Jul 18, 2014 | Living Well
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”#writetip
This Jerry Jenkins post was on my Facebook news feed July 15, 2014. Most people would agree that this makes good sense. That is the problem. Agreeing with a truthful statement is worthless unless you turn it into action.
Just because you start does not mean that you will become great, but it is a beginning. The stories of great people are full of their failures and working against tremendous odds. They had a dream and had the nerve to start working toward the dream. That is where most people fail, and where I have failed so many times in the past. The dream was real, the initial enthusiastic energy was good, but the will to stay with it was not.
Every dream comes with negatives. The negatives I find most daunting are lack of time and lack of self-confidence in my ability to rise above mediocrity.
Time is finite, but blaming lack of time on my lack of achievement is hogwash. I choose how to use and waste my time. With that said, using time well is truly a skill. To balance time spent on work, relaxation, family, God, and pursuing a dream is daunting, but not impossible. Our modern world is full of distractions so learning to say no to the frivolous or the wasteful is essential. I struggle keeping focused on my goal when things get a bit frantic or if I am tired.
The issue of self-confidence is even more difficult to resolve than the time usage. I know my present skill level. To improve will take considerable effort. But then, anything truly worthwhile requires effort.
So what is holding you back from achieving your dream?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
Jun 9, 2014 | Living Well
I finished pulling weeds in a row of lettuce, took a deep breath of fresh air, and stretched my back. As I looked around to make sure I had retrieved all of my gardening tools, I saw my dog eating the top of an asparagus spear. Then I realized he had eaten the tender tops off several spears. I had planned on having fresh roasted asparagus for supper.
My husband said it was my fault because I had given Buckie the tough end of an asparagus stalk to chew a couple of days earlier. I had no idea I was creating an asparagus-eating machine. From now on if Buckie is “helping” me in the yard, I will make sure I have harvested the asparagus first.
Good eating habits take self-discipline. In the Bible, Daniel was determined to eat as God directed his people. He had an opportunity to indulge in luscious, rich food served to the king. Yet he chose to eat only that which was healthy.
Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Daniel 1:12
I suspect you struggle as I do with resisting the indulgences of delicious sweet, salty, or fried foods. We all know that God has provided us veggies because they are good for our health. But are we eating vegetables or rich unhealthy food? This afternoon I gave into temptation. I snacked on butter pecan ice cream. It is so easy to give into self-indulgence even though we know it is not good for us.
When you are tempted to eat something you should not, try my new trick. Think of Buckie enthusiastically eating asparagus. Let me know if it helps.
May 19, 2014 | Living Well
I prayed for patience. God gave me a border collie puppy. That was definitely not what I had in mind.
My husband and I had decided after our last dog died that we would not get another dog even though we both enjoy dogs. His exact words were, “You may have a dog when you decide to quit running around, quit traveling, and stay at home so we can properly care for it. If we get another dog, it will be an older rescued dog. I do not want to raise another puppy.”
Last November, my elderly mother bought an eight-week old border collie puppy. How did she expect to be able to take the dog out to do his business during the winter months while using a walker? When we realized Mom was determined to get the puppy that had stolen her heart, my husband and I volunteered to foster-parent the puppy until he was housebroken and had some basic training.
Because the puppy belongs to Mom, I had to make almost daily trips to her house so she could have quality time with it. Helping Mom train the dog was challenging because of the need for uniform word commands and hand actions. However, the major issue was helping her learn to work with him with her severely limited mobility. Nevertheless, a strong bond was built. Mom and Buckie are great pals.
But the fruit of the Spirit is … patience… Galatians 5:22
Thank you Lord for giving me this lesson in patience.
Mar 20, 2014 | Living Well
It is beginning—spring. Unlike most people, I make my most serious and most often kept resolutions at the beginning of spring instead of on New Year’s Day. The new year begins in the dead of winter when I am cooped up. How does one find energy to develop a good habit or break a bad one when confined within the four walls of the house?
When the weather begins to warm, new life is springing forth. The lawns are starting to turn green, tree buds are swelling, and early spring flowers are beginning to bloom. That is energizing—encouraging.
On my morning walk, I saw crocus, daffodils, and hyacinth in bloom in sunny locations. How motivating! They make me want to bring beauty and new growth into my inner life.
I also saw henbit. In early spring henbit has a dainty, purple flower. However, it is a troublesome weed—one that is difficult to eradicate from the lawn and the garden. Henbit is much like persistent sin.
So often our sins start off looking attractive, but as they mature they become troublesome and obnoxious. In my mind it symbolizes a persistent sin I need to eradicate. As I work in the yard, the henbit will be a constant reminder that my sin must be pulled out by the roots using prayer and God’s Word.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20
Mar 18, 2014 | Living Well
Have you ever watched someone who is so talented it makes you stop in awe. You watch with intense pleasure as the talent unfolds before your eyes? That is what I did this evening during an entertaining sunlight yacht cruise on Table Rock Lake.
When we boarded, the only table left was on the top deck beside the keyboard and microphone. Ray looked at me and asked if I wanted to sit that close to the performers. I shrugged. What choice did we have? This location turned out to be an amazing blessing.
We watched the vocalist and the pianist interact as they performed. She belted out songs in an earthy, mellow alto voice. He played most selections with his eyes closed. Occasionally he would consult a melody and chord page.
This particular cruise was full of families with grade school aged children. One by one the children approached the vocalist and requested a particular song. They were mostly tunes from the latest children’s movies. If the keyboardist did not know the song, they would quickly listen to it on a phone before they started to perform. How could he do that? He’d hear the song once, pick out the chord sequence, and get a feel for the rhythm. The kids loved it, and the adults had a blast.
It never ceases to astound me how God blesses some people with amazing talent. But talent is useless unless it is developed.
Have you used well what God has given you? More importantly, is God pleased? Will he give you this acknowledgment?
Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21
Mar 17, 2014 | Living Well
Jesus uses these words seven times in Matthew 23 as he admonishes the religious leaders. I sanctimoniously thought how evil those men were until I realized that I may be like them. How much of a hypocrite can I be and still be considered good?
Don’t get me wrong. I do not purposely try to be a hypocrite. It just happens. Can you relate? I say I am going to do something but forget I made the commitment. This happened to me Sunday. I forgot to prepare a luncheon signup sheet. I said I would do it a couple of weeks ago. Even though I had time to do it right after saying I would, I decided to walk the dog or do some other such activity. Then my promise was forgotten as life activities became more pressing. My mind focused on a planned visit from my niece and her family coming in from out of state. The result is that I broke my word.
This is but one example of what too often happens. I have good intentions, I get sidetracked, and I do not do what I say I will. I can make excuses, but I know the truth. I did not complete the task in a timely fashion. It would be better for me not to make the commitment at all. I am no better than the Pharisees who looked good on the outside but harbored sin on the inside. My external speech must match the internal motivations. Good intentions are not good enough.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self- indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Matthew 23:25-26
