Learning to be Content: It Involves Knowing My Job

As I continue on my journey, I am finding so much confirmation that I am on the right path in my quest to learn contentment. Almost daily I read what others are also discovering about this life we are living on Earth. One fellow struggler is Bob Harvey, a friend who regularly sends an email message entitled, Words to Encourage.  His latest mailing says so well what I need to do as I learn to be content. So, with his permission, I am posting his message entitled, "Resign." I hope you will read it to the end.  I hope it will indeed encourage you. 

Still learning,
Jennifer

RESIGN

You read it here first.  It’s official.  I resign.  I have been thinking about doing it for some time now.  This week I finally did it.  I was hesitant about doing it for several reasons.  I over-estimated my importance.  It’s an ego thing.  I didn’t know how things would continue if I did resign.  And I hate to think I QUIT. Also, I did not know what I would do next.  But I took the step and made it official.

 I HEREBY RESIGN FROM BEING GENERAL MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSE.

 And let’s be honest:  I really wasn’t doing a very good job anyway.  I was having a hard time distinguishing who was right and who was ‘in the wrong’.  It was therefore hard for me to execute justice fairly.  People were always asking me hard questions.  As GM I felt I needed to have all the answers.  Questions like, “Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?”  Not only did I not know WHY, I found there was little I could do about it.  I tried.  I told all the bad people I saw, those who were badder than me (badder?), to be good or else.  They would sneer and reply, “Or else what?  What are you gonna do about it?”  Most of them were bigger than me (no comment) so I had little leverage. And there are SO MANY BAD PEOPLE. Have you noticed that?

I want people to like me.  Those who say they don’t care what people think about them will lie about other things also.  Trying to SATISFY EVERYONE got to be too much.

BUT NOW – I’M FREE.  I don’t have to devote my time, my energy, or my inward concerns wondering what’s going to happen to all the evil in the world.  It’s not my job anymore.  The most liberating day of my life was when I finally did it.  When I resigned from being GM of the Universe I was set free.  Know what I found?  The Universe kept on running.  The sun came up the next day.  Right on time.  It didn’t shut down.  SomeOne else took over.  And He is doing a GREAT JOB.  Want to meet the new GENERAL MANAGER of the Universe? He wants to meet you.

Psalm 93:1-2

1The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;

The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.

 

Now do you want to know the truth? I’ve been lying to myself.  I never had the job in the first place.  God has been GM all along.  I was just acting like I was the Boss.  Being truthful with myself, turning in my resignation paper, will allow me to do my real job.  I am not the one running the Universe.  Never was.  Never will be.  For that we are all grateful.  My job now (always has been) is to TELL OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE GM.  Our God is an AWESOME GOD.  He created.  He sustains.  He NEVER makes a mistake.  He can run the Universe without my help.  Or yours.  Is that freeing, or what?

Look at the time, will you?  I gotta get to work.  There are many people who do not know about the GM.  I get to tell them.  What an exciting job.

 PS: You working today?

 You think about that,

Pastor Bob

 

Learning to Be Content

It is a new year, and for many people, it is a time for resolutions. I’ve made resolutions through the years, but I have found that keeping these commitments is difficult. Truthfully, I probably didn’t make it very many days before I gave up on my list.

In recent years, I have changed my approach from a list of resolutions to a scripture as my focus for the year. This year I have chosen two verses to contemplate.

“I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.”   Philippians 4:11

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”  I Timothy 6:6

I hope you will follow my journey this year as I learn to be content. I have already been intrigued by how the Lord is changing my focus. Stay tuned as my lessons unfold.

I wonder... Are we not the best voices to speak up?

I'm not one to stir up stuff, and I'm not usually one to rant, but with all the recent actions and pontificating from our nation's "leaders," I am thinking back to my school days of the 60's and 70's when it was my classmates, church friends,  and family members who were involved in an unpopular war.  Then, as now, politicians were  big on talking and committing other people to be involved in the conflicts of other countries.  Then as now, the politicians were telling us lies that resulted in the deaths and permanent changes in the lives of many who came home. I know more than a few who went to serve--some voluntarily, but many more drafted into service.  Then, as now, we who were left behind prayed and stood with them even if we did not support the politicians who had created the mess.  In fact, some of those same "political leaders"  are still in office, and they are telling the same lies!


What is different now, in my opinion, is that we are not speaking out as one voice or as loudly as we did then.  I know we are older and not as full of vinegar, but are we not the best voices to speak up?  We have lived through this nightmare more than once. Why aren't we telling the real story instead of leaving it to the news pundits on both extremes?  History that we lived is being whitewashed and revised so that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren do not know the truth.


Winston Churchill spoke these words on May 2, 1935 before the House of Commons , after the Stresa Conference, in which Britain, France and Italy agreed—futilely—to maintain the independence of Austria.


“When the situation was manageable it was neglected, and now that it is thoroughly out of hand we apply too late the remedies which then might have effected a cure. There is nothing new in the story. It is as old as the sibylline books. It falls into that long, dismal catalogue of the fruitlessness of experience and the confirmed unteachability of mankind. Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong–these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.” 


The Greatest Generation- those who fought and served in WWII-- are almost all gone.  It is now our turn to carry the mantle of freedom. Those of us who lived through the Korean and Vietnam conflicts must be willing to speak the truth.   Let us not "apply too late the remedies that might have effected a cure."  My newly adopted motto has become, "Show up, Stand up, Speak up, and be willing, if necessary (with kindness and grace, of course) to tell the liars to Shut Up." 

The older I get, the more it seems that someone I know and care about is experiencing some form of grief.  Somehow in our “politically correct,” “be positive,” “get your praise on,” “don’t worry, be happy” world, the reality that life will involve loss and sadness is deemed to be negative.  We tend to rush ourselves and as many others as we can influence to hurry up and get over grief.  So I’m wondering, “Why are we so uncomfortable with grief?”

 GRIEF

by Jennifer W. Vess

 

Grabs our life with a grip that seems to strangle every fiber of our being.

Rips apart our familiar and replaces it with rage, or regret, or remorse.

Invades our inner peace with such intensity that we sometimes wish to die instead of living.

Establishes itself within us and for a time we experience everything through this lens or filter.

Finally subsides to a manageable level so we can move forward without forgetting our pain and loss.

 

How Is Your Garden Growing?  

 

My daddy always had a garden.  With five children and a wife to feed on an hourly wage salary, it was a necessity.  As a child, I only knew of fresh tomatoes, greens, corn, beans, squash, eggplant, cucumbers, potatoes, and the ever-popular turnips. 

            As soon as we were old enough to go outside, we were all expected to “help in the garden.”  Daddy didn’t know about child labor laws; he was quite familiar with his own translation of scriptures like “work with your own hands,” and “if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”  Daddy always applied Scripture practically.

            For most of my younger years, I was on the weeding detail.  Grass growing between the perfectly formed rows of Daddy’s garden was not tolerated.  Daddy was an environmentally green gardener before his time.  Why use chemical weed treatment when his children were available!

            The most common weed in our south Louisiana garden was crabgrass.  Its name is descriptive of its nature.

 

Like a crab, this grass’s roots are in the center of the weed with long tendrils extending outward.  In pulling up this weed, it is essential to pull the core or center section intact with the tendrils.  Otherwise, the weed grows back.  It is a tenacious and persistent weed.  Consistent, methodical, often sweat producing effort is required to master the weeding chore.  It is not for the faint of heart or weak willed.

            As a young child, I remember begging to go to the garden.  I felt left out of what my older brothers were doing because they got to be with Daddy in the garden.  Their groans and complaints of “wait till you get older; you won’t be so excited then” did not deter me.  I wanted to be in the garden, mainly because I wanted to be with Daddy and with them. 

            Eventually, of course, I did grow old enough to see the garden from a different view.  Yes, I became a groaner along with the older boys and lost sight of the reason for my joy of being in the garden. When the work was hot and hard, I groaned and complained. Sadly, I even passed on the groans to the younger boys as they reached the age of garden accountability.  Maybe if Daddy had explained the connection between pulling weeds and eating, our groans might not have been so loud.  Truthfully, I doubt it.  Groaning is part of our nature, regardless of the level of our understanding.  It’s just easier than thinking, obeying, or being thankful. 

            As an adult I developed a different view of weeds in the garden.  When our son was little, the garden was his favorite place.  He loved to “hoe in the garden,” but mostly, he just loved being with his PawPaw.  This is so like God-- to open my spiritual eyes through watching our child.

            Our lives are a garden full of seeds that have been planted there.  Like every garden, the seeds must be protected and nourished in order to produce their intended plant.  When weeds begin to invade the soil intended for the plant to thrive, the weed must be removed.  Otherwise, the life giving soil is forced to feed both the seed and the weed.  Weeds, of course, don’t require much to survive.  It is their nature to live off of other sources.  They drain and strain the plants around them until the source dries up.  The result is a patch of useless grass and weeds that give nothing back like food or beauty.

            God is our gardener.  He created us from dirt with a spirit and a soul.  Our dirt is in need of water and fertilizer and weed killing.  Every day we are given the choice of pulling weeds or feeding them.  We feed the weeds by ignoring our Father’s voice.  The roots of the weeds grow stronger and spread out further to infect other struggling plants.  If left untended, our spirit and soul can become hard and barren and eventually dry up.

            The other choice is to pull the weeds. We listen for our Father's instructions and read them in His word.  It is hard work and seems endless, but the payoff is so great!  We learn how to do it right so the weeds have to work harder to grow back.  We see the fruit (or vegetable) of our labor.  Most of all, we get to be with our Daddy. 

  Follower or Leader?

As children we have all played the game, "Follow the Leader".  It is not complicated; just do what the leader does.  Total imitation without deviation or individuality is the goal of this game.  It is meant to be a nonsensical game and usually ends in laughter. So I am wondering......Are we still playing "Follow the Leader?"  What if we are supposed to be the leader?

It is not easy to be a leader; it would be so much easier to go through life just doing what somebody else tells us to do so we don't have to take responsibility for anything.  There are many people who live this way.   We must be careful in deciding which leaders to follow. 

What is leadership?  Recently, two quotes on leadership  have come into my life, and they  are still percolating in my aging brain. 

“Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.” Tom Peters

"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." —Jim Rohn

I invested the majority of my working years in some facet of education.  In each position, I was expected to follow orders, but also to be a leader.  Even from the lowest position of rank I had responsibilities to lead, train, and hopefully encourage someone else to become a leader.  I would like to think I was a good leader and made a positive impact on others through my life.  Most of my former students are  adults who have been making their mark on this world for over 30 years. (Yes, I am old!)  We laugh about their student behaviors and attitudes, but they thank me for my influence in their life; although at the time, they weren't always appreciative of my leadership.  :)

How did I become a leader? I attribute any ability I have to a decision I made early in life. At the age of 7, I made the choice to follow Jesus as the leader in my life.  I have not been a  perfect follower, and I have struggled with being a good leader because I couldn't be perfect like Jesus.  The greatest news is that I have learned that I don't have to be perfect! As long as I am following the only perfect leader ever known, I can lead others with His strength to help me. 

So, which are you--follower or leader?  I submit that the best answer is to be both.  Choose the right leader to follow, then LEAD!

"The Wonder of it All"

For all three of you who may have actually remembered that I started a blog in January... here's entry #2.  Entry #1 was about forgetfulness.  So... in total transparency I am going to admit that..... I forgot how to get back to my own blog to post another entry!  You are not surprised if you know me at all.  ADD + age+ life= forgetfulness.  So, I confess, and will do my best to remember how to get back here so my posts are more consistent. Oh, and for you OCD friends who are chomping at the bit to tell me how to remember.... I already sent myself an email on how to get back here.  Ha Ha!

Today was a day full of wondering.  Actually, this entire week has been.  This time, the application of the wondering has been of the ":Oh what a wonder this is!"  connotation of the word.  Let me explain.

This week I have been sick with my annual bout of upper respiratory/pharyngitis.  I thought I had escaped it since it was already the end of March, but I was wrong!  What is the wonder in that? When I get sick, my voice is the first to be affected.  That's right... I can't talk. (Let me rephrase... I'm not supposed to talk.) There's the wonder!  So what does one do when the ability to talk is restricted?  Well, after years of experience, I have learned that trying to talk over hoarseness is damaging to the vocal chords.  So..... I have been alone, silent, and able to hear the wonders.

Most of these have not been audible sounds; instead they have been messages from different sources that spoke to me.  Some were texts or posts from friends; others from Scripture, but I am convinced they were sent  for me from my Lord.  He has to get my mouth shut before I can hear!

After a week of being mostly at home by myself, today John and I went to a local event in Brandon.  I still am hoarse, but I had to see some daylight and people!  During our brief outing of maybe an hour, I experienced 3 wonders. 

Wonder # 1- encounter was with a member of our church in Jackson who lives in Clinton but has Brandon ties.  A totally unexpected wonder to see him.  He introduced us to a friend who has written a very readable book that guides "non-techies" through the maze of computer issues.  Having been in a position along my journey to try to teach beginner computer courses, I bought a copy of the book so I can stay functional.

Wonder # 2- I saw a former student from my Brandon Middle School years of subbing.  She is a spectacular young  Christian woman who will graduate in May from MC!  We talked and caught up and I listened (mostly) about her plans after graduation.  She has many possibilities, but she is seeking God's choice.  No surprise to me in that, but a wonder non-the-less. In this "go where the money is" world, she is waiting for God's voice to tell her His plan. 

Wonder #3- After we left the festival and I had a chance to begin to scan my new book,  I saw the name of yet another former student on the acknowledgment page.  Why is this a wonder?  Because I taught this student in Chalmette, LA in 1980-81!  He is friends with the author of the book who is a friend of our church member!  He has lived in the Brandon area for quite some time, but this "co-incidental" connection to our church friend and his friend and me.....

Do you get it... the wonder of little me being connected through all my journeys to people from so many places and time spans, and encountering all of them in one afternoon?  How can I not see this as a wonder?

Here's the point...(I know you were wondering if there would be one!) 

If I had not been "silenced" and sick this week, it is very possible that I would have missed the wonders of today.  During my forced seclusion, I spent much needed time reading and meditating on God's word, focused primarily on the journey to the Cross.  My Lenten Season was interrupted by family crisis, so my readings were delayed.  But I can tell you, they were right on time for me this week. 

This is the greatest wonder of all-- God reaches through time and space and wants to connect with us  where He wants, and why He wants, because He loves us.  I'm glad I didn't miss Him today!