Lord of the Sweet Spot

What a fun weekend we had!! The day started out with the short 2 hour drive to Dallas and I was so surprised to see all the tall city like buildings. I never knew that Dallas was that much like a big city. 

This is a picture of our hotel, the Magnolia

 

It's the one with this famous horse on top

We were on the top floor with a great view of the city and if you looked up and squinted you could see the red reflection of the horse.

We drove around quite a bit and explored the city, met up with three of C's classmates at the hugest mall I've ever seen! Seriously this thing was massive! It had an ice skating rink on the inside and was 4 stories of pure consumerism galore. Soon enough it was time to head back to our hotel to get all gussied up for the big night out and the Riverdance concert! 

For those of you who have never seen or heard of Riverdance or Lord of the Dance, shame on you (ha ha just kidding). This video really doesn't do it justice. But the premise of the show is demonstrating the art of Irish dancing and the way that it has been such a pivotal part of the culture. Here's a snipit of the opening number, skip to about 0.40sec for the dancing to begin

Now if you don't think this is as amazing as I do, that's ok. I was simply in heaven sitting there in our amazing seats watching these performers do their thing! There are a few numbers where the violinist, the drummer, and the flutist just go at it and it is so cool to watch someone just excel in their own area of expertise. Do you know what I am talking about? When an NBA basketball star really plays well there is nothing like it, or when a gifted piano player sits down to play, or a gifted dancer performs. It's that feeling and experience of doing exactly what you were made to do and doing it to the best of your ability. I really think this is how God wants us to live our lives. To do our best at what we were gifted to do and shine at it. When that violinist begins to play, the spotlight is on him and everything else seems to melt away. You can see the joy on his face and the light of Christ is really shining through that.  If the drummer were to pick up  the violin and start playing he may be able to learn over time and may be ok at it, but it would be nothing compared to the times that gifted violin player takes the stage. 

God has given us unique gifts and talents that are distinctly different than anyone else, and he wants us to excel at them and work within our sweet spots (where God's purpose intersects our passions). 

1 Corinthians 12:1,4-6 "Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed... There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."

Everyone has different gifts but all are from the same God and for the purpose of praising that same God. Look for ways this week that you are performing in your "sweet spot", or times when you feel that God's purpose is being carried out by your work. Notice those in your life who are living in their sweet spots, and are glorifying God by being great at their craft. 

B.T.W. I ended up wearing the green dress and brown boots, it was perfect for walking around Dallas that night. Unfortunately it is much harder to take great pictures when there are only 2 of you and my clunky camera doesn't fit well in my cute clutch. (fashion over function :) I'll post the few pictures I have soon.