I have come to believe that what you focus on can completely change your life. So, in a very real sense I guess I believe we get to choose whatever we want our life to be. We can have a very difficult life, or we can live happily ever after. We get to choose! You'd think it would be such a no-brainer, and yet as with most other topics, it's not quite as easy as it sounds.
The farther I get on this journey, the more the truth sinks in. I can't necessarily control my circumstances. I can't always control what happens to me. But what I CAN control is how I respond. I can control my outlook on life no matter what comes my way.
Or at least I'm learning to.
When I was young, absolutely every negative thing that happened in my life threw me into a tailspin. As the years have gone by, I've learned that no matter what happens, we get through it. It isn't always easy, but more often than not, we learn valuable things along the way. So through the years I've learned to stop myself more and more often when I begin to slide into that tailspin, and I remind myself of what's important.
1. I have a wonderful family. And even if (God forbid) something happens to one of them, because of what Jesus has done for us, I still have them.
2. My life, my destiny is in the hands of a kind, loving (and really quite whippy) God. He knows exactly what He is doing. And He knows me better than I know myself.
3. Life has twists and turns, but God continues to be steady. He has strength when I'm weak. He can see when I can't. He knows things I don't know. And He understands all of it.
4. God has given us a gift of life... the chance to have all kinds of wonderful experiences. We can see amazing things and meet amazing people. His infinite creativity has given us infinite possibilities!
What a waste it would be to get all caught up in the negative.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Choice
My friend, Karolynn, forwards me The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional every day. I actually look forward to it because it almost always inspires me in one way or another. Today's devotional was especially timely... it was about surrendering to God.
I'm sure we've all heard it before. We know. We need to surrender EVERYTHING to God. What a good idea. But not so easy, my friends. It would seem that every time I think I have surrendered absolutely everything I possibly could to God, something pops up that I see I'm still trying to maintain control over. I've resigned myself to the fact that this is a lifelong process. Surrender what you can, discover even more you can surrender, and learn to surrender that. The processes don't annoy me like they used to. I've finally realized the great value in the time it takes to get from Point A to Point B.
But what I really want to talk about is one specific line that was in this devotional. It was talking about how if you don't surrender to God, you surrender to something, whether it be popular opinion, to money, to resentment or fear, or to your own pride, lust, and ego. Then came the line:
You’re free to choose what you surrender to, but you’re not free from the consequences of that choice.
Because I was in the particular frame of mind I was in this morning, that line pierced me at the very center of my being. I'm in kind of a strange place. First of all, I am PMS-ing and that is not a small thing for me these days. At least one week a month I can look forward to feeling like the whole world is going to crumble around me. My doctor asked if I thought I needed medication, but I told him that so far I can get through it just by realizing it's that one horrible week and that what I am feeling is not real. Everything won't really fall apart. It's just feelings.
Add to that some deflating news I got about work. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say it took some of the wind out of my sails. (And keep in mind there wasn't much of a breeze to start with because I'm PMS-ing.) There has been a real temptation the last 24 hours to just surrender to the feelings of hopelessness, despair, sadness.
You’re free to choose what you surrender to, but you’re not free from the consequences of that choice.
Then came that line. I could surrender to these feelings. I'm free to do that. But what kind of consequences would there be? Nothing good could come of it. I've been down the path of depression once in my life and it's not somewhere I care to revisit. And who would want to entertain thoughts of despair even if they didn't lead to full-blown depression? Life is too short for that. There are too many good things all around us to enjoy.
So, that one line snapped me out of it. Oh, it's still "that week". But my thoughts are back to being more healthy. This PMS-y week will end, and life is still good. God is in control of my destiny, and I'm in good hands. I have so much to be grateful for and these temporary feelings of sadness cannot take that away from me.
I choose to surrender to God.
I'm sure we've all heard it before. We know. We need to surrender EVERYTHING to God. What a good idea. But not so easy, my friends. It would seem that every time I think I have surrendered absolutely everything I possibly could to God, something pops up that I see I'm still trying to maintain control over. I've resigned myself to the fact that this is a lifelong process. Surrender what you can, discover even more you can surrender, and learn to surrender that. The processes don't annoy me like they used to. I've finally realized the great value in the time it takes to get from Point A to Point B.
But what I really want to talk about is one specific line that was in this devotional. It was talking about how if you don't surrender to God, you surrender to something, whether it be popular opinion, to money, to resentment or fear, or to your own pride, lust, and ego. Then came the line:
You’re free to choose what you surrender to, but you’re not free from the consequences of that choice.
Because I was in the particular frame of mind I was in this morning, that line pierced me at the very center of my being. I'm in kind of a strange place. First of all, I am PMS-ing and that is not a small thing for me these days. At least one week a month I can look forward to feeling like the whole world is going to crumble around me. My doctor asked if I thought I needed medication, but I told him that so far I can get through it just by realizing it's that one horrible week and that what I am feeling is not real. Everything won't really fall apart. It's just feelings.
Add to that some deflating news I got about work. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say it took some of the wind out of my sails. (And keep in mind there wasn't much of a breeze to start with because I'm PMS-ing.) There has been a real temptation the last 24 hours to just surrender to the feelings of hopelessness, despair, sadness.
You’re free to choose what you surrender to, but you’re not free from the consequences of that choice.
Then came that line. I could surrender to these feelings. I'm free to do that. But what kind of consequences would there be? Nothing good could come of it. I've been down the path of depression once in my life and it's not somewhere I care to revisit. And who would want to entertain thoughts of despair even if they didn't lead to full-blown depression? Life is too short for that. There are too many good things all around us to enjoy.
So, that one line snapped me out of it. Oh, it's still "that week". But my thoughts are back to being more healthy. This PMS-y week will end, and life is still good. God is in control of my destiny, and I'm in good hands. I have so much to be grateful for and these temporary feelings of sadness cannot take that away from me.
I choose to surrender to God.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Finally, my head above water....
We spent the whole first week of February in Dallas, TX for work. (Hey, Amy! Love your city!) Then we spent the second whole week of February trying to recover from spending the first week of February in Dallas. It was a crazy couple of weeks. We are lucky enough to have jobs that we can do from wherever we are. However, we have yet to learn to do it very efficiently. We'll just chalk it all up as a valuable learning experience (and hopefully we'll be able to use a little of that new knowledge to make it just a little easier next time)!
At any rate, we're back. And life is good! We had some good friends who just had a baby boy Wednesday, then Brad and Jess just had their little boy, Hutton, early this morning! He was supposed to be a Valentine's baby but he came 2 hours and 45 minutes late for that. Of course he is one of the most adorable little men I've ever seen in my life! Pictures to come!
Last night we kept Ellie and Ezekiel overnight so Aaron and Rachel could celebrate Valentine's Day. I realized a couple of things. 1. We don't have quite the same energy we used to have. 2. I would use my last ounce of strength on these two and never have any regrets.
Things are a little different at our house than they are at home. At home, Ellie can entertain herself in her room. At our house, she says, "Grandma, play with me." My heart melts, and I play with her. I understand the value of sitting and playing so much more than I did when I was young. And I have the luxury of being able to do that more easily because I don't have all the responsibilities I had when I was raising my own kids. It's such a peaceful time of life, full of so much joy.
Next entry, maybe I'll have something to say with a little more substance. But for now, I'm just so glad to be home, and so happy to have such a wonderful family. It's really all I can think about.
At any rate, we're back. And life is good! We had some good friends who just had a baby boy Wednesday, then Brad and Jess just had their little boy, Hutton, early this morning! He was supposed to be a Valentine's baby but he came 2 hours and 45 minutes late for that. Of course he is one of the most adorable little men I've ever seen in my life! Pictures to come!
Last night we kept Ellie and Ezekiel overnight so Aaron and Rachel could celebrate Valentine's Day. I realized a couple of things. 1. We don't have quite the same energy we used to have. 2. I would use my last ounce of strength on these two and never have any regrets.
Things are a little different at our house than they are at home. At home, Ellie can entertain herself in her room. At our house, she says, "Grandma, play with me." My heart melts, and I play with her. I understand the value of sitting and playing so much more than I did when I was young. And I have the luxury of being able to do that more easily because I don't have all the responsibilities I had when I was raising my own kids. It's such a peaceful time of life, full of so much joy.
Next entry, maybe I'll have something to say with a little more substance. But for now, I'm just so glad to be home, and so happy to have such a wonderful family. It's really all I can think about.
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