Birthday Reflections

I learned in Bible class once that you could divide the life of Moses into 3 40-year parts. His first 40 years were spent in Egypt, the next 40 years he was a shepherd, and he spent his last 40 years with the Israelites wondering around in the desert.

It seems like my life can be divided up into thirds too. The first 20 years I was a kid. The next 20 was spent having and raising kids of my own. And now, as a 40-something grown-up, I'm enjoying life in a new way. I have the freedom to be and do pretty much anything my conscience, aging body, and pocketbook will allow.

The one who said, "Life begins at 40," wasn't kidding. This is a great time in my life. Not that the first 40 years weren't, but I'm finding a peace and contentment and, as Susan Ann likes to call it, an attitude of gratitude that has blessed and surprised me as I age. Growing old isn't such a bad thing. I think the older I get, the better I get. I don't say that to brag. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for lots of hard lessons learned along the way. I still have a lot to learn, (Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 11:2, Micah 6:8 and Colossians 3:23 to name a few) but here's what I've figured out about life so far.

1. God is everything. (That's why He calls himself, "I AM.")
2. Everything happens for a reason.
3. Begin every day and every task with mediation on God’s Word and prayer, and all will be well.
4. Less is more.
5. The secret of contentment: Focus on the positive... what you have instead of what you wish you had; where you are instead of where you wish you were; who you are instead of who you wish you were.
6. Rejoice always! God loves you.

I feel like there should be 7, but I can't think of another one to put there. Maybe I will over the next 20 years. Or maybe one of you can add number 7!

And now, a few pictures…one from each of the phases of my life thus far...

1967
 (I'm the one on Dad's lap.)

1995

2011

Blessings in Disguise

I just found out yoga classes are going to be offered again where I work. I’m very excited. I love the way the Julie, who teaches the class, does so with a Christian perspective. I also like how she slowly guides us from pose to pose, and lets everyone work at their own level.

I really enjoy the feeling of a good stretch.

That doesn’t mean I’m all that flexible. In fact, for years I wondered why I couldn’t more easily touch my toes, or do some of those other amazing poses the people in the yoga videos could do. You know the ones I mean…where they fold themselves perfectly in half, or straddle their legs as sharply as a carpenter’s square.

Even when I stretched twice a day I still couldn’t see the sort of progress I dreamed of. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t do it. It actually bugged me - a lot!

That was until a few years ago when I was watching an episode of Dr. Oz. It was during the Q and A time near the end of the show when a young woman got up and began to talk about her hyper-flexibility. Dr. Oz asked her to show us, so she began bending and twisting her body into all sorts of crazy shapes. I looked on with both wonder and envy.

But then something unexpected happened. Dr. Oz asked the lady if she ever gets aches and pains in her joints. “Yes, Often,” the lady admitted. Dr. Oz then explained that this is common with people with hyper-flexibility. These sorts of people have to be especially cautious to avoid injuries like sprains and pulled muscles.

Hummm...

I thought.

I never get injuries like that.



I guess it's because...



my joints are strong.


That’s when it first occurred to me...

  
Maybe God made me this way for a reason.

 

I imagined God, knitting me together, and deciding it would be better for me to have strong joints, than to be overly flexible. Even though he knew I’d want to be limber, he felt it was better for me to be able to run, and hike, and play with my kids, and climb stairs, and do all the things I enjoy doing without ever having to worry about a sprained ankle or a pulled back.
 

He made me this way because he loves me.

I wondered how many other things about me that I don’t really like, are actually blessings in disguise. Could my big teeth and fat thumbs be a blessing too? Who knows? They could be.

How about you? Are there any things about yourself you used to want to change, but later realized were blessings in disguise? The size of your nose? The size of your yard? The size of your bank account?

As I get older I see more and more what a loving Father we have. He knows best, and his ways are so much higher and better than our ways.

Like it says in Isaiah 55…

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

So the next time you’re thinking…

Why couldn’t I be more like this?

 or

Why couldn’t I be more like that?

…don’t be surprised if the answer is as simple as this:

Because God loves you.

What Going SCREEN-FREE Did For Me

First, I must apologize to all of you die-hard fans of my blog for not posting anything last week.



As a few of you know, I went SCREEN-FREE for 7 days (almost).
Why?
I don't know.

I thought it would be good for me.

And it was. It taught me one thing.



TV is over-rated.

 Let me clarify.

 TV is over-rated... by me!

I used to think TV was great. But after a week, doing without, I think my opinion has changed.



You see...while I was "doing without" TV (or Facebook) it didn't feel like I was lacking anything. Instead, my life felt fuller than ever. It was amazing how much I got done.

Or perhaps not so amazing when you calculate the time I ordinarily would have spent mindlessly glued to the set, but instead spent doing stuff...fun stuff, neat stuff, productive stuff, and even some stuff with the people in my life. Hello!
Is it too much to say going SCREEN-FREE set me FREE? I don't think so.

It wasn't easy though. (Because there's nothing easier to do than curl up in a Lazy-boy with a remote in your hand.) It took a little more discipline than I guess I have, because on Sunday night I decided to just say "good enough" and watch a few of my favorite shows. So I did. And it was sort of fun. The Amazing Race was pretty good, but the couple who we all knew would win, won. And Chopped All-Stars was pretty good too, but the guy I figured would win that one won that one too. Celebrity Apprentice was just okay. How many times can you listen to "celebrities" you've never heard of, say they're just "doing this for charity," and then swear and scream at one another? I turned that one off even before I saw who Trump fired this week. I decided I really didn't care. And so Sunday night I basically wasted 2 1/2 hours when I could have been doing fun, neat, productive stuff.

It's time to make a change.


Sorry TV & Facebook. You're okay, but I think we should spend a little more time apart.
 
I'm changing my status to screenfree & loving it!
 

Book Club

Sorry I haven’t been blogging as faithfully as I used to. I’m having trouble figuring out what to blog about. The problem isn’t coming up with ideas. The problem is that I have so many thoughts in my head lately; it’s hard to pick just one. It’s probably because of this book I’ve been reading. It’s really amazing. The best book I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it.

You know the book I’m talking about. It’s your favorite too.

I’ll admit, I don’t read it as much as I ought. Or at least I didn’t. But lately I’ve been reading it a lot more. And the more I read it, the more I want to read it.  There’s power in the Word. That’s for sure!

So, this week I’m blogging to encourage you to join my “Book Club.” Dust off your copy and read the greatest story ever told. God’s love letter to his people. The Bible.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

-          Pick one time of day and make it a habit to always spend that portion of your day in God’s Word.

-          If you haven’t read the Bible lately (or ever) begin with the Book of John. It’s the 4th book in the New Testament. Deep thinkers may prefer Romans, the 6th book of the New Testament. I’m starting in Genesis, which is a good place to begin as well, but I also enjoy just paging through the Bible to see what jumps out at me.  In short, it doesn’t matter where you start. Just start!

-          Don’t be afraid to make notes in your Bible! Use pencil if you want, but mark it up. You’ll be glad you did.

-          Don’t own a Bible? Let me know and I'll send you one.

-          Don’t have time to read? Try listening to the Bible while you’re doing something else. Check out this website: www.biblegateway.com There you can read whichever translation of the Bible you prefer, and/or listen to it right from your computer! It’s super-easy and convenient. (I listen to Genesis while I do my morning yoga. No kidding!)

-          Join a Bible Information Class. It’s not just for new members and it’s a great place to bring up any questions you may have about what God’s telling you. This was advice a friend gave to me, and on Sunday evening I went to my first class. Maybe I’ll see you there next week too???

Just Do It

Did you make any resolutions this year?

Having trouble keeping them?

Guess what. I know the trick to keeping any resolution.

It’s pretty simple, really.

But then again, most things in life are.

For example, most people know how to get in shape.

You just eat less and exercise more.

To save money,

just spend less than you make.

Get organized by putting things where they belong.

Simple.

And so the trick is…

drum roll…

Just do it!

That’s it.

Nike™ had it right all along.

Now I realize a lot more can be said about any self-improvement plan. Libraries and bookstores are filled with books and videos on most any bad habit. And many of these are extremely helpful and encouraging.

But when it comes right down to it, the only way to make a change, any change, is to simply make up your mind to do it, and then do it.

Because…

Healthy people eat healthy foods.

Non-smokers don’t buy cigarettes.

Good parents spend time with their kids.

Writers write.

Runners run.

And guitarists pick up their guitars and play them!

If you want to do something, it’s not complicated.

Just do it!

There.

Now you know the secret.

So…

What are you going to do now?

Encouraging Encouragement

“Nette, come help me.” Somehow my sister Becky had ended up with the job of carving the Thanksgiving turkey. She was maybe 20 years old at the time, and had little experience in this sort of thing. I was no more than 13 and had none whatsoever. Still, I followed her into the next room, ready to do what I could.

Becky took the electric knife in one hand, and a fork in the other.

“What should I do?” I asked when she just stood there staring down at the bird.

“Just give me encouragement.”

I smiled. That I could do.

So while my older sister bravely went to work, I did my part. “Come on, you can do it.” “Nice job!” “Keep it up.” “Ooo, that’s a nice one…”

Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m telling you this story.

Well, you know how some moments stick out in your memory. I don’t mean the major events in one’s life. I mean the simple little moments that you never forget. This is one of mine. I loved it that all she wanted from me were a few words of encouragement. I still smile when I think about it. I was just a kid. But still, she needed and appreciated having me stand by her side and tell her she was doing okay.

There’s another reason I’m telling you this story. September 12^th is the National Day of Encouragement. I know this because I happen to work at the MLC Bookstore, and from September 7 – 10 we’ll be giving away 1 free card of encouragement with every DaySpring™ Greeting card purchase in celebration of the National Day of Encouragement, while supplies last.

(Did that sound like a commercial? Sorry. Now back to our blog, already in progress.)

Grandpa Glende was an expert at encouragement. He once told my brother-in-law, Chip, he plays football so well he should play for the Vikings. And several times when I would take him to run errands around town he told me what an excellent driver I was. Honestly, he did. He even said I should get a job as a taxi driver. Obviously, Grandpa’s encouragement was a bit exaggerated at times, but I have to say, I never drove so well as when I had him sitting next to me, singing my praises.

And so I encourage you to be encouraging. And not just on September 12^th. Make it a regular part of your conversation. It was that way with Grandpa. And I know my sister Becky would agree, it could and should be that way with all of us.

Come on, you can do it. Nice job!