Cruising on the Speedboat or the Sailboat?

First of all, I would like to officially welcome spring! I am so glad it is finally here. The warmer temps are on their way and so are all the leaves and pretty flowers. I can't wait to see all the pretty scenes of spring!!

I received a very awesome message at church this past Sunday. Our pastor was talking about living life right and knowing our Lord and Savior through the Holy Spirit. Well, one phrase that I loved was that those who go through life while sailing are often more happy and at ease then those who speed through life. Take this example: if you had to choose between a sailboat and a speed boat, which one would you choose? The majority of people are going to choose the speed boat, including myself at times. The speed boat is the quick route, the fun route to get to where we need to be. The sailboat requires time and patience because you must set your sails to whichever direction the wind is going in order to move anywhere. And the sailboat is obviously going to move at a much slower pace than a speedboat would.

That is a perfect example of life. So many times we move full speed ahead when we get an idea in our head or follow a direction we want to go. Rather than stopping to listen to God and what He wants us to do, we pick a point, set our sights on that point, and do whatever it takes to get there. Sometimes we hurt others or knock people out of the path along the way, but as long as where we get to where we want to be, that is all that matters. Let me say that is a very selfish and negative approach to the way people should handle life and everything that matters to each person. So when we are riding the speed boat, we are bumping over the waves fast and furious and missing alot on the ride we are taking. However, there is a solution if you are riding on a speedboat in your life...

Take a look around you and decide that you would like to take a stroll on the sailboat. Decide that you are ready to follow God's path for you and not YOUR path for you. The sailboat might take awhile to get to where you want to go; it may seem very slow but that is ok. When you are riding on the sailboat, you have an opportunity to relax and enjoy the slow rhythm of the waves. You don't have to worry about hitting a big bump and getting thrown off the boat. Because when you sail, you see so much more than when you are cruising fast. You are able to appreciate the little things, see things with detail and not blurred as if you were flying by. The sailboat is actually the best boat to choose because you are not in control of the direction you go. You set sail and see where the wind takes you. Just like in life ~ let God be in control and see what direction it takes you. Let Him be the wind that guides you and you will go so much further in the journey of life.

Ask yourself this ~ which boat are you riding on? Are you moving in fast forward and cruising fast and furious at such a pace that you cannot control? Or are you moving slow and steady and letting things happen as they will? I pray for each person that reads this blog, that they are riding on the sailboat of life and not the speedboat. It's so much prettier, so much more detailed, so much more peaceful, and the ride that God wants us to choose when we are on the sailboat. So slow down if you are moving too fast and appreciate those little things of life. Take time for things you enjoy. Stop running at an excessive amount of speed; take time to stop and smell the flowers. Riding on the sailboat is so much better then riding on the speedboat. The speedboat might give you a thrill for a short while but eventually the thrill ends and you are back at the dock, back at the beginning where you must start over. But enjoying life on the sailboat will send you travelling farther than life on the speedboat. Take my word for it. Try it today! You will never know what you are missing until you slow down enough to take a cruise on the sailboat. It's what God wants us and needs us to do in order to get to our destination in this world. May God Bless You Today and Everyday! And I pray you choose to sail on the slowboat of life.

COME ON SPRING!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the month of March. It certainly has been a long and dreary winter with very little sunlight for what we normally are given. Or at least it seemed that way this year. I read somewhere that the sun was only out 6 or 7 days in the month of February. That statistic just seems crazy to me! I didn't actually count the days we had bright sunlight but it was very few.

Spring is in the air and it's just a few days away. I can almost smell it, it's so close! But not close enough! I, like most of the world, am quite sick of the long winter days and am ready for some pretty and sunny ones. I just have to remind myself to be patient and the sun will soon shine bright enough on the majority of days we are blessed to have. Not only am I looking forward to the sunshine, but I am especially excited about the warm weather that will be here before we know it. I am ready to kick the long sleeves back in the spare closet and wear all of my lovely warmer weather clothes! Just a few more weeks.... GRRR! (Patience is virtue, I know.)

Along with spring will also come the birds singing again, the trees blossoming, the flowers sprouting out, the whole look of pastels and pretty colors again. I am also ready to see the mud dry up from the thousands and gazillion feet few feet of snow that dumped on us in February. That was just some crazy snowfall if you ask me! HOPEFULLY we are on the upper end of that and won't be cursed with any more snow until next winter. (Hint, Lord, Please!!) But soon enough all will be perfect and pretty again in the lovely outside world.

So here comes the countdown...
16 DAYS UNTIL SPRING!! ONLY 16. And tomorrow when we wake up, it will be 15 DAYS UNTIL SPRING. Even better!!! I'm just happy the temps are supposed to bring the 50 degrees mark this weekend. They cannot come fast enough for me!!!!

So join me in counting down the days until spring. We will all welcome spring with wide open arms in 2010. At least I will! Until next time, God Bless!