Crazy options!

Ever felt like life was full of options? Crazy options?

Where do you start when there are more possibilities than you have hours? When life starts to open in creative in unexpected ways?


Here's my personal how-to checklist for decisions I'm making this week:

1. Choose faith instead of fear. I'll ask, "What are the possibilities" before asking, "What will this cost and how badly will it hurt?"
2. Admit the emotions. Am I excited? Am I scared to death? Am I hopeful? Concerned? Maybe I'm all of the above: I can take heart - and caution - from my feelings. (Reminder to self: feelings are a temporary reality.)
3. Who offered the opportunity? Is it legit? Is it interesting? Do I want to work with them or their circle?
4. What do I - or don't I - like about this? Does the opportunity line up with who I am OR will it make me miserable because it's an awful fit?
5. What am I currently doing that boosts or blocks this new thing?
6. What do my "peeps" say about it? If it's a big decision, I'm talking to trusted family and advisers before jumping in!
7. How far has everyone else bought into this? Is there enthusiasm or resistance from other participants?
8. First and last, I'm always going ask, "Is this in line with who God made me to be?" And ... is this His time for me to do this?

What are the options you're considering? How do you tackle change?

Read more:
*I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6 NLT

*Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

The disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. "Even the winds and waves obey him!" Matthew 8:23–27 NLT

*Philip baptized the eunuch. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:38-39 NLT

Moravian Prayer: God, you hold the salvation of the world; thank you for not being stingy with it (for our sakes!). Still, there are people who, like the eunuch, need to know that this grace is for them also. Make us more like Phillip – sharing your bountiful love and bringing to others the joy of inclusion into your baptized community. Amen.

Go! Just go!

Overwhelmed by information?

Got too much to do? Too little time? Perhaps it's time to clear the path. To pare your life into its wonderful essentials.

Many of our key choices won't rest on saying yes to great opportunities. Instead, the bulk of life-changing decisions involve saying no to unessentials and lesser things.

"Minimalism" and "living with less" is a current fad. Why? We have TOO MUCH surrounding us. Our brains get confused and overwhelmed by trivial. Details demand to be touched or negotiated.

Collecting too much of a good thing?

How was your morning? In the closet, did your trousers,  jackets, and shirts (blouses)  hang willy-nilly. Did choosing your outfit take more than a few minutes?

Instead of an easy 10-minute routine, did you root through the "plenty" in the bathroom for basics? Sort through skin cream / makeup and scramble for a fresh tube of toothpaste? Hesitate about which shampoo to use in the shower? Argh. Was there even time for a shower? Were you running late with too much to do before you left the house?

Was the rest of the day similar? Were you exhausted and discouraged by nightfall ... because you had too many plates and too much on those places. Did you drown in the details?

The top shelf "during":
piles pushed to one side
to install separators

As readers know, I'm on a clearing streak.  I've been sorting things I no longer use out of my life. This morning the top rack of my closet fell victim to my efforts. I'm glad I forgot to snap a picture of the before, with sweaters and tops leaning on each other. I recorded the during and after.

EEEK. That's all I can say. Eeek!

The top shelf "after': sorted into types (turtlenecks,
sweaters, T-shirts, etc.)

I'm no perfectionist: so what if the folded stacks lean a bit. I'm no minimalist: I kept clothes I've recently worn. I'm not obsessive about details: who cares about color coding? As with cooking, my creative method is to stand in front of the possibilities and quickly pluck items to go "into the soup" or on my back.

But I've been startled by this common sense, which eluded me before. As the house gets more orderly, it's becoming easier to define other choices. To say "Yes" to things that God is calling me to, and "No" to expectations that don't align with what I hear in prayer, meditation on God's Word, or from the counsel of those I trust.

Just the basics, please!

Some mornings when my toes touch the ground, I hear a little voice urging, "Go girl! Just go!" The hurdles and obstacles to a productivity seems fewer and further between with so many "NO!s" in the recent past.

How would you define your recent choices? Is there time to think? To reflect? Then to move "full steam ahead" once your course is charted?

Or is your life cluttered with so much "good" that the way forward seems impossible?

Read more:
*A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:1-2 NIV

*Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26 NIV

*God says, “From this time forward I make you hear new things, hidden things that you have not known.” Isaiah 48:6

*Let anyone with ears to hear listen! Luke 8:8

Moravian Prayer: Holy Redeemer, as we face another day, enable us to spend quality time in communion with you. Touch our listening ears and teach us how to have a closer walk with you. In your name we pray. Amen. 

It's my fault. Really.

Check out more cartoons at
Cathy Thorne's site.
http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com

"Rosemarie, you are not a victim. It's your choice how you live." Sitting on the piano bench next to me, Dr. Jack Rozell undercut my excuses for a habitual indulgence that made me feel trapped and awful.

I remembered Pastor Jack's comments, listening to an excellent presentation on taking responsibility for our actions. (Click to watch the 2 minute video by Dave Martin). Martin ties the judgement of God to personal accountability. In other words, God could not judge us if he hasn't given us the ability to make choices about how we live and think. The fact that we can make decisions means we're not mere victims of circumstances.

Check out more cartoons at
Cathy Thorne's site.
http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com

Bad things happen to us but WE choose our responses. Evil is all around but we can live in God's goodness. Shall we forgive and release our souls to freedom? Do we move forward or live in the past? Will we choose others' good over selfishness? Are we replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones? It's up to us.

Of course, we must depend on God for the strength to accomplish our goals. We seek His wisdom to make decisions. And we are grateful for every day where he covers us with his provision of new life.

Remember, if you're living in the past or choked up by a bad decision, you get to decide whether to stay frozen by fear or regrets ... or move forward. Choose well!

“The problem that we have with a victim mentality
is that we forget to see the blessings of the day.
Because of this, our spirit is poisoned instead of nourished. ...

"Your complaints, your drama, your victim mentality,
your whining, your blaming, and all of your excuses have
NEVER gotten you even a single step closer to your
goals or dreams. Let go of your nonsense.
Let go of the delusion that you DESERVE better
and go EARN it! Today is a new day!”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Read more:
*(Thanks, Tillie!) I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
 
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121 NIV

*As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person" Proverbs 27:19 NLT

*Isaiah said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” Isaiah 6:5

*Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6

Moravian Prayer: Holy Father, thank you for another day in your vineyard. Anoint our lips to speak words that are pleasing to your ears and uplifting to all those we encounter this day. Amen.