Life AND Love..."DOES"

so thinking back to the book my office read recently "Love Does" by Bob Goff, i've been inspired from recent friends' circumstances (and even my own) to blog about DOING...and not only in the area of love but in LIFE.
i don't think either of my friends would mind me sharing their general circumstances in this, but even before i heard their stages in life right now, i had been led to blog about this and how i have been influenced by the concept of DOING.
with anything in life that we desire or want for ourselves or feel the Lord is leading us to, action must be implemented. we have to act in order for things to happen...even if it means trying and not succeeding- action is always involved and very rarely do we NOT learn from these moments in our lives. for example, my friend is not content with where she lives and has not felt at peace where she has been- but the only barrier that kept her from staying in the city she loved here in Nashville was a job which she needed in order to stay...but the Lord's timing and plan for her life led her back home. but now, she isn't at peace or happy where she is, and would love to come back to nashville. her goal: to find a job back here- the place she loves with friends she loves and a community she had. so she looked for jobs recently and applied again...and now will see what happens...and pray. we are praying for God's direction and leading and timing and faithfulness. but what was involved in her desire to move was ACTION. a similar situation is going on with my friend far away that also has different desires God has planted in her heart, and now with those "goals" and desires, she has to DO something. if i have a desire to love someone or change the world or impact in my community/workplace/etc., then i have to DO something. i can't just sit on the sideline and wait for things to come to me if i want to influence/change/impact the world around me. another one of my friends just moved for a job and was ready to move and change scenery, and her change came about through action.
so right now, what are your goals/dreams/thoughts and how will you put action with them to move towards making them happen? i feel that this concept of action in life has been instilled in me through my dad- who is so encouraging in if ever i had something i wanted to do or accomplish or be or set my mind and heart to do- he 110% supported me and believed in me and emphasized ACTION and pursuit and determination and never giving up no matter what. and for that, i am so thankful! my dad is a prime example of how determination, motivation, and heart and passion can lead to great things and influence others.

stranger

so I haven't posted in a while. I would say I haven't had time, but I would probably be lying. I love blogging only because it is a written way for me to gather all my thoughts and document memorable experiences. the title of this post is unique- because it's been a month since my last post which makes me feel like a stranger to the outside world but also because over the course of a week and even the past few days, I've met "strangers" or my patients, yet their stories have encouraged me and I have felt like I've known them my entire life. this makes me thankful for the common ground and bond of Jesus Christ. today, I found comfort from one of my patients through her story of loss and how joyful she was in the fact that yes she suffers loss in her husband dying 10 years ago, but through that loss she has seen the redemptive work of Jesus and how that can become a way of sharing the Gospel. I had another patient talking about a close family member affected by hurricane sandy, and my heart sunk thinking of the darkness they are facing... and then I thought about kairos worship night last night... the theme: move. how is The Lord moving in my heart? where is He directing me to serve/love? the definition of move in this context is loving with the purpose of and leading to action- which God stirred my heart when this patient started talking about how the storm had affected her family. where is God telling me to move? in a relationship/service/loving/overcoming a fear? I just have to allow him to stir and ask him to work in my heart and direct me...and He will.