Peppermint Tea

While sipping on some peppermint tea in hopes of fighting off the sore throat I woke up with, I am reminded of the simple things in life. As cliche as it sounds each day is a gift and while most of us are busy 95% of the time we are awake, we are truly blessed to be living the lives we live. Second, tea is extremely comforting. Not only for my sore throat but for my soul. I drink peppermint tea because of my sister. She is a huge advocate of peppermint tea and I am now learning why. There is something calming about the cool refreshing mint taste delivered in a steaming warm beverage.

I have to be honest and say that I have not lived up to the expectations I set out for myself in this journey. I am not discouraged because I know that in these moments of struggling I am learning more about myself and who I want to be.  I have come to the realization that I have heard from my mom for years: I am really hard on myself. Regardless of what I am doing I like to be doing things to the best of my ability and I get upset when I fall short. This reminds me that I am human. I will not have enough time to have coffee with every friend or finished every project at work in one day. Part of being able to do things to the best of my ability is by saying no. This is hard for someone like me who likes to make everybody happy. By saying no I am allowing myself to be more invested in the things I do say yes to. I am able to be more present in the time I spend with others. I often catch myself saying "Sorry I missed your call" or sending a text back to a friend "Hey I was away from my phone when you texted me" when did apologizing for not being available 24/7 become instinctual? I want to challenge myself to become unplugged from the craze of social media and technology.

One verse that was repeated in the sermon this weekend was Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."I am saying yes to this. People often say if you want to know what a person cares about look at their calendar and wallet. The expression is used to imply that people are "who and what they invest their time and money in."  I want to be invested in God. By choosing this I am choosing to say no to the customs of this world (Romans 12:2) don't worry I am not going to run off and join a third world refugee project. I believe that God has called me to be where I am. This does mean that I am going to make choices that may look different than those of my past and I am asking those in my life to support me in this uncertain time. I am scared of the crticisim a choice like this can cause. I am more scared of what my life would look like if I don't make this choice.