Reflections and Responses

It's funny how it can take years to understand certain seemingly elementary concepts. Despite multiple people explaining them to us for years, the ideas don't click for whatever reason for a very long time. Then, for seemingly no reason at all, the idea suddenly makes sense in our minds and becomes crystal clear in a matter of minutes. This has happened to me twice in the last couple of weeks. Concept #1 that finally solidified in my mind is the fact that jobs are really all about problem solving. That's the reason the job was created - to solve a problem/meet a need/fill a void. Therefore, we need to anticipate new challenges arising instead of backing away and letting them jar us. Again, this is probably common sense to you, but it finally dawned on me that I exist to be a problem solver - not a routine follower or a people pleaser or an order filler. Since that is true, I should no longer shrink with intimidation when a new challenge at the workplace presents itself. I s

Here are some things I am absolutely loving this month. - Stillness and quiet - Our church moving to a new building/neighborhood/ministry hub - Trader Joe's hummus - Morning runs outside - Warm sunshine on my arms while driving - Deepening relationships - Watching God literally work miracles - Learning that sometimes doing things with excellence trumps doing them in a timely way " There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... " Ecclesiastes 3:1

Why do we as humans have such a hard time accepting the fact that we have little control? If you think about it, we can control very little. We can't even change much about our appearance! Clothes and haircuts, yes, but shapes, skin and hair colors, and big-picture appearance characteristics? No. We also cannot control others - what they say, what they do, when they say it, when they do it - none of that is in our control. We can't control society - the economy, pop culture, current events - individuals have very, very little control over these things. The Earth - climate, natural disasters, animals - all function outside of our control. Our lack of control is at times frustrating but other times so liberating. Why frustrating? Sometimes I would love to control what comes out of someone's mouth or how they respond to situations. Why liberating? I am so very glad that I am not responsible for making society function or any of the other monumental things mentioned above. It&#