Each partner in a marriage is different. I am different from my husband. We have some things in common and then there are some things on which we differ greatly. One of the things we differ on is what we choose to watch on TV. I love the serious stuff. The drama. The Reality TV. The crime shows. Give me a good Criminal Minds, CSI, or Biggest Loser any night of the week. Matt, on the other hand, drives me crazy!! He only likes to watch comedy. The TV sit-com is his favorite. He will watch show after show on the re-run channel. At any given time of the day you can find a Frazier, How I Met Your Mother, or Two and a Half Men. I say he loves these shows because he's a man and men don't like commitment. Or men don't have long enough attention spans, so he can only take a 30 minute, light-hearted show. Whereas I, being a woman, want a show that makes me FEEL! I want a commitment to characters that I form a relationship with over a whole season..... who then tear my heart out when they leave!!
But, as in all marriages, there must be compromise. So, many a night, unfortunately, I find myself sitting next to Matt watching some 30 minute sit-com and wishing I was watching something else. But the craziest thing happens. Somewhere between the first and second commercial break I find that I am loving it. I am hooked. I am totally enjoying it and wouldn't change the channel if the remote was suddenly ripped out of Matt's clutches and handed to me. And typically, there will come a time when I laugh. I don't mean laugh, I mean LAUGH! Like throw my head back and deep from my stomach LAUGH. And that's when it happens. I look at him... Matt. I know to look because I have seen it before. But, I look at him and he's looking at me. And he's got this grin on his face that tells me he just fell in love with me all over again. He's like that you see. He loves to laugh. And he loves to make me laugh. And he loves me to laugh at him. And he loves to see me laughing. And in that moment, because I choose to share with him something that he loves we grow closer. And I know there's nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing than laughing for him and growing closer to him because of it.
And so it is with God.
Doesn't he just drive you crazy? You have your preferences. You like the things you like. You like to do it your way. You would never willingly chose to do it another way. And yet, there comes a time in your life when you have to compromise. With God. Usually because you have no choice. After all, he's pretty much in control. So, you find yourself doing it a different way. Suddenly you are on a different path, one you never would have chosen for yourself. You're grudgingly along for the ride because you have no choice. Then somewhere along the way, between life event 132 and 133, you find you are enjoying this new path. And soon after that you experience that belly laugh... or the higher-than-you've-ever-been-on high.; or the most-fulfilled-you've-ever-been fulfilled; the happiest-you've-ever-been happy. And at that moment, you know to turn to Him. You know because you've been there before. And when you do you see that He has fallen in love with you all over again. He loved you before. He never stopped loving you. But by sharing in what He loves, doing it His way, you grew closer. And in that moment you realize that there's no way you would switch to that other path, the one you would have chosen for yourself. Because by doing what He loves, you grew closer and are forever changed.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
We all need reminders!!
Okay, I just read every entry that I've written in this blog since I started it in Jan. 2010. Don't get too impressed.... I think it was about 6 entries! But, it was a good thing that I read it. It reminded me of what I had already forgotten, that this was supposed to be a journal for me. It was supposed to be a journal that had DAILY entries that chronicled my walk as a christian! Somewhere along the way I got sidetracked. I started thinking that I had to have some intriguing topic in my head that was dying to get out before I could write. How many of us walk around with intriguing topics every day that are just bursting from us? So... I haven't written often. But, I intend to do better! I will try to write everyday. (Even if I have nothing intriguing to say!!!) I think I need to change it up a bit though. I think that this is just going to be about my walk... you know, as a person, as a woman, as a christian, as a wife and mother, etc. etc. Hopefully, as I grow in Christ, the walk as a christian will become more and more evident in the walks of the person, woman, wife, mother!! Anyway, I have a new goal, just to write. Daily!! Whether I have something to say or not!! See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Time keeps on turning, turning, turning......
I'm a fan of Dave Ramsey. You know, the financial guru guy who tries to help people get out of debt. A lot of people are passionate about hating Dave because he has made a fortune trying to help people get out of debt. I don't understand this. Doctors make a fortune helping people get well. Do we hate them for that? He lives exactly what he teaches. That wealth can be built by following some basic principles. He's followed them and he's wealthy. Shouldn't that be encouraging to us??
Anyway, this isn't about whether Dave should be hated or not. One of the things Dave says that has always stuck with me is that if you don't tell your money where to go, it will get up and go on it's own and you will have no idea where it went. I'm paraphrasing here, but that is the gist of it.
Have you ever experienced that situation where you said you were going to save $500 out of this month's paychecks? Then you get to the end of the month and you only have $73 left (which you don't save because "why bother, it's only $73"). And you are like, "holy crap! where did I blow all that money"!! And you start adding it up. Well, there was that new tire you had to buy because you suddenly realized you could see silver wire sticking out of the side of your old one. And there was that graduation party you got invited to that you had to take a gift to. And then there was that lunch out with the girls because it was Mary's birthday and her husband wasn't in town and we couldn't let her be alone on her birthday. But, eventually you reach a stopping point and find that you are still $237 short of accounting for your lost money. That's happened to you, right?
Well, guess what this week is. This week is the one year anniversary of me quitting my job. This has definitely made me realize something. Time is exactly like money!!! If you don't tell your time where to go, it just goes on it's own and you have no idea where it went!! Brilliant, I know.
When I quit my job, the most exciting thing to me was that I would finally have time to lose weight!! It was very discouraging this week to realize it has been one year and to evaluate where I am now. I am 20 lbs lighter than a year ago. Now, the average doctor who is conducting a yearly physical would be thrilled to see that someone in their 40's is 20 lbs. lighter this year than last year. But, I was not thrilled. Mind you now, I was not DIScouraged! I'm not going to throw away the 20 lbs. weight loss because it wasn't the goal I was seeking. I'll take it! But I was disappointed that I haven't accomplished more.
I look at it this way. For the first time since I became a mother 20 years ago, I had time to devote strictly to myself. I had no job. I had no childcare needs. I had transportation to anywhere I wanted to go for exercise. At every point in the year I had access to a gym that we had already had a membership to or was free. I was healthy and physically able to participate in any weight loss activity. So, why only 20 lbs. when I needed to lose so much more and could have done it safely in a years time?
This is where we revert back to Dave Ramsey. I just didn't tell my time where to go. I didn't schedule my workouts on the calendar, didn't make them the priority of my day, and didn't tell myself how much of the week would be spent in the gym. So, now I sit here wondering where the year went. I know I spent atleast 6 days painting rooms in my house to sell it. I could add up all the time I spent at church and know it would be atleast a month of Sundays (not a bad investment, if I do say so myself). I know I spent 2 days on the road driving to CO. Hmmmm... wonder how many days I spent sitting on the toilet or taking a shower.... Shoot, I don't even want to figure out how much time I spent tending an imaginary frontier on Facebook! (But, I'm over that now).
So, starting today, my goal is to schedule my time, to tell it where to go so I have an accounting of what I did with it. When next June rolls around, I plan to be so busy enjoying my accomplishments that I don't waste any time trying to figure out what I did with all my time in the past year.
I have wanted to write a book since I was about 15 years old. That's a 26 year old dream. How, in 26 years have I not found the time to accomplish that? Guess what I need to do before next June!! What have you always wanted to accomplish? What are you doing with your time? Have you told your time to devote itself to your dreams? What will you accomplish in the coming year? What was I doing last New Year's when I should have been devoting time to setting new goals???
I have to finish this now. First, because I have said everything I need to say and any more will sound redundant and you will lose interest, if you haven't already. Second, because I have a scheduled 3-mile walk in 45 mins. in the Black Forrest with my walker-friend that I picked up on Craigslist! If it's on the calendar, it'll happen!!
Anyway, this isn't about whether Dave should be hated or not. One of the things Dave says that has always stuck with me is that if you don't tell your money where to go, it will get up and go on it's own and you will have no idea where it went. I'm paraphrasing here, but that is the gist of it.
Have you ever experienced that situation where you said you were going to save $500 out of this month's paychecks? Then you get to the end of the month and you only have $73 left (which you don't save because "why bother, it's only $73"). And you are like, "holy crap! where did I blow all that money"!! And you start adding it up. Well, there was that new tire you had to buy because you suddenly realized you could see silver wire sticking out of the side of your old one. And there was that graduation party you got invited to that you had to take a gift to. And then there was that lunch out with the girls because it was Mary's birthday and her husband wasn't in town and we couldn't let her be alone on her birthday. But, eventually you reach a stopping point and find that you are still $237 short of accounting for your lost money. That's happened to you, right?
Well, guess what this week is. This week is the one year anniversary of me quitting my job. This has definitely made me realize something. Time is exactly like money!!! If you don't tell your time where to go, it just goes on it's own and you have no idea where it went!! Brilliant, I know.
When I quit my job, the most exciting thing to me was that I would finally have time to lose weight!! It was very discouraging this week to realize it has been one year and to evaluate where I am now. I am 20 lbs lighter than a year ago. Now, the average doctor who is conducting a yearly physical would be thrilled to see that someone in their 40's is 20 lbs. lighter this year than last year. But, I was not thrilled. Mind you now, I was not DIScouraged! I'm not going to throw away the 20 lbs. weight loss because it wasn't the goal I was seeking. I'll take it! But I was disappointed that I haven't accomplished more.
I look at it this way. For the first time since I became a mother 20 years ago, I had time to devote strictly to myself. I had no job. I had no childcare needs. I had transportation to anywhere I wanted to go for exercise. At every point in the year I had access to a gym that we had already had a membership to or was free. I was healthy and physically able to participate in any weight loss activity. So, why only 20 lbs. when I needed to lose so much more and could have done it safely in a years time?
This is where we revert back to Dave Ramsey. I just didn't tell my time where to go. I didn't schedule my workouts on the calendar, didn't make them the priority of my day, and didn't tell myself how much of the week would be spent in the gym. So, now I sit here wondering where the year went. I know I spent atleast 6 days painting rooms in my house to sell it. I could add up all the time I spent at church and know it would be atleast a month of Sundays (not a bad investment, if I do say so myself). I know I spent 2 days on the road driving to CO. Hmmmm... wonder how many days I spent sitting on the toilet or taking a shower.... Shoot, I don't even want to figure out how much time I spent tending an imaginary frontier on Facebook! (But, I'm over that now).
So, starting today, my goal is to schedule my time, to tell it where to go so I have an accounting of what I did with it. When next June rolls around, I plan to be so busy enjoying my accomplishments that I don't waste any time trying to figure out what I did with all my time in the past year.
I have wanted to write a book since I was about 15 years old. That's a 26 year old dream. How, in 26 years have I not found the time to accomplish that? Guess what I need to do before next June!! What have you always wanted to accomplish? What are you doing with your time? Have you told your time to devote itself to your dreams? What will you accomplish in the coming year? What was I doing last New Year's when I should have been devoting time to setting new goals???
I have to finish this now. First, because I have said everything I need to say and any more will sound redundant and you will lose interest, if you haven't already. Second, because I have a scheduled 3-mile walk in 45 mins. in the Black Forrest with my walker-friend that I picked up on Craigslist! If it's on the calendar, it'll happen!!
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