Seeing Farther

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by:  Staci Stallings

I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite sayings and mantras with you.  These are things, for whatever reason, that I’ve picked up along the way.  Some of them are simply guiding principles that help when things go wrong.  Mostly they are touchstones I go back to again and again to remind me what’s important and what makes sense for certain situations.

The first one actually is the reason I’m starting this little series.  This morning I realized it’s time to start something else on the blog, and I was kind of lamenting the passing of the last topic because I didn’t really have anything new in mind.  For a writer that’s always a bit scary because… well, I’m supposed to be writing, and if I’m not writing, I’m blank.  If I’m blank, I never quite know when inspiration will hit again.  So the end of even a short series with no definable next series is always cause for a moment or ten of panic.

On top of that, I’ve been doing this blog now for around 6 years, twice a week, nearly every week.  It’s incredible to me that I have that much to say!  (And part of me wonders if I won’t run out of things to say at some point.)

So this morning when I was contemplating where to go from here, one of my “mantras” kicked up in my head.

Go as far as you can see.  

When you get there, you will always be able to see farther.

Now believe me, I didn’t set out thinking I would still be doing this in six years.  Nor did I think the person who talked me into it in the first place (Dennis) would no longer be around, or that I would have continued on for three years beyond when he passed on.

But what I have learned is, God doesn’t tell you the full story.  He gives you the next step.

Sometimes He will give you a glimpse of down-the-way, but often, when you get there, you are surprised that there is MORE road to travel.

At the beginning of this year, I got together with a wonderful friend of mine who in the last year has become a great sounding board for me.  I live a lot of my life “in my head.”  So it’s nice once in awhile to just chat about where I am, where I’m going, etc.

This particular chat, however, was not one I ever envisioned having because frankly, I had gone as far as I could see, and I really couldn’t “see farther.”

When I was around 15, my mom came up with this poem about the day you are born on.

Monday’s child is fair of face.

Tuesday’s child is full of grace.

Wednesday’s child is all aglow (for those who know the poem, yes, I changed that one!).

Thursday’s child has far to go.

Friday’s child is loving and giving.

Saturday’s child must work for his living.

But the child born on the Sabbath day is fair and wise and good and gay.

Here was the problem… I’m a Thursday child, and I was HIGHLY OFFENDED that someone thought I hadn’t already ARRIVED! What was this “has far to go” business?

Worse, I had worked my silly head off to get where I was, and now they were telling me I still had a long way to go?  Uh.  No.

Well, contrary to my 15-year-old self, I now realize just how far I’ve come!  A husband.  Three wonderful kids.  A house.  Being a #1 Best Selling author.

I mean literally, my dreams have come true.

And I am incredibly grateful for that.

However, as I asked my friend that day, “Now what?”

For as long as I have been cognizant of myself and my world, I have had goals.  I knew where I was going, where I wanted to go, and even if I worked and worked toward a goal and didn’t get it, that would be okay.  In fact, I really thought there would be a lot of goals I wouldn’t get to.

Like I told my friend, “Picture a map. I live in Texas.  I thought New York would be as far as I would ever go, and New York seemed impossible to reach.  Now I’m in New York, and I have no idea where to go from here!”

But God has a sense of humor… and He has a plan!

Because now that we’ve gotten MY dreams out of the way, He has this crazy idea that we’re supposed to be working on His dreams!  So as I write this, I am laughing a little at my mantra because I’m seeing  A LOT farther than I ever thought possible.  I’m seeing helping others with this blog that I never knew I would still be writing.

I’m seeing writing and publishing books that actually sell.  I’m seeing helping authors and readers with my other sites:  CrossReads and Grace & Faith 4U.  I am watching as these two reach ever-growing audiences, connecting authors with readers and readers with authors, and I’m literally watching as God words miracles around me!

So, I guess as I stand here, I ask you to look with me–being grateful for how far God has brought us, and with anticipation and excitement, seeing farther than we ever knew existed!

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How far is life calling you? SEE FARTHER. http://t.co/5xJu8AKV1n #motivational #Goals

— Grace & Faith (@GraceAndFaith4U) December 5, 2013