Category: Christianity

July 22, 2020 – Coping with discouragement from a Christian center

July 22, 2020 /

I am running a little behind this week. I chose to work on my project rather than watch this on Sunday, mostly because we were not going to have any small group attendees. So I watched the service this morning.

This was a message that I would recommend for anyone at any station. Not every one hits me and I can see myself on both sides of the argument. Before anyone thinks that I get too carried away, with ‘churchiness’ and religion I want to be clear that my voice is promoting my beliefs and values. Using the language… loving someone where they are at doesn’t always mean accepting every behavior.

If you have watched these services, you will know that they are a little formulaic. There are usually three bullet items that are the talking points to the message. Today’s talking points are the sources of discouragement.

  • Harrassment
  • Propaganda
  • Written Accusation

As someone that is experiencing a little discouragement at the moment, positive ideas are a welcome suggestion. I feel like I am stuck in a rut where I cannot move on until I finish this project that I am working on. On the other side, I cannot wait to finish my project to keep working toward looking for jobs and life’s other necessities.

I myself have a hard time of being in the moment. It is hard to enjoy the sunshine when you can see storm clouds in the distance. Sure, maybe the clouds will blow another direction, but it sure looks like they are coming this way. And the weather forecast is predicting the storm this way.

I am a very binary person. I have a hard time with obscure transition points. Maybe that is why I had a difficult time in calculus, for a peak the transition is easier, but for a gradual slope what is the transition? Deep down, I understand that this is the path that I need to walk in order to get to the destination. I also understand that in my beliefs that there is only so much you can do to influence the path.

My wife has an uncle that is dying. In many ways it is very sudden, in other’s not. He basically drank himself to death. He was OK to the point where about two months ago the doctors said that his liver was failing. Now, that is not to say that not managing diabetes for the last several years contributed. The amputation of several toes were warning signs of failing management. But there was always tomorrow to correct and change the situation.

I don’t think that there was enough time for the five stages of grief. Last I had heard, he was still in the depression phase. I tell this story because things can always be significantly worse. That family has some real discouragement, not my two bit issues.

My ideas for coping with discouragement are

  • Have time in the day to identify problems and propose potential solutions
  • Embrace the unknown to the best of your ability, see the first bullet point.
  • Have outlets for coping be it friends, journaling/blogging, exercise or physical exertion
  • Seek help from a qualified source if the problem is larger than you feel like you can address.

I get stuck in the embrace part frequently. For small groups, from the sermon, the questions of the week are

  • How have you faced opposition in your life?
  • What verse do you use to make it through the situation?

July 6, 2020 – The marathon continues and commandment for rest

July 6, 2020 /

I think that as believers, we would think that every message reaches with the same effectiveness and efficacy, but that is not true. This week, we didn’t have a small group gathering because it was just a busy holiday weekend. But unlike last week, this one hit me close.

The reason that I didn’t post toward the end of last week is that I am pushing to get this job done. I have four days of vacation coming at the beginning of next week for a family camping trip. I need to get as much done this week or time is going to start to run out.

This week’s message is about taking the time to rest. I am sure that we can all visualize the damage of overexertion. But we don’t always see the hidden or incremental damage when we don’t take rest. I am no stranger to this as you can see my habits tend toward getting this job done at all costs.

I learned early on that I was not the smartest or the fastest or the strongest but I could endeavor to be the toughest or the one that never gives up. I remember that when I was in high school, I joined the wrestling team just to see if I could take it. I didn’t win a single match, but I didn’t give up and I vowed that I would keep going.

I outlasted many better athletes and my mental condition changed to the point where I felt like I could outwill anyone. That started me down the belief in a never give up attitude. That has translated in a burn out type work habits in certain contexts. Under a more introspective analysis, I guess that I thought if I channeled that energy into the right projects or endeavors that this would be productive. However this week’s message is a more counter viewpoint and more importantly, why.

I have done my own reading over the years. But everyone needs a refresher on fundamentals. For instance, one of Steven Covey’s Seven Habits is to ‘sharpen the saw’. From what I always understood, was that you needed to stop and go back to make sure your fundamentals were honed. But did you catch it… stop first. You cannot sharpen the tool blade without stopping.

I have written about being in the moment, it is very difficult to me. Sometimes you need to hear a message from different sources, but I think that I am finally hearing it. From the message, we need to let our fields be fallow so not to ultimately leave them unfertile. Doing so will generate greater bounty. Those fields for me are my marriage and relationships and potentially my health both physically and mentally.

The questions of the week are

  • What does hurry and hustle look like in your life?
  • What are some of the things you can do to find rest this week?

I suppose what hit me the hardest is that we all have the same amount of time in our lives. We are not going to control something that we really have no control over no matter how badly we want to. What is really the crux is using the time effectively.