Thoughts

Do you ever have days where you feel you would have accomplished more if you'd stayed home, slept in, or hidden from the world?  That's my usual day!  Then there are others when you're eager to get going, only to be let down.  Still others when the most wonderful things happen, when you least expect them.  Why is it like that?  After all, aren't we to live in expectation of a supernatural day?!  Unexpected blessings come in the simplest gesture, a smile, a word of encouragement, or simply saying hello.  I was blown away yesterday from the mail I received from three people who sent me cards with notes thanking me for something I did or said. How great is that!  Especially after the intensely long day yesterday. Now I have reminders that little things matter.

Most of the time I don't remember what comes out of my mouth or what I write in a note or letter, as I try to let Holy Spirit speak through me.  I can be pretty simple in my delivery, even to the point of "open mouth, insert both feet".  I guess I am the only one with that human characteristic, eh?  As I've said before numerous times, so I'll say it again in case you haven't been listening, "God uses the foolish to confound the wise," or in more layman terms, "God uses donkeys!" How you interpret that is up to you. It could mean stubborn, willful human beings with the constitution of one of these gentle eyed critters or taken literally.  Same effect. Life can be uncertain, but there is always a miracle around the corner.

I haven't blogged lately, because I have had to regain my focus. I become distracted at times by work and circumstances in my life to the point that I can only manage to talk to God. His is the only voice I long to hear, His touch the only one I need.  I still write, just don't publish it for others to see. Much of it stays unpublished in fact. Right now I am seeking the clear path God wants me to walk.  I feel like I'm straying over to the side of the road without meaning to, struggling in some areas I thought I'd buried so deeply.  But these things have a way of surfacing and causing unsettled feelings.  Not all feelings are bad, but in my chaotic, stressful daily world, sometimes the best I can do is put one foot in front of the other very cautiously. If I don't keep my eyes in front of me looking only at His face, I will not be able to survive the day, the moment!

l laughingly tell my friends that I have my "manic" days where I'm practically bouncing off the wall I am so alive. Then there are the "under the rock" days when I am more melancholy, introspective. But that's not really who I am.  Everyone has times when they get worn thin and worn out, but it is the "Re-filler" who makes the difference. You may never have thought about Holy Spirit like that, a Re-filler, but if His function is to comfort, I'd say that He re-fills too!

Since I was a small child I've crawled into God's lap for comfort and safety.  And at almost 64 years of age I haven't outgrown it.  He's always there with open, loving, welcoming arms to love and support.  Holy Spirit, as our Comforter, walks alongside, and He never deviates from the path, even if it is not the best one.  He's that stalwart.  My mood swings, so I call them, go from reflective, introverted, and reserved to outright forthright (in your face) and sometimes comical, so when I swing it is a broad swoop. I am a very happy person the majority of the time, and I am joyful all of the time, even when I am at full swing!  I, like Paul, have learned to be content.  That is a huge thing for me.  Joy is not dependent on emotions - happiness is an emotion, whereas joy is a fruit of the Spirit.

I was sharing some things with some friends of mine recently that we have to lay down what we cannot handle and let God take our burdens.  He never meant for us to bear them. There are things we cannot change, things we cannot do.  But then there are many other things we can do, when we change our attitudes about our situations.  We can choose to live in defeat or in victory. I'm not saying it is easy as it never is, and the accuser is always lurking around to bring us down.  But remember, the battle is not ours. And it's a done deal if we remain true to the call.  He is defeated, and we are victorious!

I'm going to be starting a new book tonight called "Necessary Endings" by Dr. Henry Cloud.  I think I may have mentioned the book or alluded to it in a previous blog.  In the preface of the book, it says "While endings are a natural part of business and life, we often experience them with a sense of hesitation, sadness, resignation, or regret. But consultant, psychologist, and bestselling author Dr. Henry Cloud sees endings differently. He argues that our personal and professional lives can only improve to the degree that we can see endings as a necessary and strategic step to something better. If we cannot see endings in a positive light and execute them well, he asserts, the '"better'" will never come either in business growth or our personal lives."

I think I have some lessons to learn from this author, something to glean from his expertise, his victory over certain schools of thought. Introspection can be a good thing.  Once we set our hands to the plow, our face needs to remain forward, never looking back. Only forward to new beginnings, what lies ahead. I'll let you know what I learn!