Dedicated Purpose

I want to talk about something that’s been discussed before. It’s something that we all can relate to because we all have these two things going for us. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. We can have areas of gifting, and we can have areas of struggle.

You will hear a popular opinion that says to work on yourself and identify those areas of struggle and weaknesses, and look to improve these things. There may be application here for sure. However, some of our strengths are solid and spectacular, and some of our shortcomings are not only a weakness or area of struggle, but often embedded in a temperament setting.

This temperament setting can be extremely difficult to overcome. Can you imagine someone requiring you to shift your temperament or the multi dimensions of your temperament and how hard that may feel?

We show up in the workplace, in relationships, among our professional peers. Wherever we are we present who we are. We are a combination of many unique things and while others may spend time trying to bring up a weak point I find it useful to celebrate the strong points and find a way to slide into that gifting role and focus on that. Life is short, time is our most valuable commodity and you reach a point where you realize things are how they are, and some of our strengths and weaknesses are rather rigidly in place. 

Why not celebrate those strengths, acknowledge the areas of struggle and rather than trying to walk uphill or stand against the waves focus our energy on using our strong calls to make the world a better place. Whether it’s as a team effort, an individual assignment or just being who you are every day.

There’s freedom and truth giving power in this. Maybe its time to stay in those strengths

Where is “there”?

You’re almost there!

But wait… Where?

Where is there?

You made your goal!

But once you hit it

After a little time

you soon forget it

Everybody’s on their way to someplace else

Everybody’s ready to get back to where they were or get ahead to where they’re going

But what is this all about?

You head out for the day only to come right back home

You’re at home for a while only to head right back out

You stack up goals, and /or degrees

Then use overtime to help pay for your past present and your way

You might wake up and feel like everything is the same every single day

But what’s it all for?

You have heard it said that it’s “always something“ but what is “it” ?

These days, highly distracted, spun out and drowning in much access

We sit in abundance and complete excess

Feeling like we are chasing or have achieved success

we’re almost always there.

We’re almost always working on something which seems noble and helps define our way of life.

In a world of what is right in front of us, it seems to me that many people can’t help but focusing on what else might be there. 

Its all loud and clear over here

Maybe “Almost there” is never clear

Its a way we do it

A way that we go

In the face or adversity and life every day

Where is there?

Something to shoot for and aim at

Right here where you are is where

Your there

Some thoughts about memory

I think we can all relate to long-term memory becoming less clear particularly as we get older. We assume it’s a part of life, we assume it’s aging and people just accept this. We may know people that don’t like to turn the page backwards, they may not like pictures, home videos, discussing the past or they lack a nostalgic appreciation for times to remember.

I’ve often wondered if we can learn from thinking back or if this could reinforce or strengthen our ability to remember. All my life I’ve had this very detailed memory being able to recall names, numbers events and details that other people just shake their heads and have no idea what I’m talking about because they aren’t able to remember these things. I used to just think that most people were like me and I couldn’t figure out why others couldn’t remember details like I could.

In many areas of life we how the effort of putting in work gaining repetition in order to develop something is successful. Strengthening it, make it stronger and making it more useful, applicable and alive. Why would memory be any different? Is it possible that by looking back appreciating the past whether that’s talking about it looking at photos asking questions keeping things alive we can actually work to strengthen our capacity to remember in general? Is it possible that by identifying people that are sentimental, nostalgic and a bit “stuck in the past“ We can find that the long-term memories might be more functional than those who press on and purposely don’t look back at all? 

I’m very far from a brain chemistry scientist but I am able to make some distinct parallels in the world around me and formulate questions in order to try to make more sense of it. Memory is an amazing faculty. It’s a gift from God. Why not use it? Flex it, put it to work!

If demonstration is all the teaching that is done there is a limited ability to truly learn. There are in fact visual learners but visual learners need an opportunity to demonstrate learning after being introduced to something new. Allowing them the chance to try it again, with patient instruction alongside. The richness of demonstration followed by repetition and willingness to correct as the failures occur. This is learning, this is failing forward. 

Some of the best teachers are the ones who understand this. The fortunate students or recipients are the ones that can be equipped with the ability to perform any task that they were given the ability to truly learn. For a student who was once ready to learn, the poor incomplete instruction leads to declining confidence, which can cause detachment and ultimately loss of opportunity. We often see this in math. The curriculum moves at its pace, and the students who need more time and instruction, often from poor teaching methods.. don’t get it. The deficiency can lie in the instruction/ teacher method. It is also moving fast and sometimes other factors are at play such as missing teaching or too much content/ fast pacing.

People carry with them beliefs of limitations on themselves which can be from a lack of opportunity to receive good teaching. Teaching and learning can be being given the ability to do it yourself with repetition and time, being allowed to make mistakes and try again. Not failing…Failing forward.

There’s no doubt that in this life, we’re going to have disagreements and contention points. Friendships, relationships, professional settings, and almost anywhere. There’s really no limit to the potential of conflict. In fact, people can stay in conflict all day long if they want to browsing the news, the stories, or getting involved in controversial posts on platforms.

At some point, it’s about preserving our own peace. For this entry today I am thinking more about relationships. There are people that will tell you that they’re good communicators and they may point out others that are not good at communicating at all. It’s even been said that men are not great at communication which when I hear this misconception, I think to myself… Not so fast!

Being willing to communicate often means being willing to listen. It doesn’t mean being willing to speak what’s on your mind. Anyone can do that, although not everyone does it carefully. The best communication is done with the intent of compromise and in the headspace of empathy (attempted or naturally). Being willing to listen and taking it a step further by being willing to understand. Listening to try to fully understand versus just listening so you can have your turn to share what’s on your mind.

And while I’m no expert on any of these things, it’s clear to me that if you want to avoid major conflict relationally, it’s important to know how to compromise and it’s important to be willing to listen.

And while it’s true the conflict may come first before the compromise and communication does, from what I can tell, if two people are willing to go there and meet each other halfway then it would seem that the avoidance of future conflict or worsening present conflict would be reduced.

Sometimes unilateral unwillingness to lose your peace can be very powerful in dissipating conflict. Taking a stand against the contention by standing strong in your willingness to listen. Conflict, Communication and Compromise seem to fit together very well after all. Especially if you want to move forward.

Being positive is good, especially when you compare it to being negative. Being a realist is maybe even more relatable for some. As life deals tough times we can appreciate and deepen our gratitude for the great times. As life brings great times, we appreciate and fully grasp all that they are. We see great times differently and instead of “those were the days” maybe these are the days as well?Ever hear someone say, “ It could always be worse”? I have. I have said it. It does seem to help frame context.

Life is absolutely great but life is also absolutely challenging. We can appear to be tough and durable and other times we can appear to be less than. Where does the truth sit? Maybe perceptions are less important. What matters is grabbing on to the good as we find it. In a wave of uncertainty we can still reach for gratitude.

Accompanying our tough times with more gratitude can be helpful. Things that help me are praying, getting in the word and helping others. Witnessing and listening to those who are also struggling or even struggling more than we are can give us more gratitude as well. Verbalizing all the things we are grateful for or making a list are two ways we can be in gratitude. I have a wall hanger that says “Gratitude turns what we have into enough”. I appreciate this reminder.

One thing i have noticed is a very real possibility that people really enjoy a restoration. When you think about the idea of a restoration you see the origin of the concept of being restored. Being restored ..recreated, made over, old to the new etc. How about taking an old car and making it look beautiful again? How about a home, a “ fixer upper” and putting some TLC into it making it look amazing again. What about some hobbies that people enjoy such as restoring old furniture, and landscaping- one of my personal favorites. The idea of clearing out the old, starting fresh- starting over. I think perhaps it makes us feel good to be in the presence and witness restorations. Almost like we are wired to notice and value this. Why is this so?

How about our personal lives? How about the mistakes behind us, the bad decisions, dysfunction or regrets. Sin leaves us feeling disconnected and inadequate and leaves us feeling empty and regretful. Shameful and broken. The good news is we can be a part of the ultimate restoration and recreation. Something that goes above an interesting idea or our finest hobby where we get to be a part of putting something old and broken and left behind back together again. I’m talking about putting our faith and hope and future in Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, ESV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

In this life there are usually things that invite stress. Stress filled things in different stages of life. The stress that may concern you when you’re a young student may be centered around a test or quizzes or getting into the college of your choice.  When you’re in college much of the same is there except paying bills along with early adult financial responsibility are arriving, yet all are manageable day-to-day stressors. Take caution. But don’t let the stress take you

But then we step into another area where the reality of life hits such as losing loved ones, divorce, having kids, custody situations, stress around if you make the right choice and with your career and my spouse, who is that going to be?  Health problems, medical problems, learning to let go of things, all sorts of different levels of problems that exist. It is like as life unfolds and plays out we have evolving stress that will surely test us.

As aging adults we have to shift into learning to let our children branch out, learning to trust that we’ve done a well enough job to release them to the world. The threat of health problems and things like getting a will done, life insurance and where am I going to end up in my later years? These middle-age questions. Then there’s the end of life stages how do I find purpose in my a final years? What does golden years mean and why retire at all as long as your doing something you love? Life moves. Don’t allow Stress to crystallize you. If so get ready for wrinkles and brooding. If you can turn it around maybe you hold off the wrinkles a little longer.

Still, it’s important that I say all of this because no matter what stage you’re in, the consistent factor is that there will be stress, there will be challenges, old challenges falling off and old challenges keeping a bit of a grip. New challenges. There will be problems, there will be questions, but the key is in all of that, within all of that, in all the craziness and unknowns, the fear-based apprehensions and thought patterns.. Please do one thing in the twists of all the stresses. Find the good times, find those precious spots of peace, the world can’t take them from you and you know when and where you have them. Even if its looking back to better times while you wait on the next ones, protect your peace. Find reasons to smile and shift to gratitude. Remember that someone else might have more stress than you and even shifting your focus to them may allow you to find relief in your stress. Remember to give it to the Lord and seek him. Look to others for both support and to be supportive.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, ESV)

As a young adult I noticed the world was ripe with options. So many options no matter what direction you looked. How do you know what to choose? How do you know what’s best? What is the best for you and how do you know that if you do choose something something better isn’t supposed to be there? The problem with too many options if the field is too wide is it can cause hesitation and indecision. Consider choosing a path or a career or a job, a major in college. Some young adults are simply not ready to make that choice yet they are thrust into the arena to make the choice. It’s important to know that by not making a choice at all this is actually making a choice.

When making a decision is uncomfortable not making a decision becomes comfortable. If you wait too long the realization will be there to hit you square in the face and remind you that life is starting to pass you by. Your own indecision based on the field being too wide is now closing in on you. What started out as too many options now feels like there are few. Is it too late to finally find a job that makes you happy? Is it too late to finally think about marriage? Is it too late to finally ( fill in the blank)? No. As long as you are here you can do it. Take time if you need it but be productive in the time you take. If not, 5 years becomes 10. 10 becomes 15 and next you aren’t young anymore. To just assume you’ll figure it out later is not enough. It’s important to be proactive during any pauses. Otherwise time, life and even golden opportunity may pass you by.