These questions are not original with me. I wrote or copied them months ago, and didn't write where I found them, so if you're reading this and you wrote them, let me know so I can give you the credit. I think I may have joined other thoughts with mine. Sadly, I don't remember. Lesson learned for me....write down where you read or heard. This fifty-four year old brain is getting forgetful. And no, I don't care if you know my age. Loving my fifties! 1.  Am I living a life of quiet desperation or a life of excellence?  This questions brings to mind racing, going from one activity to the next. Even our brains tend to be going full speed ahead most days. There has to be a daily effort to put aside all that tempts me to hurry and race, speeding through life. Finding soul rest will guard against living a life of quiet desperation. 2.  Roles shouldn't define me. What I do as a job/career and season of life explain what I do not who I am. I'm a __________________________ you fill in the blank. The roles of women change just as seasons do. Whether it's a job, career, full-time homemaker, married or single.  Or the many ideas that clang about in our minds bringing self-condemnation. As a follower of Jesus I am

• Chosen
• Sanctified
• Reborn
• Saved
• Holy
• Redeemed

This is my identity. Not my roles, not how much I weigh, if my hair is curly, straight or graying,  or if I'm wearing the latest fashions. These will never define who I am and Who I belong to. 3. Suffering and difficulties should not define me and I should be the same person in them as I was before the suffering. This is  easier said than done. But isn't it in the fire, the valley of suffering that Jesus draws ever close? In suffering the things of earth grow strangely dim, and Christ is sufficient. 4. Live well despite life. Love this one. Choosing joy despite the life exploding around is well worth the effort it takes to press on. 5. Live beyond myself and see a larger world. Moving out of comfort zones, living a life looking out for the well-being of others, whether family, friends or loving my neighbor as myself enables me to see a larger world. Again, these ideas were not original with me, but are helpful in focusing on how I can live today.