Quit Dreaming and you quit growing

Yesterday, I got to spend all day with the kids. We did home school, cleaned the house for a TOT party for Amy, the kids played together, and then, we went to the mall and enjoyed hanging out. The day was mostly fun, with a few moments where I felt very "moody." Not sure why. May have been partly due the fact that I tried to get the house in order and keep it in order, while trying to do all the other daily tasks. Oh well. We had a good day, and the party was a success for Amy.

This morning I am feeling tired. When I get too tired, my mind starts drifting toward the stresses of life. I have to catch myself mentally and not go down the road of "stinkin-thinkin," as they say in AA. I prayed that God would help me find rest and joy in Him and not get burdened by things beyond my control. Today is a gift. I want to receive it and live it out fully.

What I am remembering this morning and needing to take to heart is - Steady wins the race. That truth applies to most things in life. Steady growth, steady wealth building, steady discipline of nutrition and exercise, and steady recovery - whatever type of recovery you are pursuing. Throughout this process of my recovery, I have needed to be reminded that "steady wins the race." There have been days when the "fog" makes it hard to see progress.

When I focus on the "what ifs" and/or certain results of my past, it is easy to lose focus and get distracted. As Jeff Olson says in The Slight Edge,

Results come last. It is easy to be seduced by the promise of results. We live in a results-oriented world, a culture that overwhelmingly measures the success of a course of action by its results. How can you judge the course of action you're taking by its results, when its results come last? The problem with focusing on results is simply that it doesn't work. Having your attention on your results is like driving your car by looking in the rear view mirror. Your results live in the past, and like all things in the past, they belong there. Results are valuable feedback. Let them help motivate and guide your tomorrows. But a focus on results only takes you out of the present moment where the action really is.

Results and outcomes are tied to my daily behaviors and actions. My daily behaviors and actions are the result of my philosophy, beliefs and thoughts. How I think, believe, and feel internally is where change occurs; "between my ears." That's why Romans says for us to "be transformed by the renewing of our mind." Our heart and mind control everything in us. That's why God wants our heart. It is the "well spring of life."

One truth for me to keep in mind as well is that I need to daily pray for God's best and pursue His will and dreams He has placed in me. I may not be where I want to be, but keeping that dream and purpose/vision in mind, enables me to steadily move toward them. I don't want a bail out (well, some days I do). I want to daily obey and trust and take the key steps that will help my dreams become a reality. To stop dreaming is to stop growing.

Listen to what Jeff Olson says in The Slight Edge, 

Quit dreaming. Just let go of all your dreams, goals, ambitions, and aspirations. Settle for less. Make point B disappear, just delete it, and - poof! - the tension is gone. And that, sadly, is the choice that ninety-five percent who travel the failure curve eventually make.

I am not where I would like to be due to some major mistakes over the course of my life, but I am very blessed. God has been working in and on me for the past two and a half years. I am in a better place than I was. I still have a lot of growth to occur, but I am hopeful about the future. I know that today, the present, is critical to an even better future. I don't want to dwell on the past or only think about the future, since today is a gift and has "enough troubles of its own." However, "God's faithfulness in the past, is what gives me hope for the future."

Today, my thoughts, beliefs, and actions will either move me toward a better future, or toward a painful, unsuccessful one. Steady wins the race. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. It's a journey, a process. Baby steps. Daily disciplines. God moments. Sanctification. Pruning. Sifting. Maturing. Gradual. Thank you Jesus that You never leave or forsake us and walk with us each step of the way.
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Psalm 23, The Message (MSG), A David Psalm

^1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

⁴ Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.