My mom lives in a sleepy little town in south-central Texas. You can go to visit and it’s quiet. I mean, you can hear the birds singing, the crickets chirping, and the cows mooing. We laugh and tease a lot because there is only one stop-light in the small town. It’s definitely a nice get-away from the busy city. It is so relaxing and you can always count on there not being a line at a restaurant, gas station, or grocery store. That was until . . .
the sleepy little town woke up!
A few years ago the Eagle Ford Shale formation was found right under that little town. Can you imagine? A treasure of oil right there. Right under that sleepy little town. Since the discovery oil rigs have been erected, 18-wheelers have hit the roads, and hundreds of people have moved in. With all the buzz that sleepy little town now is loud, noisy, blowing, and going. Needless to say, that sleepy little town has come to life. Hotels are popping up and restaurants have lines out the door at lunch time. All great things for business owners and those previously looking for work. It’s interesting how in a few months time that sleepy little town has found a true treasure and capitalized on it. And the crazy thing is . . . the Eagle Ford Shale was underneath the surface the whole time, unnoticed and untapped.
As I visited the not-so-sleepy little town over the holidays I had to wonder — what happened to bring this town to life? There’s life, excitement, and movement in that town now. And then I asked . . .
What do I have lying dormant in me underneath the surface that is just waiting to be discovered and then thrive in full action? Or even, what do you have within you that has gone unnoticed long enough? What in you is waiting to spring forth just as a new oil well being tapped?
Maybe it’s time to put into practice the ritual of pinching ourselves daily and saying, “wake up!”
Waking up can be scary, though. It means we have to realize we have more in us than we think. It means it’s time to do something. It means we recognize it’s time, as I like to say, we put on our big girl panties and step out of our comfort zones. Oh, it’s scary alright. Being awakened can even feel awkward. What if others don’t like us when we are awakened? What if others judge our awakened state? All those “what if” questions paralyze us from truly living awake and so we live with much needed resources lying just under our surface — untapped, unused, and unnoticed.
But what if we awoke? What if we ignored all the “what if’s” that paralyze us?
I think then the stirring of our inward soul couldn’t help but notice that sleepy little town within us. That little town reminding us it’s time to call forth every gift, talent, strength, experience, and passion and awake with purpose. Awake to live. Awake to life. Awake to be all the buzz that God created us to be.
Oh yes, let’s put into practice the measure of truly waking up to all we were called to be.
Alene, you know what I was just asking myself what everyone (people that I know) are thinking about whenever they read my blog or posts. If they are thinking that I am trying to be wise or something like….know what I mean? If I should stop what I am doing or what not – thank you for this…
Your comment really touched me. Thanks. It's those questions that run through our heads that are so tough to deal with. The "what if's" will destroy us if we don't bring them out into the open and view them as the lies that they are. Keep writing and posting girl! Thanks for your sweet heart. Lifting up a prayer for you.
I love your sleepy little town with the birds chirping. I love that there was a treasure beneath – and that God put a treasure within us to share with others.
Oh this is a beautiful post. First, I would love to live in a town where I could hear the birds chirping, without traffic at the same time. I love how there was something under the surface that couldn't be seen, something of value. I think buried within all of us are treasures that have yet to be called to the surface. For me, it's about believing that what lies deep within is actually worth something. Thank you for this post!
God certainly puts those treasures in us, but I agree with Barbie it's hard sometimes to see value and worth in what lies within us. Be encouraged friends, there's great resources underneath – we just need to tap into HIM and He'll help us see the true wealth of what we have to offer.
Thanks for the much needed encouragement for me and all others. No matter who we are or how much we already know or do, encouragement is as vital to our growth as love.