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Pot Epiphanies: God’s love frees me from having to prove myself.

Releasing the Burdens (Love Conquers All)

Along the way a fierce, unconditional love finally conquered my fear of making deep, meaningful connections. Conquering that fear released much of my anger and frustration, rolling the heavy burden from my heart, leaving it naked and vulnerable and ready to make connections—connections with the people around me, my environment, my world, and ultimately, my God.

This has turned my world upside down. The new openness of my heart has prepared me for exciting experiences and unexpected connections.

Sometimes when I gaze into the chasm filled with these new possibilities I still feel those fears tapping me on the shoulder. But I have discovered that these possibilities are exhilarating, like sky diving into a bottomless abyss—a heart-pumping, adrenaline-filled experience.

So join me as I strap on my parachute and dive into a new life filled with amazing possibilities. Get ready to fully experience this joyful journey through deep, meaningful connections.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): Before we can truly open our hearts to making deep, life-changing connections, we must relinquish our heavy burdens of pain, guilt, and anger—we must tear down the crippling walls of hatred.

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Pot Epiphanies:  If we analyzed our actions we would discover that many are directly driven by our deep desire to make meaningful connections.

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Quick Quote: A wise person knows that to understand all would be to forgive all; so he does.
~Randy R. Reed

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Bible Blessings: The deepest desire of every human heart is to know its Creator. Do this, and you will know true happiness. ~Psalm 37:4 (Randy Reed Paraphrased Version)

Craving Connections (Stepping Forward)

Along the way I’ve been awash with deep fear—a fear of making true connections. I nursed that fear, using it as the cornerstone to build a fortress around my heart—carefully crafting stones of anger and frustration to fill in the gaps. Still, I was engulfed by an aching desire to honestly and deeply connect. But my fear-fueled wall-building continued, keeping me from the one thing I desired most—connections.

In my emptiness I reached out, touching others with my heavy hand of anger, my fiery tongue of frustration, and the full body of my hate. I was desperately reaching out to make some kind of connection. I believed that relationships filled with anger and hate were far better than isolation.

The truth is, no amount of anger, frustration, hate, money, possessions, intelligence, or even knowledge can truly satisfy our God-created craving to connect.

So join me on my joyfully journey as I courageously set aside my fear. Then I can begin creating deep, meaningful connections by reaching out to my husband, my sisters, my parents, my coworkers, my neighbors, and to the stranger standing next to me in the checkout line.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): God created within each of us a profound yearning to be connected to Him.

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Quick Quote: The only way to have a friend is to be one. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Between the Blogs (Poetry by Trena)

A Voice in the Throng
by Trena Reed

Her voice cries out from the deafening throng
Raising above raucous crowds in an empty room
whispering a desperate yearning to belong
to escape the echoes of her empty tomb
Hollow laughter echoes from her parched throat
She hums a melancholy tune devoid of notes

Cracked lips fill reams of paper with notes
Of hope, reaching out for a single connection in the throng.
Her cries of loneliness get stuck in a throat
clogged with laughter, leaving no room
For her fears. Her loneliness is a sealed tomb
Vibrating with her yearning to belong

In a desperate yearning to belong
She spills words onto perfumed slips of pink note-
book paper,  she pounds her bloody fits on the tomb
walls, hoping to get a reaction from an indifferent throng
The fullness of her pain leaves no room
For belief, so she hangs gaudy gold beads at her throat

 Slips into a daring dress with a deep plunging throat
That reveals her desperate yearning to belong
Her hips sway seductively as she enters the room
The gently whisper of her skirt causes men to take note
Carefully manicured feet joining the gyrating throng
Her hopeful heart franticly beats against loneliness’ tomb

The throbbing music cannot reach the tomb
of her soul. Hopelessness steals up her throat
threatening to release a deafening throng
of cries, exposing her desperate yearning to belong
Instead she hides her pain in the song’s throbbing notes
Gracefully dancing around the vacuous room

Dolls with painted faces draped in silk decorate the room
Each eager to escape their lonely empty tomb
Instead they greedily take meticulous notes
Of the gaudy jewelry around their rivals throats
Using their bodies to hide their desperate yearning to belong
These empty faces makes up the indifferent throng

If they stopped taking petty notes, look around the room
And embraced their rivals in the throng, they would find an exit from their tomb
Their throats would fill with laughter and they would finally find a place to belong


 Copyright © 2010 Trena Reed

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Pot Epiphanies: True connections happen not when we talk about ourselves, but when we truly desire to listen to the hearts of others.

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Questions to Ponder: What is keeping you from making deep, life-long connections?

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Quick Quote: Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Freedom to Fail (Freedom to Succeed)

Along the way I’ve found that one of the greatest joys of the journey is giving myself permission to fail, and to succeed.

 I recognize that my worth is not wrapped up in my successes or failures, how many people like me, how influential my friends are, what kind of shoes I wear, or the kind of car I drive. None of these define me; none change my worth. Nothing I do can change God’s view of me. Nothing can change my value in His eyes.

This is true freedom.

This is an awakening that frees me from the fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of what others might think. This freedom allows me to step outside of my comfort zone and realize that even if I fail it will not affect who I am, or who I become. My failures no longer define me.

So join me, give yourself permission to fail and to succeed, and plunge into this joyful journey.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): Success or failure cannot change my value or my ability to be loved—these are unchangeable. My actions cannot change who God is. My actions cannot change how He loves me. These realizations give me freedom to succeed.

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From the Word: There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]. ~1 John 4:18 (Amplified Bible)

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Pot Epiphanies: I've learned that the persistent whispers of self-doubt and fear can be silenced by God’s perfect promises.  

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Questions to Ponder: What's holding you back?

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Quick Quote: "We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Conquering Boulders (Sweet Success)

Along the way I’ve often been afraid: afraid of the ice on the roads, afraid to challenge myself, afraid to ride my bike over rough terrain, afraid to expose my inner feelings, afraid I might fail, afraid someone would laugh, afraid I’d be afraid—afraid…

If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I still secretly harbor many of these fears. I feel their hot breath on my neck almost daily; however, I’ve discovered that most failures aren’t as painful or as embarrassing as I feared, laughing at my own mistakes still releases endorphins, and people are far better than I expect—more likely to applaud my efforts and cheer me on than to laugh at or mock me.

And, success is so sweet.

So, while I sometimes still walk my bike over the rocks, I’m learning, one failure at a time, that trying is always better than giving up—regardless of the outcome. And, success is so sweet.

So put on your game face, stare fear in the eye, failure in the face, and plunge into this joyful journey.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): Fears frustrate success.

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Pot Epiphanies: Hatred always tears down; it never builds up.

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 Pot Epiphanies: The beauty of putting others first is this: That single selfless act inherently satisfies one of our deepest needs—the need to be connected

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Questions to Ponder: What would you do if you had no fear?

Resolving to Resolve (Mapping the Journey)

Along the way I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly of new year’s resolutions—I’ve made many, never started some, successfully completed few, and broken most.

Throughout the years I’ve discovered that the power of making new year’s resolutions isn’t in the success or failure of my resolutions; instead, it’s in the honest inventory of the past and the continued assessment of future goals and dreams.

January 1st is a check point of sorts—a time to determine where I am and where I want to go; a time to pull out the map to be sure I’m still on the right road (or if I’m on a road at all). Sometimes wandering leads me to interesting places, but a trip taken without ever consulting a map is a meandering journey leading nowhere.

So, break out The Map and determine where your joyful journey will lead in this new year.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): Searching for direction in life without God’s Word is like using a cereal box in place of an atlas.