Wednesday, August 15, 2012

8 Ways to Lead a Less Lemming Life


Say that ten times fast.
Seriously though, I’m a huge advocate of people tapping into their God-given talents and living them out with exuberance. It can get mighty tricky to do this if we’re spending our valuable time trying to do as so and so says and live as such and such does.

We all fall prey to this behavior. Must have a Facebook fan page. Pinterest is the new black. Man, those jeans make her look good. Where can I snag a pair of those? What, I’m not a good mom if I don’t have each of my kids enrolled in at least three activities?
How do we break the cycle? How do we become intentional about not parading off the cliff? How do we lead a less lemming life?

8 Ways. Here. Now.
Remember Our Assignment

Mystery of the earth solved. We’re here for one reason—to glorify God. What does that look like? What the heck does that mean in your life? Well how the heck should I know. That’s part of the assignment, figuring out what that does look like in your life. (Major hint: Not to get too kumbaya on you, but I guarantee it will always start with, continue with, and come back to love.)
Pay Attention to Our Footsteps

The past matters. We’re wise to learn from it. It’s worth it to pay attention to where we’ve been as it carries the potential to strongly influence where we’re headed.
Make Sure We’re Well Fed

Desperate and hunger-starved souls are quick to follow any crowd if there’s hope of being fed. Dive off that cliff? Well, golly sure.
Let Go of the Guy in Front

No coattails coasting here. Pave your own way. Create a path. Bushwhack if necessary. Don’t expect someone else to pull you along. Or ignore this advice and have him pull you right off the cliff with him. Your choice.
Appreciate the Scenery

You’ll be less likely to jump if you’re taking in the beauty all around you. The sky. The vast surging ocean. You’ll trust your instincts. Discern with a sharp assessment of the situation. Hard to constantly compare our walk to another’s when we’re constantly looking up with a spirit of gratitude.
Don’t Be Afraid to Step Out of Line

Take risks.
Shake Your Groove Thang Every Once in Awhile

Get in the practice of being bold. Jut a hip out every so often. See how it feels when your body jiggles to the music inside your head. Then shake, shake, shake senora. I happen to believe this is one of the steps on the road to learning how to glorify God. I also happen to believe He’s thrilled to watch us dance and move to the music he planted inside our souls.
Learn at Every Turn

It takes a long time to reach the edge of the cliff. Larry Lemming taught us the value of gathering food back there. Lisa Lemming revealed how essential it is to go against our natural instincts toward solidarity and to stick together when she got eaten by that wild animal. Llama Lemming taught us not to spit on other lemmings (ever). Okay, this post is taking an odd turn. Time to wrap up.
There’s a reason you’re here. A significance. That thing you do. That specific way you make others feel. If you’re still trying to figure out the path you need to take here’s the best piece of advice I’ve ever read…

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” Jer. 29:13  (NIV)
or put another way

“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.”  Jer. 29:13 (Msg)

And if you happen to leap with the rest of them off the cliff, truth is, God’s arms are wider than the ocean. He’s a good catcher too. He’ll put you back up on solid ground to learn this all over again.

Which less lemming way spoke to you most today?
 
*note that the “mass suicide” of lemmings is actually a misconception, but hey, it made for a creative post idea so I went with it

**photo by stock.XCHNG








19 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Wendy! Just beautiful.

    This one got me, because a lot of time, I am afraid to shake my groove thing:

    "I also happen to believe He’s thrilled to watch us dance and move to the music he planted inside our souls."

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    Replies
    1. I LOVE to dance! Glad it got to you. There are all kinds of ways to dance in life.

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  2. Okay, this is one of the coolest posts I've read in, like, ever. I love it!

    I think the biggest one for me is that first point--remembering why I'm here, why I was created in the first place. When I forget that, everything feels off.

    And, oh my goodness, I just love Jer. 29:13!

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  3. Loved this post, Wendy.

    I'm one who appreciates the scenery. When I'm not stopping to "smell the roses" so-to-speak, or taking a good look around - I know there's a problem.

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    Replies
    1. The outdoors has done wonders to shake me out of some nasty moods. It offers immediate perspective (if/when we let it).

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  4. I'm nodding my head at all of them because yes, you are so right! Great post today!

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  5. Wow, Wendy! Thanks so much for this much-needed inspiration today!

    I needed the reminder that the purpose of my life is glorifying God and that can look differently for everyone. I can glorify Him when I run, write, make dinner, do dishes! I forget that often. Thanks so much. :)

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely different for everyone. Even a great verse about that somewhere in the big book. This one for this. That one for that. See how good I paraphrase? :D

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  6. Love this, Wendy. Love. This. I'm thinking of your wise words to me yesterday and nodding my head. I get the message. :)

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    Replies
    1. You have something of great value to offer this world, Sarah!

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  7. I have a new mantra! Lead a Less Lemming Life, Lead a Less Lemming Life, Lead a Less Lemming Life! It's a tough one to say but it might keep my mouth busy long enough to not let some of those other lemming-ish thoughts slip out.....

    Thanks for the great post, Wendy!

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    Replies
    1. Hey Becky, fun to say, right? All together now...

      ;-)

      I was getting a little punchy at the llama part. It happens.

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  8. Ah, Wendy, you made me smile with this one. Love it! LALLL! Great analogy!

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  9. "Let go of the guy in front" Sorta. I am learning the difference between learning from the wise and totally doing what they do. For a while I struggled with making my blog *right*. Now, I just blog. Jennifer Style, with a little bit of what I think is cool that I learned from other people.

    I struggle DEEPLY with winning the Most Lovable Lemming badge. No, it aint there, I added it, helpful, huh? I could also easily win the Comparing Myself to Other Lemmings badge. Yet, *oddly*, I do best when I stand back, shake my head and run the other way!

    When I started to write, I jumped right into tricky subjects, like racism and PTSD. I didn't want to stick my toe in the water, I was going cannonball or not at all. Which floats back to letting go of the guy in front.



    I guess. Right? Tell me I'm right....

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  10. Ohhh, ohhh, how I love your lists.

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  11. Hi Wendy - I'm definitely with you on the coattail thing! It's so easy to follow the crowd, especially in the writing community. I get weary of the, "this is the way to get published mentality." While there are certain basic principles, there's plenty of room for individuality. Blessings, Susan :)

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