Originally Posted: Think on these things

***When I returned to Chicago 3.5 years ago for my surgery, I started a blog as one place all family and friends could go to read updates on my health. I then realized it was also a way of promoting awareness. Shortly after that, I started a second blog, for the purpose of sharing my faith. As time went on, I became convicted about something.

It was wrong of me to separate the two, as my faith, Jesus, is the absolute reason for my strength in getting through this. I could not exclude Him from my health blog even if others suggested to do so. Thus, I started talking more about my faith on my main blog. Now, many times, it's more about Him than me, which is where I came up with the current title 'About Me, Not About Me'. This story may be about me, but really it's not about me, it's about Him. That old blog still sits out there no longer being used. So I decided over time I will begin to move those posts from there to here to have everything in one place.

In just beginning to read some of my first posts, I've realized the amount of work God has truly done in me. A lot of times we hate the journey and want to get to our next destination, but it is in that very journey that God molds you into who He created you to be.***

Originally Posted: April 3, 2014
Think on these things

Why is it that we hold back our feelings? Hold back our emotions? Hold back words?
Why when asked something sometimes we feel the need to fabricate the truth, tell a story or omit things?
Why do we basically portray to others a life different from the one we are living?

Why have some people done this so frequently that the truth becomes forgotten, and the entire life lived is just one big lie?

Imagine if everyone just said what is on their mind, no holding back and no lying. I'm not talking saying mean stuff to people... I'm talking if you have a feeling, an emotion, a need, something you want to say- you say it. Let it out there. Imagine if everyone did this. Wouldn't it stop all the wondering? The second guessing? The lack of closure or need for explanation? The worrying and stressing what the other person is thinking or doing? 

Now imagine if we guided our thoughts to those which were positive hence all we said was mainly positive, aside from occasional venting about things we cannot control. We would build each other up. We would both give and receive encouragement and support. We would be filled with the blessing of love. 

I believe it spreads in the way that a pay it forward would. So pay it forward with kindness, with truth, with love.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8