the inside or the outside. And it goes without saying — but I’m saying it anyway — that your view of a boundary is also determined by whether you built the boundary (inside) or someone else did (outside).

Oftentimes we think boundaries are constructed out of fear. We build walls — real ones or virtual ones — to protect ourselves from attack. But a boundary as an act of courage? How can my establishing a boundary — this far and no farther — be seen as an act of bravery? Can it signify that I’m worth loving, worth defending … rather than being seen as an offensive maneuver against someone else, or retaliation against someone else’s actions?

We’re seen as courageous when we stand up for others. Why not call it bravery when we stand up for ourselves? When, in the words of my friend Wise Guy, we say, “I want a relationship with you — just not this one.” And we establish a boundary that protects ourselves and yes, in the process, very possibly disappoints others. They want unhindered access to us, to continue with the status quo. But boundaries are put in place for a reason. We can either please everyone else or be courageous and love ourselves, maintaining the needed boundary.

In Others’ Words: When has daring to set a boundary been an act of courage for you — choosing to love yourself? 

In Others’ Words: Courageous Boundaries https://ctt.ec/09Wqb+ #InOthersWords #quotes #boundaries @bethvogt

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“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves …” @BreneBrown #quotes #bebrave @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: Failure is Never a Certainty

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The older I get, the more I value perseverance. 

I wasn’t much of an athlete growing up. The first sport I got involved in? Tang Soo Do, a form of martial arts, when I was 18 years old. Yes, I was intrigued by the discipline, but I also thought the instructor was cute. *Blush*

While I took exams to advance in karate, I didn’t care much for competition. I left that to my younger brother, who was much better at martial arts than I was. Much, much better. He now owns a successful martial arts studio. ‘Nuff said.

Sports is just one of the ways we learn about persevering … how certain failure can become surprising success if we don’t quit. There’s the academic arena, when learning doesn’t come easy because you just don’t get a certain topic — that would be math for me — or because you deal with a learning disability. Relationships provide endless opportunities to persevere: family … friends … business … and those people who are like emotional sandpaper in our lives.

You’re not going to get through life without facing endless opportunities to choose to persevere … or quit. To stay with whatever challenge you’re facing, the one that seems so hopeless, so fruitless, and see the situation become worth all your time, all your effort, all your prayer, all your determination.

Even if things don’t turn out the way you hoped, you were successful because you persevered to the end. You didn’t quit. 

In Others’ Words: Failure is Never a Certainty https://ctt.ec/X60c4+ #InOthersWords #quotes #perseverance @bethvogt

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“Through #perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.” https://ctt.ec/eZf1R+ #quotes @bethvogt

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