Skip to main content

Why am I stuck here?



Today, while conducting a training session on leadership for some teen girls, I found myself talking about experiences at my old job.  Relaxed, happy, and enjoying life, how far removed I am today from the stomach-knotting, headache-inducing days in that torturous job.  If you have ever worked for a bully, you know what I'm talking about.

That being said, I must confess that I was able to say that I have no regrets about the experience. I suffered much, but learned more, and the things that hurt me the most made me stronger and more aware of myself and others. 

I was teaching from Titus 3:1, where Paul was giving instructions to be related to their church leaders. "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."

The word teaches us that obedience and respect are not subject to change, based on our circumstances or environments.  We are equally accountable, across all levels of hardship or ease. Whether our boss could be best characterized as Mother Theresa or Cruella DeVil, taking God's Word to heart can make all the difference in our attitude, which, in turn, manifests in our actions.

One valuable thing I learned--and pass on today--is this: When people or things provoke you, instead of asking, why me?, ask, Lord, what are you trying to teach me?  It's that simple.

Don't see the problem, see the opportunity to learn something--about yourself, or others. This is the key to getting out of that foxhole with a sound mind and body.  The truth of the matter is, God has a "no child left behind" policy. This is why we find ourselves "looped" through the same lesson over, and over, and over---retaking the test we've failed until we get it right.  In the end, this works better for us if we go into challenges with eyes wide open, with a heightened sense of awareness, an open heart, and a teachable mind.

Try it. It saved my life.

PS Diet day two--I made it without cheating :)  I've lost two pounds so far.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Friday Frenzy

How the weeks fly by! It's Friday, already, and here we are, dizzied by the sight of our to-do lists...so many boxes, still unchecked! Where do you begin? It seems that your desk needs tidying up, your closet needs cleaning, or perhaps the fridge needs to be cleaned out. Rather than face the mountain of tasks we should be doing, we plunge into a frenzy of something I call " productive procrastination. " If it requires explanation, perhaps it's not one of your unfortunate inclinations, as it is mine. For clarification, however, allow me to define the phrase: exerting your efforts in otherwise non-urgent, comparatively mindless tasks, rather than the more urgent ones requiring your full attention. It's something we all do, once in a awhile--something I've done from an early age. The phenomenon (as I choose to categorize it, since it seems to take on an energy and behavior all its own) presents itself whenever feel unequal to the priority tasks at hand. For w...
Post a Comment
Read more

NEMESIS, TRAPS AND DIGRESSIONS, OH MY!

Let's begin at the beginning. You have challenges. You have issues. You have enemies. All of the above would be true for any of us -- from slacker to slave, from victim to hero -- but there is actually one very small but highly distinguishing characteristic: perspective. Yes, the thing that makes mountains out of molehills--and vice versa--is undoubtedly the key to success or failure, and the common thread through the story of every hero. Something interesting about perspective: it can be found, lost, and regained -- although sometimes elusive, it's always attainable.  Through the next week, we will explore the various things responsible for our lost perspective, and talk about how to get it back. I was about to say that there are three things that generally rob us of our proper perspective, but that would imply that it can be taken from us, by force. The fact is, unfortunately, we sometimes "lose" our perspective as easily as we misplace our keys, cell phone, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

When it’s too much...#INSUFFICIENT

It’s Monday again, and —-wait, how did you just react to that? Did your shoulders square up or droop? Did you take a deep, invigorating breath, or expel a sigh? Whatever you’re facing this week, whether it’s the fire-breathing dragon in the corner office, the mean girl in the next cubicle or the inadequacies you see when you look in the mirror, the fact that you’re facing the same ongoing battles over and over doesn’t make them any easier, or the outcome any more certain.  Some days you still feel like the tiny 6th-grader, overloaded with heavy books, forgetting your locker combination, getting bullied out of your lunch money, and overwhelmed by the crowd of boisterous over-achievers. There you are, just trying to get by without being run over, caught up and pulled down in the undertow. Much like the chaos and turbulence of a hallway crowded with middle-schoolers hyped up on sodas and hormones, some of the biggest rivers we have to cross are overwhelming, mind-boggling and equal...
1 comment
Read more