Carpe Diem

Community - a word I've been thinking about a lot lately. Our church has been doing a sermon series during this lent season on our story and God's big story. A lot of that has to deal with the little details, that we sometimes think of as insignificant, but when we look back, it's easy to see how some of the intricate little details have been woven into a beautiful basket that we call our story.

My story, which seems kind of complicated and long when I look back on it, hasn't really been the the focus of my thoughts through this season though. More, the present and future of my story is what I've been focusing on.

I've just been challenged to live more in the present. Focusing on the past can sometimes be beneficial, but often times pointless. After all, it's not like we can actually change the past. Thinking about the future, while good, is just that - the future. There's always a future to focus on, and often times it's easy to spend to much energy thinking about it, and all we end up doing is robbing ourselves of living in the moment and all that God has for us in the present.

I've been challenged with living stuck in one of life's ruts. Everyday, I'm given so many opportunities to connect with the people that come into my life, but so many times I hurry through the day and miss out on so much. I've been making more of an effort to become more of a "good neighbor" to the people around me and it's been so great!

I've found some new friends in unlikely places. I've learned a lot about interesting people whose lives are completely different from my own. I've grown as I've been challenged by some of the amazing moms that practically live in my backyard that I've met and been able to get to know through various playdates and trips to the park. It's been good for me to invest relationally in my little community. And by community, I don't mean the city I live in, but even more specifically my actual neighborhood.

I'm learning more about what it means to seize the day, even though most of the time my days are a tad bit boring. Being challenged to get out of my box and make every day happenings become every day experiences has changed the way I want to live my life and the kind of person I want to be in my community. So, here's to living up the good life every moment of every day!