everything is awesome.

I'm starting a 21-day challenge today (August 9-August 29). It's a 2-step challenge. It goes a little something like this:

Step 1: First thing in the morning, walk to the ocean and back.

Step 2: Be awesome.

I've been on a recent path of discovering some health issues lately. While it's nice to be enlightened, to have an explanation for the struggles I've been facing, to know there's a reason I feel the way I feel, that it's not all in my head, and that I'm not a crazy person... it's still difficult to process and can be overwhelming at times.

I've also been feeling some uncertainty regarding the path of my career. Satan has been feeding me lies of insecurity and resistance. I guess you could say that all in all, I've felt a bit like I've been wandering. 

"Oh, my Lord, it's a winding road. It's all bent from a heavy load." - Crowder, Ain't No Grave

While there are certain things I can't control in my life - in regard to my health, career, or otherwise - I feel the Lord has put it on my mind and in my heart that there are things I can control.

They say in life, it's 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.

You know that song from the Lego movie, Everything Is Awesome? My three-year-old nephew is obsessed with it. Last weekend we were cruising around the lake, sweet Mark was sitting on my lap, and we were just belting out those lyrics like there was no tomorrow.

We were completely in the moment. I wasn't thinking about anything but just being right there with my family under that hot Texas sun. And everything was awesome. 

I think we can learn a lot from that song. I think we have a choice to make with each new sun. We can arise with bitter feelings of all that may not be ideal in our lives, or we can rise and greet the day with the attitude of "everything is awesome."

Let's do that. I want to do that. That, to me, sounds like a much better choice.

I love this candid shot of my sweet nephew. Wild and free under the Texas sun.

So while at the moment I may not be able to work out as hard as I used to, and at the moment my career may be seeming to move a bit slower than I'd like, I will choose to be completely in the moment, focused on the current step I am taking, and cultivate an attitude of gratitude along the way - as cheesy as that may sound.

I'm calling this a "challenge" because sometimes a grateful attitude is not the easiest to have, especially in the "transition" times in our lives - when our path seems dark and uncertain, when our feet are tired, and when our backs are aching from the burdens we are carrying.

But maybe despite it all, we are right where God wants us. Maybe he wants us to slow down. Maybe he wants us to walk and not run. 

Today I saw a guy with a t-shirt on that said "Melody Maker" and it made me smile. I'm going to try to look around and notice the little things around me as I am on this slower-than-I'd-like-it-to-be walk.

And I'm going to try to remember that just because I may feel like I am wandering doesn't mean our loving and powerful God isn't directing my steps. He is guiding my path with each step that I take. He's guiding yours, too.

"I will lead them besides streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble." - Jeremiah 31:9