I can’t help but think of my mom when I think of Labor Day
weekend. If she had lived, she would have celebrated her 80th
birthday on September 2. Since her special day always fell right around Labor
Day, the family gathered to celebrate with her then.
My dad’s birthday was on May 28, which…what do you know…worked
well to celebrate on Memorial Day.
I thought about reflecting back on my memories of Mom and
Dad for this post, but I feel the pull to speak on another topic.
Let me just throw it right out there:
I have been engaging in self-sabotage.
Take my struggles with weight-loss, for instance. I have all
of these great ideas for creating and sustaining weight-loss, like combining
weight resistance with high-intensity interval training. I tell myself that I’m
going to eat no grains every-other day and supplement with whole grains on the “off”
days. I set a plan to focus on six portions of vegetables a day. And then there’s
the vitamins. The supplements.
All good and worthy objectives to bring me to my goal.
Yet I don’t do it. I fall short. I convince myself that I’m
just too busy to maintain my focus. And, as a result, I maintain this “hovering
pattern” as I call it, going down maybe a pound or two one week only to gain it
back the next week. I do some of the
things I set out to do, or I do it a day
or two out of the seven-day week, but I don’t sustain it.
I could go into further examples, but I think you get the
idea.
I think it’s bigger than weight-loss. I think it’s a
spiritual battle within me.
If I can stay in this hovering pattern with weight or with
writing or with any other challenges in my life, it distracts me from the
bigger picture – these 70 years (give or take a few) that we’ve been given to
reach others with the message of God’s love and forgiveness.
I thought of this on September 1, when I realized that I had
achieved some August goals but that I hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface
on others. The sermon I heard on Sunday challenged me with the same questions.
And then this morning’s scripture said it again: “If only you had paid
attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being
like the waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:18, NIV)
What will you do with these 70 years? These are the years of
invitation. These are the years of choice. These are the years of investment.
What you do with these 70 years will have an impact on all
eternity. For you. For those you love. For those you influence. And you do influence, whether toward God or away.
Enjoy your day. Enjoy this blog.
1 comment:
I have a suggestion to everyone what to do with some of their years. It has been a source of great reward and satisfaction in knowing I have done what the Lord commands us to do. We(The Church) are supposed to take care of orphans.James 1:27,Deuteronomy 26:12-14. My wife and I have been very blessed because of it. So, howz about giving the next 10 to 18 years of your life to adopt an orphan? Why not? It'll make you feel young again...........really. Just tossing that out there. Please understand this is not directly written to you Anna, it is meant to put the idea into anyone who feels their life is in need of something more than our typical mundane existance. I mess up pretty bad in other areas of my Christian walk, but I'll always feel the Spirit in me when I look at any of my adopted sons. Sorry for the sermon, I just felt moved to mention this method of serving the Lord for hope that a certain family will read this and decide to commit to changing a little ones' life.
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