Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 47

In Others’ Words: Letting the Beautiful Stuff Out

Oh, I love the truth and the invitation woven in today’s quote.

You are filled with beautiful, wonderful things. Experiences. Talents. Personal treasures meant to be shared with others so that they are changed by knowing you.

So often we talk about achieving balance … searching for stability … wanting firm ground under our feet.

Today, let’s be brave enough to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. 

Be a blessing to someone else by daring to be you.

Encourage someone else in the way only you can.

As you have been filled, pour whatever grace you have received on to someone else.

In Your Words: When has someone else “tipped themselves over” so that their beautiful blessed your life?

In Others’ Words: Letting the Beautiful Stuff Out #InOthersWords #LifeQuotes #relationships
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Be Brave. Be Beautiful. Bless Others. #quotes #RayBradbury #life
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In Others’ Words: For the Love of Reading

“I don’t want to write a blog post. I want to read a book.”

That’s what I said to my husband last night … right before I set my book aside and started working on this blog post. And that little bit of complaining sparked the theme of today’s blog: books and the love of reading.

I’ve always loved to read books, but oddly enough, my writing career has wrecked my reading habit. Back to back deadlines interrupt your reading schedule. Oh, sure, I still read books, but I wouldn’t call it “pleasure” reading.

Reading and re-readinng my own manuscripts doesn’t count as fun reading. That’s work, pure and simple.
Reading for endorsement? Well, that can be fun, but there’s a certain element of work there too, as I’m always thinking about how I want to word my written recommendation of another author’s novel.
Reading a book when I’m judging it for a contest? Yeah, that’s not pleasure reading either — and I know most other authors will agree with me on this.

As a writer, I need to fight to find time for pleasure reading. To discover new favorite authors. To treasure the books I’ve read over and over again because the authors wrote in such a compelling way that the emotion of the story embedded itself deep into my heart. The fictional characters seemed so real that I thought about them after I closed the book.

The book I set aside to write this blog? It’s Georgette Heyer’s The Talisman Ring, a Regency romance I’ve read dozens of times since high school. Pure pleasure reading.

In Your Words: What book have you enjoyed reading more than once? Who are some of your favorite authors? We’re all busy — how do you fit pleasure reading into your schedule?

In Others’ Words: For the Love of Reading #InOthersWords #lifequotes #books
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“I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.” #CSLewis #amreading
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In Others’ Words: Remain Calm

If I had to take a “life test” right now, I would flunk. 

That whole “90% of life is remaining calm” quote? Yeah … I struggled with that even as I made the graphic for this post and started typing the opening lines …

I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon and evening battling tears soaked with waves of frustration and anger. Calmness eluded me. So, yeah. If I took that “How calm are you?” test, I’d get a 10%.

Thankfully, life isn’t pass-fail. Thankfully, I know I stand in the wide open spaces of God’s grace (Romans 5:1-5 The Message) … and He doesn’t kick me out when there’s no calmness in my spirit.

There’s an ongoing situation that I can’t fix. One that shouldn’t be happening. One that should have been resolved months ago. But it’s not. And someone is being hurt because of it. (Not me — but someone I care for deeply.) And I’m … at a loss. I’ve done everything I can think of … and nothing has changed. Nothing.

Does any of this sound familiar? Yes, I’m being vague about the details I’m facing — but maybe you’re facing an ongoing this-makes-no-sense situation that disturbs your calm.

If that’s the case, then know that this is my prayer for you today:

God:

When life makes no sense, when circumstances destroy our peace, help us to turn to You. You are outside all of this — whatever “this” is. Be Jehovah-Shalom, the God of Peace, in our lives, and in the very situation that has unsettled our hearts and our minds. We trust You when others have proven untrustworthy. We believe that You are working when nothing seems to be changing. If nothing else, God, change us. Amen and Amen.

In Your Words: When you’re unsettled by a situation, person, or circumstance, how do you find center again? 

 

In Others’ Words: Remain Calm #InOthersWords #lifequotes #calmness
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“90% of life is remaining calm.” ~Dr. Chris Feudtner #quotes #calmness
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In Others’ Words: The Importance of the Beginning

 

There are times when the beginning of a matter eludes me.

How to start the needed conversation.

How to break the too-big task into smaller pieces so that I can see the “Do This First” spot.

How to unravel the “Once Upon a Time” of a story so that more than the words Chapter One remains on page one.

Sometimes I’m waiting for the best beginning. The perfect beginning. And that kind of expectation will trip me up every time.

Somehow I must begin … even if, in my attempt, I find that I must try, try again. 

If nothing else, I’ve begun something.

Proceeding with caution is better then doing nothing at all. Tough conversations are best begun by listening to the other person. Those tasks I’ve avoided for days — or weeks or months? If I pick one and get ‘er done, it’s a start, right? And rough words that start to tell the story can always be rewritten. And they usually are.

In Your Words: When you find yourself stuck at the beginning of something, what do you do to get yourself to move? 

 

In Others’ Words: The Importance of the Beginning #InOthersWords #lifequotes #challenges
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“The important thing is somehow to begin.” #HenryMoore #InOthersWords #challenge
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In Others’ Words: When Courage is the Testing Point

There are all sorts of lists of virtues — morally excellent behavior. Some lists are as short as four or seven virtues … some lists go on in alphabetical order.

Honesty
Kindness
Humility
Loyalty
Selflessness
Trustworthiness

But when all is said in done — whether you limit your list of virtues to four, as the Greeks did — or expand it as we are wont to do today, I think C.S.Lewis got it right: every virtue demands courage. At some time or another, we must decide if we are going to stay true to our beliefs. We must decide: Do I truly value this virtue — even when no one else does?

Am I brave enough to stand up for honesty when everyone else prefers the lie?
Am I willing to show kindness when others are siding with a bully? (And we can all think of times when that has happened.)
Will I remain loyal … when there is more benefit to me to walk away?
Will I remain trustworthy even if no one’s around to see me do the wrong thing — or to give less than my best?

 

Courageous choices not only shape who we are, they show who we are — what we believe. 

 

In Your Words: I started a small list of virtues today — what would you add to the list? When has courage helped you live out a virtue you believe in?

In Others’ Words: When Courage is the Testing Point #InOthersWords #CSLewis #courage
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“Courageous choices not only shape who we are, they show who we are … ” #InOthersWords #courage…
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In Others’ Words: And Forgive Us Our Brokenness

I find myself embracing brokenness more and more. 

My brokenness.

Others’ brokenness.

And I also find myself grasping to understand forgiveness … truly comprehend forgiving others. Forgiving myself. 

The ironic thing is that for so long I aimed for perfection. And I failed. No surprise there, I know.

And I thought forgiveness was as easy as hearing someone say “I’m sorry” and saying, “I forgive you.”

And yet, I found myself confronting unforgiveness … bitterness … time and again.

Reality is … brokenness is the way of folks. And in our brokenness, we harm each other.

But forgiveness? True, life-changing forgiveness is not the way of folks.

Forgiveness is the way of God.

One day I grappled with someone who had wounded me over and over again by his words. His actions. I finally hit my knees beside my bed and told God, flat out, “I can’t forgive him.”

You know what God said?

“I know you can’t. But I can.”

That man who had hurt me? He was broken. And me? I was too broken to forgive him.

But I took my brokenness to God and I asked him to show me how. One thing I learned? Forgiveness isn’t always a one-time and done act. The only way to live peacefully is to forgive everyone constantly.

After all, isn’t constant forgiveness God’s way?

In Your Words: What has God taught you about brokenness? What has God taught you about forgiveness? How would you end this sentence: The only way to live peacefully is to ____________________________________?

In Others’ Words: And Forgive Us Our Brokenness #InOthersWords #lifequotes @Momastery
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“…brokenness is the way of folks.” @Momastery #forgiveness #lifequotes #faith
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In Others’ Words: The Danger of Precautions

I wish I hadn’t always been so cautious in years past.

I was a bit of a “tell me the rules and I’ll follow them” kind of person. Let me put it this way: I was a safety patrol girl in school — the one wearing the neon orange belt and helping other kids cross the street. Do they even have safety patrols in school anymore? I think not — we’ve progressed to metal detectors and security officers.

Precautions are dangerous. 

Don’t you love the contradiction hidden in today’s quote?

If we’re too careful we just might protect ourselves from stepping outside our comfort zone … into the scary open space of a too-big-for-us dream. But when are dreams supposed to be easy to handle?

If we’re cautious, we might hesitate … and miss the you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me opportunity that changes our lives in ways we never imagined.

You say yes to living overseas for nine months, like my daughter Amy did when she was twenty.
You retire from the military and start a solo family practice when very few physicians are doing this anymore, like my husband did.
You throw away the list you’ve made of the “perfect guy” and discover who God is going to bring into your life — and laugh when you realize “Mr. Right” was no where on your list. And yes, this happened to my daughter Katie Beth. 

 

The advice to throw caution to the wind? It just might allow you to grab hold of something dangerously grand.

 

In Your Words: Are you naturally cautious or more of a risk-taker? When have you been willing to risk … and been thankful you did? What was your reward? 

In Others’ Words: The Danger of Precautions #InOthersWords #lifequotes #risk
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“Precautions are dangerous.” #risk #opportunity #life
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In Others’ Words: Eternal Hope

There are some days that I need to lean into hope more than other days. Not just for myself … I’m hoping for the ones I love.

Hoping for new beginnings.

Hoping for healing.

Hoping for dreams to come true.

Hoping for life to be easier . . . or more satisfying . . .  for the pieces to fall into place in a way that makes sense.

And yet, hoping doesn’t make it so. 

Hopes are dashed . . . prayers go unanswered . . . or the longed for yes is a no.

And still I hope. Not in myself, or in some other person to make things right. Sure, sometimes I can fix what’s wrong. Sometimes I can’t. Sometimes someone else knows just what to say or do … and then again, sometimes the one person my hopes are pinned on fails me utterly.

Ever heard the saying “Hope springs eternal?”

The real question is why? Why do I hope? Why do you hope?

My hope is anchored to the eternal God. My hopes aren’t always realized. But God never fails me. 

In Others’ Words: What are you hoping for today? Where are your hopes anchored? And if you’d like to share a prayer request, I’d be honored to pray for you.

In Others’ Words: Eternal Hope #InOthersWords #lifequotes #hope
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“My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope.” #Ovid #lifequotes #hope
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In Others’ Words: Time to Start Thinking About One Word for 2016

One Word.

Yes, it’s that time of year again when I prompt you to think about selecting one word to focus on during 2016.

This is my eleventh year to focus on one word — and right up until last week, I was thinking, “I’ve got no idea what my word for 2016 is going to be!”

Not. A. Clue.

And then as I read through a chapter in the Bible, one word jumped off the page. But … before I tell you what my word for 2016 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.

My word for 2016 is: prosper.

I Samuel 18:14 says: David was prospering in all his ways for the LORD was with him.

But here’s what I found interesting: the word “prosper” means acting wisely. So read that as “And David was acting wisely in all his ways for the LORD was with him.”

Changes things, doesn’t it? I like to think of “prosper” as material wealth, or even accolades. It’s not often — if ever — that I think of prospering as acting wisely. The upcoming year is going to be interesting as God teaches me the new meaning of the word prosper.

In Your Words: If you chose a word for 2015, how has that one word changed you? What’s your one word for 2016 — or are you still thinking about it? 

In Others’ Words: Time to Start Thinking About One Word for 2016 #OneWord #prosper
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Do You pick One Word for the year? #OneWord #2016
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In Others’ Words: The Small Steps of Courage

I used to think of courage as this big thing … something that was often beyond me. Or something that I had to wait for … or work up to.

Kind of like: Give me a few more minutes … or a few more hours … or a week or two, and I’ll be courageous.

And then I learned courage can be found in the small things. The try, try, and try agains. The small attempts that, at first, don’t look like very much at all, but add up to not quitting.

Courage can be quiet — the unspoken resolve to go to bed and get up in the morning, knowing that the thing you faced today will still be there, staring you down, tomorrow.

Courage can be tear-soaked — and no less courageous. Weeping doesn’t indicate weakness. No. Tears just means you acknowledge your emotions — you admit that life hurts. And then you don’t quit in the face of the pain.

Courage can be one small step forward — and that’s enough for the day. You may not have gained all that much ground, but you didn’t lose any. And even if all you did was hold your ground, well, that’s an act of bravery too.

You take enough small steps forward and you’ve accomplished a journey. You’ve lived a life of courage.

In Your Words: Where are your steps taking you today? What one step do you need to take today to be courageous?

In Others’ Words: The Smalls Steps of #Courage #InOthersWords #lifequotes
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“Courage is only the accumulation of small steps.” #lifeqouotes #GeorgeKonrad #brave
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