Thoughts without Action...

     I have thought about this blog many times within the last few weeks. I have thought of so many things to say. I have thought of all of the stuff I have been challenged by lately. I have thought about writing all my ideas down on a piece of paper. I have thought....I have thought....but I haven't DONE. So many times in our lives we think about doing things but never actually do them. I feel like I am constantly trapped in too much thinking and not enough doing. A quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe sums up something I think we all feel at times, "Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world."
     I believe we get that 'mountain to climb' feeling a good majority of the time because we forget to remember that God can give us the strength, endurance, confidence, wisdom, and guidance to put our thoughts into action. To write that letter to a friend, to go out of your way to help a coworker, to smile at the stranger in downtown Grand Rapids even when they may scare you (speaking for myself here), to turn your time on facebook into a way of encouraging those who are struggling, to make time to make time for people, to give someone a hug when you know they just need to know someone is there. We are not alone in our endeavors to put our thoughts into action...God's got us. We just have to trust that He will work the things out that are stopping us. Things stopping us like our supposed "lack of time", our own struggles, work,  homework, laziness, fear....fear of hurt, fear of rejection, and fear of the change our actions might bring.
    I fear our society is one of great complacency. We are afraid to act on our actions because we are comfortable where WE are at. If we don't act we are not held accountable and people won't expect anything from us. Well, I hate to bring the bad news....but we are all held accountable with our actions and God does expect us to truly live for Him.
    Why do we get comfortable where WE are at when there are so many people out there hurting. People are starving; starving for food, starving for shelter, starving for comfort, starving for family, starving for love, starving for God. Sitting here being complacent with where WE are at in life and our lack of motion in this world is causing people to starve. WE are the ones starving others.
   When someone steps out of the complacency in our world, their action is noticed. Not necessarily on the news, but by the person who needs to feel that someone cares. Stepping out with simple things such as food can show God's love and friendship in a way we may never understand. Who are WE to be complacent with where we are and not act upon our thoughts? Who are WE to get comfortable seeing the homeless, friendless, starving population? God calls us to feed people with whatever we have. With something as small as an apple, a hug, a caring conversation, an encouraging Bible verse, or a genuine smile, we can make a large difference.
     Let's not be complacent anymore. Let us act upon our thoughts and convictions. God gave us a heart for a reason.

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’     “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’           
                                            -Matthew 25: 37-40

(that was not the blog i had planned...but my intro just turned into something so i went with it. thoughts thoughts thoughts thoughts.....now we gotta do something about this ACTION)
(also, I must change the title of this blog. that will teach you to not think too far ahead) 

Is the canvas really blank?

As I sat here greatly contemplating whether or not to start this blog, as I have for the last month, I was asked to develop a name for my blog. Honestly, I kind of just wanted someone to name it for me. Naming something is a big deal. Naming something comes along with the territory of that certain thing fitting into, getting used to, or growing into the name. What if I name it wrong or give it a name that I don't like later? Hmm....


Well, "The Colorful Canvas" it is. Don't ask me why it popped into my noggin, but it did. Once it did indeed jump to life inside my head I really started to thing about the phrase, "A blank canvas". Many people refer to themselves as a blank canvas with no "paint" upon which their life is guided by. As I thought about it more I pictured my so-called "blank" canvas compared to friends' so called "blank" canvases. Well, I decided I don't think they are blank. I believe that sometimes we insist they are blank because then we either have no obligations or nothing to live up to in our lives. We think our picture hasn't begun to be expressed through colors yet so there is no great yearning to see the completed work. Yet again, I believe this thinking is flawed.

Whether we like it or not, everything we do in our lives puts paint on our canvas. It becomes a part of who we are. The bad things, the good things, the thrilling things, the compassionate things, the fulfilling things, the scary things, the draining things....whatever things you do they will always throw, or gracefully place, some paint on your canvas. So, as we go about our lives, we shouldn't think of ourselves as a blank canvas. We started "painting" from the second we were born.

God places situations, people, and challenges within our lives and gives us the paintbrush. Yet, throughout this whole process, we sometimes forget to take lessons from the one who skillfully handed us the paintbrush. He painted the most brilliant canvas of all. We need to strive daily to paint our canvas to model His best, and try and take a lesson from the one who is All-Knowing.

We are a canvas and we are painting. Don't deny it. Make your canvas worth noticing.



O Lord, you are our Father.
      We are the clay, and you are the potter.
      We all are formed by your hand.
                               -Isaiah 64:8