Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 37

In Others’ Words: Practicing Gratitude

It’s November, the month when our thoughts more easily turn toward thankfulness. After all, this is the month when we have an entire day devoted to giving thanks — and weeks to prepare for the celebration.

And yet, isn’t it true that when we want a reason to be thankful we don’t have to chase after “extraordinary moments” of happiness? Gratitude is about paying attention to what’s going on here and now. Today. This moment. Being present in our lives rather than running after something else … something grander … something more. I’m not saying don’t dream. You all know I believe in dreaming BIG. I’m talking about the wanting that leads to discontent and causes us to overlook what we do have — all the reasons we have to be thankful.

And gratitude also means we learn to be content with our lives rather than longing for someone else’s life. Someone else’s story. In C.S. Lewis’s novel A Horse and His Boy, Shasta complains to Aslan about why things go a certain way for him but they go another (supposedly better) way for his companion, Aravis. Aslan replies: Child, I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.

In Your Words: What helps you practice gratitude?

In Others’ Words: Practicing Gratitude http://ctt.ec/PJvBm+ #InOthersWords #quotes #gratitude @bethvogt

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“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness …” http://ctt.ec/AnJpH+ @BreneBrown #gratitude @bethvogt

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Thanksgiving’s coming and the authors over at The Grove have so much to be thankful for! Between Nov. 1-23, enter our “Grateful for Our Readers” contest for a chance to win a bundle of 8 books by Kristy Cambron, Katie Ganshert, Sarah Ladd, Cara Putman, Katherine Reay, Melissa Tagg, Courtney Walsh, and me! To enter, just click on the image above or enter here!

 

Enter the Grateful for Our Readers #bookgiveaway! Thank you from @theGrove_story authors to you! http://ctt.ec/lv2j2+ #chrisfic

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In Others’ Words: Revved Up or Relaxed

I experienced the whole “stuck in overdrive” ordeal  for real yesterday.

I was driving on the highway when my car started revving up and, even when I tried to brake, the car wouldn’t slow down. I was coming up on my exit — and a red light — in a minute or less, and praying my car would stop even as I imagined my car driving straight into the intersection and oncoming traffic.

I’m thankful my car did stop, but it continued to rev up, so I turned it off. When I turned it back on? Same thing: the engine revved up way too high. So I turned it off again. My adrenaline was as revved up as my car, so much so that I was shaking all over.

I’m happy to report the car eventually calmed down (I did, too) and it’s now at the mechanic’s. Now that it’s all behind me — except for the repair bill — I got to thinking about how we can get stuck in overdrive in our lives. We rev our physical, mental, and emotional engines up and we never throttle back. We start thinking that living that way — revved up — is normal. 

Sure, sometimes circumstances demand that we pick up our pace, that we push ourselves, that we get up early and stay up late. But when it’s all over — the deadline, the commitment, the project — we forget to slow down again. We forget to relax and we miss the beauty of life.

My car revs up? I know that’s a malfunction and I’m getting it fixed. The question is: Why do I accept “revved up” as normal in my everyday life?

In Your Words: Revved Up or Relaxed — which would you say is the “normal” for you life? 

Revved Up or Relaxed #InOthersWords #quotes #lifeisbeautiful @bethvogt

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“Relax! Life is beautiful!” #quotes #DavidWolper #lifeisbeautiful @bethvogt

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In Others’ Words: The Lesson in the Waiting

I came across this quote while reading a book by author Robin Jones Gunn last week. Yes, I underlined it, thinking, “This will be a great quote for a future blog post.”

Today’s the day.

We’ve all waited for something … counted out the seconds, minutes, hours … days, weeks, months … and rejoiced when the waiting was over and what we longed for (or who we longed for ) was finally ours. 

But did you take the time to notice the difference between who you were when the waiting began … and who were when the waiting was over? 

I’ll admit there were a lot of years when it was all about the waiting and the wanting for me.

But I’m learning to be more aware of what God’s accomplishing in my heart while I’m waiting. I’m learning to listen to what He might be saying to me — about why I want something or about what my reaction might be if I don’t get what I want. I’m learning to understand that even if the waiting seems unbearable and even if it looks like nothing is happening, that doesn’t mean God isn’t accomplishing things that I can’t see. He’s working on the circumstances, yes, but God is also working within other people’s lives and within my own life during the waiting. He’s readying for whatever the final outcome is, whether it’s the answer I wanted or not … or even more waiting.

In Your Words: What have you learned while you’ve waited?

Oh … the book I read by Robin Jones Gunn? It’s titled How My Book Became a Movie.

 

In Others’ Words: What is Your Great Hope?

It’s safe to say we’ve all hoped for different things at different times in our lives.

Little hopes like passing a test or finding a parking space in a crowded parking lot or maybe even finding those perfect pair of shoes in our size … and on sale. (Okay, I realize I may have lost any guys reading this post with that last little hope.)

And then there are the bigger hopes like making friends the first day at a new school or making it onto the sports team or making it into the college of your dreams.

But what about great hopes? The kind of hopes that guide our lives … guide our choices … the kind of hopes that define us … that reflect our values. 

Maya Angelou’s great hope encompasses laughing and crying and work and love — and yes, courage.

My great hope?

My great hope is to be honest about who I am and to stand in the wide open spaces of God’s grace; to remember Jesus is my only ground of confidence and to always look for opportunities to love and encourage others.  

In Your Words: What is your great hope?

I apologize for no Click to Tweet links. The function isn’t working right now on my blog, but my web guru is working on it for me! Here’s a tweet you can share if you’d like to:

What is Your Great Hope? http://bit.ly/2eUZlQg #InOthersWords #quotes #MayaAngelou

In Others’ Words: Getting Educated

This quote is one of my new favorite quotes. The words of Albert Einstein made me stop and think: What did I learn in school?

I learned what I was good at … and what I wasn’t good at.

I loved spelling bee days — lining up against the blackboard and waiting my turn to spell words. I believe you’re either a naturally good speller or you’re not, and I was one of those “naturally good” spellers, so I won the spelling bees on a regular basis.

But when it came to being sent up to that same blackboard to solve math problems? Have mercy! The teacher might as well have been asking me to spell words in a foreign language.

But as Einstein says, I was “educated” in school besides learning reading, writing, and arithmetic. I was taught thing like:

Life isn’t always fair because if it was, then you wouldn’t be judged on grades or looks or being bigger or stronger (or smaller or weaker) than some other kid. 
You can do the right thing and lose and watch someone who has done the wrong thing win … and there’s nothing you can do about it except deal with it in a way that’s honorable, i.e. without whining.
The high school years aren’t the best years of your life, no matter what anyone tells you. Oh, sure, they can be fun, but if you’re banking on them being the best years of your life, you’re being very short-sighted.
The choices you make in middle school and high school and college affect you years later. You don’t think about it when you’re 15 and 19 and 21, but you will when you’re 30 and 40. Oh, yes, you will.
Be a good friend because those are few and far between.

 

So yes, Albert Einstein is right: We get out of school with both “learning” and an education. And both are valuable.

In Your Words: So, besides reading, writing, and arithmetic, what kind of education did you get in school? 

 

In Others’ Words: Magic Life Keys

So, I asked my husband Rob to suggest a topic for today’s quote and he said, “Integrity.” 

To be honest, at first he said, “Weather,” but I asked for a second suggestion and then he said, “Integrity,” and I went with that.

And then I read this quote by W. Clement Stone and I wondered: Are there more than 3 magic keys to living a life of integrity? 

Key #1: Have the courage to say no — How often do we say yes because we feel like we can’t say no? We don’t want to disappoint someone or we feel like we have to live up to a certain image others have of us, so we say yes to something so, so wrong for us.

Key #2: Have the courage to face the truth — Ditch the rose colored glasses and look at real life — the good and the bad. I ignored and even denied the truth of my past for decades, but it was only when I faced what I’d experienced without excuse or pretense that I was able to heal and find emotional breathing space.

Key #3: Do the right thing because it is right — We can do the right thing for lots of different reasons. Because we’re supposed to. Because others might be watching. Because no one else is. But what about doing the right thing because it’s just that — the right thing? 

If I added a fourth key, I would add: Be yourself — but be yourself with compassion for others. So often I see others living their lives to the “I gotta be me!” refrain. But as I was reading in one of the Gospels this past summer, I kept reading about how Jesus was compassionate — over and over again. That thought has stayed with me — being compassionate toward others — and the challenge of staying true to myself while being more compassionate.

In Your Words: What do you think of the 3 Magic Keys (plus 1) to living your life with integrity? What key would you add?

In Others’ Words: Magic Life Keys #InOthersWords #quotes #integrity
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“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is…
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In Others’ Words: Finding Rest

 

I’ve been wrestling with a decision … and wrestling … and wrestling … and wrestling … and I just can’t pin the whole “what should I do?” dilemma down and make it say “Uncle!”

You know what I mean?

I’ll think I’ve got the situation under control — the issue settled — and then something changes and there are new questions to answer. New decisions to make. New “what should I do’s” to wrestle with. 

I do a variety of things to help settle my mind:

I walk and talk with Mary, my walking buddy
I FaceTime with Rachel, my writing mentor and friend
I come out of my “mull zone” and talk with my husband

 

But there’s one thing I do that calms both my heart and mind: I find my way to the red leather chair in my office, settle into it and the silence, and I set my heart on God. I write out Scripture verses (thanks to the monthly Scripture Writing Plan posted by Shannon over at Sweet Blessings) and I pray through the prayers I’ve written out, thanks to the powerful book Fervent by Priscilla Shirer.

I believe that it’s true what St. Augustine said: God created me for Him — to have relationship with Him — and my heart quiets when it finds rest in Him. But I have to stop wrestling … and seek the rest offered me.

In Your Words: Where do you find rest when you need to quiet your heart?

In Others’ Words: Finding Rest #InOthersWords #quotes #findingrest
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“Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.” #quotes…
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In Others’ Words: A Second Spring

I’m blessed to live in Colorado where autumn is a visible event. By that I mean the leaves on the trees change color and fall … the whole seasonal rite of passage. I lived in Florida for eight years so I know what it’s like to reside in a place where seasons come and go without any real visible signs of change.

So now as I take my morning walks with my friend Mary, I’m savoring the reds and the golds and the oranges decorating so many of the trees along the way. I especially love when the vivid colors are set against a Colorado blue sky … the perfect backdrop.

I don’t know why, but I’m enjoying autumn more this year than in years past. The crispness of the morning air. The colors. The cool breeze wafting through my bedroom window at night. Maybe there doesn’t need to be a reason … an explanation … for my heightened appreciation for this time of year. All I need to do is be more aware. And be thankful. And that’s enough.

In Your Words: What’s autumn like where you live? And what’s your favorite season of the year?

In Others’ Words: A Second Spring #InOthersWords #quotes #autumn
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“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” #quotes #AlbertCamus #autumn
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In Others’ Words: Choosing One Word for 2017

Are you ready to talk about your One Word for 2017? I am! 

This is my twelfth year to focus on one word. An even dozen. Wow. And once again, I have to admit that I was wondering “Where’s my One Word for 2017?” Most years I’ve known what my One Word was going to be by August or September, but the last two years October has loomed without a One Word in sight.

I discovered my One Word for 2017 a few nights ago.  But before I tell you what that word is, here’s my annual recap of my One Word in years past:

2006: gratitude – I kept a gratitude journal and found my “glass-half-empty” attitude revolutionized.

2007: simplify – A severe illness turned this word into survival. I embraced simpler things in ways I never imagined.

2008: content – as in “be content with such things as you have” (Hebrews 13:5) I bought a lot less that year!

2009 & 2010: forgiveness – I had a lot to learn and unlearn about forgiveness.

2011: hope – A word I clung to when life hurt or when my heart ached for others who were hurting. There were times I could have asked “Why?” Instead, I asked myself, “Are you going to abandon hope?” My answer: No.

2012: trust – During a year of change, I faced doubting versus trusting — and chose to trust. I also began posting trust quotes on my Facebook page to encourage myself and others.

2013: confidence – I feel so much stronger emotionally after keeping my heart and mind set on “not throwing away my confidence.” (Hebrews 10:35-36) And yes, I continued the tradition of posting confidence quotes on my FB page.

2014: think – I tried to anchor my thinking to truth more and more, rather than letting my thoughts go wandering.

2015: collaborate – to work jointly on an activity, especially to produce or create something. Synonyms: co-operate, join forces, team up, band together, work together, participate, combine, ally.

2016: prosper – to act wisely, as in “And David was acting wisely (prospering) in all his ways for the LORD was with him.” 1 Samuel 18 14. This word stayed with me all through the past year as I confronted a lot of major (and minor) decisions.

My word for 2017 is: inheritance.

Psalm 16:5-6 (NIV) says: “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” 

At times I’ve talked negatively about my inheritance. Not the one I’ve received from God, no. But there can be emotional “inheritances” that carry down from generation to generation within families … some good, some harmful. Last Thursday night as I battled insomnia, I reached for one of the Scripture verse cards I keep stacked on my bedside table. The verse I read was Psalm 16:5-6, and the word “inheritance” seemed to be written in bright, bold letters.

I’m excited to see what God wants to teach me about the inheritance He has for me.

In Your Words: If you chose a word for 2016, how has that one word changed you? What’s your one word for 2017 — or are you still thinking about it? 

In Others’ Words: Choosing One Word for 2017 #InOthersWords #OneWord #inheritance
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“Lord you alone are my portion and my cup … surely I have a delightful inheritance.” #Psalm 16…
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In Others’ Words: Imperfect Learning

I like to tell people that I don’t hang around with perfect people because they make me uncomfortable. I usually say it in such a way that I get a laugh. Ha ha ha.

Nobody’s perfect, right? 

Except those of us pretending that we are. Acting like we have life all figured out. All under control. Been there, done that. Had the anxiety attacks to prove it.

I read today’s quote as I was searching for something on compassion, but what caught my eye were the two words “imperfect relationships.” As if there are any perfect relationships! Perfect relationships require perfect people — and I don’t know any of those, do you? Oh, sure, I’ve met people who were faking it; I’ve even done some pretending myself. But we’re all struggling in our imperfections and we all bring those imperfections into our relationships with one another. 

And yes, because we are imperfect … because we are broken … we have the opportunity to learn forgiveness and compassion and so may other things in relationship with one another. I believe sometimes imperfections mean we can’t stay in relationship with one another forever and ever, amen. There comes a time for honesty. For safety. For boundaries. And making those kinds of choices doesn’t mean you’re not compassionate or forgiving or loving. It just means you’re recognizing that not all relationships survive.

But that’s another blog post.

In Your Words: How has being in relationship with others taught you compassion and forgiveness? What else has being in relationships with others taught you?

In Others’ Words: Imperfect Learning #InOthersWords #quotes #relationships
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“I think we learn the most from imperfect relationships – things like forgiveness and compassion.”…
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