Monday Morning Memo: Life Is Short

My memory sure isn’t what it used to be.  I sometimes wonder if it is because I’m getting older…or if my brain is just trying to go in too many different directions.  Regardless…I make lots of lists and I love post-it notes to make sure I do my best to stay on top of things.

I am also always on the lookout for anything new that I can use to help me remember what I might easily forget.  Some weeks ago I came across a picture on the Internet of a wall hanging that was just what I needed to keep our family birthdates and anniversaries in my eyeshot and in the forefront of my mind.  So I immediately contacted New Creation Primitives, because I knew, with their talent, they could make this for me.  And as you can see by my picture…they did and I love it!  I am now able to see, at a glance, who has a birthday and/or anniversary in each month.  I have it hanging on the wall in our dining room and every time I walk by it…it makes me smile.

It not only makes me smile because I love it so; it also makes me smile because it reminds me how blessed I am by my family.  God has been so good to give me a family whom I dearly love.  Spending time with them is one of my most favorite things to do and I cherish each moment.  As our family grows, it doesn’t mean that there is less love to go around…it just means that our love grows and expands to a higher level as we welcome each new addition. 

  

Almost sounds like a Norman Rockwell painting, doesn’t it?  Well, I’ll be honest; our life is not a painting.  An artist usually takes great pains to make their canvas comes alive with a perfect scene where there isn’t anything shown that isn’t supposed to be there.  The brush strokes are carefully applied to make everything look pristine and flawless.  But that isn’t reality.  The members of my family aren’t perfect…none of us are no matter what “scene” we find ourselves in.  We all have our flaws and we don’t always see eye-to-eye, but our love for each other triumphs any differences that we might have.

It breaks my heart when I meet someone and they tell me that they haven’t talked to a family member in years.  When I ask why…their response is often that something happened in their past that shoved a wedge between them and their relative.  Years have gone by and neither side has made the first step towards reconciliation.  Pride reels its ugly head and instead of forgiving and moving on…both sides have dug in their heels and refused to make amends.

I was reading 1 John 4:20-21 the other day in The Message:  If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.  For some reason, I think we often read these verses and think that it pertains to just those outside our family…not inside our family.  But it refers to both.  And unfortunately, I think there are many professing Christians sitting in the pews on Sunday mornings who can love their neighbor…but can’t love those whom God has placed in their own family.

I sat in the cancer center last Friday with my mother-in-law and I saw it happen once again.  A couple came out from seeing the doctor and both of them showed signs on their face that their news had not been good.  Then there was a 35-year-old man in the treatment area who talked about how much he and his wife want to start a family…but life has thrown them an unexpected curve.  Life is short, my friends, and none of us know what event or diagnosis we might experience or receive today.  If there is reconciliation that needs to happen in your family…why not be the one to extend your hand to them today.  If you wait…it might be too late and living with regrets is such a waste of your time and energy. 

By the way…if you are looking for just the right wall hanging for your home…I highly recommend New Creation Primitives.  You can see more of their work and get their contact information on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/newcreationprimitives/.  Give them your idea and they will bring it to life.  Oh, and don’t forget to tell them that LuAnn sent you!

Monday Morning Memo: Cinderella to Godzilla

Yep, it happened again.  For most of my life, I have been stumping doctors.  Time and time again, I’ve had them tell me that I’m wired backwards…that my body reacts differently than others and that they just aren’t sure what to do with me.  Once I received the diagnosis about six years ago of Hypermobility Syndrome, we had a start to some answers.  But it hasn’t stopped me from still being looked at like I’m from another world.

Last Friday I received “the look” again.  As I shared last week, I’ve been trying to get over a sinus infection and for the most part, it is gone.  But it left me with plugged ears that just won’t unplug.  I have done everything I was told…from sinus rinses to allergy medicine to nasal sprays, etc. etc. etc.  But as I sat in the doctor’s office once again last Friday, he looked in my ears and said, “Wow.  You still have tons of fluid behind your ears!”  Yep, I already knew that.

The doctor said he had one more thing to try (short of sticking a hole in both eardrums to let things drain!) and that was a round of steroids.  I don’t know about you…but I hate steroids.  They can cause more reactions in this wired backwards body of mine than I care to list so I try to avoid them at all cost.  To be honest, they can make me go from Cinderella to Godzilla in three seconds flat so it isn’t just me that may have to suffer…my husband would possibly have to suffer too.  But this time, I was desperate enough to agree to take them and then the doctor told me that maybe I should warn my husband J

Well, it’s now Monday morning and thank the good Lord…my ears are improving and Godzilla never showed up (well, maybe you should ask Dan about that!).  I can’t say that I am enjoying taking the steroids, but the result is worth the side effects so I’m glad I took the advice of my doctor.  It wasn’t what I wanted but it was the best thing for me.

It seems like following Christ sometimes leads to similar situations.  There are times when the “crud” of the world seeps into my life and I begin to feel sick spiritually.  I try everything I know to feel better on my own…but nothing seems to bring me out of it.  Then I finally go to the One I should have started with…my Jesus.  He never looks at me… wondering how I am wired…because He is the One that created me.  He knows everything about me, right down to the number of hairs on my head.  Most importantly, He knows what I need to do to be right with Him again.  But I often balk because I know that the remedy might hurt.  I might have to swallow my pride and allow Him prune me so that I’m less like Godzilla…and more like a princess of the King.  It’s not always what I wanted but it is always the best thing for me.

How about you?  Is there something in your life that is making you spiritually ill?  Are you avoiding going to the One who can make you well because you know there is pruning that needs done?  Take it from me…being a Godzilla just isn’t very attractive.  I want to urge you to seek Jesus today and let Him bring peace and healing to your soul. My guess is that those who are around you just might notice your transformation, as you too look more like a prince or princess of the King!

“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”

1 Peter 2:9-10 The Message

Monday Morning Memo: The Rest of the Story

If you are familiar with the late Paul Harvey, he used to share little known or forgotten facts on a variety of subjects with some key element of the story held back until the end. He would then end his broadcasts with the tag line "And now you know the rest of the story."

That’s similar to what I’m doing in my post today because I’m sharing with you the rest of the story.  On December 6^th, 2016, I shared with you a blog post entitled, God’s “To-Do” List.  It began with these words:

He said “No”.  I don’t always handle that well.  I kept praying and praying…hoping I could get Him to change His mind.  But every time His answer was “No”.

I had been contacted to see if I would serve on a team in the spring for a women’s retreat.  I love doing things like that, so when the phone call came my immediate answer was YES…but then I followed my response with the words I knew I better say, “But let me pray about it before I give you my final answer.” 

That’s when I began hearing the Lord’s answer and I didn’t like it.  I kept reminding Him that it was something religious I wanted to do so I couldn’t understand why in the world He wouldn’t let me participate.  It wasn’t like I wanted to spend a weekend bar hopping or gambling my money away.  I would do my best to serve Him with whatever job I was given during those days and do it for His glory.  But no amount of conniving or trying to make deals with the Lord made a difference.  His answer was still “No”.

I reluctantly called the woman back and told her that I couldn’t serve because the Lord said no.  I didn’t know why but I have learned from experience that the disappointment of having to say no is easier to handle than not following His will for my life.  The woman was very understanding and agreed that I needed to listen to the Lord’s response.

Fast forward to today.  The retreat in which I was asked to serve will take place this coming weekend.   In the past few weeks, I have been struggling with a bad sinus infection.  My mother-in-law, who I take to all of her appointments, is dealing with a painful foot so we will have an additional doctor appointment this week on Thursday along with her six-hour treatment for her cancer on Friday.

Then this past Wednesday evening I received a call that my father, who will be 90 next month, had fallen and was being taken to the ER by my brother.  They found that he had broken his femur and had to have surgery on Thursday to have three screws put in to stabilize the bone.  He has been in the hospital ever since and is still there today.

As I was driving home from the hospital this past Saturday evening, my mind went back to what I had written in December.  I had no clue what all would be going on at this point in my life…but God did.  Nothing that is happening has been a surprise to Him.  He knew in December that in March, I would have other responsibilities that would be taking my time and that adding the retreat to my schedule would have added additional stress.  In other words…God knew the rest of the story.

He said “No” in December so that I could say “Yes” in March to our parents and help them in their time of need.  He said “No” because He loves me enough to want the very best for me.  He said “No” because He is all-knowing and already knew the details of these days.

I have to shake my head when I think of the times in my life when I have questioned God’s “No’s”.  Not once has He ever given me a “No” by mistake or as a way to cause me harm.  Every “No” has been what is best for me at that time and for the days ahead.  How amazing it is to know that my heavenly Father loves me that much to tell me “No” for my own good.

Are you upset today because God is telling you “No”?  Please learn from my mistakes and just accept His answer knowing that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is in your best interest.  God always knows the rest of the story and His “No” just might lead you to a much better “Yes” in the days to come! 

 

Monday Morning Memo: Stressed?

Several weeks ago, I was thinking about the things in our lives that cause us stress.  I came to the conclusion that not all stress is created equally.

I think all of us endure stress at times from people or situations out of our control.  Others make choices that aren’t wise and as a result, we are affected and we find ourselves experiencing stress.  People often think that what they say or do has little to do with those around them, but unfortunately, that just isn’t true.  It would be good for all of us to remember that our decisions do often have a trickle down affect on our family, friends and co-workers.  Because of this, it is important that we care enough about them to want to live a Christ-following life filled with the right choices.

Of course there are also times when we endure stress because of the choices we ourselves have made.  An over packed schedule, an unhealthy drive to climb the corporate ladder, a perfectionist attitude and expectations towards us and others (ouch!), an unhealthy diet, a lack of exercise, etc. etc. etc.…can all cause us to be overwhelmed with stress.  Day in and day out these things just keep building up and it doesn’t take long until our stomach is in knots, we are irritable with everyone around us and we find ourselves just enduring every moment of the day.

Well now…hasn’t this been an uplifting thing to read to start your week?  Let’s face it…life is filled with stress and it can have a powerful impact on our daily life and on the lives of those around us.  So if we know that it is a fact of life, should we just throw our hands up in the air and give up trying to be a calmer, more peaceful example to those with whom we come in contact?

As I contemplated this recently, I came to the conclusion that for me, I needed to begin pinpointing those things in my life that cause me stress that I can control.  I think too often we just keep pointing our finger at everything and everyone else, blaming them for all the tension we are experiencing, instead of working on that for which we are responsible. 

I began looking for small things that could be rather easily accomplished that would begin to lower my stress threshold and as we walked into our house one day…I realized what the first thing should be.  We usually come in through our garage and the first thing we see as we walk through the door is our kitchen table.   Just past the table is the end of our kitchen counter and believe it or not…those two items, the table and the counter, have been causing stress in my life.

The reason is that these two areas have become our “catch-all” locations.  What I mean by that is that when we enter our home, we often put things on either or both of these surfaces.  Mail, various papers, purses, non-perishable groceries, jackets, hats, gloves, church bulletins, books, etc. are put down and we have every intention of taking care of those things in a timely manner.  But, unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen and it doesn’t take very long until both surfaces become rather cluttered.

Now I’m sure some of you are rolling your eyes about now and wondering what the big deal is about this and why in the world this would cause me stress.  To be honest…I’m not sure why…but I realized that just about every time I walk through our home and see one or both of these disorganized areas, my stomach tightens up.  Yep, you might call the men in white coats because of this confession of mine, but for me I finally recognized that this was something I could change that would be a step in the right direction in lowering my stress.

Have these areas remained completely cleared off since my “revelation”?  No, but they are about 95% better.  I now think before I put something down and ask myself if the item’s final resting place is on that surface or can I just go ahead and put it where it belongs to begin with and not have to handle it twice.  It may sound crazy…but this small step is making a difference in my quest to lower my level of stress.

Why in the world would I share something with my readers that is so trivial?  Because I believe that too often we feel trapped and overwhelmed in our life and feel helpless to do anything about it.  But that’s how Satan wants us to feel!  He wants us to feel like there is nothing at all that will make a difference…but he is wrong!  With God, all things are possible and He is able to help us change our circumstances…one small step at a time.

Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed?  Have you convinced yourself that this is just the way your life is going to be and you have no way of turning the tide?  In a loving way I want to tell you that you are wrong!  Begin by asking God to show you small ways to lessen your anxiety and then begin acting on whatever He tells you to do.  In other words…start doing something, no matter how small, to improve your emotional health. You may need to begin listening to Christian music…or help someone else that is worse off than you…or begin exercising or eating healthier…or reevaluate your calendar to see where you are overextending yourself…or even clean off your counter and table. 

God so desperately wants to walk with you on this journey and promises to guide you every step of the way.  So start paying attention today to those things, big or small, that are hindering you from experiencing God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

“The LORD gives strength to his people;

the LORD blesses his people with peace.”

Psalm 29:11

P.S.  Have you found a way to lower stress in your life?  If so, why not share it with us.  Your “revelations” might help someone else who is trying to find ways to begin to lower their anxiety and stress.