Thursday, September 30, 2010

Approval Addiction

I'm an approval addict.  There it is.

Can anyone else relate?

I crave to be approved of by others.  I fear the rejection of others.  I long for people to know me, and like me.  I'm scared of being disliked.  I invite and hope for people to bring my soul its ultimate satisfaction.

And it doesn't work.  It never works.  After the praise of man gives a mere foretaste of satisfaction, my soul continues to feel empty and craves for something more.

My soul longs for something more than what any mere man can offer.  C.S. Lewis speaks a beautiful word to this:  If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world. 


These longings and cravings lead me to believe we were created for another world.  A bigger world.  A more beautiful world.  A more satisfying world.  A world in which we know the author of our story.


A member of Cross Point Church (Nashville, TN) shares her story of approval addiction and ends with a captivating thought.  Watch it here: 
Stephanie Paige Story from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Daily Affirmation

This is the routine I will implement every morning from here on out.  It will change your life.  :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

In waiting...

Does anybody really like waiting?  Who really enjoys waiting for the package we ordered on Amazon in the mail?  Who really enjoys waiting in that horrible Wal-Mart line?  Who ever says, "Man, I just wish I could wait a little bit longer in this doctor's office"?  No one.  At least not that I'm aware of.  And not me, that is for dang sure.

We live in a culture where our coffee gets handed to us in mere minutes.  We can order our groceries on-line so it cuts down our waiting time.  Our fries come piping hot in two seconds.  And we rack up debt so we can have that new iPad NOW.

We hate waiting.  And I'm convinced it's not only American culture, but the human condition.

And why do we hate waiting?  I think it's because it reminds us that we are not in control.  It reminds us that there is something (or someone) bigger than us who's calling the shots, and we are powerless.  We feel helpless while we wait.

I'm a dreamer.  And I'm in waiting.  Those two can feel like two very opposing things.  And there is a tension that wars deep at the core.

Committed to living in that tension, rather than manipulating my own control over waiting, I have found Lewis Smedes' words sweet and exhorting:  "Waiting is our destiny.  As creatures who cannot, by themselves, bring about what they hope for, we wait in the darkness for a flame we cannot light.  We wait in fear for a happy ending that we cannot write.  We wait for a 'not yet' that feels like a 'not ever.'"

I want to wait.  And I want to wait well.

How have you found to wait well?

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Apathy. Who cares?

Apathy.  I think it's the silent killer to a life well lived.  And unfortunately, it's a Catch 22, trying to shake it.

Before we're forced to shake it, it only makes sense that we would fight tooth and nail before we commit our suicides into a meaningless and aimless life.

If you care, check out this article I found intriguing.

Thursday, September 9, 2010