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Archive for the ‘Discipline’ Category

I did it – kind of. I semi-retired from my position as HR Director of a 150 employee company. Hands down, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I loved every minute of that job. Not once did I wake up and not want to go to work. But it was time. My family said it was time. And after a serious motorcycle accident 6 months prior, my body said it was time.

I have kept my hand in the pot by agreeing to work from home part time. This has been a life saver, keeping me in contact with co-workers and my boss who ranks at the top for great bosses. It has allowed me to stay abreast of what’s happening with the company because I still feel ownership and I care about where it’s going.

I’m two months into this new venture and it most certainly has its pros and cons. For instance: Many would count this a pro – there is no need to rise early, shower, get presentable and head for work. On the other hand – my body is ready to go somewhere by 5:00 a.m. So I rise early, shower, get presentable and head for the gym thereby filling up the first couple of hours of my day.

Another pro – I now have time to attack some of those cleaning and organizing and downsizing projects that have piled up over the past years. On the other hand – I am daunted by just how many and how exhausting those projects are. Doesn’t help that we’ve lived our entire married life (56 years) in the same house so the accumulation of “stuff” is overwhelming.

I am now able to spend many more hours in the company of my spouse of 56 years which falls on the pro side. The con side – I am now able to spend many more hours in the company of my spouse of 56 years. Learning to live together again is definitely a challenge.

I have a lot more free time on my hands which is nice when it comes to lunch with friends, quilting, reading, etc. However, I feel a bit frivolous when my time isn’t filled with meaningful work.

I miss my business wardrobe including cute, high heeled shoes. I’m learning casual and comfortable. I miss the social interaction that took place in an open door office with a steady stream of interruptions. You can’t spend the whole day, every day over coffee with friends.

I love that I can spend time with older friends who need my company and my help, be it running errands or fixing meals, or just visiting. There is no con to this – it is rewarding, enriching and enjoyable. And there is no limit to lonely people out there.

I’m a goal setter, always have been. Over my career years many of those goals have been job related. My goal for the next couple of months – set goals that aren’t job related. I’m determined to write more, read more, learn more, volunteer more and do more things that are enjoyable and not feel guilty.

God has been good in allowing us to prepare for these years financially. I know that He will be faithful in helping us adjust to the changes.

In case you are wondering, I did my due diligence and looked up Bible verses about retirement so I could make sure I was scripturally on point. However, “Gray hair is a crown of glory” (Proverbs 16:31) and “the glory of young men is their strength, and gray hair the splendor of the old” (Proverbs 20:29) didn’t thrill me. I was a bit more encouraged by  Isaiah 46:4-5 “… even until your old age, I am the one, and I’ll carry you even until your gray hairs come.” Still – not quite what I was hoping for.

So, I have decided to make Phillipians 3:13-14 my retirement verse: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I wouldn’t call myself a retirement expert yet. But I’m hoping to get there. I may not have a full time job but I have energy, drive and joy to keep me going. And for that I am eternally grateful.

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Wouldn’t life be great if we started at point A and moved to point B in a straight line?  Well, as this book makes apparent, no it wouldn’t.  The path to our destiny requires detours to help us mature, strengthen and develop into the person who can handle the destiny when it’s reached.

In his typical way, Tony Evans has written a book that relates to anyone who picks it up and opens to page one. “Detours are a good thing that often feels bad.”

Using the life of Joseph as the thread that carries out the theme, this book clearly opens the door to seeing the turns and roadblocks in life as vital parts of God’s plan for us to realize the very specific, very unique destiny that is ours from the day He blew breath into our lungs.

In his book, the author defines destiny as “the customized life calling for which God has equipped and ordained us, in order to bring Him the greatest glory and the maximum expansion of His kingdom.”  He goes on to explain how God will use the good, the bad and the bitter to get us there.

I’m a highlighter and this book tested the ink in my pink pen! Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Your destiny is not just to go through the motions day-in and day-out. It is a God-designed stamp on your soul that involves the use of your time, talents, and treasures for His glory and other people’s good for the advancement of His kingdom.”

“…in order to arrive at an authentic hope in your spirit, accepting your detours is necessary.”

“God creates detours in order to perform some construction on the pathways of our soul. ….. And depending on how we respond to our detours, we may need to be roadblocked several times before we reach where we are supposed to go.”

And my very favorite:  “When you fill a sponge full of water and then you add pressure to the sponge, water is going to flow out because it is full of water. When you are going through a trial and you feel the pressure of life caving in around you, how much of God comes out?”

And these are from just the first 50 pages!  I could go on and on. But you’d be better off running to the store and grabbing this book off the shelf. Because you are going to want to get to this one:  “Friend, if you ever get providence – the subset of sovereignty – understood, you will begin to view all of life differently. You will begin to rest when you used to fret. You will begin to breathe easily when you used to worry. You will begin to give thanks when you used to be filled with bitterness or regret. To fully live out the victorious Christian life and experience the abundance Jesus Christ died to provide, you must live and look at the events of your life through the lens of providence.”

You will find Detours by Tony Evans an easy, rewarding read filled with great perspective and profound revelation in how God uses the detours in the road to our destiny.

I received this book at no charge so that I would provide an honest review. I would very highly recommend this book to anyone whose path in life has and is filled with curves and roadblocks.

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featured-pneumonia-thumb[1]Wow – when the flu turns into pneumonia it’s a whole new ball game. I’ve never had pneumonia before but I quickly discovered what a show stopper it is.  I thought I was on the downhill side of my illness, just feeling a little run down and still carrying a cough. I went about my usual activities, just a little slower than normal. Until the last shred of strength left  and I found I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t breathe. And I certainly couldn’t go to work. For me – that was the convincer that something was desperately wrong. I never miss work.

A trip to the doctor and a bit of deliberation as to whether I should be admitted to the hospital or treated at home. I chose home and began a three day flat on my back, barely conscious, miserable course of sleep and medication. I dropped a bunch of weight, not good for me, lost track of day and night, missed my Bible study which was really the pits, and wondered if I’d ever be able to crawl out of bed again.

Once the antibiotics kicked in I began to pull out of the worst of the infection. But it was a slow, hard pull.  It is amazing how quickly your strength is depleted with an illness like this, equally surprising how slowly it comes back.  A walk from the bedroom to the living room was an epic journey. Panting and puffing and trying to sip fluids, I spent the next couple of days propped in my chair contemplating the long trip back to bed.

Being that sick is terrible. But recovering is the worst. You want to do the things you used to do, but just thinking about them wears you out. It just doesn’t feel worth the effort. You think you’re better until you try a simple task, like getting dressed, and you realize you’re not. You think you’re hungry but one bite fills you up. You can’t enjoy anything – a movie, a book, a conversation – because you mind won’t focus or stay on track. Weakness and illness consume you.

Finally on the mend, I’m realizing you don’t just bounce back. In fact, you don’t bounce period. You take a few more steps each day and feel triumphant if you don’t pass out! And, just because you’re a bit better doesn’t mean those nasty germs aren’t lurking everywhere ready to re-infect. You’d better lay in a supply of disinfectant and use it liberally, every where you’ve been, on everything you’ve touched.

It gives you a new understanding of the term “sin sick”. Most of us think we’re just a little under the weather when we dabble in sin. We know we’ll recover quickly so we don’t give it much thought. Until we find ourselves too weak to change our path.

We try to rise above the oppression, but sin holds us down, zaps our strength and makes it hard to breathe. We forget about the things that used to keep us on track – reading the Bible, praying, talking to Christian friends. Our infection takes over until we think there’s no hope.

Recovery is hard. Every step we take in the right direction takes super strength because the enemy is holding us back, keeping us down, speaking defeat. Until we begin to think it’s not worth effort. We start missing church, avoiding the Godly people we used to hang with, and letting the weight of our bible discourage us from picking it up.

Just like with pneumonia, a prescribed course of action must be followed if we are to ever be healthy again.

  1. Admit we are in trouble. We are sick. We need help.
  2. Go to the doctor, the minister, the trusted friend and seek a solution.
  3. Take the medicine prescribed (prayer, God’s word in massive doses, and commitment to a different path) and don’t skip a dose.
  4. Don’t think that because you’re better, sin isn’t lurking everywhere ready to drag you back down. Get out the sanitizer. Wash your hands of the temptation, the friends still walking the dark path, and anything else that exposes you to it again.

In this world, where exposure to sin-germs is constant, a healthy, steady diet of truth, lots of walking with the Savior, and surrounding yourself with robust Christian friends is the only way to survive.

Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;  for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.”

 

 

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So – I have this dog.  And the first thing you need to know is I’m not really a dog person.   I’m not one of those people who treats their dog like a person, lets them lick your face or kisses them on the nose.  I’m the person who says, “Nice doggy”, gives them a little pat on the head and expects them to go lay down and be good.

th[8]Until we got this pup a year ago.  Our old dog had died and while I would have been content not to deal with dog hair and drool for a while, my husband really, really missed his dog. So, we got Chopper, a 6 week old Blue Heeler, freckle faced and fit-on-your-lap adorable.  For some reason my heart decided to bond.

He started out as a cute, energetic, curious little bundle of fur.  He’s a year and a half now and he has grown into a cute, energetic, curious big bundle of fur.  His body has matured, his character has not.  He still loves to race across the room and leap into your lap – even though he’s bigger than your lap. He still loves to shoot out the door the minute it’s opened. And he still doesn’t come back when you call him. He barks at anything that moves and being a working breed, will sneak up behind you if you aren’t paying attention and nip at your heels.

It’s not that I haven’t tried to teach him manners.  But it has become apparent that dog training is not my calling. He does respond to a short length of pool noodle bopping him on the noggin – but only if you happen to have it handy.

I have a dog toy that can be stuffed with peanut butter, designed to keep dogs entertained for hours.  It works – at least for a few minutes.  But then he wants more. And he just keeps asking and begging and pleading.

His worst habit is jumping on me when I come through the door.  I keep giving him the “down” command. And he responds – until the sound of my voice fades.

I try doggie discipline but he is so darn precious when he sinks down and looks at me with those big brown eyes. And then sneaks over and puts his head in my lap to eat up every bit of rubbing, petting and scratching I will dish out.

The real problem with this dog is me. He has a hold on my heart and no amount of disobedience on his part severs that tie. I’m always willing to forgive and expect that he will do better next time. I know that no matter how much peanut butter or dog treat I hand out, it will never be enough. I also know that he wants to do right, but he gets distracted and runs after every temptation, not weighing the consequences until it’s too late.

And I especially love the way he goes overboard welcoming me home when I’ve been away for a while. He knows I will most likely leave again but he still relishes every minute that I stay.

I was actually praying about it today – seeking some guidance on how I could master his disobedience and bring him into line, get him to stop running after every temptation and mind his master. But I was brought up short when I realized how much he and his master and my Master and I have in common.

How many times have I been the easily distracted little pup, running after things I shouldn’t and not listening to the voice that calls me back? And how many time have I been away and still found Him welcoming and excited when I return? When I’m close to His Word I bask in the affection that He pours out on me.  When I’m away from His Word I forget how wonderful it is until I find myself suffering the consequences and needing to slink my way back into the light of His love.

I think there is hope for my dog as long as I keep loving him and disciplining him when necessary. And I believe there is hope for me as long as my God keeps doing the same. And I know He will.

“…asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Col 1:10

 

 

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