The beautiful coast of Long Beach, CA….my old stomping ground. As I waited for a friend, I could not help but soak up the people watching time…one of my favorites!
Car windows open, sun shinning in and the people and sand about 5 feet away. And of course, being right in the middle of a college town, your bound to be amongst college peeps wherever you go. You see, it was a Friday afternoon, probably around 3:00pm and there in front of me was a group of college guys playing catch, volleyball, mingling, running around, and just having fun. In all actuality most of the people at the beach were guys. Of course there were a few of those girls that couldn’t separate from their boyfriends, but all in all it was mostly dudes!
So naturally, I couldn’t help but think back to my college days. And to be honest, I had to laugh. It was so typical. The guys were out messing around, getting dirty and just living in that moment. All awhile, guaranteed there were girls out shopping, getting ready for another Friday night out on the town. They were trying to figure out which guy they were going to impress, looking for the outfit that would be cuter than any other girl and planning it all out! Remember it is only 3:00pm. in the afternoon and most likely they all wouldn’t begin their night until about 10:00pm.
And then the words of a mighty man of God came to mind, “You are, but you will be….” I thought, wow guys do a great job at the “YOU ARE” part and us ladies do a great job at the “YOU WILL BE” part. You see the previous description about girls and guys does not come flippantly, it comes 100% from experience. That is the way I did it and in all fairness, part of that is how we as men and women are made differently. But the other parts of it, I believe comes from insecurities we have.
In all actuality, those guys were probably not thinking about what they were going to wear that night, what girl they were going to impress, strategically planning their whereabouts so they would run into her and definitely not spending hours shopping for yet another Friday night out! THEY WERE LIVING IN THE MOMENT, they were getting the “YOU ARE” part. They were experiencing life as the person they were created as, expelling the energy they had for that moment. They were comfortable in what they were in that time and place, not getting caught up in what they were going to be that they forgot to be who they were right then.
Ladies! I get we are different and I’m not suggesting we stop shopping and looking pretty and start playing in mud, I’m simply saying we should take part of that spirit they live in. My friends and I got the spirit of “YOU WILL BE” pretty well! (Not necessarily for the right reasons, but needless to say we accomplished what we set out for…most of the time.) But that is a whole different story. We spent so much of our time and energy looking and trying to be something else. We bought clothes that made us look cuter, make-up that enhanced our eyes and lips, shoes that made us taller, didn’t eat a lot that night so we could be skinner, didn’t make plans until we were sure we would be in the same place and him….and on and on!
Do we see the difference? Used in there proper spirit, both YOU ARE and YOU WILL BE are amazing truths. Listen, I’m not suggesting we seek the “YOU WILL BE” that my friends and I did in college, but I am suggesting we hold on to that type of spirit in unison with YOU ARE. If we have no clue where we are on the freeway, how will we ever get to where we are going? Same goes for our lives. Men AND women, but us ladies seem to get it mixed up a bit more, we must BE who we are, who we were created to be in this moment in time. Yes, continue to seek out the mighty women we will be, but understand who we are now, appreciate it and cherish it. If we don’t grasp onto who we are now we will never fully achieve all we will be! WE ARE BUT WE WILL BE TOO!
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Pretty interesting…and took me back as well when I enjoyed and loved the newness of the change in me … both from the inside of my body, and from the outside fun expensive look!… from a girl to a young lady … enjoying perfume, creams, lotions…and feeling I’m becoming like grown ups…with a hair do, and a sophisticated wedding or dressy hat, the shiny dress, etc…that became like a night mare in the States…having to get a new one every year for proms and all the stuff the young ones celebrate here in the states during high school…so I think… the key is moderation…and being from a 3rd world country…being conciencious how we coudl share with less fortunate vs hoarding more and more…and spoiling this flesh…that if we come to think about it is so many times our enemy…:(
It was nice hearing from you…please give your mom a hug! Miss our e-mail visits! It would be cool if God has planned for us 4 to get togehter!
xo
Taryn –
seriously strong, sweetly true
thank you
XOX
I don’t know Taryn……. I think a little mud would look good on you
Good Stuff Sweetie!
BE BE BE because I LOVE YOU AND LOVE WHO YOU ARE!
Being with you!
xoxo
Good word. Love ya!
I remember those days too. Back then I used to think, we girls in preparing for a date are practicing what our name sounds and looks like with his last name, meanwhile, the guy isn’t thinking past dinner!