Posted on

Lighten Up!

Letting go of the burdens that weigh you down

It’s a new year. A fresh, clean slate to write our new story. A beginning. You should feel happy and excited. And part of you is just that. There’s another part, though, that is still bogged down in last year. Weighted down by the past – past issues, past relationships, past stuff. Unforgiveness, hurts, jealousies, lousy breaks.

What happens when you want to start fresh but it seems impossible because of the weight? That heaviness that settles around you until you can’t breathe. You try to ignore it. You try to move on into that brand new sparkling new year but it’s holding you back. It’s like swimming in molasses, pulling you down, keeping you in the mire.

Why are you stuck in all that goo? Because you think you have to solve all the problems, because you have to have all the answers, because you must fix everything before you can move forward?

What would happen if you let go? Just let go of all that heavy stuff that holds your heart and mind captive. Would the world fall apart? Are you Atlas holding up the world on your shoulders?

You want to be your own god and have all the power. Do you have a god complex?

Read this excerpt from Beth Moore in “Portraits of Devotion:”

“Our first reaction upon hearing this bit of truth might be to deny it—that we’ve never had a desire to be God. But how often do we take immediate responsibility for handling most of the problems in our midst? How often do we try changing the people we know and feeding our control addiction with the drug of manipulation? Simply put, we try to play God, and frankly, it’s exhausting.”

When you are trying to fix everything in your life, that’s when it gets heavy and tiring.

It is impossible to move into the new year when you are still carrying the old year on your back.

Let go. If it’s too heavy, put it all down. Give it to God and let Him be the creator and sovereign God that He is. Your God is huge! He is able and ready to take on that weight.

“Approach the throne of grace with confidence, with eyes on Him, not on yourself.”

Then, you can enter the new year with joy and gladness!

Lighten Up!

 

Posted on

Record Snowfall Brings Cleansing

It was a day like any other day.

Bowling Green, Kentucky is a small town with a big city feel, but on January 22, 2016, the skies parted and we received 12.2 inches of snow in one 24-hour period! In case you are not familiar with geography, Bowling Green is close to Nashville, TN and is considered to be part of The South. This amount of snowfall just does not occur. The city was practically at a standstill for days. Schools and businesses closed and travel was discouraged. The streets, buildings and cars were covered with the cold, wet, white stuff! Southern towns are not prepared for this kind of weather. The last time Bowling Green, KY saw a double digit snow total from one system was back on March 23, 1968, when 11” of the white stuff fell. In fact, prior to February 16, 2015, Bowling Green went nearly 20 years without experiencing a storm producing more than 6” of snow.

Record Snowfall - January 22 - Bowlling Green, KY

Back Porch Record Snow

Often, our lives are like this. We have droughts of the soul. We need  cleansing and purifying but the skies are clear. Sometimes, days, weeks, even years can pass without that much needed fall of cleansing white. Thankfully, God has made a provision for such a condition. Isaiah 1:18 – “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.”
   In Psalm 51, verse 7, David prays a prayer of repentance over his guilt involving a woman (adultery) and her husband (murder). He saids,
“Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” He was confident that God would hear his plea and bring cleansing. David was longing to feel that wet, cold, clean that comes from being covered by a snowfall of God’s grace.
Front Yard Record Snowiced limbicicles
   We can have that cleansing, too! God makes it available to all of us through His Son, Jesus Christ, by His sacrifice on the cross. God’s wonderful grace can then reach me. “…So that, having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7b HCSB)
   So, today turn your face to the heavens, close your eyes, and allow the snowflakes of God’s grace to fall upon your eyelids, your nose, and your tongue – let it totally cover you – so that you may feel His cleansing power.
 Purify Me
Posted on

Dually Exposed Exhibit

2014_Dually Exposed Show

On my creative art journey I am always open to discovering new ways of seeing or doing. In an Exhibit that closes today, Artworks (the Visual Arts Coalition of Bowling Green Art found at http://www.artworksinc.org) hosted a member’s show that included the inaugural “Dually Exposed” exhibit. Please go by today and see this exhibit if you have not had the chance.

Each artist was paired with a photographer, and then commissioned with bringing their own interpretation to one of that artist’s photos. I was honored to be a part of this exhibit and was paired with Ric Federico and his lovely “High and Dry” photo.

My interpretation added water and the meaning of being washed clean. It was christened “Water Works.” This process turned out to be fun and creatively challenging. I loved working with the idea of starting with another artist’s photo and transforming it to make it my own. I discovered yet another enjoyable path on my creative journey.

2014 Painting - Water Works by Deborah EatonWater Works in Show

 

Posted on

No Resolutions for 2015!

 

2015 New Year

 

2015. A new year. A fresh start. A clean slate.

All of that sounds good. And it is good.
But, sometimes, I get stuck on striving to make it all just right. Perfect, in fact.
This tends to make me so paralyzed that I just stop and end up not doing anything.
Not planning. Not starting.
Just being STUCK!

This is certainly not how I want to start the new year.
So, I am taking a different path this year.
The following is a list of things I will be focused on in 2015.
They are not hard and fast resolutions. Those make me stressed and stuck.
They don’t have deadlines. So, there is no pressure.
The focus is not on negatives. After all, I need and thrive on positives.

So here are the things I intend to do in 2015:

  1. Celebrate! When I have successes, I will take the time to celebrate. I will recognize that any small accomplishment moves me forward in my life.
  2. Prioritize. Make the important things the first things I do each day. Say ‘Yes’ to the things I truly value.
  3. Focus on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is really a myth. We can only truly focus on one thing in any given moment. I will strive to honor this.
  4. Be present in each moment with the people I am with. Show them they are important to me.
  5. Limit social media. My real life is calling! Placing limits on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will help me focus on the important.
  6. Allow down time. I need time for relaxation and renewal. This is not pampering, it is necessary.
  7. Do things that bring me joy! Plan to spend more time focused on things that make me smile and add value to my life.
  8. Accept God’s grace and mercy. This will keep me from being too hard on myself and allow me to give others grace, too.
  9. Be grateful. Strive to make a habit of giving thanks for the blessings I have everyday.
  10. Put God first. Always.
What are your intentions for the new year?
Posted on

Extraordinary Man, Extraordinary Inspiration

Paul Smith is a resident of Rosehaven nursing home in Oregon . Born with severe cerebal palsy, Paul has been in the nursing home since 1967. It seems an unlikely place to look for inspiration, but Paul is also a talented artist who finds ways to be creative every day.

Even though his movements are severely limited, that doesn’t stop him from using the gifts God has given him. His creativity knows only the bounds of 10 typewriter keys that he uses to create beautiful works of art that include subjects ranging from buildings, to animals, to detailed religious scenes. Simple symbols such as the #, and @ symbol comprise his art.

Many are in awe of Paul’s creative use of the typewriter. For a person with such a severe disability to be able to create such beauty is inspirational. It should move us to ask the question that Paul asks all of us, “What can you do?”

What can you do with the abilities and talents God has given you?

Watch the video on Paul and determine to use those talents you might have been hiding!