When you feel like the wrong place at the wrong time you actually might be right where God wants you...

On Saturday I had a horrible run.  It rained pretty much the entire time I ran and it was just plain long and depressing.  Then I went to a funeral and felt out of place.  Then a job function and I felt equally inadequate. I got lost several times when I went to the place and almost gave up quite a few times trying to get there.  Also I went to get my phone replaced and after 3 hours I was told no.

Fast forward to Monday and an equally frustrating day with a dead car battery.  But then I thought about all the unrelated situations. The reasons why things did not go my way was not because I was a bad person.  I know that I was supposed to learn some lessons along the way.

Sometimes bad things happen to teach us character.  I know the Lord did not call me to an easy life.  If I don't have his blessings unaware such as people in both places to jump my battery I would still be stuck somewhere. 
If I did not finish the run I would not of known how it was to persevere in tough times.  The funeral, the phone and party I just need to buck up and just let life happen even if there are factors I can't control.

Who knows if I would not have had those situations where would I be.  And sometimes it is not worth sweating the small stuff.

 

Romans 8:28King James Version (KJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

When you feel like the wrong place at the wrong time you actually might be right where God wants you...

On Saturday I had a horrible run.  It rained pretty much the entire time I ran and it was just plain long and depressing.  Then I went to a funeral and felt out of place.  Then a job function and I felt equally inadequate. I got lost several times when I went to the place and almost gave up quite a few times trying to get there.  Also I went to get my phone replaced and after 3 hours I was told no.

Fast forward to Monday and an equally frustrating day with a dead car battery.  But then I thought about all the unrelated situations. The reasons why things did not go my way was not because I was a bad person.  I know that I was supposed to learn some lessons along the way.

Sometimes bad things happen to teach us character.  I know the Lord did not call me to an easy life.  If I don't have his blessings unaware such as people in both places to jump my battery I would still be stuck somewhere. 
If I did not finish the run I would not of known how it was to persevere in tough times.  The funeral, the phone and party I just need to buck up and just let life happen even if there are factors I can't control.

Who knows if I would not have had those situations where would I be.  And sometimes it is not worth sweating the small stuff.

 

Romans 8:28King James Version (KJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Not putting the pause on Menopause

It started a few years ago with my period temporally stopping.  I have to admit it was nice at first because I did not have to wait to swim and the stress of constantly waiting for IT to come.  Then this year in January IT stopped for good.  Part of me was happy because I knew truly things were changing.  But all the changes were not good.  I gained weight more easily, developed a small mustache, needed more stress medication, and felt uneasy with change more than ever before.  My job position will change at least two times in the next two years.  Woo.....

But with the help of Christ I am making strides to cope with the change.  Most of it is not physical but mostly mental and emotional.  I am thinking towards my future planning for my retirement, making adjustments in my social circles taking out toxic relationships and taking the dive more often in life. 

First of all I started the journey to find out what I am supposed to do when I retire with taking to people, visiting places and making plans to further my education in the area of special education.  I am continuing to only allow myself to spend significant time with healthy people and saying yes to life's changes and enjoying the journey along the way. 

I choose to face the scary things such as bifocals, turning 49 in a few weeks, taking life with trying new things, and continuing to find purpose even with an older age.

We do not know the day of our death, the date of Christ's return but we know we need to be faithful.  I choose to do that today.

Mark 12:32

New Living Translation
"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

Are You Okay?

It was a stressful previous evening.  My relative whom I had given good advice was trying to fix a problem without listening to anything I had said.   My husband got more and more upset as he talked to her. I looked at my next year at work and thinking that everything possible that would jeopardize my success had happened.  Then my husband was injured overnight and then woke up the next day not in a good mood.  I left to walk.  I felt it was better to be out of the house than in a household full of tizzy.  I was walking along the road and a truck stopped.  Generally when someone stops early in the morning I am very fearful.  All the driver asked was if I was okay.  I said yes and he drove away.  But then I really thought about it.  I was not okay.  I was hurting.  I was upset.  I was dreading the day with the visit to the gynecologist surrounded by pregnant magazines and people.  I despised  the visit that took much longer than the usual hour wait time. All I earned from that visit was another test due to my age.   I had tried so hard to handle menopause so well by working on my retirement plans and keeping busy but today I hurt.  I felt great pain.   I did a lot of praying and the Lord reminded me that I needed to take my hands off the impossible and let Him handle it.   It was not my fault we did not have kids.  It was not my mistake that I could not do my job.  Even emotions and decisions others made were not my concern.  When I did that things did get better.  Sometimes as much as I try to be positive it is okay just to be quiet and not fix everything. 

Romans 8:37-39 says

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Looking at the Whole Picture

Sometimes God calls us to take us out of our comfort zone and see things from a different perspective.  Recently I and some of my closest friends have had to learn this lesson.

In a recent situation a staff member had to do a last minute task that was overwhelming.  My friend told me she was initially overwhelmed with the huge task but the Lord quickly assured her that He would be with her and her job was to not allow the unfair request take her from the joy she had received from her job.  It wasn't even the supervision's fault this had happened and her job was to make them look good.  From a small perspective it was an inconvenience but when she looked at the total picture she realized with Christ's help she could be part of the solution to make the situation work out

Recently I was in a race.  The race started later due to the weather and even ended early because of the dangerous conditions.  I initially was upset I could not finish but quickly realized that the safety of myself and the other participants was more important than the distance covered that day.  It had to be tough to be the organizer to make a call even though no matter what decision they made would make others unhappy. 


I went to a teacher conference recently in another state and every morning I went running.  One day I went a bit overboard and ended up running a bit farther than my comfort zone.  I ended up in a bit of a seedy neighborhood.  I did see some pretty sights of the tops of the sights of the city and had to pray, use my sense of direction and ask for help to make it safely back to my hotel. 

In the past I had looked at life from a small perspective and had gotten mad easily.  As a believer I need to ask God for wisdom to see the whole picture.  When I do that things are not the same. 

I have learned in tough times for myself and others to not jump to conclusions.  Instead I need to stand back and ask the Lord to help me.  Isn't it good to know when we wait on the Lord for his wisdom He helps us see things in a new light.

1 Corinthians 13:12The Message (MSG)
¹² We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

Lessons from the Train Station

This morning I was out on a walk and decided to go by the train station.  It had two purposes.  One I enjoyed watching the trains go by and second I might get to see my husband off to work.  I actually accomplished both goals.  As I neared the station there was a freight train.  Usually they are not there in the morning at that time because the rails are used for commuter trains.  But it was there. Many commuters were obviously frustrated and concerned that they would not be able to make their train because the freight train was coming on the opposite rail to the train they needed to get on.

I noticed how each of the trailers to the freight train  were different and had various purposes.  Some where used for dispensing liquid, gas or oil and others were clearly used for food or packing materials.  Each car had a particular look, sound and the  way it moved and swerved along the track.  I looked later after the freight train had passed and remarked to myself on the people waiting for the commuter train and how different they were in their dress, posture and actions.  But all them just like the train are essential and most importantly to the Lord.

I hope like I am you are blessed with some wonderful friends.  Those are people we could spend a large amount of time with in our lives.  Some of us are blessed to have families and we enjoy spending time with them.  Other people we deal with such as co-workers and frienamies  not so much.  But they are in our lives for a purpose.

I pray as you go about your day just as I do mine you will keep that in mind.  May we see beyond the surface level of things such as the outward, personal bias and other things to see what Jesus sees.

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you” (Ephesians 4:29 TEV).

Confessions of a Type A Person Living in a Type B World

I hate to admit it but I am a Type A Person.  I am by nature a teacher and I like to rule my room at work and if I don't watch it other people as well.  This does not go so well sometimes.  I get discouraged when I am faced by procrastinators, emergency operators, drama queens, selfish senoritas, and first world problem creators.  I also hate to be misunderstood. I don't like people being let down.   But I am learning that I have gifts, talents and abilities and I need to continue to focus on letting the Lord do his work and just being me.  Also I can't control what other people do and their experiences in their live.  Jesus I submit to you my Type A personality.  Help me use it for Your Glory and not worry about the consequences.  Ultimately You are in control!

Proverbs 19:21English Standard Version (ESV)

²¹ Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.