Something Beautiful

Whenever I start something new, I always have a little internal panic going on in my head. What if I'm not any good at it? What if I fail miserably? What if they see that I am really just faking it until I (hopefully) make it? What if. . .? What if, what if, what if?   I used to feel this way on the first day of classes every semester in college. I felt this way when I started massage therapy school. I have felt this way with every job I have ever started.  I have felt this way with friendships. What if they find out I'm not actually cool? I have felt this way in ministry. What if they find out I don't actually know what I'm doing? I mean, I don't have a Bible education. New things are a precipice into the unknown. There are equal parts of fear and excitement. I could walk off that precipice and fall with nothing to catch me. I could walk off that precipice and discover that I can fly.  I have done enough new things at this point in my life, that I know I m

It is interesting to me the milestones we use to mark our lives or maybe I'm the only one who does that, but I think not. Because if I asked any one of you where you were 13 years ago, everyone would remember. There are days, moments in our lives that mark life. We remember something important happened that day. This is why we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and holidays, to remember that something important happened.  I think back over the milestones that have marked my life, days and moments that my life changed forever. I roll them over in my head, and I wonder what about that day and moment caused me to be who I am today.  9/11 greatly impacted people, but even more than that, it changed our lives. Life suddenly became different, and it still is. I actually remember when you could go all the way to the gate at the airport with your loved one. I remember when you could leave your shoes on, when security wasn't a big deal. I remember when you could take liquids onto