Month: September 2022

I am very thankful to be retired and able to pursue things that I have always wanted to do – like this blog.  There is less pressure for me now because my schedule is more flexible.  Life is a little gentler and more enjoyable.  Retirement is a great part of getting older!  Nevertheless there are challenges, and one of those is summed up in the question, “What am I going to do today?”

Retirement allows us more freedom to set our own schedule each day.  Although we may still have the same life-responsibilities that we had before, our obligation for that 8-10 hour period of our day is up-for-grabs.  We can choose how we are going to fill that time.

I know that lots of people are more disciplined than I, and they can fill all those hours with lots of activities.  But I notice that I can lose time fairly effortlessly.  Even when I’m busy all day, it seems like I don’t accomplish as much as I used to.  In addition, I can find myself spinning my wheels.  Without a definite plan for the day, I can wander around trying to figure out what I should be doing, then all of a sudden, it’s time for dinner.  In either case, I seem to have misplaced some hours of my day.  And I have no idea what happened to them!

I’m a firm believer that time is a precious commodity and I really hate wasting it, but it seems like hours can escape from me.  They seem to disappear without a trace!  And the same is true of days, weeks, months, and years.  Have you ever talked to a faraway friend on the phone, and agreed to talk again soon?  Then the next thing you know, months have passed, and you haven’t talked.  You haven’t forgotten, you’ve been thinking about them, but time just seemed to get away from you.  Have you ever noticed that you celebrate New Year’s Day and before you know it’s time to prepare for Christmas?  Years can fly by in the blink of an eye!

Speaking of Christmas, it comes at the same time every year.  We know this.  And since the stores are full of Christmas decorations before Halloween, Christmas is vividly brought to our attention in more than enough time to prepare for it.  But what happens every year?  Preparing in October is much too early.  Beginning in November is reasonable, but Thanksgiving is the priority.  So that leaves us with December- 24 days to prepare.  And what happens?  Christmas day arrives and we are not ready!  Happens to me every year! 

Our use of time is divided into two categories, what we need to do, and what we want to do.  Think about it, those are basically the only choices we make regarding our time.  Demands are placed on us, and those are the things that we need to do.  However, we can choose to shirk those responsibilities because we want to do something else.  We must make the choice of doing what we need to do or what want to do.  Maybe we have plans to do something that we want to do, and something that we need to do comes up.  Again, we must choose.  Bottom line is, there are only two choices – doing what we need to do or doing what we want to do.    

Now, there are ways to make those choices less onerous.  The first key is learning to WANT to do what we need to do.  For instance, jobs are necessary in order to have income.  Income is necessary to function in the world.  So, jobs are things that we NEED to do.  But can we learn to want to work?  Absolutely!  Jobs can provide much more than just income.  They can teach us skills, they can provide satisfying challenges, they can be a source of social gratification.  If this is our attitude toward our jobs, we will want to do them. 

Chores are another thing that we need to do.  Taking care of our family, cleaning our house, maintaining our surroundings all are things that we need to do.  Do we want to do them?  Well, we love our family, we take pride in our homes and our surroundings.  So yes, we can want to do these things.  We want the best for our families and that includes doing what we need to do to provide for them. 

The next key is to have the desire and willingness to do what we need to do when it’s necessary before we do the things that we want to do.  Of course, we understand that jobs fit into this category, but there are many more things that we could consider.  Maybe we want a garden.  Are we willing to do all the work required to tend it?  How about a pet?  Lots of parents can relate to that one!  How about losing weight?  Are we willing to make the changes required?  I think if we are honest, we will find that many of the things that we WANT to do require that the needful things be done first.  And when we recognize that, we can accept that the things we need to do are a means to a desired end, and that encourages us to want to do them.

The third key is reminding ourselves of what we REALLY want in our lives.  I know lots of people who never stop moving.  They are ambitious and industrious.  I admire them.  But I must admit that I am not one of them.  I tend to be lazy.  I fight it, but the tendency is there.  I have to push myself to do the things that I need to do, and sometimes even the things that I want to do.  When this happens, I remind myself of the kind of person that I truly WANT to be.  I want to be a good example of being a Christian.  I want to be successful.  I want to do the right things.  I want to help people.  I want to go to bed at night with a sense of a day well spent. 

We will have none of those things without doing the things that we need to do and being able to enjoy the things that we want to do.  Sometimes we may need to push ourselves beyond our comfort zones to do things that must be done, and we may have to work our minds to find joy doing those things that are demanded of us.  We may need to change our minds!  But when we do that, we will find that the things we need to do can bless and fulfill us and thus become an enjoyable part of our lives. 

The conclusion of the matter is this.  When we ask ourselves, “What am I going to today?”, the answer is, “My best.”  In doing that, we can be satisfied and successful.  We can be content and assured that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  We can do the things that we need to do and the things that we want to do, and have plenty of time for both. 

In everything you do today, you can glorify God.  The Bible says so. What could be better than that?

Note to my readers:  Enjoy doing all the things that you want and need to do today!  Thanks for reading. 

I heard a Bible teaching the other day, which inspired the above idea in my mind, and started me thinking about being blessed.

First of all, people say, “God bless you” all the time, especially in the south.  While this is an acceptable practice and I love hearing it; is it cliché?  Are these merely nice sounding words to speak?  Perhaps for some.  But we as Christians should always consider what it means when we say, “God bless you”.  We cannot allow those words to become a simple pleasantry. 

It is interesting to look up the word “bless” in the Bible.  The first time it’s used is in Genesis 1:22.  After God created the whales and creatures of the sea and birds of the air, He blessed them and said, “be fruitful and multiply”.  This shows us the basic essence of God’s blessings. 

God told Abraham that He would bless him.  This blessing from God to Abraham (and by association also to us) involved prosperity, health, success, protection, vitality, comfort, peace, progeny, and longevity.  These are just some of the categories in which God blesses us so that we can be fruitful and multiply – literally and figuratively. 

I don’t think that anyone questions God’s ability to bless people, but some may doubt His willingness.  This may stem from people’s misconception that God demands a level of achievement from us before He will bless us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible declares that God remembers that we are dust. This figure of speech refers to the lowliness and fragileness of human beings.  God remembers those things about us and meets us where we are.  We are weak.  We cannot raise ourselves up to God!  But God is strong.  He can reach down and pick us up – and pluck us out of any trap.

People might argue that they have to follow God’s law in order for God to bless them.  Okay, if you want to be under God’s law, what exactly is His law? 

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

God’s law is to love Him and love each other.  How do you act toward someone that you genuinely love?  When the love of God is the motivation for your actions, you will be obeying God’s law.  (You can also look at Romans 13:9) 

So, I think we can agree that God is able and willing to bless us; and that the Bible is full of proclamations of God’s blessings.  For instance, it says that God will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there won’t be room enough to receive (Mal 3:10); that He gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17); and that He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3).  But life is more than just receiving blessings from God.  Granted we absolutely need God’s blessings, but in order for our lives to be truly blessed we need to give blessings as well.

Many of us love reading Psalms.  The Psalms talk about MANY blessings from God to us. But we may also notice that the Psalms direct us to bless God too.  A number of times in Psalms, it says “bless the Lord…”.  When you really think about that, isn’t it incredible that we human beings with all our frailties can bless God?  Yet, we can!  There are exhortations for us to bless God throughout the Bible.

Our blessing God isn’t giving Him prosperity or longevity or any of the things that He blesses us with. (He doesn’t need any of those things!)  Our blessing God is in praise and worship and thankfulness. The root of the Hebrew word used for ‘bless’ means ‘kneel’.  That doesn’t mean that we must physically kneel down, (you can if you want to) but we must show the humbleness and recognition that kneeling before God implies. We bless the gracious God, who blesses us so much, by praising Him with a thankful heart. 

In addition, we can bless each other.  When we are blessed, we have what we need to be able to give.  And when we give, we open the windows of heaven to receive more blessings.  It is a delightful lifestyle that God laid out for us to enjoy.  God, The Blesser, blesses us and then we, the bless-ees, are blessed with all that we need so that we can become blessers ourselves.  It is a remarkable way to live! 

I just have to share one of my favorite verses here:

Proverbs 27:14

He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

God has blessed us with His sense of humor!  😊  Even He knows that nobody likes a loud voice early in the morning!

But seriously,

Psalm 34:8

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

We are blessed when we put our trust in God.  We are blessed because God has already blessed us in Christ.  We are blessed because God is The Blesser.  And with all these blessings, so many that there isn’t room for them all, we have a lot to be thankful for and A LOT to give!  We truly have blessed and happy lives! 

Note to my readers:  God bless you!  Thanks for reading. 

Recently, we took our family to a theme park.  From the highway approaching the park, we could see the huge hills of the roller coasters rising high above the trees.  The steep incline and even steeper descent of the tracks snaked across the skyline like a mountain range.  Walking into the park, we could hear the familiar sounds of the roller coaster cars climbing the metal tracks to their apex, and then the sudden roar of the cars amid the screams of the riders as they plunged down the other side; only to be swept away into another rapid descent or an upside-down loop.

Now, many people consider this fun.  I get it. I used to when I was younger.  But nowadays, my tired bones and my motion sickness shout a resounding “NO” when it comes to roller coasters.  Watching them is enough excitement for me!  But our son rode as many as he could that day and enjoyed every moment.  At dinner, I asked him why he liked roller coasters so much. He used words like anticipation, thrill, excitement, adventure, and exhilaration.  And that made me think about life.

Life is full of ups and downs, so it may seem like a roller coaster ride sometimes.  Now to be sure, that isn’t always a bad thing.  There are good rides, even fun rides in our lives.  And if you are one of those folks who thrives on adventure, most rides are a welcomed challenge.

Good rides would be like the anticipation of family visiting from afar.  First there is the climb of the roller coaster to its peak.  It is a particular kind of anticipation that builds to an expected crescendo.  Then the family arrives, and you enjoy the exhilaration of being together.  It is a fun and thrilling ride with surprises along the way. It is satisfying and electrifying.  But eventually it does come to an end.  And you have the sweet memories of the adventure.   There are many occasions like this in life – a birth, a graduation, a wedding, a vacation, a new job – to name a few.  All of these events have anticipation, excitement, and memories.

Think about having a baby.  There are nine months of anticipation, like a roller coaster climbs slowly and steadily to the peak.  And when you arrive at the top, there is a moment of teetering as you hold your newborn for the first time; then suddenly the ride begins.  You are plunged into twists and turns and rapid changes.  The ride goes up and down, in and out, over and under, and everything else you can imagine until one day, your child is grown.  Then the ride slows down and levels out, and you become an observer of your child’s ride.  Your tired bones don’t want to take that ride again, but you absolutely can enjoy watching your child’s adventure!

However, not all roller coaster rides are good rides.  Sometimes the ride can hurt you or make you sick.  Sometimes it’s just too scary and overwhelming.  These rides are not fun, nor enjoyable.  The best part of them is that they END.  I’ve been on amusement park rides that the only way I survived was by repeatedly reminding myself that it would end. 

We can apply this survival technique to life’s roller coaster rides as well.  Sometimes, we may find ourselves on one of life’s roller coasters without warning.  All of a sudden, we are rocketing toward an unknown outcome, maybe even feeling like we’re out of control.  We must hang on for dear life and remind ourselves that it will end.  How do we do this?  The best way is by utilizing prayer.  When we pray for God’s help, He hears us.  Deliverance is a promise that God made to us and that His only begotten son, Jesus Christ accomplished for us.  We may see the ride slow and level out immediately, or it might take a while.  Either way, it ends.  Miracles do happen.  But I think we may miss them sometimes because we lack the patience to wait for them.  Just as we can’t jump out of a moving roller coaster car, we cannot quit during one of life’s roller coaster rides.

Roller coasters are designed to give people an adrenaline rush, therefore they keep getting taller and faster and more intense to satisfy people’s thrill cravings.  This requires the riders to have more strength and stamina.  When we are faced with an intense roller coaster ride in life, we must be strong and determined as well.  It seems to me that people do rally in the most difficult situations, not because of cravings, but because of courage and conviction.  I often say when I am faced with a particularly negative situation, that my stubborn side really comes out.  I am just too stubborn to give in.  I may not always win, but I am determined that I won’t go down without a fight.

When it comes to roller coasters, there are gentler ones for kids.  The hills are not so high, and the curves are not so sharp.  I bring this up because sometimes in life, we may feel like we are stuck on a “kiddy coaster”.  This happens when we face ongoing annoyances like hearing bad news several times in a row or minor problems, one after another.  They may not be serious, but they are frustrating.  The ups and downs are not extreme but wear us out, nonetheless. 

Sometimes in these situations we might forget to pray.  We may think since it is not serious that we can handle it by ourselves.  That may be true, but why not pray?  I can cook dinner by myself, but how much better it is when someone helps me! 

Another thing that I hear people say is that they don’t want to bother God with trivial things.  To those folks I say, think of someone that you dearly love.  If that person talked to you about trivial things, would you be bothered?  Of course not.  Well, God dearly loves His children with a love greater than we can fathom.  His ear is always open to our prayers, and He cares about every detail of our lives from the trivial to the traumatic. 

So, if you find yourself on one of life’s “mega-coasters” that is throwing you for a loop; or on a “kiddy coaster” that is distracting your attention, don’t hesitate to pray for your situation and remember “this too shall pass”.  God wants to help us in everything we face – big or small.  If you’re on a good ride, enjoy it and thank God for His blessings. 

No matter what ride we may find ourselves on in life – a roller coaster, bumper cars, a carousel or a Ferris wheel, God’s eyes are upon us, and His ears are open to our prayers.  When we are happy, God is happy.  When we hurt, His heart hurts for us.  I think this verse speaks volumes about prayer:

Psalm 116:2

Because he (God) hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

God is ALWAYS there for us.  And whether our prayers are pleas for help or praise to a loving Father, God hears and acknowledges them.

Note to my readers:  I pray that all your ‘rides’ are good ones.  Thanks for reading. 

Having had our twin grandsons visiting for five days, I thought I’d write about energy.  Eight-year-olds seem to have boundless energy.  They wake up ready to take on their day and try to expend every last ounce of their energy before bedtime.  Their energy makes it hard for them to sit still and nearly impossible for them to stay quiet.  Their energy is displayed not only in their activity level, but also in their silliness.  A parent’s responsibility is to harness that energy and steer it in the right direction.  (And it is hard work to corral an 8-year-old’s energy – let alone two 8-year-olds!)  A grandparent helps with this but can also sit back and watch the show.  This is the reward for a job well done raising their own children! 

Our grandsons had their 8^th birthday while they were visiting, so most of our plans revolved around that.  Watching them having fun stirred many thoughts in my mind.  The blessings of family, the excitement of youth, the pleasure of watching children at play – these are some of the best joys of life. 

Children’s energy is fueled by their curiosity and their innocence.   They are blissfully unaware of the problems in the world and the grown-up responsibilities, which sometimes seem to overshadow us as adults.  Children get excited about little things and look for every opportunity that they can find to have fun.  I watched the twins chase little lizards and celebrate each time they caught one.  (I have pictures!)  Those kinds of activities would not be exciting to me nor to most adults, but for the kids, it was an adventure. 

The boys loved being the center of attention at their birthday party.  It was a joy to watch their enthusiasm while they blew out the candles on their cake and opened their gifts.  Of course this enthusiasm needs to be tempered with thankfulness and appreciation, which must be instilled by their parents.  But why not be excited for these occasions?  It is alright to be the recipient of such demonstrations of affection, because, isn’t that what birthday parties really are? 

The silliness involved in a child’s energy usually tries a parent’s patience (and a grandparent’s too.)  But that is all part of the package.  The Bible says that foolishness is bound in the heart of a child.  And although it is the parents’ responsibility to correct and train up a child in the way he should go, we cannot forget that children are foolish by nature.  Remembering this helps us keep our frustrations in check.   

Being with my son and his family was an exuberant experience.  I was reminded of how fun it is to have grandchildren around and how much I respect my own children.  I cried when they left.

Families are important.  It is the family bond that builds values in children because no one else cares for a child more than a parent does.  And if children are fortunate enough to have grandparents in their lives, they are doubly cared for.  All the energy that we put into raising our children is repaid by them becoming adults that we can respect. 

As it is with many things in life, it is a balance.  As grown-ups, we shouldn’t put away all of our childlike enthusiasm.  It wouldn’t hurt us to have some simple wonder and amazement.  Maybe it would energize us with more excitement for life.  Oh, I know we have responsibilities and pressures, but those can’t be the only things that define us.  Why not look for some opportunities to have fun?  Laughter is often the best medicine.  There may even be times when we can be silly!  Of course, I’m not promoting that we shirk any responsibility.  I’m just saying that we don’t need to be SO serious so much of the time.

My husband often says that if he could bottle a child’s energy and sell it to adults, we’d be multi-millionaires.  We can’t do that, but we can enjoy the energy that children bring into our lives, and we can allow their energy to revitalize our hearts.  We can be excited about the little things and seek some adventure.  Have fun! Smile! Laugh!  Enjoy life like a child! 

Note to my readers:  One word of warning; if you are a grandparent, trying to keep up with the grandchildren may wear you out!  Speaking from recent experience! 😊  Thanks for reading!