Some Thoughts

I just celebrated my birthday last Friday, and what a fun day it was.  So many folks
wished me well, called, sent messages, etc.  But that got me thinking – why do we seem to only tell people how important they are to us on their birthdays?  What if, each and every day, we were to tell someone how much they mean to us and how happy we are to have them as a part of our lives? 

I find that is it in our relationships with each other where we often see the presence of God.  May we value and cherish those relationships.  May we give thanks for those relationships.  May we recognize God’s spirit at work in those relationships.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” 
Matthew 18:20

 It is my plan to post a few thoughts/musings/questions over the next few weeks.  I would love to hear your comments and thoughts.  Let’s make this as interactive as possible!  My first questions come from something one of our pastors wrote in our most recent church newsletter.  She asked us to consider how God calls us to be our own “authentic self.”  I wonder, though, if we even recognize or realize what our “authentic self” is.  With so many people telling us who/what we should be (a great student, star soccer player, college graduate, fantastic singer, etc.), how do we figure out who we really are – who is our “authentic self?”  And if/when we do figure that out, how do we stay true to our authentic self when we have so many people pulling us in so many directions?

I have some thoughts, but would love to hear yours first.