First Baptist Church of Herndon

Get to the heart of the matter

Linda Soller | Feb 03, 2014

Sometimes I wake up and wonder if this is all there is. I’m a pretty upbeat positive person, but there are still days when I think about all that I haven’t done and will most likely never do. As we get older our “bucket list” can seem further from our reach than ever. Time just flies by. If you’re finding this depressing so far, please continue to read on because it’s not my intent to bring your mood down. My point is that many of us really don’t listen to our hearts. Instead, we fall in to patterns and routines that fill our days, weeks, and years. The next thing we know we are looking back with regret or forward with disinterest.

As a child I did all sorts of things. The list for me included Sunday school, Brownies/Girl Scouts, dance lessons, softball, church choir, plays at school, cheering, swim team, and well you get the idea. There was a time when I thought it would be nice to be really good a one thing instead of being that person who is only okay (sometimes not very good) at a lot of things. I remember watching the ice skaters on TV and wishing I could do that. I realized by accident as a senior in high school that I would have enjoyed being more involved with the theater, but it wasn’t to be.

As an adult I can better appreciate the scope of opportunities my parents made available to me and the encouragement they gave me to participate. Now, as it turns out, that mish mash of experiences has really proven valuable. I feel like I was able to appreciate my children’s experiences with a more realistic view. I knew what it meant to be the last person picked for a team and the first. I knew that some things we did because we wanted to belong and some things we did because we just wanted to. I met wonderful people along the way who I might not have ever known if not for the activity we shared. I developed a skill for being able to adapt and get along with people. What I didn’t learn was when to follow my heart. I began to see myself as the person who did a bit of everything, but who wasn’t an expert at anything, and there was a time when that impacted my confidence to step out of my comfort zone. My heart would tell me to do what I loved; my brain would tell me to stick with what I was good at.

There is a time for following your brain and a time for following your heart. I think your heart often addresses your creative tendencies and your compassionate nature. The good news is that it’s never too late to get to the heart of the matter. You’re never too old to explore your dreams. Sure the reality is that I will not win an Oscar for my acting or a Tony for being a “triple threat”, but I can and often do nurture my dramatic tendencies. God uses them in another way, just ask members of the Drop In Class and the folks at FBC Herndon. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to be part of a writing group, to be writing a blog (there were no blogs when I was young and dreaming), or to have writings published. These are all very recent activities for me and very welcomed ones.

I encourage you to visit your heart’s desires, to ponder your dreams, to explore your opportunities. There is no age limit on being happy, loved, and satisfied with your life. When you are open to what can be God can do amazing things with you. When your brain puts up a road block it may be time to get to the heart of the matter.

Have a great week!  :o)    Linda

The Do Drops want to send a warm we miss you to - Raydean and Micky, Tim and Jo, and Karen and Gaylord. We miss seeing you all!