Inspired to Live Differently

I actually read this quote while flipping through my latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine. While many things inspire me, one of which is my home, that's not what I wanted to share.

Some of you know that at the end of August I went on a little adventure... I traveled, by myself, to San Antonio, TX to a women's conference featuring Beth Moore. She is a Bible teacher, speaker, writer, kinda wacky lady (in a fun, good way). I knew no one there. No one. Nada, zippo, zilch, zero.... Just me, myself, and I. I wanted to go for a few reasons. One, I love the idea of traveling and I don't do that much. At least not by air; lots by van. Two, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this alone. Three, I have come to respect Beth Moore a great deal, having read many of her books, and done many of her Bible studies, but never seeing her in person...

I'm not going to go into all the details. It's kinda one of those "had to be there" experiences, but I did come back "inspired to live differently". The topic for the weekend was The Inheritance. She went through 8 statements that elaborate on that idea based on Psalm 16:5-6. When we are followers of Christ, we have an inheritance. (Eph. 1:11; IPet. 1:4)

All the statements were profound, but I will just share a few. One truth I came away with is that what we believe about ourselves directly affects our behavior. Think of Princess Diaries. Before she knew she was the queen of a country, Mia acted out of her own "geeky" perception of herself. When she realized her inheritance, she began acting differently. It didn't happen overnight, and hollywood plays up the outward appearance thing, but it's all there. She started "being who she was born to be". Don't get me started, Lord of the Rings fans!! Okay, just one example - Strider, aka. ranger, hiding, small story, turns into (or actually becomes since he always was the true heir) Aragorn, King of Gondor (yeah, I know, it goes on and on, doesn't it??) So, what is your perception of yourself, and how is that guiding your decisions, and actions?

A second truth that hit me was that Christ did not call us to behave. He calls us to believe, to be changed, and to be powerful, to be different. Ahh, ......He inspires me to live differently. I'm still figuring out what that looks like, but I'm up for the challenge...

Also, I met some great "girls" in San Antonio. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. They were kind of amazed that I had come all the way from (near) Chicago by myself. I kind of had to convince them that yes, I did have a family and many friends, just not with me at the time. I got to hang out with Dianne, Sharron and Karen, and they were great! Thanks.

Oh yeah, I got to wear jeans and a sweatshirt today:)