People are precious

People make me smile.

And, like Buddy the Elf, smiling is my favorite.

I don't believe anyone on this earth is an accident, and we all have our own unique purposes and impact others in different ways. I've been trying to appreciate people more and not get frustrated with others when they do things to upset me. I've also been making efforts to be more thankful for the people who continue to bless me—whether they know it or not—because it's too easy to get caught up in your own little world and take for granted some of the people who matter the most to you.

And I really love when the exact people we need in our lives are sent to our worlds at the exact moments we need them the most.

It might be the barista at Starbucks who complemented you on your hair on a morning when you had rolled your eyes after looking in the mirror, because you felt like you were just having an ugly day.

It might be the Walmart employee who asked you if you needed help carrying your purchases to your car and then said, "Giirrrrlllllll, it's payin' off. Look at you bein' all Wonder Woman!" after you told her, "No, thanks. I lift weights twice a week."

Truth

It might be the cashier at your favorite restaurant who knows your order by heart and gets a styrofoam cup that's normally only for fountain drinks ready for you when he sees you walk in the door, because he knows you don't like the condensation that too easily forms on the other cups reserved for water only.

It might be a former student who sends you a note that says, "My journalism teacher just told me I'm the first student in all of his classes ever to make a 100 on his test, so now I have proof that you're the best teacher (:" during her first year of college on a day when you were questioning just how great of an impact you were actually having on your kiddos.

It might be the lady at Target who said, "Oh, heavens!" when you ran back inside asking if anyone had seen your phone that you lost. Then, when you realized it was in your pocket, all she could say was, "Oh, Lord, help her." (You don't even want to know what she said when you hustled quickly out of the store and slammed into the doors that weren't automatic, but you thought they were.)

It might be your best friends, who constantly keep you smiling with their ridiculous antics. They might make fun of you from time to time, but you know they would drop everything and do anything the second you need them to do something for you. (You know, like help you move into your new apartment and not let you do any of the work but then tell people that you did nothing to help.)

It might be your older brother, who unexpectedly gives you money to pay for your car inspection when you had jokingly (but kind of seriously) said that he should pay for it, because you had to fork over a ridiculous amount of money to get a new car battery that same morning.

Or it might be your baby sister, who comes into your room when you just want to be left alone and sits with you until you start to feel better and even start laughing with her. It's possible she gave you one of her signature kick-a$* pep talks in the process.

Life is full of people, and God puts them all right where He wants them when He wants them there. Some of them have tremendous impacts on our lives, while others are brief flashes of light to brighten our hearts for a bit; some of them boost our morales, while others bring us down or break our hearts; some of them make us smile and laugh, while others leave us with tear-stained cheeks; some of them show us genuine love, while others show us why the world needs more love; and some of them reveal what it means to be bold, while others remind us why we're often afraid to live with our hearts wide open.

And, the crazy thing is, we are just as often those very same people to every person we encounter on a daily basis. No meeting is by chance, and you are put into people's paths every day intentionally.

Bob Goff, author of Love Does, said, "God doesn't throw rocks at our windows hoping to get our attention; He sends us our friends." It's just one more way He shows us His love by working through other people, and it's truly remarkable that He can use such imperfect people to reveal His perfect love to others.

So maybe it's better just to let people let you smile—it might just become your favorite, too.

Beauty for ashes

It's amazing how much power love has to defeat the ugliness in the world.

Even when you think there's no possibility of beauty.

I ran a 5K on Saturday morning, and I have to admit that I was not too thrilled about it when I woke up that morning. It was 30-something degrees and raining pretty hard, and the thought of driving out to my hometown and getting soaked to the bone just didn't seem appealing for some reason.

But there was more to this day than the race.

A little more than a year ago, tragedy struck my most beloved suburb when a teenage boy died in a lake accident. He was a very well-loved young man and someone who had a lot of impact on not just his peers but on the community, as well. I remember reading and hearing stories about how the entire city came together to support one another—even rivalry football teams had shown respect at games in support of a town that was grieving deeply.

My parents still live in my hometown, and, even if I'm no longer there, I will always still feel a strong connection to it. It's where I learned the true meaning of friendship and community, and Saturday morning was an even stronger lesson in how love can make even the darkest of times seem more bearable.

Especially when the dancing started.

As I mentioned, the weather was miserable. But, despite the conditions, there was an unexplainable joy that filled the entire pavilion under which many people were crowded as they tried to avoid getting drenched before the race. There was music playing on the speakers where the announcer was, and at some point an endless dancing by a group of high schoolers began and made the event seem even more like a joyous celebration. It was cold. It was wet. There was no amount of sunshine anywhere in sight.

But genuine hearts full of love brightened up the entire park that morning.

Quite normally at races, as I find myself in my own little realm of anxiety, one can look around and see people in their own worlds, as well, as they warm up and stretch and do strides and keep the focus on success as soon as they hit the start line. But that wasn't the case on Saturday. No one was stretching. No one was warming up. No one seemed to care about running a blazing fast race or notching a PR or getting a medal as evidence of how accomplished he or she is. The focus, rather, was on coming together for a cause that's so much bigger than running.

After Jacob's death, his family developed a heart for orphans and decided to honor Jacob by helping young men in Africa who need homes. Through Jacob's LifeVision Home at Family Legacy's Tree of Life Children's Village in Zambia, the family hopes to be able to provide a place where boys can be mentored and provided for before leaving high school and entering college or whatever their lives hold for them beyond the orphanage. All of the proceeds from the run went toward making this dream become reality, and we learned Saturday that enough funds were raised to begin building one of two houses there.

Before the race, a local pastor led everyone in a prayer, and he mentioned how he thought it was fitting that the weather was so crummy that morning, as it was one more example of how God can still bring great things in the midst of tragedy. Even though the conditions were horrible, there were still quite a lot of people who gave up the opportunities to stay cuddled in warm beds or sipping hot cocoa by fireplaces so that they could come and be in the cold rain all morning with people who needed them more than they might realize.

As I looked around me, I couldn't help but feel a warmth in my heart at being reminded of how big our God truly is. I can't imagine what it feels like for Jacob's family to lose a son and a brother; I don't know what it's like for those teenagers to lose a friend who influenced them in so many ways; as a teacher, I've thankfully never had to come to my classroom each day and look at an empty seat where a student won't ever sit again. But I know what it means to hurt, and I know what it feels like to be able to press through hard times with a little help from those around you. I don't pretend to understand why certain tragic events occur, but I do know that God doesn't do anything on accident. We simply have to trust our lives in His hands while He works in them and through us.

After the race, you didn't hear people complaining about how wet they were or how running through shin-deep water slowed them down or how they didn't have a great race. Instead, you saw people smiling and high-fiving and thanking others for being there to support the family and the foundation. It made you forget how ugly the morning around you was, because you were suddenly enveloped with the beauty of the love that dominated it all.

Mourning can truly turn to joy, and we are able to see radiance take over the darkness as the promise of beauty for ashes heals even the most broken of hearts.

Hopeful thinking

Don't ever let someone tell you you can't do something.

Especially when it's during an adult league coed soccer game.

Almost every Sunday (well, during the spring and fall coed soccer seasons), my parents and I go to the park to watch my brother and sister play soccer in a league that one would think is all about fun but is honestly often treated more like the finals of the World Cup. I mean, it's pretty intense.

And it's awesome.

I love going. I'm there to watch and cheer on my siblings, but I also have a role of providing audible commentary for the ref and the opposing players.

Yesterday's game was the championship match-up: the Navy Team vs. the Purple Team (there are no team names—they just go by colors). Our team, the Navy Team, has won the title I think five seasons in a row now, so there was a lot on the line. After all, this is pretty serious business.

The first half of the game was rather discouraging as the Purple Team went up 2-0, and the Navy Team players just didn't look like they had it in them to rally a comeback. At halftime, the goalie tried to fire up his teammates by saying, "Come on—we're a second-half team!"

And he wasn't lying.

They are the champions, my friends

As time started to tick away (with only about 12 minutes left in the 45-minute half), we notched a goal on a nice cross-field pass. Then a player got a breakaway and scored another. Then we got a third one on a beautiful cross that a player headed in the back of the net at just the right time. This all happened so fast with still about seven or eight minutes to go. It was the type of miracle you usually only see in the movies like in The Little Giants or The Replacements or D2: The Mighty Ducks. Yes, I realize I'm talking about an adult league coed soccer game, but you just can't make this stuff up.

Even after going down two goals early in the game, many of the players on the Navy Team didn't get discouraged, which helped keep the hope on the field alive. Hope is essential—it's what helps push to keep us going when it seems like the best option is to give up.

There will be times in life where you might find yourself trailing and feeling like your dreams are slipping away from you completely. You still haven't gotten that promotion you were expecting; your friends keep getting married and having kids, and you're still waiting for that right person to come along; there's a traffic jam, and you're already stressing out about running late; you fail your first biology test in college, and you are supposed to be a pre-med student; you audition for The Voice but aren't selected to be on anyone's team even though you know you are talented enough to have a record deal eventually; you worked your tail off to get your master's degree in educational administration, yet no one seems to be willing to hire you as an assistant principal; you give so much time and energy in so many areas of your life, yet nothing is happening quite as you expected it would when you hoped it would.

But don't lose that hope.

Our plans don't always pan out as we would like them to, and it's actually a good thing. If we got what we wanted when we wanted all of the time, the world would surely be a messy place. It's honestly better that we have Someone who has a far greater agenda for our lives and works in His own special timing. The best thing for us to do is to trust that we are in safe hands and never to let go of the hope that keeps us pressing on toward those desires in our hearts.

Three goals in a mere matter of minutes isn't impossible by any means; rather, it's something that can be obtained with determination and with the faith that it's not completely out-of-reach. It's these types of moments in life that build character and not only inspire others but also provide an inner inspiration for those directly involved. And it's a beautiful thing to see smiles light up the faces of people who realize that something wonderful just happened when most people thought it wouldn't.

Hope has a way of bringing beauty out of the shadows and shining brightly enough to ignite a fire strong enough to challenge doubt, creating a battle that requires boldness beyond measure.

Spoiler alert: hope wins.

Beware of the beeping

I feel like I should know by now always to expect the unexpected.

You know, like the ATM machine eating your debit card.

Or the Icepocalypse wreaking havoc on your plans.

Actually, it was the ice storm that somewhat led to the temporary loss of my debit card. All of the branches of my bank in the area were closed—if you don't know, almost the entire metroplex shuts down if there is frozen whiteness outside—but I really needed to make a deposit before the business day ended Friday. Thankfully it's possible to do so via the ATM, so that was my plan.

It was not a solid plan.

I put my money in the provided envelope and sealed it, then I started searching for a pen so I could write my account information on it. I knew I had one somewhere. I could hear the ATM machine making the faster beeps to indicate you are running out of time, and then it spit my card out. It was then that I found a pen only to discover it was completely out of ink. Really??! In my frustration, I neglected my card for a bit too long, and the machine sucked it back in before I could grab it.

And it was gone. Forever. Well, at least forever for now.

Thankfully it's melting

I called the number on the machine, and there was no possible way to retrieve my card until the following week. Awesome. I left reminding myself just how stupid ice is.

But, the unwanted weather actually brought with it some positive moments in life. And a bit of nostalgia, as well.

Because of the unsafe roads that came as a result of the freezing rain and sub-freezing temperatures, the Dallas Marathon that was supposed to be run yesterday was canceled. I was set to run the half, so of course I was a bit disappointed that those plans were thwarted. I felt even worse for one of my friends, because she had worked her tail off for months training for the full and now felt like all of that training was for nothing.

Then fate stepped in—Aggieland was calling. We took a little road trip down to College Station for the BCS Marathon, where my friend ended up accomplishing her goal and qualifying for the Boston Marathon. It was kind of strange being back there and made me think of all of the memories I had for the brief period I was there in college. I hate to think of "what might have been," because my life would be a completely different story had I not taken the path I did, but I couldn't help but be reminded of so many things I let slip away by leaving Texas A&M. I felt like I was back at the ATM machine—rather than seizing the moment, I waited too long until something was out of my reach.

Life isn't meant to be lived regretting your past mistakes or wishing for things that never were. And I don't intend to live like that by any means. But I do think it's important to take advantage of opportunities when they are right there in front of you—they are there for a reason, after all. Don't let ice or fears or doubts or unpreparedness or anything else get in the way of living the bold life you know you're supposed to live.

And always have a functional pen ready at a moment's notice.

Stronger than yawns

I've certainly lost count of all of the times I've found myself in ridiculous situations.

And they just won't stop coming.

I'm on the Reading Team at my church, which means that every so often I read the Scripture passage at the beginning of the service I attend. Last weekend, though, in addition to the Bible verses, I was also asked to read a special thing that wrapped up the series on the Book of Mark we'd been going through over the past six weeks. For this, I had to read at all three services—two in the morning and one in the evening.

I have no problem with speaking in public, and I wasn't nervous about reading in front of everyone at three different services. Right before I was supposed to go up during the first service, however, I had a near panic attack. I wasn't worried about falling flat on my face or stumbling over words. There was a bigger issue at hand: I could not stop yawning.

At least this didn't happen.

I didn't know what to do. During the worship songs, the yawns just kept coming. I wasn't bored or even that tired, so maybe I wasn't getting enough oxygen or whatever the reason for yawning is. I started chewing gum, which has always put a stop to any yawning I've done in the past. Didn't work.

After the worship band sang the final song, one of the pastors came up to make announcements and lift up prayers of people within the church before introducing me. At the end of the prayer, there's always a time when the pastor allows a little time for everyone to lift up their own silent prayers.

You can bet there was one thing I was praying about right then.

I was really starting to worry. It just seemed so wrong that I should go in front of the entire congregation and yawn my way through what was supposed to be an impactful reading over the series and then continue that yawning through God's Word. I was fairly certain I was about to lose my spot on the Reading Team. It was fun while it lasted.

I heard the pastor begin to introduce me just after I had finished one more yawn. (As a side note, I can never recall a time I have yawned this much in my entire life. It's as if every single yawn I've ever had came back to haunt me in this very moment. What the heck??) I stood, prepared to bring shame to myself and possibly an entire team at church. But, as soon as I got up to the microphone, it was as if some miraculous cure came over me. I read what I was supposed to with no yawning whatsoever. I didn't think about anything yawn-related the entire time.

When I got back to my seat, I simply said, "Thank you, Lord," in my head, and He had a response for me on that one.

Do you really think I would let you mess up a message I want people to hear?

Touché, God. Touché.

What really frustrated me the most about this situation was that I hadn't trusted God completely to take care of me. Instead, I let anxiety take hold of my mind and convince me that I was about to fail at something because I couldn't control it. I realize the whole thing seems a bit silly and ridiculous—I mean, I'm talking this much about yawning, for crying out loud—but it is still an instance where I should have relied more on the Lord.

There are many times we will face yawn attacks, so to speak, in life, but we can't let those moments get the best of us and rob us of hope. In those situations where we are completely powerless, there's Someone who is so powerful that it doesn't matter how much it seems like the odds are against us. He can still come through with the victory.

Don't panic if a yawn comes your way—after all, it's something so fleeting that can easily be destroyed by the One who is on your side forever.