Musing – a period of reflection or thought.

Welcome to my 5 Minute Musings!

I recently joined a writing community that includes a weekly Writing Prompt Challenge. We are given a “prompt word” each day, and the challenge is to free-write for 5 minutes using the word of day. The goal is to get writers to write on a daily basis, by eliminating inhibitions, silencing the inner critic, releasing creativity and to write without fear of judgement or criticism.

I am sharing my writing prompts as my 5 Minute Musings. In some cases, I added additional content for the purpose of sharing to this site. The 5 Minute Challenge along with other resources can be found at: www.fiveminutefriday.com/challenge

Empty – September 24, 2021

We have all felt empty at some point or another.  Life, no matter how fulfilling it is, circumstances will come and deplete us. 

In the book of Ruth, we have Naomi, a woman with a thriving life and family, she is married to the love of her life, and they have two sons.  Then, tragedy struck. 

First, a famine hit their homeland, which caused them to relocate to a foreign land in Moab. 

Next, Naomi’s husband died and left her with the two sons.   After the death of her husband, her sons got married, and she gained two daughters, Orpah and Ruth. 

However, after a mere ten years, her sons died.   Naomi was left feeling empty; Moab had not been kind to her, so she decided to return to her homeland. 

Naomi instructed her daughters-in-law to return to their family, as she had nothing left to offer them. 

Orpah, kissed Naomi and said, “so long, bye bye,” and was never heard from again.  However, Ruth decided to stay close to Naomi, proclaiming an undying commitment to her. 

I cannot imagine the anguish Naomi must have felt with one tragic loss after another.  But, instead of remaining in a place of pain, she returned to her homeland Judah, the area of promise and provision.

Upon Naomi’s arrival, the women of the town were excited to see her, and exclaimed, “Is this Naomi?” Her response to them was, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara; I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” 

Naomi’s name meant pleasant, but amidst her loss, she wanted no part of that name.  She now saw herself as Mara, which means bitter.  Her loss left her unpleasant and disillusioned with life.  Imagine losing your entire family, feeling alone, your legacy is gone, and your future uncertain.

Bag Of Seed

Naomi though, had Ruth.   Psalm 126:5-6 states, “Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.  Though one goes along weeping carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy carrying his sheaves.”   Unbeknownst to Naomi, Ruth was her bag of seed, and brought redemption, renewal, and sustenance to Naomi throughout her life.

Feeling empty can also result from constantly giving out to others and never replenishing ourselves in the process.    We cannot pour from an empty cup, though we often try to.     It’s like driving a car and never taking it in for maintenance.  After a while, the car will refuse to operate.

What is your bag of seed, and what’s in it?  For me, it’s my Mondays.  It’s a day I refer to as “my day,” which I set aside to nourish myself.  My family and friends are aware of the significance of “my day”, they allow me the time to honor that space. 

My bag of seed includes the following:

            Getting away to a quiet place

            The Word of God

            Rest

            Enjoyment

            Relaxation

            Doing whatever fills my tank.

My bag of seed prevents burnout and enables me to keep on giving. 

I would encourage everyone to have a bag of seed.  When heartaches come, or if one is running low, we can replenish our souls and rebound, bearing sheaves of joy.

Street – June 18, 2021

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I am moving y’all!   Yep, I’m changing street. 

I’m getting off this road called “I Can’t” – It’s a dead-end, with no way out!

I move on out past the street called Fear; it intersects with Doubt and Worry.  I give them only a momentary glance as I pass by.  They beckon me to come over, but I cruise right along, picking up speed to advance swiftly.

I see the street Procrastination, a road I’ve visited too many times to count. It’s tempting to stop, but I resist that pull; I know from experience that it will be tough to leave.

Procrastination, like sin, will keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost more than you’re willing to pay.  It reminds me of the street Perfectionism; now that’s a street that will keep you going in circles.

I accelerate with a sense of purpose, though not too fast. I can’t afford a collision or to miss where I’m heading. 

I get to a red light, so I stop.   As I observe my surroundings, I see the street call Distraction; on it is the Internet. 

Oh wait, I can check social media and see what others are up to.

What about my email? Of course, I can check that too.

I see Yahoo, and before you know it, I’m reading the latest headlines as well. 

Someone behind me beeps; I look up and notice the light is green.  What am I doing?  I can’t allow myself to be sidetracked.

I step on the gas to move ahead; I must reach my destination.

Some of these streets are unfamiliar to me, and I’m tempted to turn around. 

But I know going back is not an option; I have traveled too far already. 

I get to the street call Anticipation; it runs into Expectation, and it’s all the motivation I need to continue.

I follow until it takes me to a rotary, where I see the 3P’s.

Practice, Progress & Possibility.  

As I go around, I realize I’m in the vicinity of my new neighborhood. So, I ease on smoothly to my street, I Can. 

I look around and marvel at the journey and all the obstacles I had to overcome to get here. 

I breathe in my new surroundings, seeing all the possibilities.

I am finally home!

I unpack and settle in, making this new space mine. 

Getting comfortable without allowing complacency to set in.

I realize – this is where I belong.

I Can.

And you know what? 

I Will!

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Table – April 23, 2021

I come to the table and take my seat. I come to serve and be served.

For too long, I’ve circled the table, looking, while I avoided taking a seat.

Thinking, I don’t deserve to be here.
Thinking, I don’t have what it takes.

For too long, I thought I was unqualified,
especially when seeing the other occupants at the table.

For too long, I just circled, thinking there’s no room at the table for the likes of me.

But I allow courage to have the last say as I take my seat.

I get comfortable and take up space at the table.

It feels liberating and fitting to sit. I realize I belong here.

Here at the table,
there is no room for comparison,
No room for jealousy,
No room to try and be like someone else.

Here at the table,
I will craft my own dish, season with my own experiences.
The highs and the lows,
The sunshine and rain,
The joys and sorrows,
The laughter and tears,

And,
For those still circling, pull up a chair and take a seat.
There’s room at the table for you to share what you bring.
There’s room at the table for you to serve and be served.

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After – February 19, 2021

The definition of After is a time that is later than some other time. An example of the word after is when something happens subsequent to something else. Or during the period following (an event). 

 When I think about after, I see it as a moment of waiting.  As a child, I remember desiring something, and my mom would say that dreaded word after.  You can have after you have done so and so.

As a parent, I have said after to my children.  After you clean your room, after you complete your homework, or after you eat all your food.  They would then receive whatever they were requesting.   In a world of instant gratification, we want things here and now, and hearing the word after can sound like a bad word. 

Even God often tells us after.  In I Peter 5:10, it reads, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

 So, the period of going through hard times, though painful, is developing us, building spiritual muscle, and enabling us to become more robust, and increasing our effectiveness.  Like exercising, it can be grueling, but the benefits afterward outweigh the pain.

Being told after is never easy, but it will make the joy we feel that much sweeter and fulfilling – After. 

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Today – February 12, 2021

Sometimes we focus on our yesterdays. Whether it is looking back with regret at the choices we’ve made or we’re yearning for what was. At other times we look ahead in dread, fearing the unknown or in anticipation of some future event.

Focusing on yesterday or focusing ahead causes us to live in the past or the future and not live in today. And indeed, there is nothing wrong with looking back or looking forward. But, we can’t focus too much time and energy on either. Or, we will miss out on the moment of today.

Then there are times we procrastinate, putting off tomorrow the things we need to do today. I will embrace today; it is where I am right now. Today, at this moment, in the now, I will be present, I will be here.
I will feel all the emotions of today, whether it be joy or sadness, laughter or tears, sunshine or rain. Whether it be holding on to, or letting go of, whether it be, the beginning of, or ending. I will lean into today and all that it entails. And tomorrow? Well, tomorrow will take care of itself, but today, today is!