Boxes and bags are piled seemingly a mile high. Dust swirls in the air and invites a round of sneezing from my poor nose. Four of us fervently set to wok on opening these boxes and bags and sorting through a generous donation to Eagles Wings. Toys, shoes, clothes, towels, coats, blankets, and pretty much anything imaginable have been unfolded and revealed in these veritable treasure chests.
Our jackpot find…a CD case stuffed with DVDs buried under many a VHS tape. Since we knew that the kids here aren't going to be watching “Independence Day” and “Blood Diamond” any time soon, we borrowed the DVDs to look through and possibly watch during our time off here.
Julie and Julia is the one that stole my heart right away. A movie that I have seen only once before and loved, I was anxious to watch it again and fall into the Parisian/ New York story line once again.
So on this chilly evening, I found myself tucked under my fluffy covers, a special treat of malt balls at my side, and a computer on my lap (true World Race style). And so I escaped into a cooking whirlwind for an hour and a half with Julie and Julia. Now, this movie may be just another sentimental chic flick to most, but for me, it ignites a sort of flame. A passion. An inspiration. It acts as a catalyst of sorts to dream once again with my Abba.
In the movie, modern day New Yorker, Julie, sets out to accomplish a goal of cooking through famous American chef Julie Child's French cookbook in one year. A seemingly impossible feat of over 500 recipes in just 365 days. This challenge also comes with another twist. Julie must share her experience with others through a blog. The movie follows her story, as well as the story of Julia Child's life as she learns to cook and live in France and around the world. In the end, through many a tea and I am sure, good memories, Julie completes her goal.
This kind of thing stirs my heart. I love seeing people reach their goals and dreams. Something I wish I could do more in my own life. For so long, I have been left with vague ideas of what I want to do in life, and what my goals are. Honestly, at some points I am still not entirely sure.
But I want to take a leap of faith and use the gifts that God has given me, and use the gift of life he has given me too.
If I fail, at least I tried. That's more than some can say. And who's to say that failure really means failure? Maybe it's God teaching us a new lesson, or pointing us in a new direction. We all fail in our lives, it's a given with a fallen world. But that doesn't mean we don't try. Better to try than never know.
I don't want my life to follow some text book timeline or rule book. Not even the stereotypical “American dream” lifestyle. I don't want a cookie cutter life. God made us all different. It's not a bad thing, to be different. And we're all on a different journey, and each one will look a little different.
But it's our own. And it's my own. It's your journey with Christ through this world, and it's my journey with Christ through this world.
I'm making my life my own. More importantly, I'm making my life HIS life. How HE would have me live and move and breath. Vacate myself and let him pour through me.
So thank you, Julie and Julia, for the inspiration and reminder to seize moments in life, especially the small ones. To dream big, and work towards the goal, even when you face seemingly impossible obstacles. Keep going.
I too, will be making my own year long challenge, which I hope to share with you all. I will be praying about exactly what this challenge will be. Stay tuned, folks, and…
Bon Apetit!
