Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 63
July 23, 2014
In Others’ Words: Bend Not Break
I have had my heart broken … and I am thankful for it — now.
In the breaking, I found both my weakness and my strength.
No one else broke my heart. I did that. Yes, someone’s actions hurt me deeply, but it was my actions — my reactions — that caused my heart to crack. To crumble. To break.
Instead of bending to the hurt, to the transgression … I responded in anger. I chose not to forgive. I lashed out, responding in kind.
My weakness was defending myself, rather than bending low and remembering strength is not found in self-seeking vengence. No, sometimes the strongest thing I can do is to yield … to forgive … even if the other person never recognizes that what I am offering them is a truce.
I’ve learned forgiveness is never founded on a lie … but you cannot reckon truth for another person. Nor can you demand that they accept your terms for a truce.
But the choice to bend your heart … to not be broken … that is yours and yours alone.
In Your Words: What makes your heart pliable when someone hurts you, helping you to bend instead of break?
Blessed are the Hearts That Can Bend #lifequotes #forgiveness
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Bending to the Hurt #lifequotes #forgiveness
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Can a #military widow find love w/ her husband's reflection? http://amzn.to/1kMWTrp...
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July 20, 2014
In Others’ Words: Wrestling Match
It’s not a question of if we’re going to face suffering.
It’s not even a question of when or what kind of suffering we’re going to experience.
In the end, it comes down to this: Who is going to win the wrestling match? The suffering? Or you?
When I first began to wrestle with the stark reality of abuse in my life, I wasn’t sure I’d come out on the other side of the process alive. I’d let the pain skulk around in the dark for so many years, dragging the wretched truth out into the light was exhausting. Crazy-making. And some days it seemed best to just let it stay hidden.
The showdown between lies and truth – and the acceptance of what happened to me was a three year ordeal.
Some might say it would have been better to leave all of that in the past. Never mention it. Was all of that suffering even necessary?
God desires truth in the innermost being (Psalm 51:6b NASB)– and I longed to be true, inside and out.
For me, suffering often clarifies the line between lies and truth. What do I believe? Who do I believe? What falsehood have I embraced as truth? And am I willing to see that lie for what it is: faulty support that won’t bear my weight when I lean on it?
The blessing of suffering is how it burns away the dross of blurred vision. We can finally look past the tinsel and glittery lights and stop grasping for a gold ring that is mere Paper Mache. We find Truth. We find Everlasting Love. We come to the end of ourselves . . . and find that we don’t have to be strong enough — because God is.
In Your Words: When you’ve wrestled with suffering, what blessings have you discovered? Who has come alongside you and helped you when you’ve felt weak? What would you say to someone who might be suffering today and in search of a blessing?
Why We Wrestle with Suffering #lifequotes
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What Blessings Have You Found in Suffering? #lifequotes #faith
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July 17, 2014
In Others’ Words: No, You’re Not
I do not like name tags.
You know those sticky little squares that with the printed pronouncement, “Hello, my name is . . . ”
Yeah. I don’t like them at all.
I don’t even like name tags when you dress ‘em up and put them in plastic protective covers. They annoy me.
Besides a person’s first and last name, name tags don’t tell me anything at all about another person.
So often when we give information about overselves, we go with the “Who am I” details:
name
age
occupation
I’ve found that, in recent years, I’m spending more time on who I am not.
I am not who they said I was.
I am not defined by that one heartbreaking moment in my life.
I am not wrong . . . even if I am making a choice that someone else says is wrong.
I am not unforgiving just because I have relationships that aren’t working in my life right now.
I am not a quitter.
And as I declutter the definiton of me — removing the “nots” — I see more clearly who I am.
In Others’ Words: So, if I asked you who you are not, how would you answer that question today? And what helps you avoid the pressure to conform to other people’s expectations of who you should (or shouldn’t) be?
Need To Know: Who You Are Not #lifequotes
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Knowing & No, You're Not #lifequotes
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July 15, 2014
In Others’ Words: Riches or Poverty
I can calculate my wealth by pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters, pesos, liras, euros, shekels . . . you get the idea.
And sometimes I’ve done just that: looked at the balance in my checking account or my savings account — perhaps both — and decided whether I had enough to be grateful for.
I can assure you, there were many times when my monetary status equaled No Reason to Give Thanks.
And yet, when I don’t let dollars and cents determine my wealth — when I look up from the financial bottom line, I am overwhelmed by reasons to be thankful.
And once again, it comes down to a choice. Do I want to complain?
About the weather.
Or my writing deadlines.
Or about how my back surgery in March relieved one pain — and left me with another.
All of that is poverty.
Let me instead choose riches.
And be thankful for the rain — and how Colorado has been fire-free this summer.
Thankful for my deadlines — for they are proof-positive that I am living my dream.
Thankful for my surgery that relieved the greater, unrelenting pain. This smaller pain can be a reminder to get up, get outside, and go for a walk.
I am rich indeed.
In Your Words: How do you choose to live in awareness of the richness of your life? Is there a complaint that you could transform from poverty to riches?
Are you choosing poverty or riches? #lifequotes #gratitude
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Gratitude or Complaint: The choice is yours #lifequotes
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#SomebodyLikeYou "perfect for a book club" http://bit.ly/Sxty8A #chrisfIc #amreading
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July 13, 2014
In Others’ Words: To Love at All
Loving someone is a choice.
Vulnerability is a choice.
If you choose to love someone, then you choose to be vulnerable with them.
You open your heart to all the beautiful possibilities:
closeness, acceptance, understanding …
and to all dangerous woundings:
rejection, betrayal, loss.
There have been moments when I’ve asked myself if the cost of loving someone — the price of vulnerability — has been too high. Would it have been wiser, smarter, less painful, if I’d loved less? Maybe I should have chosen to protect my heart, rather than going all in.
But sometimes, to love “at all” is to love all the way — no holding back.
A friend once told me that you do not change what you believe based on other people’s choices. You do not change how you live your life based on how other people respond to you — or if they reject you and what you believe. (I call that friend “Wise Guy” for good reason.)
And loving someone always, always opens the door — opens my heart to the blessing of being embraced physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Of being safe.
Loving someone may cost me. Fine. I am choosing to love others, accepting the very reality that I may be accepted … or rejected. Understood … or rejected.
In Your Words: How do you handle the danger of being vulnerable by choosing to love others?
To love at all is to be vulnerable #lifequotes #cslewis
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Vulnerability: To Love at All #lifequotes #cslewis
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Read a free chapter of #SomebodyLikeYou #chrisfic http://bit.ly/W1UYW7
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July 10, 2014
In Others’ Words: Be the Ringmaster
I’ve had a circus theme this week: circus monkeys on Monday, parade elephants on Wednesday. Wrapping up the week, I realized there’s no circus without a ringmaster. And today’s quote speaks a simple truth straight up:
Be the ringmaster. It’s your life.
I googled “What does a ringmaster do?” and got some lengthy explanations, but here’s what I zeroed in on: a ringmaster focused an audience’s attention. A ringmaster directed the action.
How does that apply to you and me?
If I am the ringmaster of my life, then I focus people’s attention . . . I direct my actions … and yes, my reactions.
I know this sounds so, so self-centered. Where is God in all this?
Think about it: The ringmaster isn’t in the limelight all that long. Everything he (or she) says or does points to something or someone else. Something amazing. Spellbinding.
The Greatest Show on Earth, right?
My life, my actions … to say yes to marriage and to family and to writing … all of these focus others’ attentions not on me … but on the reason for my faith. How God has remained faithful in all seasons of my life, my marriage, my family, and as I pursue the dream of writing.
Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness (Psalm 115:1NIV)
In Your Words: Just for fun: What’s your favorite circus act? When you hear the charge to “Be the ringmaster. It’s your life.” what’s the first thing you think of — the “center ring” that you want to direct attention to?
Be the ringmaster. It's your life. #lifequotes
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Your Part in the Greatest Show on Earth #lifequotes
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July 8, 2014
In Others’ Words: Parade Elephants
I’m staying with the circus theme this week.
It’s funny how something someone says to you stays with you. It can seem the most innocuous statement, and yet you never forget it.
Back when we were a military family, my husband and I and our first three kiddos were stationed in Turkey. I always joke that the option of living in Turkey must have been in the small print of my husband’s contract with the air force. I had to pull out a map to find out where Turkey was — and when I figured it out, my stress level spiked.
During our two years there, we were in a Bible study with other families who became life-long friends. Joe Cook and his wife were part of that Bible study. I don’t remember why Joe said what he said to me. Maybe I was talking about being a young mom of three children under the age of five and having too many things to do. No matter why he said what he said, to this day I remember his words:
Don’t wash the elephants who aren’t in the parade.
In other words, do what is necessary — and ignore the other stuff.
Joe Cook is a very wise man.
One practical way I started applying this? When people came over, I cleaned the parts of the house they would see … and shut the doors to my kiddos’ rooms — and my room too. Why? Because those “elephants” weren’t in the parade. My living room, my family room, my kitchen and dining room? All were elephants in the parade and so I needed to “wash ‘em.” But the other ones I could ignore.
I learned to figure out what was important … and what wasn’t … and stopped trying to drag all the elephants into the parade every single day.
In Your Words: How do you figure out which “elephants” are in the parade from one day to the next? Has anyone ever shared a word of wisdom with you that has stayed with you? I’d love for you to share it with us today!
Parade Elephants and Priorities #lifequotes
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Picking the important "elephants" #lifequotes
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July 6, 2014
In Others’ Words: Circus Monkeys
“Not my circus, not my monkeys.”
I’ve wanted to share this quote — a proverb, actually — with you for several weeks, ever since my daughter, Amy, shared it with me.
I laughed out loud when she showed it to me on Pinterest. And then I thought, “There’s a lot of wisdom in those six words.”
Sometimes the proverb is accompanied with this caution: Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people’s nonsense, repeat these words:
“Not my circus, not my monkeys.”
Humor-filled, yes. But still a great truth to start the week.
Stay focused on what is your concern.
Stay focused on who is your concern.
Don’t get pulled into other people’s stuff … because sometimes, it’s just none of our business. We can always pray about it … but we are not always called to become part of it — part of the problem or part of the solution.
In Your Words: What’s ahead for you this week? Do you have any other sayings that help you stay focused on your priorities?
Not my circus, not my monkeys. #lifequotes
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Circus Monkeys and Priorities #lifequotes
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July 3, 2014
Celebrating the 4th of July
It’s the 4th of July — a day of celebration and a time to be thankful for our country.
As you enjoy time with friends and family, please remember our military men and women — and their families. For some, this is a day of laughter, relaxation, even thanksgiving … and for others, this is a more solemn day of remembrance.
July 1, 2014
In Others’ Words: Live in the Moment
Dreams are a reoccurring topic of conversation for me.
Discovering dreams.
Pursuing dreams.
Fulfilling dreams.
And I’m okay with that — talking about dreams, I mean.
When I was younger — wow, I say that a lot lately! — anyway, when I was younger, dreams were so self-centered. So wrapped up in me — what I thought about, what I wanted to accomplish.
But now . . . well, now the dreams-coming-true are woven through and through with my relationship with God. And so, as I pursue the dream, I find myself drawing closer to him — dream come true or not.
In Your Words: How do you live in the moment where your dreams and your relationship with God intertwine?
Live in the Moment: Where #Dreams and #Faith Intertwine #lifequotes
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What does God have to do with #dreams coming true? #lifequotes
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