I'VE GOT A NEW ATTITUDE

Yesterday one of my friends and I went up Kenosha Pass in Colorado for some snow play. Snow hiking, running her three dogs, getting wet and cold and playing with my camera. It was glorious. 

This morning during my quiet time and devotions, reading about pursuing passions and desires and setting goals, I had this weird, almost angry thought. "I'm doing this while I can because I'm unemployed." 

©CherieElainePhotography2020 

Sheila with Otis, Andi and Mia

WHAT THE HECK????

Questions begin racing through my mind. Is this really what I believe about myself? I've been behind the camera for more than 20 years! I had an art gallery. I have served hundreds of happy clients. Do I really believe it is something I should just be doing while I can? 

Oh. My. Goodness. NO.

The voices of "others" have been stronger than my own desires or confidence. Some of the voices are those of people I trust and respect. I know they want what is best for me. But some of those voices ARE NOT. And I need to hear them for what they are.

It's so true that we listen to what others believe about us and forget to nurture what we believe about ourselves. We can even physically handicap ourselves so that what we want doesn't line up with what we should. 

No one tells the postman who has been working for 25 years that it's time to give up on his career. Or the bank teller who has been there for 20 years that she needs to move on. No, those are considered worthy years spent working. And they ARE. But why does my work matter less? I'm creating something that will exceed 25 years, something that will connect generations together for years to come. 

Okay, the ranting part is over. :-) Here's what I'm getting at. I think we hear the voice of what PEOPLE believe we are built for more than we trust what GOD has built us for. 

I believe wholeheartedly in Godly counsel. Sometimes we need people because we are confused or hurt or tired and weary and we can't hear God through the pain. But even more, I believe in what God has designed for YOU, and it is what HE has planned for you that you need to seek and pursue. 

It is a shame that we overlook the passion of the cross and what happened there so that we could live abundantly and gloriously and freely in His Spirit and do what He created us for! 

My friend Sheila is gifted in rescuing animals, and has had more that 25 dogs move through her home to their destined families. My friend Jody has a gift for foreign language and when she speaks in Spanish my eyes fill with tears because it sounds beautiful coming from her lips. My friend Joan has a quick mind for business and overcoming obstacles that few could withstand. My cousins Victor and Lori can design and build a one of a kind home from the ground up. My friend Cheryl has so much physical and emotional power that she is building a business teaching others to tap into that. These are people who know what they can do and DO IT. 

So, is it easy? Heck no. It takes practice and work.

I have a college degree that says I am a "Bachelor of Arts" in English, but I had to go to college in my late 40's and work three jobs to earn it. I have put in thousands of hours of training to become a licensed photographer. It took me years to trust my instincts to use manual settings on my camera instead of putting in automatic mode. I never shoot raw, but jpeg because now I can trust the work happening inside my camera before photographs get downloaded.  

©CherieElainePhotography2020 

Sunshine on a steep trail.

Here's what I want you to believe about yourselves! You are made for more than you know! We don't all sit at a desk. But those that do have a tenacity for it! We don't all play music, but those that do heal hearts with it! We are not all doctors healing diseases or artists filling magnificent halls with paintings. But we are ALL destined for something, and digging deep enough, you will find it in you. 

©CherieElainePhotography2020 

And then this! Glorious blizzardry! 

(I think that should be a word.)

So, today, in the words of the lovely Patti LaBelle, I've got a new attitude. How about you? What's your attitude like? How do you see yourself, and what you can do? Shine, baby, shine. Take on a new attitude. By the way, the lyrics are great. 

Love you!

New Attitude by Patti LaBelle