I have been called a character more than once in my life. Many times by my mother. I think she meant I was full of life and a little off the wall. Someone she enjoyed watching, even though she found some of the things I was doing strange. I always took it as a compliment. I may have just been weird. Whichever, I was just trying to be myself.

Over the past year I have gotten involved with the drama department at my church. I am currently rehearsing for my next show with them. The character I get to play is selfish and sneaky. Not traits I want to emulate in my own life, but it is fun to play the character, knowing that good wins in the end.

This summer I played a different character. I got the awesome gift of playing Maurice in Beauty and the Beast. I have been watching this story for almost 30 years now. I thought I knew that character well. He is an oddball, but lovable. As it turns out, I got to dive a lot deeper into what it meant to be him, which was more than I would have expected.

Maurice is an eccentric inventor. He is extremely smart, but a bit absent minded. He is a widower that is doing his best to raise a strong daughter who can think for herself, but also be part of a strong family. He works hard and provides for his daughter. However, he misses his wife dearly. He knows love and loss. He is a very interesting and admirable character.

What does that word mean?

Character (noun) – the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.

I think it is fitting that we call the subjects in stories characters. They give us pictures of traits and actions that we can either emulate or avoid. The show us positive and negative ways to be. They give us a picture to aspire to.

There are many things in Maurice’s character that I admire. One that I will highlight. When he daughter was in danger, he went to every length to rescue her. Though he was not successful, he was willing to pour out every ounce of himself to accomplish it. That is a character trait I want to have.

That is how it always starts. It was just a normal day and then…fill in the blank. Good or bad. There are so many instances of this. I understand this very well when it comes to the weather. I lived in Oklahoma for almost 38 years. There were several normal days that turned stormy in a hurry.

What is normal? it is an adjective that means: conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. The word expected is what caught me here. As expected.

Usually when we expect one thing and get another, we haven’t been paying attention. In my example above about the weather, had I been paying attention to the forecast I would have known what to expect. I would have planned my response in advance based on those expectations.

I think we choose normal, because it’s easy. We get into our routines with the way we like to see things, and everything else flows out of that. The problem comes when we find ourselves in a bad situation and don’t really know how we got there. whether you find yourself lost or overweight or in a bad relationship…

I don’t wanna be normal. I don’t want to move through life, unaware, just floating, like a leaf on the breeze.I choose to keep my eyes open. I want to know what to expect, and therefore have to pay attention. I have agency in my life, and I choose to use it.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. It isn’t. It is hard. Only a few will make it through. Will you be one of them?

Will you put in the time day after day? Will you make the right choices? Will you ignore the distractions? What you want is in front of you. You can see the path. WIll you walk it?

Will you block out the negative voices? Will you keep putting one foot in front of another when you don’t want to? Will you let go of what was so that you can grab on to what will be? Will you find joy in the struggle? Resistance is the only way we get stronger. It is true in all aspects of life. That is why it isn’t easy.

When you come out the other side, you will be different. You will wear the victory with dignity. You made it through. You stayed the course. No, it wasn’t easy. This is what distinguishes you. You don’t need easy. You were built different. You were made for more.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. You are not everyone. You are one of us. We do hard things.

It has been a month. I have made it one solid month on my 100 Days Strong goal. I am almost a third of the way through and I am excited to keep going.

When I set out on this journey it seemed like a spur of the moment thing. I made a decision. I wrote a list. I started following what I wrote. It was very straightforward. Why did it take me so long to get there?

I think the answer is…I finally wrote down what I wanted and listed out the steps I needed to take to get there. No, it isn’t magical. It is extremely practical. It is working.

I am down 13 pounds in one month. I got my first weight loss compliment at work today. My clothes fit better. This feels good.

Tomorrow starts month 2. Onward and upward. I want to see where this goes.

We were in church a few weeks ago and the pastor shared this verse while talking about the Apostle John. The verse below became central to how John lived his life.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

John 13:34-35 NLT

Per the pastor, as John got older he became a man of few words. He was the last living Apostle. Folks in the church knew him. They knew he had been with Jesus. The only thing he would say to people is love each other. That was his message.

I think that instruction is just as true today as ever. There are problems all around. What is the solution? Love each other. There are hungry people around. What is the solution? Show them love and feed them. There are hurting people around. Show them love and bind up their hurts.

Jesus says it this way:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.

Matthew 22:37-40 NLT

Love God. Loves others. This is the way.