Friday, December 11, 2009

Facebook Test


This is a test of the new Facebook Privacy Tool.  I will be posting this blog to my Facebook wall and choosing one group of my friends that will not receive it.  Please send me feedback comments to let me know if it worked.

In case you didn't know it, you can put your Facebook friends into groups.  In this way, you can easily sort your friends list to find someone quicker, sort your news feed to read only the posts you want, and more easily select who can and can't see certain items on your profile.  From your "All Friends" page, you can create your own groups to personalize your friends list.  I love this option!

These are the groups I currently use:

Family - for those I am blessed to be related to (or have been in the past)

Church - for those who attend my church with me and are not related to me

High School - for those I went to high school with and am excited to be reconnecting with on Facebook

Marfan World - for those who mutually share this condition in their families

Friends - for those people I know who don't fit into any of the above categories

Random - for businesses or professionals that I am friends with, such as my cousin's photography business, KLOVE radio, my friend's greeting card business, and Safety Graphic Fun.

Game Friends - for those people I play games with, but don't know at all, and have restricted from seeing just about everything on my profile including my friends list and wall posts (so they won't see this at all)

So which group am I excluding from this test?  None of the above!  I created a new group that some of my family and friends will be in as well as their original group.  Yes!  Your friends can be in more than one group if you want them to be.  How cool is that?

The new group is called Children and will "house" all of my family and friends who are in 10th grade and younger.  Some of them may not appreciate being called children, but I can only give the group one name and it's for a specific purpose.  If the Facebook Privacy Tool really works, they won't be reading this anyway (unless they subscribe to my blog, in which case I will appease them with a soda and candy bar of their choice).

Why am I telling you all of this?  Because on occasion, I would like to post news articles to Facebook that I believe are very important to my adult and older teen friends.  They are related to government policies or activist group events that could affect the quality of life for the very children on my friends list.  I want their parents or people who care about them to know, but they don't need to be reading this stuff themselves.

Based on the nature of what I may post (nothing Jesus couldn't look at, I promise!), I will also be including on my Children's list any 11th or 12th grader that I'm not sure of how their parents would feel if they read some of the articles.  After I send some articles, you can notify me if you think it would be ok for them to read what I send.  You may also notify me to let me know if your 11th or 12th grader ISN'T on my list and you'd prefer they are so they DON'T get those particular posts.

If you see an article posted by me with a comment that says "Restricted", you'll know it's one that I have blocked from your children.  In fact, that's why I wrote it on this post.  Please check your children's Facebook accounts to be sure that they DID NOT receive this post.  I want to be sure the Facebook Privacy Tool works before I send out anything they don't need to see.

My prayer is that, as adults, we will be wise in what is going on around us in our world and that we can protect the innocence of our children for as long as possible regardless of what the world thinks they should be exposed to.

Again, if you have children who are on my friends list, please let me know if they did or did not receive this post.  If you don't know if your children are on my friends list, what an awesome opportunity to sit down and talk with them!  If they press for "why are you checking", they only need to know if my test to block the boring grown-up stuff worked.  :0)

God bless!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Where's Your Head At?


Just a simple question for the day.

Where's your head at?

Is it scheming ways to escape the chaos at home or the trouble on the job?

Is it cataloging a list of things that have broken recently like your washing machine, your car, or your kid's braces (for the third time)?

Is it dreaming up imaginary arguments with someone you have to confront or muddled in confusion over who to believe or what to do next with your life?

Is is sinking in sorrow over the loss of a loved one or a failed marriage?

Or is it seeking strength, gratitude, peace, direction, and comfort from the Lord?

Just a simple question for the day.

Is your head with God... or not?

Matthew 6:33

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (King James)

"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."
(The Message)

Romans 12:2

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (King James)

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (The Message)



PHOTO CREDIT: "The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin courtesy of Brian Hillegas

Monday, June 22, 2009

Killing with Kindness

Here's a great story about "killing with kindness." It's a MUST READ to make your day! I have a special fondness for it because it happens in an airport. :0)

http://budurl.com/cy7z

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Where’s Your Focal Point?


The definition of “focal point” is “center of attention or interest.”

In the Lamaze method of childbirth, using a focal point is taught as a way to help the mother focus on something other than the contractions and the length of time she is laboring. Generally, it is suggested she use an object that also helps to stimulate positive feelings such as love, comfort, or joy.

When I gave birth to my third child, our son was apparently very eager to take part in his own delivery. I am positive that he continued to wriggle and kick right until I began pushing, which was very hard on my back. It gave new meaning to me of the term for the final phase before delivery: active labor.

His constant activity and the ache in my back became so overwhelming that I could not concentrate on anything else. My husband could see in my eyes that I was completely losing it. As he puts it, it looked to him as if my focal point was on the 7th floor of the hospital!

Gently, but firmly, he took hold of my face, looked directly into my eyes and said something to the effect of, “Look at me… look at me… you’re doing great… just breathe and keep looking at me.”

It took several seconds to process what he was saying to me and another several for my gaze to actually focus in on his eyes, but as soon as I was there… as soon as his eyes were my focal point… I regained as much composure as is possible while in labor and was able to concentrate on breathing, relaxing, and finally giving birth to our very healthy, over 10 pound son.

Looking into my husband’s eyes during that time of great stress was a tremendously empowering experience. He was able to impart into me what I didn’t have – courage, confidence, strength, security, love, faith… so many things! Nearly sixteen years later, I am still empowered by the memory of that one moment in time with him.

Since that day, we have made it a priority to become each others' focal point to strengthen our marriage relationship in both good times and stressful times. He imparts his strength, courage, and love to me, while I impart my love, respect, and confidence to him.

The Lord does the same thing for us. When we are coping with stressful things, He doesn’t want us in utter chaos, confusion, and worry over them, but rather a peace that brings strength to see us through those times.

The prophet Isaiah knew this when he declared to the Lord, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3)

Even Jesus Himself promised, "I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)

Having your thoughts fixed on Jesus allows Him to impart into you His peace no matter what you’re going through. He is never surprised or caught off-guard by anything that comes your way, so His peace is ever-present, always available. All you have to do is take your focus off the 7th floor where all your problems are and make Jesus your focal point – fix your thoughts on Him!

I will leave you with this thought from Philippians chapter 4 as my prayer for you today:

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

God bless!


All scripture references in this blog entry are from the New Living Translation.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Don't Miss Out!




Here’s an interesting bit of scripture:

Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near."




That implies a couple of things.
1. At some point, the Lord will no longer be found, and

2. At some point, He will not be near.

There are only two ways that those situations can happen.
1. You die, or

2. The Lord departs from you.

We’re all very well aware that death is, well… part of life. We all die at some point. No one has beaten the odds yet that I am aware of.

Dead people can’t seek things. Dead people can’t call out. Therefore, dead people can’t seek the Lord or call on Him. It’s too late!

Maybe you think you have time and you’ll be able to “catch” God just before you die. That’s like thinking you’ll be able to jump out of the car just before it careens off a cliff you never saw coming.

Proverbs 27:1 reminds us: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

The psalmist isn’t making an accusation; he’s stating a fact! You just can’t know the moment you will die and that’s a very risky gamble when your relationship with the God of the universe is at stake, don’t you think?

Now let’s say that you don’t die… because you haven’t. I can tell because you’re still reading this blog. If you haven’t died and left God, how do you know God hasn’t up and left you?

You can know this primarily because multiple times throughout Old Testament Scripture God has said he won’t and God does not contradict Himself, changing His mind willy-nilly like you and I.

In Deuteronomy 31:8, it is written, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Oh, but wait! In these Scriptures, He is speaking to those who are following Him faithfully. Whether it was the whole nation of Israel or one man on behalf of Israel, God has kept His promise to never leave or forsake them.

Jesus confirmed in the New Testament that God would still remain with faithful followers – both Jew and non-Jew alike – first by His choice to live among them as a man (Jesus Christ), then by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-5, Acts 2:1-4), and soon by His return to gather the faithful and return with them to Heaven.

John 14:1-3“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

To faithfully follow Him is to obey His commands and love Him above all else. So, while it is very true that God will never leave His faithful followers, this promise does not extend to those who have never placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because rejecting God’s Son is rejecting God.

Acts 4:10-12 ‘“…then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."’

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

So what about those who aren’t faithfully following God?

Once Christ returns for the faithful followers, it’s all over. The Age of Grace is over and Judgment happens.

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

There is no “second chance” and there will certainly be no time to change your heart once you hear the sound of the trumpet and see Christ coming down from the clouds.

Jesus even told his faithful followers that we would not know exactly when He would return.

Acts 1:6-8 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

But Jesus also says to all mankind, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” (John 6:47)

Get out your Bible today and read any one of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John – and see for yourself where you stand with the Lord. Ask God if you are a faithful follower or not. Ask God to tell you why you even need to be. Ask God to change your heart today if you need to.

He will answer.

Don’t miss out!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Get Out Of The Mud!


Although it’s a bit early for a season change, we’ve had some warm days, and at least one sign of Spring has become evident – mud!

Every year I go through the same ritual with one or more of my kids. The frosty white snow has melted away leaving a swath of brown squishiness the entire length of our driveway, yet they never seem to notice (or care about) this. They still walk (or run) across the lawn to the van and I find myself shouting, “Get out of the mud!”

On at least one occasion, I’ve been a fraction of a second too late and the child who didn’t notice the new, soft ground condition has had to get up and go change clothes after sliding several feet and losing the battle with gravity.

As a child, I happily played with mud for hours, making pies and planting seeds in old discarded dishes and cracked flowerpots. As an adult, I can appreciate the effort it takes to clean up the mess of that play!

Even if you don’t slip and fall in it, whatever mud has collected on your shoes is deposited step-by-step everywhere you go. No matter how hard you try, you’re going to get things dirty until you clean the mud off your shoes.

Mud is also difficult to walk in. The deeper the mud is, the greater the suction that is produced which tugs at your foot as you slog through it. If it’s deep enough, you might lose a shoe to its mucky pull. If it’s very deep, you may end up stuck completely and need help getting out.

And, as previously mentioned, mud can cause you to lose your footing and fall.

Rather than deal with the messiness and potential embarrassment that mud is capable of, I choose to avoid it if possible. For many situations, there is a very clear choice: walk in the mud or don’t walk in the mud.

But sometimes we find ourselves in mud through no fault of our own and we have no choice but to walk through it in order to get out. And then there are times when we just can’t resist and we choose to walk in the mud despite the consequences.

Well, guess what? Troubles and sin are a lot like mud.

The prophet Jeremiah was not a very popular guy when he told the people of Jerusalem that the Lord said they needed to surrender to the Babylonian army rather than fight. Some of the officials took him and put him in a cistern, which was used to collect water from a spring or from rain.

Jeremiah 38:6

So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

Jeremiah was in mud through no fault of his own; mud deep enough to sink in. He was in a little bit of trouble there!

Our troubles won’t necessarily involve literal mud, but we can feel like we’re sinking under a financial burden, a family problem, an employment crisis, or some other situation we have no control over.

We don’t choose to be in those situations, but everyone has to walk through some trouble in life. We can’t go around it and it won’t go away. We just have to go through it. If the trouble is too great though, we may need to call someone for help.

God is always ready to be that help.

Psalm 40 is referred to as A Praise for Deliverance. Here is what David writes:

Psalms 40:1-2

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

But, what about our problem with sin? Unfortunately, most of us continue to struggle with temptations and make bad choices regarding them. We still play in the mud, knowing very well that we’ll get dirty.

2 Peter 2:22

Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

Is God ready to help us get out of that mess too? Absolutely! As soon as we cry out to Him and let Him know we want to get out of the mud, He reaches down to lift us up. David was confident of this, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked.

Psalm 40:7-8,11-13

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come-- it is written about me in the scroll. 8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." 11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me. 12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me.

Don’t wait another day!

If you feel like your troubles have you sinking or your sins are pulling you down into the muck, make a new choice today. Turn to the Lord, cry out to Him, and…

Get out of the mud!



UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL SCRIPTURE FOR THIS ENTRY IS FROM THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION OF THE BIBLE.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Friday the 13th


Hey, it’s one of my favorite days of the year!

I love Friday the 13th because it reminds me that I am no longer trapped in the superstitious thinking of the world.

Dictionary.com defines superstition as “a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like," or "any blindly accepted belief or notion".

For instance, you may believe you’ll have bad luck if you walk under a ladder or if a black cat crosses your path. I grew up believing that bad things happen on Friday the 13th if you weren’t careful. My belief wasn’t based on reason or knowledge; it was based on the fear of “what if?”

Today I tried to find the origin of the ominous cloud hanging over Friday the 13th and found that no one really knows how it started, although many speculate that it has to with the Crucifixion of Christ on a Friday and the fact that there were 13 seated at the Last Supper and the first one to leave, the traitor Judas Iscariot, was dead shortly afterward. (You can read about that here: http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp)

You may be surprised to hear me say, “I’m not surprised!”

If there is one thing I’ve learned since becoming a Christian, it’s that the devil takes great pleasure in perverting the things of God.

The Apostle Paul urges us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) Other Bible versions use the word ‘schemes’ for ‘wiles’.

Some of his schemes include distorting the Gospel so even men will do his dirty work.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

So it doesn’t surprise me that the devil would try to distract us from God’s love and power with silly fears of bad luck happening on Friday the 13th that may be based on some of the very events of Christ’s life that show us God’s love and power.

Satan wants us to think that a certain day and date (or rabbit’s foot, or broken mirror, or salt thrown over your shoulder) has more power than the almighty God of the universe. If we blindly accept these superstitious notions held by the world, we are allowing Satan to blind us from the truth of the Gospel and the love and power of God therein.

The good news for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ is that, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) God in us is greater than Satan and all those who follow that devil in the world!

We don’t have to be afraid of a date on the calendar because God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity, fearfulness, cowardice), but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, words in parenthesis mine)

Rather, we can confidently proclaim as the psalmist did, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Happy Friday the 13th!


UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL SCRIPUTRE USED TODAY IS FROM THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Happy Birthday Darwin!

Happy 200th Birthday to Charles Darwin, father of the theory of Evolution, which, when studied objectively, causes the truth of Creation to be self-evident.

Thank you, Mr. Darwin!

http://www.pulltheplugonatheism.com/

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Coming and Going


Due to some changes in the lives of some family members, I’ve recently found myself in a new job. Chauffeur. This actually isn’t a foreign job to me – I am a mom after all, but I’ve never had to perform this task with such frequency in one day for so many days.

With one son in a cast (too young to drive anyway) and my college daughter in field training for Early Childhood Education (with no vehicle of her own), I’ve had no choice but to put on the driver’s cap and buckle up.

Here’s my schedule 3-4 times a week:
7:30 am - take boys to middle/high school
8:20 am - take daughter to pre-school
11:15 am - pick up daughter from pre-school
12:20 pm - take daughter back to pre-school
2:30 pm - pick up boys from middle/high school
3:30 pm - pick up daughter from pre-school
3:50 pm - take daughter to work
5:45 pm - meet husband at daughter’s work to leave daughter a car so I don’t have to pick her up again!
Whew! That comes to a grand total of EIGHT short trips in just over ten hours, not counting my own errands. I truly thank God for my cell phone. I have to set the alarm on it after each drop-off so I won’t forget the next pick-up!

The surest way to tell if I’m coming or going is by who is in the vehicle with me. If someone is with me, I’m going to drop whoever it is off somewhere. If I’m alone, I’m probably coming home. Still, all this running around can get confusing sometimes!

But God is not confused and He always knows where to find me. I don’t have to worry about Him losing track of me or needing to set an alarm to pick me up from somewhere.
Psalms 139:7-16
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
God knows exactly where I am - in my van and in my life - and I am confident that if He knows where I am, it’s because He is watching over me.

Are you feeling like your life is so chaotic (physically, spiritually or emotionally) that God can’t keep up with you? Just remember what the psalmist wrote: there is no place that God isn’t! Meet with Him today where you are, whether you're coming or going.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Where We Live

Most of us have an idea of where we want to be in life – what we want to be doing, who we want to be doing it with, etc. We have dreams and passions that want to carry us new heights. While many achieve their goals, some of us seem stuck where we are, unable to get ahead no matter what we do.

Why is this?

One reason is addressed by Paul in Philippians 3:12-14. In the New American Standard, it reads:
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul is saying that he intends to keep moving forward in his Christian walk to fully embrace the heavenward call of God. It's his ultimate goal. To reach this goal he must “press on” – keep going, stay in the game, don’t quit. He uses the words “forward” and “toward” to describe his destination – it’s still ahead of him here, as it is with all living Christians today.

Like a runner in a race, we can get tired along life’s journey and want to stop and rest. And that’s ok. Jesus told us we have to rest sometimes. But if we quit, we’re out of the race and will never reach our goal.

The “race” itself is tiring, but there is something in our lives that can make reaching our goals even more tiring, if not impossible.

Imagine this: You’re running your race. You can see the finish line and excitement wells up in you, urging you on toward the end of your run. But you’re so tired you can hardly run another step and, in fact, don’t seem to be getting any closer. You’re not sure why because you’ve trained hard for this race and you should be able to do this, but it seems so difficult now.

You look behind you and are surprised to see that your leg is tethered by a bungee cord to that of a huge elephant. No wonder you're tired! No matter how fast you run, the cord only gives enough to let you get close to the finish line, but not all the way. It is then that you realize you’ve been running in place, getting nowhere.

This is what our past can do to us. Paul knew this very well. It was Paul (then Saul) who held the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death. What a shameful thing for him to have to live with! How could Paul now serve Christ effectively in ministry when he had taken part in the killing of those who believed in Christ before he did?

By “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.” (v. 13)

Paul knew that if he dwelt on his past, he would be forever stuck where he was and not move forward to where God wanted him to be.

He chose to trust in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ for what he had done and move on. We also know that Paul had to trust Jesus for things that others had done to him in the past (read his ministry accounts). Paul had to forgive them and leave the situations in Jesus’ hands, allowing Jesus to provide healing for him while he continued forward in his Christian growth and ministry.

Paul not only chose to go forward rather than dwell in his past, he also chose to not try and do both!

A note in my Bible for this verse reads, “We have all done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be.”

Tension is the act of stretching or straining. When I read this, the following image came into my mind.


Like a big old elephant, our past weighs heavily on us, holding us back. But our goals and dreams want to lift us higher, soaring like an eagle. Living in the middle causes tension. We are attached by cords between the two, unable to follow the pull of our future due to the tug of our past.

Now, there are three things you can do.

You can keep living with the tension of holding on to your past while trying to hold onto your future and see how far you get.

Or you can experience a little physics.

An interesting thing about tension is that when an object is connected between two bungee cords and the force from one bungee cord is released, the tension is gone, and whatever is attached to the other cord will be launched in the direction of that cord’s source.

So, choice two is that you can let go of your dreams and passions and be launched back into your past, spending your life wallowing in self-pity over things you’ve done and things that were done to you, never reaching your goal.

Or, you can do as Paul did. Forget your past – let it go – and be launched headlong into your future.

If you opt for the third choice, the momentum of letting go will get you moving in the right direction, but you’ll still have to keep reaching forward.

Paul’s description isn’t one of an easy journey, just a rewarding one. There will be new things coming at you plus the temptation to grab hold of that cord to the past, but if you resist and keep pressing on, you’ll reach your goal… no matter what it is.