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[Five Minute Friday] Release

My life is crazy busy, every friend trying to meet up with me or trying to contact me knows that (and I am terribly sorry about that!).
But often my mind seems even crazier.
Too many things going on at the same time.
Too many impressions waiting to be processed.
Too many questions wanting to be answered.
Too many stories to tell.

Sometimes I just want it all to stop. To just press pause, process, and then move on.

I need to release some of the thoughts and processes bottled up within me, otherwise I explode.
So I write.

Thoughts come to my mind, frames are filled up with images.
Loose ideas turn into phrases, sentences.
My hands pick up these ideas and translate them onto this virtual piece of paper.
Now they are out there, my thoughts, ideas, fears, and dreams.
And I feel a little more structured and at peace.

But why do I click “publish”? Why do I allow people from all across the world to read my mind?
See a little bit of myself even though they don’t even know me?

Sometimes you have to release a bird to see if it can fly.
You have to release an idea, a thought, a dream, or even something you’re struggling with.
Because sometimes, it comes back to you. In the form of a comment, an email, a personal meet-up. There is people out there who had similar ideas, struggled with the same thoughts, or didn’t dare to voice their fears.
Releasing a piece of my mind, of my story, helped them to release a piece of their soul.

“You never know the true value your story carries until you see it in the eyes of someone else who really needed to hear that story” (borrowed from my very gifted friend Tyler).

So go, release a piece of your mind.
And wait for the piece that will come back to you.

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Releasing a bit of my story today on Five Minute Friday by Lisa-Jo Baker! One word, five minutes of writing, no editing. And sharing with a wonderful community of fellow writers.

[Five Minute Friday] Messenger

What makes a messenger powerful?

Is it the words he uses – only if they fit together perfectly, only if his arguments are logically and powerful will he convince his audience to believe his message?

Is it his personality – only with great confidence and empathy for others will he get his point across?

Does a message have to be spoken in order to be heard?

More and more, I am beginning to learn that the most powerful messenger is the one who doesn’t say anything at all.

Who doesn’t climb tables to raise his voice.

Who doesn’t have to be on stage in order to be heard.

Who doesn’t preach and complain about all the things that are wrong in this world.

Instead of speaking, he ACTS.

He doesn’t come up with any logical arguments – he simply acts out whatever he has come to believe.

He doesn’t worry about his personality – he practices confidence and bravery in the face of challenges and turmoils.

He doesn’t complain about this world – he shows love and empathy to people in need and makes their world a little brighter.

He doesn’t preach of injustice – he stands up to make the world a little better.

One thing, one person at a time.

He doesn’t SPEAK the message.

He IS the message.

And I believe it will be clearly heard.

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Today I am linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker and fellow writers over at Five Minute Friday!

[Five Minute Friday] Hands

I’ve been given miracle workers.

They dig deep and work great things.
They carry heavy things and move other things around.
They are formed precisely to hold tiny objects like needles to sew, or open the knots in my shoe laces.

They run smoothly over raw material and create.
They hold a pen and write.
They dance over piano keys and compose.
They touch someone in need and offer comfort.
They hug a long-lost friend and express what some words could not do.

They are held closely together as I pray to the One who is in perfect control.
They are lifted up high to praise the creator of all things, the savior, and the restorer of piece.
They reach out to HIM, the ultimate miracle maker.

My hands are miracle workers.
Every single finger was made for a purpose, and only together my hands can do what they were created to do.
They were tiny when I was young, they might be dirty at times now, and they probably will be wrinkly as I get older.
No matter what, they are miracle workers.
Where can I put them to work today?

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I use my miracle workers of hands to write my thoughts and link up with a community over at Lisa Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday. See you there?

[Five Minute Friday] Nothing

There I was, sitting on the floor in an empty room.
Crying.
Shocked by myself.
I didn’t even know myself anymore.
I had just walked out on a crowd of people.
I could not bear the happiness anymore. All I felt was hatred, exhaustion, and such heaviness.
I had to leave.
After months and months of giving and pouring into people, events, schedules – I had nothing left to give.
I peered into this nothingness and knew I would have a long journey ahead of me.

Sometimes it might be necessary for us to hit rock bottom.
To realize our empty hands and even more, our thirsty, exhausted hearts.
To give in to our need to be filled first, to receive so that we can pass it on to others.
To discover again that there’s something there.
Something we’re passionate about, something we’ve learned and others can learn it from us.
Something that doesn’t drive us away from people, but actually right to where they are.

But it doesn’t come right away.
It takes time to walk through this nothingness, to process this feeling of emptiness.
And to get to the place, this fountain of life and abundance, ready to fill our empty souls and hands again with more than we can ever imagine or ask for.

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One prompt. Write for five minutes flat and link up with fellow writers over at Lisa Jo Baker‘s Five Minute Friday!

[Five Minute Friday] Close

I don’t find it easy to be close to people.
I meet new people at every place I go, and it takes a while to get to know some of them.
And it takes even longer to be close to even fewer of them.
It takes time, energy, and lots of perseverance.
And there is lots of failure. You cannot force someone to let you come close.
You cannot beam yourself close to someone else. So at times we might run against a wall.

It takes courage.
To try again, to ask questions.
To wait. To listen.
And to open up.
Getting close to someone else might start with allowing someone else to come close to me.
Just a tiny peek through the wall I so carefully built around myself.
Just a little glimpse into my heart.
How close do I want others to come?
Am I willing to let others see in me what I so want to see in them?

Let’s open our doors and hearts today, let others come close. And you’ll come closer to them.

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One prompt word. Write for five minutes flat. Connect with writers over at Lisa-Jo Baker!

[Five Minute Friday] Grateful

A friend once told me about this little ‘experiment’: Take a couple of beans and put them in your left pocket in the morning. Whenever you experience something to be grateful for throughout the day, put a bean in your right pocket. At the end of the day, empty the right pocket and count your beans.

Count your blessings and be grateful for all these little things you could experience.

I must admit I have done this maybe twice, but way too often I forget about it.

Not only to take the beans along, but also the kind of view I have on my day.

What am I looking at?

The pile of work in front of me?

The many appointments in my calendar?

The people who challenge me every day?

Or do I have time, energy and the right set of eyes to see the many little blessings in between?

A comfortable bed I can rest in from the day.

The invention of sleep (that’s definitely a good one, God!).

The smell of coffee in the morning.

The sound of birds singing outside my window.

Meeting a friend unexpectedly in the bus and we encourage each other for the day quickly.

The right song at the right time.

The immensity of food in the grocery store, and the blessing/curse for me to choose what I want to eat today.

My family and friends around the world, who send their love via email, phone, text, or visit.

Look around you. What do you see?

Watch out for the little things, because those are the ones that hide the greatest blessings.

Let’s count them and practice to be a little bit more grateful today.

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I’m often grateful for the Internet because it gives me a chance to get in touch with so many of you, and I can share with fellow writers on Lisa-Jo Baker‘s Five Minute Friday!

[Five Minute Friday] Mess

Imagine a glass or a porcelain cup.
Beautiful shape, maybe some carvings on the outside.
Smooth surface and precious material.
It’s really great to touch or use.

But something is missing.
There is no light in this cup.

If you’d put a candle in the glass you wouldn’t see much through the perfectly firm surface. No matter how beautiful the outside looks, it doesn’t reflect the inside.

Imagine this glass or cup falling off the table.
Shattering into thousands of little pieces.
Beauty spread across the floor, into corners, turned into dust.

But do you see the hand that gathers the pieces?
The eyes that carefully search for even the last piece, no matter how far it has fallen?
Do you feel the touch of the master who gently puts the pieces back together?

Look at the glass now.
Imagine the cup being pieced together again.
Its smooth surface is gone, its material looks roughened.
Its original beauty has been replaced by magnificent splendor, coming from the inside.
The light that has been kept inside for so long is now reflected and magnified through the cracks and bruises.

Through the hands of the master a mess can become a canvas to reflect something greater inside.
Do we allow the master to use OUR mess as a canvas to reflect HIS beauty?

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One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing. Sharing with a community of lovely writing fellows. That’s Five Minute Friday with Lisa-Jo Baker!

[Five Minute Friday] Friend

This week’s prompt comes in handy, since I’ve been meaning to write on this anyway.
This post goes out to the wonderful people who have been such a blessing to me in the last few months! I hope that everyone has such friends or can be one to someone else.

The last few weeks, well actually months, have just been crazy.
Caught between writing my MA thesis, preparing for state board exams, organizing a Europe-wide youth congress, trying to keep up with my different lives all across the globe…life has just been a bit too much.

In times like these you find yourself asking the really tough questions.
You find yourself all alone and wonder if you have any friends at all. After years and years of pouring into and giving to friends – where are these people now? When you’re tired of giving, is there someone who gives to you?

I was between feelings of rage and anger towards friends who probably had no idea how I felt. I wanted people to show up and tell me they care. Tell me that they didn’t expect anything from me except ME.
But then again, I also just wanted to be alone since I didn’t want to burden anyone with my messy self. I felt too embarassed to let anyone into my apartment that looked like a construction site.

These last few week, well actually months, have taught me quite a bit about friends.
I had to let go of some old ties and expectations people would never fulfill.
Don’t chase the appreciation of the wrong people, while you might miss out on all the wonderful people along the way.

Cherish those precious little moments where a friend comes through for you.
When you’re allowed to speak your mind, without any make-up on, in your worst clothes (because you have no energy to do laundry).
When a friend is honest with you and tells you to seriously slow down. To escape from mind traps you’ve set for yourself about having to be busy 24-7.
When a friend doesn’t mind the chaos in your appartment, but comes over for dinner and a massage. When other friends cook for you and distract you with a night of laughter.
When someone doesn’t mind you tears of desperation, but simply comforts you with a hug.
When you can unite in prayers via skype and find comfort in the common bond in Christ, no matter how many miles might separate you.

Hey friend, thank you. Thanks for being you and for allowing me to be me.

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After a short Easter break, I am back on Five Minute Friday – go to Lisa-Jo Baker‘s page to read more encouraging stories!

Guest Blog at Communicating Across Boundaries

Today I am guest blogging over at Communicating Across Boundaries, a wonderful blog about the challenges and blessings of living between cultures, people, faiths…
The current series is called “Finding your niche”- how can TCKs use their experiences in their jobs, relationships etc.? Plenty of great people from all over the world in all kinds of wonderful positions have already contributed, and I am honored to be a part of it!

#She Shares Truth- Joshua 1:8&9

Today I am linking up with #She Reads Truth, a community of women reading the bible together. During Lent we medidate on passages and then share our thoughts on them. You can find more thoughts on the project of #She Shares Truth.

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“This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

These powerful verses can be found at the beginning of the book of Joshua. Moses, the great leader of the Israelites through forty years of wandering in the desert, had just died, and now Joshua is the leader. And just as God had spoken to Moses many years ago to annoint, challenge and encourage him – the same way does God now speak to Joshua. He reminds Joshua of the many times Moses could experience godly provision and divine intervention; whatever promises was true then is true now.

And God gives him a very simple instruction that will lead to success: medidate on the word of God. Stay with the book of the law. Joshua, the leader who was expected to speak up and guide his people, is now called to meditate in silence. To think things over, to observe and reflect rather than to speak.

Meditating is a piece of work.

It is so much easier to speak and share and come up with premature conclusions. Oh, there is a time for sharing. There will be a time when we need to speak up and share.

But before that time goes, there is time to medidate.
To observe. To let it sink in.

Joyce Huggett has put it very well when she says that meditation means “to give God’s words the opportunity to penetrate, not just our minds, but our emotions — the places where we hurt — and our will — the place where we make choices and decisions.”

This is not easy. This is a decision we need to make every day.

Do we take some time to spend with the word?

To not just fulfill our duty, but to let it sink in?

Do we let the word of God penetrate the very core of our being?

Meditation is not in vain.

I love how God puts a promise for Joshua right after the challenge he has for him. Meditation and observation will lead to wise decisions and success. I am not saying our lives will be problem-free all the time, but having a solid foundation and guideline in the word of God will make many things in life more bearable, enjoyable and purposeful.

Not all of us might be Joshuas. Not all of us are given the task of conquering an unknown country.

But all of us are called to step up at some point. To take a stand during the day or at some point in our lives. But before we do that we should work below the surface to become “strong, vigorous and VERY courageous” (I love that VERY in verse 9 J).

And we can be sure that just as God promised to be with Joshua on this next part of the journey, he will go with us and will make our foundation we acquired in these quiet moments of meditation prosper.