Some build their hopes on the ever drifting sand,
Some on their fame, or their treasure, or their land...
Wow...this has been a crazy time! Our country is experiencing a lot of uncertainty and upheaval as a result of the virus sweeping through the world at this time. As a travel agent, all the venue closures and cancellations have rocked my professional world, and I have spent a lot of time counseling clients, making changes, cancelling reservations, etc. Since travel agents only get paid after a client travels, IF they travel, all of these changes have affected our income as well. Thankfully, we don't rely on my income, but some agents do have to rely on theirs. That's scary! I am thankful that I don't have to place my hope in my treasure.
The news has been full of updates about celebrities who have contracted the virus. Similarly, professional and college athletes who have worked so hard to reach championship games, only to have their seasons interrupted or cut short. I am thankful I don't have to place my hope in personal fame.
Every time I see the news, there is conflicting information about this whole situation. Today, reports might be that this virus will infect almost everyone and hospitals will be unable to care for the sick. Another day, it seems as though everyone is overreacting. It is hard to know who (or what) to believe. Confusion and misinformation are running rampant. We look to leaders and experts for information and reassurance, but with the rapidly changing information, they have little to offer us. I am thankful that my confidence does not lie in the ever drifting sand.
We are being bombarded constantly with admonitions to wash our hands, disinfect our common areas, abstain from being in public as much as possible, etc. etc. etc. Our grandparents in nursing home or retirement facilities are not being allowed visitors for their own protection. Children are being sent home from school, corporations and colleges all over the country are sending people home to do all work and schooling online. Parents whose kids are in public schools are suddenly finding themselves in a situation where they must "homeschool" these kids until school reopens in order to keep them from getting behind. Homeschool co-ops are shutting down so that families aren't exposing each other to danger. Members who may have been exposed or who have other health conditions are having to stay home from corporate worship. We are encouraged to practice "social distancing," which can separate us from our support networks and leave us feeling more afraid and confused. Fear is everywhere. However, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1
If you know much about me, I despise uncertainty and change. I am not comfortable with being out of control of a situation or having no idea what the outcome will be. I love predictability and routine, When I don't have these, it gives me anxiety and makes me feel uneasy. This current situation has been a challenge for me to remember to not be anxious in all things. (Php. 4:6-7).
Thankfully, there stands a Rock, the Rock of my salvation! My hope is "on the Rock that forever will stand, Jesus, the Rock of Ages." In this time of swift transition, I can "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand." Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), no matter what happens with the virus, or the travel industry, or fleeting fame, or any other worldly endeavor. I can't imaging trying to navigate these changing times without that Rock to cling to, and my prayer is that anyone reading this who doesn't have that Rock will make the changes needed today. If I can help you, I would love to.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Word of the Year - 2020
If you are on social media at all, you have probably seen lots of posts about choosing your "word of the year" to focus on in 2020. People choose all kinds of creative words that represent their goals for the upcoming year, or what they feel is needed in their lives. My perfectionist self has always struggled with the idea of choosing a word to "define" me for the next 12 months. What if I choose the wrong word? What if I can't live up to my word? What if my life goes in a completely different direction? How do I put that word into action? The questions tumble in my mind and my anxiety mounts with the pressure of choosing just the "right" word. So, in the past, I have bucked the trend and simply continued setting specific, attainable goals for myself. I don't usually call them "resolutions," because, again, my perfectionism gets in the way and I feel so defeated if attaining them does not go as planned or if life throws me a curve ball that interferes with my goal. For instance, if I set an exercise goal and then come down with bronchitis and can't workout for a few weeks, I feel like a failure and have trouble giving myself grace in times of sickness. If I lay out routines and organization plans and miss a day, I am tempted to just give up because "I can't do this." Instead, I set small goals with reasonable expectations and celebrate when I achieve them.
However, this year every time I read about someone's word of the year, all I could think about was that I needed to simplify my life. The past year has been chaotic, stressful, and sometimes downright scary. We have had various medical issues, a few scares, and my seasonal anxiety issues have really ramped up. I have felt like I have been in survival mode for months, whereas I long to be in "thrive" mode. Life has felt overwhelming and out of control and, quite frankly, like a big mess! My brain has felt jumbled and stressed and unfocused. I have forgotten things simply because there is too much to remember and no good system to remember with!
So, I can feel my mind and my soul longing for simplicity. Every time I think of that, the Scripture admonishing us to "Be still, and know that I am God" comes to mind as well. I am rarely "still," and I get so caught up in all the urgent things that need to be done that sometimes I forget the most important things. I allow stress and chaos to dictate my life instead of peace, stillness, and trust.
Therefore, my word of 2020 is SIMPLIFY. My goal is to simplify and streamline my daily life so that I am able to finally "be still" and take comfort in the One who promises rest to all who are weary and heavy-laden if we will only come to Him in faithful obedience.
I am hoping to extend this word to all areas of my life.
SIMPLIFY the clutter in our home. Our brains function better and we are happier when material things are not constantly in our face vying for our attention.
SIMPLIFY routines and chores. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. It's okay to have a few routines in place to make the house run more smoothly and to give ourselves grace when we are exhausted and choose to leave dishes til the next morning in favor of sleep. It is okay if we forget to switch a load of laundry and have to run it again. It is not the end of the world if we forget to mop the kitchen this week.
SIMPLIFY Bible study. There is no need to feel obligated to be in all the studies going on around me and online. There is no need to commit to an impossible amount of reading each day and to feel frustrated that I can't keep up. So, I am focusing on one or two areas of study and doing them well instead of spreading myself so thin I can't even remember what I studied or grow from it.
SIMPLIFY our schedule. I am focusing on learning that it is okay to say no to something. I don't owe anyone an explanation, and it is okay to simply say "I'm sorry. My schedule doesn't allow for that." I can't be everything to everyone and still be what I need for my family. It's also okay to tell my children no, even to "good" activities if it keeps us rushing constantly and unable to enjoy each other. Every day doesn't have to be an elaborate special occasion. Some days we can just stay home and be still.
SIMPLIFY our finances. We don't have to buy everything we see that looks interesting. It's okay to set up autopay for recurring payments so that we don't forget.
SIMPLIFY my prayer life. It's easy to get caught up in feeling like prayer needs to sound a certain way or be a certain length. God simply desires that I communicate with Him. It doesn't have to be perfect or complicated.
SIMPLIFY relationships. Some relationships do not provide anything good, and it's okay to let those go. It's okay to let someone move on without constantly trying to fix it and force a relationship. It's okay to let people make bad choices without feeling like I have failed as a friend if I can't talk them out of it. I'm not advocating ignoring friends in time of need, but sometimes you just have to accept that someone has chosen to go in a different direction. It's okay to grieve a lost relationship and then move on. At the same time, it's okay to take time to cultivate strong relationships, especially with those who share my desire to go to heaven.
SIMPLIFY my health. This, too, can be a tempting area to be all or nothing and to set myself up for failure. So this year, instead of rigid goals and schedules and plans, I am going to simplify things to "making the best choices" and focusing on one thing at a time to make myself healthier.
SIMPLIFY my brain's chaos. It's okay to take time to rest, both physically and mentally. It is okay to ask my husband if I can go to the library for an hour to just have quiet alone time. It's okay to take time for myself to do something creative that I enjoy to re-energize myself. It's okay if my life doesn't look like someone else's. It's okay to simply "Be still, and know that I am God."
However, this year every time I read about someone's word of the year, all I could think about was that I needed to simplify my life. The past year has been chaotic, stressful, and sometimes downright scary. We have had various medical issues, a few scares, and my seasonal anxiety issues have really ramped up. I have felt like I have been in survival mode for months, whereas I long to be in "thrive" mode. Life has felt overwhelming and out of control and, quite frankly, like a big mess! My brain has felt jumbled and stressed and unfocused. I have forgotten things simply because there is too much to remember and no good system to remember with!
So, I can feel my mind and my soul longing for simplicity. Every time I think of that, the Scripture admonishing us to "Be still, and know that I am God" comes to mind as well. I am rarely "still," and I get so caught up in all the urgent things that need to be done that sometimes I forget the most important things. I allow stress and chaos to dictate my life instead of peace, stillness, and trust.
Therefore, my word of 2020 is SIMPLIFY. My goal is to simplify and streamline my daily life so that I am able to finally "be still" and take comfort in the One who promises rest to all who are weary and heavy-laden if we will only come to Him in faithful obedience.
I am hoping to extend this word to all areas of my life.
SIMPLIFY the clutter in our home. Our brains function better and we are happier when material things are not constantly in our face vying for our attention.
SIMPLIFY routines and chores. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. It's okay to have a few routines in place to make the house run more smoothly and to give ourselves grace when we are exhausted and choose to leave dishes til the next morning in favor of sleep. It is okay if we forget to switch a load of laundry and have to run it again. It is not the end of the world if we forget to mop the kitchen this week.
SIMPLIFY Bible study. There is no need to feel obligated to be in all the studies going on around me and online. There is no need to commit to an impossible amount of reading each day and to feel frustrated that I can't keep up. So, I am focusing on one or two areas of study and doing them well instead of spreading myself so thin I can't even remember what I studied or grow from it.
SIMPLIFY our schedule. I am focusing on learning that it is okay to say no to something. I don't owe anyone an explanation, and it is okay to simply say "I'm sorry. My schedule doesn't allow for that." I can't be everything to everyone and still be what I need for my family. It's also okay to tell my children no, even to "good" activities if it keeps us rushing constantly and unable to enjoy each other. Every day doesn't have to be an elaborate special occasion. Some days we can just stay home and be still.
SIMPLIFY our finances. We don't have to buy everything we see that looks interesting. It's okay to set up autopay for recurring payments so that we don't forget.
SIMPLIFY my prayer life. It's easy to get caught up in feeling like prayer needs to sound a certain way or be a certain length. God simply desires that I communicate with Him. It doesn't have to be perfect or complicated.
SIMPLIFY relationships. Some relationships do not provide anything good, and it's okay to let those go. It's okay to let someone move on without constantly trying to fix it and force a relationship. It's okay to let people make bad choices without feeling like I have failed as a friend if I can't talk them out of it. I'm not advocating ignoring friends in time of need, but sometimes you just have to accept that someone has chosen to go in a different direction. It's okay to grieve a lost relationship and then move on. At the same time, it's okay to take time to cultivate strong relationships, especially with those who share my desire to go to heaven.
SIMPLIFY my health. This, too, can be a tempting area to be all or nothing and to set myself up for failure. So this year, instead of rigid goals and schedules and plans, I am going to simplify things to "making the best choices" and focusing on one thing at a time to make myself healthier.
SIMPLIFY my brain's chaos. It's okay to take time to rest, both physically and mentally. It is okay to ask my husband if I can go to the library for an hour to just have quiet alone time. It's okay to take time for myself to do something creative that I enjoy to re-energize myself. It's okay if my life doesn't look like someone else's. It's okay to simply "Be still, and know that I am God."
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