Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Starting something new requires confidence and bravery. It can be intimidating to look ahead at the new information you will need to learn and the new skills you will need to possess. This is usually the point we cast the new endeavor aside and say we could never do that. But, I want to put out a challenge that starting a new hobby and going after those dreams that have gathered dust, is exactly what your life needs. I am in my late 30's, been married for 17 years, I have two children that are both teenagers and I am at the point in life that I look around and say, " I have a lot of life left and I want to be moving toward something." Of course I am not saying to abandon the husband and kids for anything. No way! There isn't anything in this world that is a higher priority to me than my husband and kids. They are my life. But, my kiddos require less of my time at this stage and I am thinking that I want to continue learning and growing too. This is where I am right now. So, I picked up a couple new hobbies:

*photography

*essential oils

* started a book club with Tamara

* started this blog with Tamara & Ann

* I started training to become a CASA ( Court Appointed Special Advocate) 

Plus, there is something else I am working on that has been a dream of mine and I am hoping it happens. All this feels a bit stretching, to say the least.  As I  start out on these new roads I don't feel adequate. I feel insecure at times. I wonder and wonder and worry way too much. If I really listen to my heart though, I hear it say it craves to live big, to experience new things, to rub shoulders with more people and to be stretched. Does this resonate with you too? 

I believe we follow our desires. God places desires, talents and skills inside of us to guide us through life. We only need to listen to these desires and then we know that is His will for us. Obviously, if we aren't walking with Him then we can't really trust our hearts or desires. But, if we are walking with Jesus and have a relationship with Him we can totally go all out in following our hearts. He puts His will in our hearts and it becomes our desires and that is how He guides and directs us through this life. Easy as that. For example, I have wanted to buy a DSLR camera for many years. I finally was able to purchase one and now I am loving to learn everything I can about it and photography. This desire of mine is leading me down a new path that I believe the Lord wants me to go down. I will learn new skills, I will interact with new people and I will be able to use my gifts and talents which in turn makes me a happy person.  Simple. 

"Lord, we bring You our lives and we say take them and use them for Your glory. Please don't let us get to the end of our days on Earth and realize we buried our talents in the ground because we were scared. I pray instead we get to the end of our lives and feel so happy that we stepped out in faith, in all different ways, and used our talents to show Your love to others. I pray fear is never something we listen to. I pray we would be fearless, confident, brave, loving and trust in You. Thank you for Your love and grace."