A selfie revelation: It has victory written all over it...

I took this photo of myself last week. I was intending to tweet my selfie with the hashtag #mylifephotos via a prompt at Kokoa Magazine. 

The first photo is the original

Despite not being a big fan of the outdoors, when I am with nature, I feel closest to God. 

Beautiful days draw me out of dark shadows and wrap me with reassuring comfort. 

As I was snapping pictures of myself looking at the sky, I was purposefully wanted to capture a, "Are you there God, it's me Kenya" kind of face. 

After I captured this photo I said "Wow, this one says YES." 

It spoke to me, dredging up some emotions from deep within.

Emotions that I wanted to articulate, but couldn't find the words. 

So I kept the picture to myself to dwell on. 

On Friday morning I read something someone shared on facebook, the just for me highlight was:

"God picked you to flourish and do great things [...] you need to understand your story has victory written all over it."

Later that same day I read an article, Three Things I know to be true by Alison Hector. One heading read: 

"My purpose on earth is unfolding daily."

Alison's article concluded with the line, "Trying to rush Him never works, does it?"

As I approach my 43rd birthday next month, I've been feeling a familiar funk coming on. The voice of pessimism that tells me I am getting older and I am in the same place as I was a year ago and the year before that.

I'll question what my purpose is. I'll take a mental break from worrying about it, then I start the new year off with a renewed "This is my year" spirit. 

I'm tired of that cycle. Telling myself that this me is enough, isn't enough.  

On Sunday, I went to church fully expecting that whatever the message was going to be, was going to be my wake up call. 

I didn't leave service all fired up. It was more like, "Dang, I've got some work to do." The title of the message was, "React".

1 Peter 2:21 (NIV) To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

For all that is going on around me, in the community, in church, in my neighborhood, amongst my family/friends, in this world - I should REACT.

React with humility. React with anger. React with generosity. React with neatness. React with the word of God. React with forgiveness. React with courage.

Here's the thing that led me here today...

Another header in Alison's post was, "You and I are connected for a reason." I remembered this as I stopped by a blog post this morning right before deciding to write this one. 

Kathy at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" has a weekly song-ography prompt. This week the song to capture in a photo was, "What a Wonderful World." In my photo above...

"I see skies of blue, 
And clouds of white." 

I see a "bright blessed day" and "I think to myself, what a wonderful world." ~Louis Armstrong

"Reaction sets things in motion and determines what the outcome will be. But let the reaction be appropriate to the will of God." ~Pastor Chris

Thank you Kim (facebook), Alison, Kita, Kathy and Pastor Chris for your inspiration which inspired the reaction to write this post. 

Now I am fired up.