I need an engineer

Many times I've had conversations with people that could not see themselves as I see them.  Quite frankly, that situation has been in reverse, when I look in a mirror, I don't see what you see.  So here's the plan:

I want create a mirror that reflects the beauty, passion, love, joy, drive and light that I see in you, so you can see it and believe it as much as I do.

I think I'll call it the Innate Super Eye Electrical Mirror Enhancer (I SEE ME)

I think we all need to see us as others see us. 

I see you.  Do you?

Mementos

As I sit in my office this morning I was seeking divine inspiration on something profound to write about.  I'm surrounded by mementos of my past.  A plaque from the day I was initiated as a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, a world map with pins of places I've visited, awards, posters, a rack of trophy golf balls, pictures and a box of stuff I just brought home from my most recent job that I need to go through.

What struck me about it is this; Does this stuff keep me in the past sometimes remembering how great I used to think I was, or is it a just a visual that helps me to remember where I am no longer?  I think far too often that we can be guilty of remembering how things were in our history and perhaps we can get stuck in that mindset.  I see the stuff I'm surrounded by and have fond memories and some great stories to tell.  I don't want to dwell too long or relive them too often, the events of my past led me here there and quite frankly, I'm happier where I am today than back then and want to keep looking forward to the greater things in life to come.

Thorns

My wife and I have been reading a devotional about the thorns in life and how we pray to have them removed.  Throughout the devotional we are reminded of Paul's continued prayerful pleas to God to have thorns removed from his life.  Each time Paul is met with "My grace is all you need.  My power works best in weakness."  

We are meant to have weaknesses that bring us to the feet of Jesus.  It is there that we draw closer and the thorns don't seem to matter.

If you're struggling with something in life that seems to be plaguing you, perhaps it's time to acknowledge your weakness and sit at the feet of the Master.

What time is it?

Sometimes the door closing on what we think is an opportunity is often closed because it isn't the right thing for us at the time. If you believe that your future can be shaped by allowing the right thing to come to you at the right time, then getting shut out of, or removed from a situation may sting at the moment, but it's a not a setback.  It's a setup for a comeback.   

The next time you feel that way, just smile because something better is coming.

On a side note

I just read my previous post again...I feel like it was a pity party.  Of course I do get sidetracked from time to time and during that short time swirl I do feel a bit sad that "my" plans aren't working as I have drawn them up.  Therein lies the rub, "my" plans, not His plans.  Since that last post I am happy to say that whatever He has in mind, I will happily follow along.  

2 Corinthians 4:8
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

Almost there

Recently I found out I was losing my job (again X 5).  It's almost old hat....almost.  It's still a pain in the rear end to shuffle the budget, file for benefits and then search for another job. 

Finding a job that pays at or near what I make is becoming increasingly difficult as I zoom in on age 60.  I'm okay with making less, yet with that decrease in salary I'd like to have the appropriate decrease in responsibility and stress.

I'm really not worried what the outcome will be for my future work because I have faith and in the words of Joel Osteen, "It's not a set back.  It's a setup for a comeback." 

In a previous post I said I'm like rust.  I just keep going and I believe that through my faith and support of my family I live a charmed life.  That charmed life has come from building my faith over the years and the belief that this life is just what it is, this life.  There's something better coming and my second anointing will be here soon.

Persistence

Rust is persistent in it's chemical reaction and sometimes I am like rust, especially when I think something will benefit me.  I've found that line of thinking to be flawed.  Not in the persistence aspect, but in where the benefit should lay.

We aren't on this planet for our own good, yet for the benefit of others by "paying it forward".  We get to decide what the "it" is that we are giving away.  For some it's money, for some it's time, and for others it's joy, but whatever it is that you have in abundance, give some of it away and experience the satisfaction.

I ain't Nike, yet I just need to do it!

Sometimes I wish I had learned earlier in my life that most things aren't worth the effort of worry.  We usually imagine things worse than what they are, or could be.  This is a temporary stage of existence and I do not disagree that we should always try our best to be our best.  

I also believe that we each have a calling and it's not just figuring it out, it's doing it.  I've been guilty of having a calling and haven't been acting on it.  It's time to change my routine so I can do what I'm called to do....stay tuned! 

Turn your worries into prayers

...Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Phil. 4:6-7).