“One day they’ll realize they lost a diamond while playing with worthless stones.”
~Turcois Ominek
Have you ever found yourself in a continuous cycle of chasing something that isn’t meant to be? Do you feel like it’s a habit?
It is rumored that Albert Einstein once mentioned: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” No matter who spoke it, the quote is definitely food for thought. When we continue in the same patterns, continue the same routines…we can’t really expect bigger things if we stay on the same wavelength the whole time.
This definitely ISN’T a “try harder” post. No. This is a voice that might hopefully inspire someone to think about the things they keep running after – even when they know in their heart that it isn’t what’s meant for them. Why not respect yourself a little more? …your emotions…your health…your relationships.
As far as relationships: If you know that someone doesn’t want a relationship/someone doesn’t value you enough/you feel like you are always performing to keep them around, why keep putting yourself in a position for your heart to be hurt, again and again?
Respecting yourself is a big deal.
Would you let someone else just take your heart and start stomping all over it? Well then…are you allowing yourself to get into the position where you let it happen to yourself?
Does someone keep talking you down…does someone keep verbally abusing you, but you take it? There is a difference between listening to constructive criticism and someone being verbally or emotionally abusive and beating you down. YOU know the difference. You don’t have to let it continue.
Respect yourself.
Pursue the things that you KNOW are worth it. Just like you probably wouldn’t start going down dead end roads when you already know what your final destination is meant to be, then why continue to pursue the wrong things?… especially when you already know in your heart of hearts what the RIGHT path is.
I, for one, don’t want to get so sidetracked with the pebbles, that the diamond falls from my hands.
Sometimes waiting for that diamond to show up is hard. I have definitely found myself searching for the diamonds, the special things, in all the wrong places. I thought settling for the jagged rocks and broken seashells could suffice for that precious stone, in the meantime…but, I am realizing that if I get so used to settling – I might end up thinking my diamond is an “almost-but-not-complete” shell.
Whatever it is for you: a relationship, who you hope to marry, the type of career you would like, the type of leader you want to be, your financial situation…well…there are a million different options, but no matter the situation – what do YOU want to end up with? The broken shell of a choice or the priceless diamond?
Well, that diamond might take a little longer to find – but it’s out there.
Sometimes, sitting in the middle of the ocean for a couple days can give you a little perspective. Just this past week, on an underway, I had a little time to think about how often I continue to settle – even when I know something better is on the horizon. I went though a situation where I was definitely tested and didn’t trust in waiting for the better option. It took a little bit of a slap in the face to come back to reality on that one.
I wasn’t trusting that God might have a better option out there. While in my rack on the ship one morning, I opened up my Bible to the book of Psalms. I happened to open up to these words, where the writer was telling God:
49 “Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. 50My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”
That verse just made me think of Jeremiah 29:11, one of my longtime favorite verses in the Bible. God’s promises of the good things that are in store, are spelled out in his own words:
11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Hope. Promise. Future. I believe that God has some pretty awesome things in store, and I want to start trusting in His promises.
You Are Loved 