The Broken, Blissful Journey.

Life- what we consider to be anyway.

Lessons. Lessons learned. Everything blossoms new character, and experience which defines the soul we become.

People. People penetrate all corners of everything. Some stay and some leave. Some break your heart and few lift you up, but oh how you love them nonetheless.

Love, give, give, give. Serve, love. Care, worry, provide. Listen, council, waiting in the silence. It’s really just breathing.

Heart breaks. You observe the brokenness and suffering, and some brings you joy and some inflicts your broken heart. There is…
LIFE created for them.
But
They
Do
Not
Hear.
And so we wait. Once we have spent everything we have physically and mentally, we wait in urgent patience- in constant petition for their souls.

Soul. Ours. Time slips through cracks as we ponder and develop soul. Challenging instincts, and recognizing truth discerned by something outside of ourselves.

Outside of ourselves we find LIFE.

Millennials: My voice in the midst of the sea

I recently requested that people submit subjects they would like me to blog about, and the following subject is one of the requests:

"Id love to hear your take on the growing movement among 20-somethings to ignore the traditional 'American dream' for one more minimalist, as well as, much more spiritual in life's approach."

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I am a "Millennial." 

Millennials are defined as people who were born in the 1980's and 1990's who's behavior seems to contrast that of previous generations, according to several surveys.

We are: confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. We are more ethnically and racially diverse than older adults. We're less religious, less likely to have served in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history according to the Pew Research Center.

 Just as this definition seems to glorify my generation for our characterization, in many ways these perceived positive characteristics may also account for the severe amount of negative backlash we lavish on the world as well. The description is a double edged sword.

The way I would define my generation would be: uninspired, demotivated, unwilling to settle for the status quo, as well as being full of potential, humanistic and brilliant. 

I think the lowered interest in the "American dream" could stem from several concepts. From a simplistic point of view, perhaps this generation is redefining what "successful" actually is. The "American dream" is/was considered to be the definition of success by the preceding generations, but maybe that is changing, maybe the framework for success is being replaced by a new structure created by Millennials. This new structure could be identified as one focused on moral concepts rather then money and business etc. On the other side of the spectrum, maybe this generation is demotivated to achieve the "American dream" because the use of technology has conditioned us to immediate gratification and in turn stunted work ethics.

Spirituality among my generation is extremely interesting. From my perspective, I see a lot of people who are very passionate about what they believe, and also many with no belief at all. I am currently writing a series on Student Belief for my college newspaper, which can be accessed on my blog page under "silly little reporter girl." During my research, I have come across some striking information which all points to the idea that my generation is less interested in religion than any past generations. This could be due to the religiously saturated environments millennials may have grown up in, or the lack thereof; the environment may cause them to stray the opposite direction simply because of our built in desire to boycott the status quo.

I know and believe that many in my generation are just not willing to settle for what is normal. Sometimes this causes a spirit of change, accomplishment, and determination, and sometimes this causes neutrality to progression.

Either which way that truth is on this subject, I have high hopes. My dream is to see this generation live up to the capabilities we have, and to not settle for anything less. There is such raw, wonderful potential within the characteristics we have been deemed with possessing.

Let's do it.

Millennial Statistics:

• We embrace self expression 

Nearly one-in-four have a piercing in some place other than an earlobe. 75% have created a profile on a social networking site. Nearly four-in-ten have a tattoo.

• We have decreased work ethic/ availability of jobs

37% of 18- to 29-year-olds are unemployed or out of the workforce, the highest share among this age group in more than three decades.

• We are disinterested in religion

One-in-four are unaffiliated with any religion, far more than the share of older adults when they were ages 18 to 29.

Source: The Pew Research Center

Inspiration from the Inspire-er

I want to fall deeper in love with you. I know you are my source of comfort. I seek refuge in my secret place. Thank you Lord. You are the cornerstone of my existence, and I all truly desire is to please you Abba. Please give me the strength to die to myself daily and carry my cross as I run toward you. I will persevere in this race. May everything I do be intentional, everything to benefit your kingdom. I delight my self in you, and I know you will give me the desires of my heart. Your promises are emotionally unaltered, thank you. You have told me: “For I know the plans I have for you… plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Your grace overwhelms me. Help me to live a life worthy of you, so that others may see you working in me and believe. You are life to its full Lord, and I never want anything less! I love your people, and because of this I desperately and urgently want them to know you. I would truly rather live a life of poverty and bless the poor and defiled, rather then live a wealthy life from the world’s perspective. To me the earlier mentioned is a rich life indeed. Help me father to not love in word or talk, but instead in actions and in truth. You alone have captured my heart. 

Sometimes We Need Help to Get to Help

This passed week I had the privilege of hearing a friend share a story of a life-threatening car wreck he had been in last year. 

If I recount correctly, an older man hit his vehicle almost straight on leaving him injured to the point of immobility, and stranded in his crushed version of a car in a ditch on the side of the road. He continued to describe details of what he was experiencing emotionally, since he never slipped out of consciousness. 

The volunteer fire department and medical help arrived on the scene to find that he was going to have to be cut out of his vehicle. Previous to their arrival, he tried to relieve himself from the jaws of the car, but he couldn't, he couldn't because he was injured and stuck. 

He knew his legs were damaged and his head was bleeding.

With the help of necessary equipment and personnel, the fire department was able to get his body out of the car and rush him to the local hospital. He was also air lifted to the hospital in Tyler.

He went on to speak of a beautiful parallel to his accident and life in general.

The parallel is this: Sometimes we need help to get to help.

When I think about this concept I can't help but see the truth within it. This idea has been resonating in my mind all week and I have recognized how many times this metaphor has taken place in my own life. Sometimes we are so far gone in various ways that we NEED to be carried by a source of help, just to arrive at our help.

Perhaps our destination help is the doctor, or our faith, a counselor etc.

The above story illustrates a beautiful picture of what that looks like physically. He COULD NOT get to the doctor to be healed without the help of the fire department and paramedics. Sometimes it is a personal choice, or a series of personal choices that cause us to arrive at a place of self immovability, or the life taking place around us that causes us to find ourselves "stuck." Whatever the way we end up in that place, sometimes we just cannot get to help alone.

Many times have I found myself in the midst of a life situation or choice thinking: "I can't do this by myself; I need help." 

There are people in our lives that are our source of "help to take us to help" like a mother or father, like a friend or mentor...whatever it looks like, I hope that you have that in your life and listen to and accept their help.

We need them because sometimes we find ourselves injured to the point of immobility (emotionally, spiritually, or physically), but there's help, help that can get us to help when we cannot get there alone.