One thing I’ve realized about myself is that it would often take me a long time to get over things, mainly the past. Sometimes it would be relationships. I would know that they have run their course, but, I would hold on, thinking it’s my responsibility to keep things going, even if I felt disrespected. Past offenses that I would carry in my heart would often take charge of my emotions if someone dared cross that line again. I would find myself wishing I could be more like a person who was able to let things roll off of their backs as water rolls off of a duck.
Suddenly, I am.
Reflecting back to about 9 years ago, I remember becoming overwhelmed with all of the relationship issues, offences, lack of encouragement and my attitude that it was all I could do to make the 5-minute drive to my son’s school, drop him off and come back home to throw myself across my bed in despair. I began to pour out to God everything that ‘they’ said and what ‘they’ did and how those things led to my emotional state at the time. I did note to Him that they were wrong. After that, He gave me an answer.
What He told me at the time bothered me. Being so caught up in myself, I didn’t want to receive it. He told me, “While that may be, you are going to have to determine how you are going to react to these things.” Well! Not only did He not come to my defense as I thought He would, He didn’t seem to sympathize with what I was going through. Or did He? Jesus said in John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Instead of coddling me, He made me realize that I had some responsibility to share in what I was going through.
I wish I could say that I took those words of Jesus and let it all go. I wish I could say that was the last time I dealt with that issue, but, I can’t. The next time around, He brought to my attention that I was giving away something that wasn’t mine to give. Ouch. While sometimes we can so eloquently speak the word, we sometimes forget it applies to us, as well. I was letting my peace slip away for things that served no other purpose than to take me off the task of maturing into who Christ wants me to be.
No more.
It’s been a long time since that day. To be honest, I’ve stumbled back to that place along the way. Sometimes we do it on this road we’re traveling. This year, though, let it be a start to letting go of the things and people that are holding you back from getting where you need to be. Further down, you’ll find the ones that are destined to push you farther than you’ve ever gone! - pyh
Monday, January 24, 2011
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Moving On
I remember my mother sitting me down once and telling me, "You can't put everyone's problems on your shoulders." Imagine a mother having to tell her teenager that. To my surprise, I can't even remember what I was worried about. Even so, her words are more powerful now to me than they were before.
A new year will soon be upon us and with that new year, people tend to shed what they no longer want. Debt, weight, clothes, junk and, surprisingly, relationships. Yes, relationships. At one time, I would have never considered grouping relationships in with the others, but, there comes a time when we have to know when to let those go, too.
While I know dissolving a relationship is never as easy as discarding a piece of junk, we can't afford to find ourselves being suffocated by inviting too much of it in our lives or our space. Thinking back to my mother's words, I realize that I can't put everyone else's problems on my shoulders. I can't put the problems of dishonesty, pettiness, jealousies, disrespect or hatefulness from people on my shoulders. It's too much to carry for a person who is moving forward. Sometimes, the rate at which we travel into our destinies is determined by what we are holding onto and attempting to carry with us.
I think back to a morning when I volunteered in my church's nursery. In a class filled with roaming toddlers, me and another volunteer found ourselves dashing across the room to separate two of the two-year-olds. A tug-of-war over an equally desired toy quickly morphed into a fistfight. After a few minutes of separation on opposite sides of the room, they once again crossed paths to find other toys and playmates. Once the evil-eye exchange was over, within minutes, both children found themselves in happier places, with new friends to occupy the rest of the time.
I often wondered why those two didn't come together in peace and harmony before playtime was over, but, what intrigued me more was how they were able to eventually let the matter rest and go about their lives. The battle became a distant memory and all was forgotten by the time their parents came to take them home.
It's simply a waste of time for us to reach back into the past and wish that we hadn't spent so much time on things and situations that didn't matter. The only thing we can do now is go forward, determined not to let too much more of our time be wasted continually fighting battles that no longer need to be fought. I understand even more now why Jesus encouraged us to be more like little children. They play, they fight, they forget and then they play again. Even though the two in my class didn't come back together in fellowship, in the end, they kept their peace and remembered their joy. They simply moved on.
We don't have to wait for the new year to come in before we begin to rid ourselves of the things that are keeping us from moving forward. Sometimes, the only thing you can do to keep your peace is to let go. It may be that whatever it is will remain a part of the past. It could also be that as you move forward and progress, you'll find that what you let go of was for another time and place. Either way, you won't know until you put down the weight of what's keeping you back and move forward. Let it begin with me.
A new year will soon be upon us and with that new year, people tend to shed what they no longer want. Debt, weight, clothes, junk and, surprisingly, relationships. Yes, relationships. At one time, I would have never considered grouping relationships in with the others, but, there comes a time when we have to know when to let those go, too.
While I know dissolving a relationship is never as easy as discarding a piece of junk, we can't afford to find ourselves being suffocated by inviting too much of it in our lives or our space. Thinking back to my mother's words, I realize that I can't put everyone else's problems on my shoulders. I can't put the problems of dishonesty, pettiness, jealousies, disrespect or hatefulness from people on my shoulders. It's too much to carry for a person who is moving forward. Sometimes, the rate at which we travel into our destinies is determined by what we are holding onto and attempting to carry with us.
I think back to a morning when I volunteered in my church's nursery. In a class filled with roaming toddlers, me and another volunteer found ourselves dashing across the room to separate two of the two-year-olds. A tug-of-war over an equally desired toy quickly morphed into a fistfight. After a few minutes of separation on opposite sides of the room, they once again crossed paths to find other toys and playmates. Once the evil-eye exchange was over, within minutes, both children found themselves in happier places, with new friends to occupy the rest of the time.
I often wondered why those two didn't come together in peace and harmony before playtime was over, but, what intrigued me more was how they were able to eventually let the matter rest and go about their lives. The battle became a distant memory and all was forgotten by the time their parents came to take them home.
It's simply a waste of time for us to reach back into the past and wish that we hadn't spent so much time on things and situations that didn't matter. The only thing we can do now is go forward, determined not to let too much more of our time be wasted continually fighting battles that no longer need to be fought. I understand even more now why Jesus encouraged us to be more like little children. They play, they fight, they forget and then they play again. Even though the two in my class didn't come back together in fellowship, in the end, they kept their peace and remembered their joy. They simply moved on.
We don't have to wait for the new year to come in before we begin to rid ourselves of the things that are keeping us from moving forward. Sometimes, the only thing you can do to keep your peace is to let go. It may be that whatever it is will remain a part of the past. It could also be that as you move forward and progress, you'll find that what you let go of was for another time and place. Either way, you won't know until you put down the weight of what's keeping you back and move forward. Let it begin with me.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
What Are You Waiting For?
Patience. If we look at the world around us, patience wouldn’t seem to have many followers. Everything seems to be instant; we can microwave a frozen meal in minutes, obtain thousands of dollars in credit in a matter of seconds and will even start a new relationship before we exit the old one. While the business world has seemingly built its empire on the mantra of ‘you can have it now’, personal lives tend to be rocked by the repercussions of living by it.
Looking through the archives of a popular columnist’s website, I came across a letter that got my attention. A woman, initially bragging about wining and dining the men she dated, soon began lamenting about how quickly they lost interest in her and, eventually, didn’t come around anymore. She was upset because she felt that all of her efforts were unappreciated and ultimately wasted. Being a member of Team Old Fashioned, I more than likely would have responded to her (as the columnist did) that she was doing too much too soon.
Whenever we place time and effort into something, we expect a return on our investment. One major key to being rewarded from our investments is to be wise stewards of our time and efforts by determining if who or what we are investing them in is actually worthy of them. We must think carefully about casting what is valuable at the feet of those who may not appreciate it. They could end up trampling on it.
The disappearing acts of this woman’s suitors may have been perceived as cruel, but they were necessary, at least, in my opinion, for her sake and theirs. I wonder if she received the advice and eventually appreciated their departures? I imagine they saw more desperation for their presence than a real relationship. She was no more being true to herself than she would have been to her partner in a relationship, had it had the chance to progress. Her desire was there, but her patience was lacking. I questioned if she even knew what she was working so hard for.
Letting patience have her perfect work is more than just sage advice. It wasn’t until I was in a season of waiting that I began to figure out what I really wanted in my life. It was also then that I realized some things I was trying to walk toward weren’t, in fact, what I truly desired, but what I thought would fit into my life at the time. I’m glad they were kept from me, as I wouldn’t know how to handle them at the stage of life I am in now. They more than likely wouldn’t have lasted that long. When I stuck with what I knew I wanted, only then did my pathway start to appear clearer and I could confidently move forward.
While I can’t say that patience has been a virtue I’ve always appreciated, I have learned to respect it. I believe that once you respect something, you can then work with it. Let it begin with me. - pyh
Looking through the archives of a popular columnist’s website, I came across a letter that got my attention. A woman, initially bragging about wining and dining the men she dated, soon began lamenting about how quickly they lost interest in her and, eventually, didn’t come around anymore. She was upset because she felt that all of her efforts were unappreciated and ultimately wasted. Being a member of Team Old Fashioned, I more than likely would have responded to her (as the columnist did) that she was doing too much too soon.
Whenever we place time and effort into something, we expect a return on our investment. One major key to being rewarded from our investments is to be wise stewards of our time and efforts by determining if who or what we are investing them in is actually worthy of them. We must think carefully about casting what is valuable at the feet of those who may not appreciate it. They could end up trampling on it.
The disappearing acts of this woman’s suitors may have been perceived as cruel, but they were necessary, at least, in my opinion, for her sake and theirs. I wonder if she received the advice and eventually appreciated their departures? I imagine they saw more desperation for their presence than a real relationship. She was no more being true to herself than she would have been to her partner in a relationship, had it had the chance to progress. Her desire was there, but her patience was lacking. I questioned if she even knew what she was working so hard for.
Letting patience have her perfect work is more than just sage advice. It wasn’t until I was in a season of waiting that I began to figure out what I really wanted in my life. It was also then that I realized some things I was trying to walk toward weren’t, in fact, what I truly desired, but what I thought would fit into my life at the time. I’m glad they were kept from me, as I wouldn’t know how to handle them at the stage of life I am in now. They more than likely wouldn’t have lasted that long. When I stuck with what I knew I wanted, only then did my pathway start to appear clearer and I could confidently move forward.
While I can’t say that patience has been a virtue I’ve always appreciated, I have learned to respect it. I believe that once you respect something, you can then work with it. Let it begin with me. - pyh
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Forces Within
The word inspire is defined as to fill with an animating, quickening or exalting influence. One other definition is to guide or control by divine influence.
I still wonder sometimes what I want to be when I grow up. What is my purpose? What brings me joy? What would I do if no one paid me? I would encourage. I would incite. I would INSPIRE; inspire me, INSPIRE YOU. It has taken a lot of falls, lots of tears and a lot of experiences to get me to this place. A place where I am finally so full, I can now give out. A place where I know that I'm not finished climbing levels, but, as I climb, I can help guide those coming after me.
Everyone wants to reach their God-given destiny. Sometimes we have no idea how or where to begin and even if we have started, we need encouragement to continue the journey. One thing I'm sure many of us have found is that when we make the decision to go forward, we are met with opposition. What else is new? No one ever looks forward to a battle, but, it only serves to strengthen. How else can we cultivate the burning passion within us to fulfill our life's dreams? Even worse would be to know that we've left the world with what we were actually sent here to bless it with. I am determined to do my part in NOT having that happen. Let it begin with me. - pyh
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