What matters.

2012 has most assuredly been one of the wildest years of my life.  A little over a year ago, I was on track for climbing the Starbucks and Zumba ladders. I was teaching 5 nights a week. I was losing weight. I was getting a name. And then I crashed. Physically. Sometimes God has to be a bit more extreme when we aren't listening.  I felt like my whole world was ripped from under my feet. I was angry and frustrated. But I see now why things had to happen the way they did. If I didn't crash, I wouldn't have had to slow down. If I didn't slow down, I wouldn't have realized one of the biggest truths I've ever seen.  The things I'm passionate about are GOOD. That may seem obvious to many, but it's news to me. My whole life, I've had a love of musical theater, of the arts, and of traveling and cultures. I've set these things aside for a very long time because I was taught that they are nice things, but that they are to be put aside so I can grow up and act like an adult. Find a carreer. Find stability. Save money. Grab at whatever will provide health insurance and retirement. And maybe someday, when I retire, I can enjoy some of those things I'm actually passionate about. Anyone else know this story?..... It's crap. That's what Jesus is teaching me. I'm realizing that the things I'm absolutely passionate about are there for a reason. He hard-wired them into me when He knitted me together in my mother's womb. And He did the same with you. What you love, that is not random. That's not by chance. It's with intricate intention. He wants each of use to flourish and function to our fullest. He wants HUGE things with us. And we can't do that unless we fully step into doing what we're passionate about. That's when we come alive. Call this common knowledge, but to me it's a revelation.  Hi. My name is Elisabeth. I LOVE musical theatre. I love painting. I desperately love and want to be a dancer. And I don't need to be ashamed of these things or shove them aside.  I'm turning 30 this year. It makes me really think HARD about my life, where it's going. What I'm doing. What I want. I'm getting serious about it. I've had this list hanging around for years. I think it's time to pull it back out. How about you? Are you working at living out your passions?  1.Become a heathy size 8 2.Write poetry/songs 3.Paint a mural 4.Study technical dance (Contemporary Ballet, Jazz) 5.Hang out with Beth Moore 6.Work in Musical Theatre 7.Sing with Wynonna Judd 8.Become an archer 9.Ride a horse 10.Begin my own ministry 11.Live in Africa. 12. Spend time in:      1.The Bayou       2.The South      3.Dubai      4.South America      5.India 13. Go to Disneyworld, DisneyParis, or EuroDisney