Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Struggle

Do you ever question your purpose? At a certain point in life you believe you are where you should be, then within what appears to be a brief moment your perception changes and you question where you're at...?

I don't believe these moments are without purpose; on the contrary - I'm not saying that they are divine moments of clarity. They could be our own thoughts, selfishishly brought on by our own will. One would hope that not to be the case...

I don't read the word as much as I should, but in the midst of these thoughts, one verse stuck out in my mind - God is Faithful. He who called you is faithful. He who brought us into a relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ, is faithful. Its all in 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.

Wherever we are, whatever situation we in or are facing...God is faithful. If there is somewhere else he calls us to be, may we find that through him. Timing could be not what we expect, but we remember, God is faithful. To Him, 5 years is as a day, and maybe that time is what we need to prepare us for what is to come. It's no doubt there are urgencies that come up, dire situations that need our attention in this world, but God doesn't call everyone immediately, maybe He calls your neighbour, your friend. Sometimes I think He asks us to wait, wait for his timing. Maybe he asks us to stay where we are, because he needs us there too. Whatever it may be, He is faithful. I like what one author said on this topic..."God has started a work in you by his Divine grace. You have been redeemed. And that work must be continued by his grace until the day it is completed." -J. David Hoke

Whatever, wherever we may be - might we remember, He called us, he brought us into a relationship with him, introduced us to Jesus Christ, gave us an open line of communication, assures us he knows every part of us (Luke 12), and we have nothing to worry over.

Have you ever heard the story of Horatio Spafford? He wrote the hymn, It is Well With My Soul. A devout Christian and lawyer by trade he encountered tragic loss in a short period of time...after this penned the hymn.

I believe that in the midst of the struggle or life's decisions, even when we believe the decisions we make are right, whatever we face in it or after, we should remember, God is Faithful right to the end.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Blogging with intent

I haven’t blogged in a long time and certain people make me aware of that continuously. Let me get something straight here. I started a blog when I was single, by myself with no one to talk to. Well, not no one…but you know. Now, I share my life's events with Quinn and I feel like I have no reason to write about it, because I already got it out of my system.
That’s not to say I don’t believe in the blog. I still want the blog, I think I simply need to adjust the tune of the blog. Often times, I feel I need to have something profound to say, or else I feel the blog is inadequate or me as an individual lacks quality blogging material.
So, rather than not blog at all, I will blog today, but simply tell you about the days, week and months that have been and lessons learned…

1. Scalding hot water on your skin, burns – Sunday I was not thinking. Quinn’s parents were over at my place for Mother’s Day, we were going to make coffee in the French Press. My kitchen is not yet stocked, so I boiled water on the stove rather than a kettle, when I decided to measure it out for the coffee I poured the water from the pot into a measuring cup which I had clasped in my hand. I chose not to use the handle on my Dollarama measuring cup. I poured, spilled all over and scalded my thumb. I was in some pain for 3+ hours. Finally, Quinn sent me to bed, tucked me in, propped my hand up on a pillow with my thumb drenched in Aloe Vera, he went home and I went to sleep. How restful my sleep was.

2. You can learn so much about yourself when you’re in a relationship. I’ve never taken the time to evaluate me (hopefully that means I’m not an egotist). It helps when you take a psychological analysis test as part of your marriage counseling… More than that, when you see a certain characteristic in the other person, I find it’s easier to see what your characteristic is. It can be the same or opposite of what you are. Regardless, once you figure that out, you develop a better understanding of them and see where their view comes from.

3. Sub-concious Stress – my work can sometimes be stressful, more-so there are moments where I don’t even realize my body is under stress until my stomach is writhing in pain as though someone is squeezing and pulling it. Yesterday was one of those days, without me knowing my mind took the challenges of my day and told my body it was too much, so my stomach went into stress mode. I met Quinn for lunch which was a very relaxing hour and also looked up some stress reliever tips…

Be aware of your choices; you always have a choice. This is true for emotions and work. Sometimes you need to let your emotions out but still stay in control. (In a corner crying is not the intention)

Start every day with reflection, spiritual or otherwise. (Good point, I’ll take the spiritual)

Remember to delegate. (yes, delegate to my subordinates ;)

Drink water it is the best beverage and stay off alcohol which always adds to stress one way or another. Caffeine is also known to raise stress levels, so again it is best to drink water. (really?, that goes against all corporate policy)

Talk to friends. This is one of the most important things, as keeping things bottled up can only cause more stress. (I knew talking to my friends while on the job was a good idea, now I have it in writing)

Get fit. Exercise a little every day. This releases endorphins that can lower stress levels, also eat chocolate it also releases endorphins, but sorry only in small moderate dosage. (A license to eat chocolate, this just gets better) (the chocolate thought trumps the exercise)

Learn to say no; you cannot do everything you are asked. (definitely struggle with this one, I attempt the impossible on a regular basis and when I succeed, the impossible is added to my list of duties)

Treat your body right - You will have more self-confidence and energy, and be less likely to experience the physical side effects of stress.

Develop a sense of humour - One of the barriers to stress reduction is the temptation to take things too seriously. It's okay to back off from your intensity and see the humour in life's situations. Laugh a little or better yet, laugh a lot! See the humour in stress.

Monday, May 5, 2008

coming...

...new post coming...

To this blog, soon.