Day 103

On Day 103 of  The Red Shoe Project,  I chose to wear RED sneakers.  They seemed an appropriate choice for a day filled with extreme challeges on every level:  Emotional, Physical, Financial, Spiritual.

I was reminded of a DVD that a friend had given me once about River Rapid Kayaking.  When I watched it, I was totally mesmerized.  I couldn't figure out what it was about the DVD that had so captured my attention.  And then it hit me.  I felt like I was watching a clip of my life on one of it's most challenging days.

There's some very interesting take aways from River Rapid Kayaking
 that we can all benefit from.
FIRST... There are people all over the world that set out each morning to find a dangerous set of river rapids to throw their kayak into.  Yes... purposefully!  Their goal for the day is to conquer the river, and have fun doing it!

Hmmm.  So I'm wondering if  I am perhaps approaching life from the wrong angle.  Maybe I  need to be more on the offensive each day and LOOK for the challenges with tenacity and vigor, instead of them finding me?


SECOND... I noticed that each participant is given a little stick about three and a half feet long with paddles on each end.  Now you know that stick isn't worth squat!  Those rapids are so powerful, the real key here is to just be able to go with the flow.  The stick is to just give a nudge here or there, to assure that you don't crash into those big boulders and die!  Got it?


Hmmm... So I am wondering why it's so  difficult to "go with the flow?" On occassion, my life can be just like those rapids!  I don't know about you, but in those times, I got nothing! I'm just being moved right along at a pace that's not all that enjoyable.  More often than I'd care to admit, I can be found, panicking or even attempting to use that little stick to gain control. SNAP!!! There goes the stick. Yup... many times I've learned the hard way.  Now it's time to sit back,  breath, keep my mouth shut, trust God and let go of trying to control the uncontrollable.

THIRD... On occasion a kayaker will find herself plunged into the water and upside down.  That's when "The roll" is critical.  It's one of the first things a beginning kayaker learns.  There's a special technique you  must master that rolls you back to the upright position, so that your head is above the water. One's ability to do that successfully each time can be the difference between life and death!

Hmmm. So I'm noticing that "The roll" is mastered in advance.  In life, there's also a critical maneuver that must be mastered in order to be successful. Just like the roll, you have to be able to fall into this technique without thinking.  It has to be second nature, and it can mean the difference between success and failure.

 The key is knowing The Master 

and being in continual fellowship 

and communication with him.  

It's also important to have a plan in place, and to review it often, so that I don't fall into panic mode, operating out of fear.
 It's a plan for Guarding My Heart.

1.  Face each day with a positive, enthusiastic attitude.
2.  Make it a goal to conquer whatever life brings your way.
3.  Have fun.
4.  Let go. Give the control over to God.
5.  Breathe and Go with the flow.
6.  When things get a little scary... let out a victory shout in advance!
    "Jesus!"  "Yahoo!"  "Glory!"  "Yes! I'm doing it!"
7.  Approach the challenges with faith not fear.
8.   Remember, you are never alone.
9.  Talk to your Divine Partner in Life.  Don't shut God out!
10. When it's over, smile,  give the "thumbs up," and thank the Lord.


FINALLY...  It's always important to end on an up note.  All of the people in the DVDs were exhausted, soaked, and some even had scratches, bruises and bleeding cuts.  Yikes! But they were all smiling from ear to ear, overjoyed at all they had accomplished.  They couldn't wait for the next opportunity to "get back in the rapids!"

Hmmm.  So I'm thinking that I need to change my mindset a bit.  I'm very optomistic and positive about a lot of things... but every once in a while, a challenging day can leave me feeling defeated.  No more of that!  I'm seeing very clearly that how I end the day is as important as how I start it... upbeat, enthusiastic, in RED shoes and with God.

See you in the rapids!
Gail

Day 102

Day 102 of The Red Shoe Project finds me in RED shoes,  and thinking about the impact people have when they  "radiate"  the Love of God.

To radiate means to emit something... 

 to release it outwardly,  to exude,

to give off,  give out,  send out,  

to glow with.

Decades ago, when I was quite young, I lived in a very old home with radiators.  On a cold, winter's night, I'd turn up the thermostat, and heat would exude from the radiators making a room toasty warm.

I've noticed something interesting about our changing world.  I am continually running into people I haven't seen for a while... and as we chat, they are quite free in telling me things about themselves that I would think that they would be embarrassed about...  but they are not.  They talk very openly and in great detail, without reservation or hesitation, about the illegal drugs they are consuming;  the crazy things they've done while intoxicated; or their unreserved sexual exploitations.  They don't hesitate to proclaim their less than ethical business practices; their obnoxious behavior;  their outrageous lies; and/or their incredibly opinionated gossip. The list could go on and on. 

Is there no shame?  no regret?  no reservation?  Is the motto of the today's world:  Let's just show everyone how bad we can be -- how foolish we can act -- how outlandishly we can portray ourselves?

When did stupid, unintelligent, foolish  

behavior become something to brag about?

After verbally vomiting all over themselves, they will often ask me what I've been up to. You know I used to be concerned about what people would think if I talked about Jesus and the Love of God.  But now?  I'm not so worried.  Nobody seems to care about what I think about their choices.  So I'm feeling incredibly free to talk about my choices.  

This situation just happened again, 

only this time something stuck out like a sore thumb.  I noticed that while I was talking about the Goodness of God, The Red Shoe Project, and My Love for Christ,  

I was radiating! 

 I could actually feel waves of glory emanating from me.  

First, it felt incredibly awesome! The evidence of a divine partnership was filling my heart to near explosion!  A genuine smile covered my face from ear to ear.  And joy was gleaming from my eyes like rays of sunlight!  Talk about positivity.  Here it was at it's best and I wasn't even trying for that.  I was just talking about The One who makes my heart beat!  I had "The Glow" going on!

Secondly, (in contrast to that), I realized that the person I was talking with was the exact opposite.  Their posture and countenance made a blaring statement.  It said,  "Sad,  Depressed, Downcast... Stuck in life."  There was no pleasant fruit to be seen from their choices!  No life!  No joy!  Not an inkling.  Nothing! 

I left there,  "on fire for God!"  They went in the other direction... cold and indifferent, uninterested, and unmoved.  

As my feet, (clad in RED),  moved me homeward, my heart burned with prayers for the lost.  Even as I write now, I can hear their voices shouting at me... "Don't pray for me!  I don't need your prayers! I remember when I said those very same things.  At the time, I just didn't get it.  I was blind, until my soul got so sick and cold that I couldn't stand it any longer. And then I saw someone...  radiating.  And I followed after her to find out what that fire was... what that glow was.  I had to know!

I can't save people.  I have no ability to do that.  But I can ask God,  The Father,  to draw them to His Holy Fire.

My hope is that in some way, 

that brief few minutes of joy that 

I was able to genuinely express in 

that person's  presence, will somehow

 be unforgettable. 

 Oh, that God will haunt them with it -- in such a way that they will set out on a spiritual quest of their own to find True Love, True Peace, True Joy. 

Fanning your flame for the lost,

Gail