The tangibles:Starbucks. French pedicures. Flowers on my bedside table. A glass of wine and a good book.
These objects downright delight me. All crashing together into one positive fantastic day? In the words of the always articulate Kevin Bacon..."Jump back!" I mean, throw in a block of Butterkase and some crackers and you've got yourself a perfect day! Let's say for the purpose of argument, that one of these "perfect days' was unfolding.
What can destroy it?
A series of tedious, "no-big-deal-until-the-third-person-cuts-in-front-of-you--narrowly-missing-your-newly-
pedicured-foot-with-their-cart-only-to-come-to-a-complete-stop-and-block-your-view-of-the-ENTIRE-
imported-cheese-section" events. And why? Why do we constantly allow things that, if we had a little more patience and a little less of a "NOW-NOW-NOW" attitude, wouldn't bother us?
OK. All of that was misleading. You thought I was going somewhere with all of this; especially after creating a mental picture of something that strikes a little close to home.
Clearly, I don't have an answer. I'm a hot mess just like the rest of you most of the time. All I know is that we CAN make ourselves happy if we try and we CAN put a little more faith in The Big Guy to provide clarity, sort everything out and lead us down a path of iced white mochas and sweet smooth dairy products. I think it at least starts there. We need to use the tools He gives us though.
Perhaps you've heard the story/joke of the man who wouldn't leave his house during the flood of '93? Authorities drove to his house and said, "Sir, the rain's not stopping. You need to evacuate."
The man said, "No. God will save me."
They came back in a boat and pulled up to his second-story window saying, "Sir you are going to drown if you don't come with us. This flood is not stopping!"
The man said, "God will save me."
They finally came by helicopter and said, "This is your last chance Sir. You need to come with us!"
Again, the man said, "God will save me."
When the man drowned and went to heaven, he asked God, "Why didn't you save me? I put all my faith in you and I still died. How could you do that?!"
God replied, "I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter. What else was I supposed to do?"
This is meant to be a silly story but it is BURSTING with truth. God gives us what we need in order to handle every situation that we come across...even the little sassafras that cuts in front of you at the cheese counter. We just need to listen and use the tools provided. It's cliche but He doesn't give us any trauma or drama that we can't handle.
To finish off this here blog, let me tell you about the many tools in my life...no pun intended. (Spoiler alert...I get gushy here and you might want to avert your eyes, but I want to prompt you to take inventory of your own toolbox whether you read this last part or not.)
My husband is my rock. When I feel I am at my weakest he's there to pick me up, throw me over his shoulder and carry me through the gauntlet. My daughter is my sunlight. She doesn't even realize it, but Natjobla can make me laugh when I feel like breaking everything made of glass in any given room of the house. My Lauren is my mirror. She sees everything beautiful in me and everything ugly and reflects herself right back to me without embarrassment, ridicule or judgement. She gets me...because in most ways, she is me. My family is the string tied around my finger. They remind me who I am and where I came from...of the values and morals that shaped me. My friends are my glue. My Elmer's. The good stuff. They hold me together. Every.Single.Day.
My challenge to those who read this: realize and understand the tools God has given you. Use them. Never neglect them. Hold onto them for dear life...because that is exactly what they are.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Here's my Complaint
Staples.
That's it. My complaint about my new job in a building that generates lots and lots of paperwork. Staples are everywhere! Embedded in the carpet are staples. Lying at the edge of every desk are spent staples. Easy enough to sweep those laying on desks into the trash. However those staples which have become one with the carpet must be pried, loosed, cajoled out.
And that's it. That is my complaint.
Here are five things I love about my new job. Five things for which I am thankful.
1. Viewpoint: From my parking spot I have a beautiful view of the river. It is the first and last thing I see at work each week day. Pretty awesome view, thanks to The Creator.
2. Pay: Enough said.
3. People: The people I work with are friendly, intelligent, and genuinely appreciative of what I do. Dare I say in this season of gratitude, they are thankful? In fact many have thanked me for my work. My supervisor thanks me at the end of each day. What a guy!
4. Satisfaction: I find satisfaction each day making the building I work in look nice and smell good. Don't you love when you walk into an establishment and the first thing that hits you is the scent of clean?
5. Believers: I have already located several fellow-Christ-followers at my job. I look forward to their encouragement each day, and try to provide them with the same.
It is easy to complain. Often we have every right to do so. We may be completely justified in a full blown rant on occasion. But complaining pulls energy from our spirits. It can lower our mood, rather than lifting it up. Complaining can lower the moods of those we complain to in those perfectly justified rants.
It feels good to have dear friends whom we can "unload on" when life gets really, really tough. It is important to have loved ones to share our walk with. People we can share the ups and downs of our daily life with, be it in the form of a diatribe, tears, laughter, or even all three.
Unfortunately it is also easy to get stuck in the muck and mire of a complaining pit. As preventative medicine in our Thanksgiving week, I want to challenge all of us to try to find five positives for every one negative.
So if I have one negative about my job (staples), then I need to share five positives. (viewpoint, pay, people, satisfaction, believers).
Lets see how our days are changed in the coming week as we play this 1:5 game in our heads. Please, please, share your most profound, most amusing, most insightful 1:5 negative:positives with all of us in the comments section of this post.
I leave you with these words from God's Word:
"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 136:1
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name." Psalm 100:4
I'm thankful for each and every one of you!
Blessings-Lorilise
That's it. My complaint about my new job in a building that generates lots and lots of paperwork. Staples are everywhere! Embedded in the carpet are staples. Lying at the edge of every desk are spent staples. Easy enough to sweep those laying on desks into the trash. However those staples which have become one with the carpet must be pried, loosed, cajoled out.
And that's it. That is my complaint.
Here are five things I love about my new job. Five things for which I am thankful.
1. Viewpoint: From my parking spot I have a beautiful view of the river. It is the first and last thing I see at work each week day. Pretty awesome view, thanks to The Creator.
2. Pay: Enough said.
3. People: The people I work with are friendly, intelligent, and genuinely appreciative of what I do. Dare I say in this season of gratitude, they are thankful? In fact many have thanked me for my work. My supervisor thanks me at the end of each day. What a guy!
4. Satisfaction: I find satisfaction each day making the building I work in look nice and smell good. Don't you love when you walk into an establishment and the first thing that hits you is the scent of clean?
5. Believers: I have already located several fellow-Christ-followers at my job. I look forward to their encouragement each day, and try to provide them with the same.
It is easy to complain. Often we have every right to do so. We may be completely justified in a full blown rant on occasion. But complaining pulls energy from our spirits. It can lower our mood, rather than lifting it up. Complaining can lower the moods of those we complain to in those perfectly justified rants.
It feels good to have dear friends whom we can "unload on" when life gets really, really tough. It is important to have loved ones to share our walk with. People we can share the ups and downs of our daily life with, be it in the form of a diatribe, tears, laughter, or even all three.
Unfortunately it is also easy to get stuck in the muck and mire of a complaining pit. As preventative medicine in our Thanksgiving week, I want to challenge all of us to try to find five positives for every one negative.
So if I have one negative about my job (staples), then I need to share five positives. (viewpoint, pay, people, satisfaction, believers).
Lets see how our days are changed in the coming week as we play this 1:5 game in our heads. Please, please, share your most profound, most amusing, most insightful 1:5 negative:positives with all of us in the comments section of this post.
I leave you with these words from God's Word:
"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 136:1
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name." Psalm 100:4
I'm thankful for each and every one of you!
Blessings-Lorilise
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Feeling Thankful
HI!
How's that for enthusiasm?! Despite the fact that I have a nasty head cold that I have been battling for over a week, I am actually feeling really great inside. Would you like to know who is responsible for this? (I think you would.) Becky Nichols. Well, she's sort of indirectly responsible. A catalyst, if you will, of my feeling really great inside. And Becky, if you're reading this, you may be surprised to hear this!
So here's the story. Last year during the month of November I noticed that Becky was posting a daily Facebook status about why she was thankful. I thought this was pretty fantastic even then, but couldn't really bring myself to do it because I had already missed the first week of posts. Admittedly, it is ridiculous not to participate in "thankfulness" because you are latecomer (especially when you really want to and you think it's fantastic), but that is what I thought. And since this is the women's ministry blog, the least I can do is tell the truth. :-) So I decided to do it the following year. This year, my memory of last year's promise resurfaced when I saw Becky's and others' Facebook posts. This time I got in on the action right away- on exactly November 1st. Every day, even on the two days I've missed posting, I've found myself thinking about which of my blessings I would like to share with my friends. And every day my blessings have to compete for a mention. I have so many reasons for which to be thankful that I couldn't possibly share them all! The funny thing is that the more I think about why I'm thankful, the more I discover reasons to be grateful. It's like driving toward a mountain that seems to get bigger and bigger the closer you get to it. Until at last, when you arrive at it's foot, it's larger than life! And when you are faced with such monumentally undeserved blessings, you simply must fall down in worship to the Unreserved Giver of such treasure!
This is what I would like you to take to heart:
When we think about all our blessings, it causes us to reflect on the greatness and the goodness of God!
And when we share our thanksgiving with others, we never know who we will inspire! (Thanks, Becky!)
P.S. It's never too late to start!
How's that for enthusiasm?! Despite the fact that I have a nasty head cold that I have been battling for over a week, I am actually feeling really great inside. Would you like to know who is responsible for this? (I think you would.) Becky Nichols. Well, she's sort of indirectly responsible. A catalyst, if you will, of my feeling really great inside. And Becky, if you're reading this, you may be surprised to hear this!
So here's the story. Last year during the month of November I noticed that Becky was posting a daily Facebook status about why she was thankful. I thought this was pretty fantastic even then, but couldn't really bring myself to do it because I had already missed the first week of posts. Admittedly, it is ridiculous not to participate in "thankfulness" because you are latecomer (especially when you really want to and you think it's fantastic), but that is what I thought. And since this is the women's ministry blog, the least I can do is tell the truth. :-) So I decided to do it the following year. This year, my memory of last year's promise resurfaced when I saw Becky's and others' Facebook posts. This time I got in on the action right away- on exactly November 1st. Every day, even on the two days I've missed posting, I've found myself thinking about which of my blessings I would like to share with my friends. And every day my blessings have to compete for a mention. I have so many reasons for which to be thankful that I couldn't possibly share them all! The funny thing is that the more I think about why I'm thankful, the more I discover reasons to be grateful. It's like driving toward a mountain that seems to get bigger and bigger the closer you get to it. Until at last, when you arrive at it's foot, it's larger than life! And when you are faced with such monumentally undeserved blessings, you simply must fall down in worship to the Unreserved Giver of such treasure!
This is what I would like you to take to heart:
When we think about all our blessings, it causes us to reflect on the greatness and the goodness of God!
And when we share our thanksgiving with others, we never know who we will inspire! (Thanks, Becky!)
P.S. It's never too late to start!
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