A day of first's

So....today is the first day of Fall!  Now, because I live in the "Valley of the Sun", otherwise known as "an oven", I don't find myself remembering this day, much less celebrating it.  Palm trees don't turn glorious shades of yellow, orange, red and brown.  And the last thing you want to do is jump into a big pile of palm leaves...ouch!  The high temps here are still hitting close to 100 degrees.  Definitely not brisk and chilly.  Definitely not slipper weather....yet!  Luckily, I have discovered if I burn enough Autumn Spice candles in my house and drink spiced hot tea I can trick myself into believing it's chilly outside in September! 

But today is a day of first's that encompasses more than just the first day of Fall. 

I have a confession to make.
My family and I have used the same bath towels for almost 10 years!  I never buy them, and I don't know why.  Yes, they are discolored, half-bleached, fraying, falling apart and some literally hanging on by a thread. So, today for the first time (my Mom even bought my last set of towels over 5 years ago) I bought new towels!  Ok, so I only bought 4 but it's a start....and I was able to toss the oldest and rattiest of all of the towels today.  Very liberating!  I also bought one in each color because they were so pretty and plush, I wanted one of each.  Freshly washed and dried towels are the best!

My most exciting first for the day (and my favorite) is that I have decided that today is the first day of the rest of my life.  Is that not the most cliche saying you've ever heard?  The awesome part is that no matter how cliche it is, for me, it's true!  For the first time, I am choosing to choose.  To choose the good over the bad.  Joy over sorrow.  Humbleness over pride.  Thankfulness over selfishness.  Giving over taking. 

I'm choosing Victory over defeat!

I can admit that I have lived my life as a believer in Christ under a massive weight of chains that have locked me to regret, disappointment, shame, complacency and even depression.  All this time I could have been dancing in freedom yet I was choosing to trudge through life under an indescribeable burden. 

I was an unhappy Christian.

So today, as I choose to tear away from that bondage, those lies, I delight at the thought of what tomorrow may bring!  Hope, peace, love, joy, excitement, future.  When the day is over I know I am loved, that God is good, that His mercies are made new every morning, and above all else, I am His child.  I can rest my heart and my head in the hands of my Creator and know that all is well.

I am finally moving forward.  Even in the painful times I have taken steps backwards, I am reminded of the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and  my soul is rejuvinated and filled with a new thirst to know God more.  And guess what I found out?  One foot in front of the other actually works.

This song has been such a blessing to me...it speaks such words of stepping out of our past and into our present!  Enjoy "Moving Forward" by Free Chapel.

Thanks for reading!