"Are You In It To Win It?"

Sometimes when we go through life..
We realize..the simple truths' take us the furthest..
The innocent smile hidden in your child's eyes..as they race through their childhood..
They see life as it should be seen...
Breathing in the crispness of a new morning while the world around you sleeps..
Remembering and realizing that every single day, harbors a new beginning
(and it is yours' for the taking!!)

As the earth spins, tilts and orbits through space..
We play our parts...
And sometimes find ourselves wondering what it's all about ...

Then... comes this beautiful, glorious thought and we realize
That it never,... really was about us..

Its' all Him!!
All of these...little crowning moments??
Gifts from Him!!

We could no more have conjured these up.. 
Than we could have set the earth into orbit!!

What are your crowning moments??
The people, places and times that mean the most to you??
Are you willing to lay them down..these small treasures
In exchange for a simple truth..or two??
Truths' that will take you further than you ever dreamed possible.

Truth: There will come a day when these moments will not be enough.

Truth: When we lay down our gold encrusted crowns...as special as they are, we will suddenly see 
how pale 'our crowns' are 
in comparison to a different crown we are promised 
as followers of Christ
(And to those who are willing to change course.)

He treasures our golden crowns and times, holding them more closely than we ever could...
And, He exchanges them for the imperishable Crown of LIFE...
that we have been racing towards,...our entire life.
He is willing!!He is able
And He is lovingly waiting for you...at the finish line..

Every single day..harbors a new beginning
And these truths are yours for the taking...

1 Corinthians 9:24-26a
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. 
They do it to get a crown that will not last, 
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly........."