Nooma

Remember my fall goals?  Not really?  That's okay...I barely remember my fall goals.  Yes, this means I haven't really been working on them, but Sunday night I was feeling motivated so I took a peak at them. (yes, I had to remind myself of what my goals were!)  Then I picked out one I knew I could quickly tackle:  Finish my Nooma videos.  And I did it!

If you don't know what Nooma videos are click here.  I think the web site can explain it better than I can and I'm too lazy to plagiarize from the site, so just go there.  It'll be easier for all of us this way!

Anyway, I haven't been watching the videos in any particular order and I had two left.  The amazing thing was that the message in each video seemed to directly pertain to everything I've been struggling with!  As I was answering the questions that went along with each video in my journal it was eye opening.

Here's a few examples:

Nooma 005 Noise

1. What kind of noise do you have in your life?
2. Do you ever surround yourself with noise intentionally?
3. Does all of this noise in our lives make it hard to hear God?
4. Do you sometimes avoid silence because you're afraid of what God might actually have to say to you?
5. Are you ever alone or do you always need somebody around you?
6. What are some things in your daily life you could change to eliminate some of the noise?

I realized that I surround myself with "noise" - both audio and visual all day long.  I'm never alone; I'm never silent; I never take time to listen.  It's crazy to me that I needed a video and a few questions to open my eyes to the fact that I have my priorities all out of whack right now, that that may be contributing to my problems right now.

Then I watched my second - and last - Nooma video:

Nooma 018 Name

1. Why do you think we so often worry about what everyone else is doing, saying, or thinking?  Should it matter to us what's "normal" for everyone else?
2. Do you have the sense of a unique path in your life?  Are there ways in which you tend to get distracted from "your path" because of what others do, say, or think?
3. What do you think it means for people to claim their history?  Have you claimed yours?
4. What are some of your limits?  Are you okay with your limitations or do you still sometimes wish you had the abilities and circumstances of others?
5. Are there things in your life that you do because it's "expected" of you?  do these things get in the way of you doing what you really should be doing?
6. Do you think you could live in a way where you're not comparing yourself to people who have more than you, who look different than you, or who can do things you can't?  Do you think you can ever fully be you if you don't?
7. What would it look like for you to compeltely trust Jesus when he says, "You, follow me"?

This one was actually pretty painful for me to watch and think about.  I hate having to face up to how much of my identity is made up of other's thoughts and expectations; how very little of it is based on who I am by myself as opposed to who I am in comparison to others.  It is something I need to work on - finding out what is "normal" for me, what God has planned for me.

Right now I'm pretty happy.  I've not only crossed of a goal from the list, but I've given myself some things to think about, and I'm in the process of making some big decisions that will hopefully help put me on a happier path.