Friday, July 27, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Beyond

Every Friday, Gypsy Mama has a writing exercise called "Five Minute Friday."  Each Friday, she gives a prompt, and you write for just five minutes on that prompt.  In her words, "No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.  Unscripted.  Unedited.  Real."  The main rule is:

"1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking."

This is my first, ever attempt!  So please forgive the stream-of-consciousness.

This week's prompt is: Beyond

GO

It's amazing how often things go beyond what we imagine; sometimes, in a better way, and sometimes in a worse way.  I guess I mean that sometimes things wildly exceed our expectations, our dreams taking on wings of their own, soaring high, high above us.  And sometimes things get much more out of joint--out of sync--than we ever thought possible.

I think of the ways in which I, myself, have gone beyond what I ever thought possible for me--maybe even beyond what I somehow thought was humanly possible.  I gave birth in my upstairs bathroom.  Almost completely alone; completely alone, in fact, until the very last minute, when a friend came in.  My strength has lasted beyond what I thought possible, as a single mother; hardly noticing now that i do the job of two people...or more.  I can't even remember the days when my husband was still here.  My muscles have performed beyond what I thought possible, now that i'm running again.  It's exciting to see how I underestimated myself.

Sometimes a nightmare can go beyond what you ever imagined possible.  How did the dysfunction in my marriage go way beyond the bounds of normal?  How did my pain and suffering in that relationship go beyond what I could have fathomed?  Looking at my wedding pictures, I had no idea....

I wish I always felt like God has gone beyond my expectations.  Sometimes, in moments of reflection and gratitude, I know He has.  Other times, if I'm honest, I feel like asking, "Is there really something beyond all this, God?"

STOP

5 comments:

  1. Stopping by from the 5 Minute Friday. I appreciate your honesty in sharing your heart. I think it's okay to ask God if there's more. Life just doesn't make sense at times. So thankful to know He knows the end from the beginning and holds us in the palm of His hands!

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  3. Barbie--thanks for the affirmation. It's hard to get "vulnerable" in just five minutes! LOL! I feel like I need some disclaimers to make me sound holier: "I really do trust God!" or something like that. But the truth is, sometimes it's hard to "feel" it. I remember a Sunday School teacher telling me when I was a child, "Tell God what you REALLY think! He can take it!"

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  5. Thanks for sharing your views from many sides of the "beyond" spectrum. I'm sorry for the painful experiences in your life. I pray that God will use them in your life to grow you and to be used of God beyond your imagination.

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