top of the mountain

How do you get to the top of a mountain? I'm pretty sure it's by climbing. And climbing is never easy.  So why are people so afraid of putting in work to get there?  I mean, sure winners on American Idol see immediate results but are few and far between when compared to the number of people who have to actually work for a long time before seeing any results.

Nothing worth having is ever given to you. The majority of people have to work for it.  If you are book smart, you have to sudy and read.  OK so bring up Einstein as a genius.  Name 9 other geniuses you know.  Now name 10 smart people you know.  Odds are, naming 10 smart people you know is easier than naming 10 geniuses. 

Actors.  You probably think they just landed an amazing role and started out there but if you watch older movies, most of the time you will see them as extras or playing a minor role as a child or teen.  The point is they weren't just given that amazing role.  They had to put in the hours and work up to it.

So if you want to get to the top of your mountain, I suggest you climb, claw, and work your way up regardless of the extra unnoticed hours you put in or the hours of sleep you lose.  If you don't keep moving forward, how will you ever reach the top?

And who knows, once you reach the top of your mountain, you may see a higher mountaintop you'd rather be on. So keep climbing and never stop.  It's the best way to live life!

sacrifice

This past Sunday, I heard a sermon on sacrifice.  I have never really thought much about it.  I mean I know we are supposed to make sacrifices for God but, really, what is sacrifice?

In today’s world, everything revolves around me.  Do I have time for this, does this work for me now or would it be better to put it off until later? We need to think sacrificially instead of selfishly.

Sacrifice means you need to look out for the needs of others even when you are hurting…even when YOU have needs.  2 Samuel 24:24 says, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”  Sacrificing isn’t supposed to be easy.  They have to cost us something.  We need to sacrifice to God not tip him. If something is easy for you, like tithing 10% then it’s not sacrifice.  If tithing 20% is hard, then THAT is a sacrifice because it costs you something.  If you are going to sacrifice something, it should make you think twice.  I mean, Jesus even thought twice about sacrificing himself on the cross.

The pastor also talked about how sacrifice means you will experience dry times.  As Jesus was on the cross, the last thing he did was say he was thirsty (John 19:28-29).  The last thing he did was look at his own needs after all the prophesies had been fulfilled. So yes, if we look to our needs last, we will experience pain and dry times.  But, when we are before God, THEN our needs will be attended to and I would rather have my personal needs attended to in Heaven than on earth because it will only last for a little while here.

Sacrifice also is the means for you to fulfill your intended purpose in the world.  Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and said “It is finished” (John 19:30).  Jesus’ purpose was to open the door to God for us through sacrifice.  Are you doing the same?  We should be opening doors to God for others through sacrifice as well.  God did not send us simply to start the race but to finish, no matter how battered and bruised we are.

At no point in Jesus’ life was he truly comfortable.  He was always challenging people and the rules of society.  A good rule of thumb to live by is if you’re comfortable with where you are in life, then you’re not doing enough for Christ.  Look at worship.  If it is easy, then it’s not sacrificial worship.  Sacrifice should hurt but look at how undeserving we are of Christ and what he did.  Isn’t it the least we could do in return?  So  “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).  Yes it will hurt and no it won’t be easy.  But it is what we are called to do.  

We are not called to live selfishly but sacrificially. 

laying up treasures

I've always heard the phrase, lay your treasures up in heaven but how exactly do you do that?  Be a good person, do good deeds?

I recently finished reading Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper (which is a must read) and he said

Is this not, then, the way we lay up treasure in your house - to give our money and ourselves to make as many rich with God forever as we can?

 I think it's easy for us to give our money to good projects or people in need.  But how often do we give ourselves?  Completely and wholly give ourselves?  To completely give yourself to something, you cannot hold back.

The Olympics are coming up and these athletes will give themselves to their sport.  They will sacrifice anything necessary to be the best.  Time, relationships, food, etc.  When was the last time you sacrificed something to help someone else?

I am guilty of not sacrificing everything.  You see, whenever I don't sacrifice everything and I hold something back from God, that makes me selfish.  I need to live a selfless life because that is the only way to store up treasures in Heaven.  When I am selfless, I can give my money and myself to make as many rich with God forever and isn't that our ultimate purpose?  To make as many rich with God forever as we can?

Take the first step today.  Give yourself.  Completely. Wholly.  Give yourself.

New Year, New Goals

One of my favorite quotes is from a book called Do Hard Things.  If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.  Seems like common sense right?  But for some reason it seems I always get stuck in the same routine and performing the same tasks but I expect change.  If what I was doing before wasn't working, why would it now?

I guess this is why people make New Year's Resolutions.  At the start of every year, people think of changes they want to make in their lives and try to follow them as long as possible, usually lasting only a few weeks or months before they forget about them.

 

So this year, I am going to be making some major changes in my life but they won't be "New Year's Resolutions" because they are changes that will help me reach goals for the upcoming year.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be evaluating this past year and looking at what I want to do/accomplish next year.  By setting tangible goals, the smaller changes I make in my daily life will not only remind me of my overall goals, but hopefully they can help serve as check points reminding me that I am on the right track as long as I  follow them.

So if you wish to do the same, you should look at the following categories:

• Health
• Friends
• Family
• Business/Work
• Personal
• Travel
• Income
• Savings
• Giving
• Service
• Spiritual

Think about this past year and think about what went well and what didn't go well this year in each of the categories.  After writing these down, think about what you want to see stay the same and change in the upcoming year.  This will better prepare you for making your goals.

After you have decided on your goals for the new year, make a list of how you will get there.  This could include changes in your lifestyle, additional actions you may need to take, or mindsets you need to change.

In any case, once you know where you going, it is much easier to figure out how to get there.

By the way, if you want a more detailed approach, Chris Guillebeau's blog is where I first learned this method..

How to:

I promise I will actually write something myself soon instead of linking to what other people have to say but until then ever wonder how to be unremarkably average?

Happy Thanksgiving!

An article to help you reflect a little on Thanksgiving Day - written by Jon Foreman - lead singer of Switchfoot

looking down looking up

Things are looking down and looking up but really I'm just trying to look straight ahead.

So I failed to get yet another job but that just means it wasn't the right one for me.  I'm looking for a photographer to shadow so if anyone knows of one...I found an awesome on in Tennessee which this is the kind of commercial photography I want to get into.  Hopefully that will work out!

I got my business cards in the mail but unfortunately in the mail at home I'm at Amy's but until I get my website up and going I made a facebook to start socially networking myself!  Tell people to check out facebook.com/katiehawkinsphotography if you want to spread the word or know of anyone who needs pictures.

Not much going on right now but I'm excited to see where I will be in a few months because in the past few I've already come a long way.  Or so I think anyway!

mountains, work, and left overs

This weekend, mom, dad, Andrew, Jennifer, Amy and I went up to the mountains of Tennesse to get away. We stayed at Cherokee Path Cabins and it was so nice. Amy and I were in the hot tub most of the time and if you don't believe me let me just tell you our swimsuits were never dry all weekend.

hot tub with a view!

(I'm talking about the mountains not Amy and me!)

Saturday, I took the fam on a trail to one of my favorite overlooks of the mountains. It never ceases to amaze me.

Technically we were in NC for the hike

It was nice just to get away and spend some time with family and nature with no distractions. It was definitely a great way to end my first week of work. Sadly, I will not have a hot tub waiting on me Friday night. But I'm going home where my bed will be waiting for me (Amy and I are sharing a full bed which I am pretty sure it is named for the fact that when both of us are in it, it is FULL!).

I definitely was not ready to leave because work was waiting on me. This dreaded feeling of the coming work week made me realize I'm all grown up...for the next two weeks anyway!

I have never been a fan of left overs and after spending basically 6 months overseas where there were no microwaves, I fell even more in love with freshly made foods. Well, when you don't get home until 5:30 and then have many things you wish to do, I am beginning to see the attractiveness of leftovers. I will probably succumb to them this week.