I can see clearly now...

Sorry I missed my post yesterday!  It has been a wild week!

Our Daily Bread
Seeing things clearly has been a challenge for me the past few years!  I am not just talking about my eyes!  hehehe  When you really 'look" at something, you find the object in your range of vision and then focus on it to get the clearest view.  This could be a person, a basketball game (Go Bucks!), a billboard, whatever you want to truly "see".

Our relationship with God and with others is the same way.  A special friend helped me realize something about myself this week after some bitter disappointments in some friendships.  "Duane, you see the good or best in people and you spend way too much time, energy and money helping them develop that good or best state regardless if they realize they have the potential or even want to grow in that way".  Wow!  How true!  I have some folks that I treat like they have already reached their potential instead of protecting myself from the way they are now.  I have gotten hurt over and over again because of this simplistic view of friendships and relationships.  As another friend counseled "Proceed with caution!"  hehehe  I learned that I will love the best I can and still protect myself from folks who don't practice what they preach!  hehehe  Not judging.  Don't hate!

In our relationship with God, we can do the same thing.  We can see things very differently than what God does. Through his Word and through our prayers, we can get a clearer vision of who God is and who he can be in our lives if we let him.  For me, the isolation I felt this week was overwhelmed by the many friends who came out of the woodwork to tell me how special I was to them.  How blessed am I?  The isolation I felt helped me focus on God and see things more clearly.

Lord, thank you for helping me see things more clearly.  I will trust you and take the next step even though I have no idea where the road is going.

Simply Saturday
I was supposed to spend the weekend with Fly bear, but that didn't work out the way I planned (see the personal relationship paragraph above...).  I went to see a movie last night. instead  I will review it on Monday.  I have to work this weekend.  Lots of fun.  I will see movies when I am not working.  It is pretty sad when the highlight of your weekend is the iOS4.3 update on our iPhone and iPad!

Well, I did NOT buy a new iPad.  I want one, but will be thrilled to use the one I received as a special gift last year.  I use my iPad for web browser at home or at Panera and as an eReader.  Very cool.

My big thoughts this week are too deep and too fresh in my mind to write about today.  I can say that God and others are teaching me a lot about myself.  Some things are pretty, some not so pretty.  At times, I felt like the afflicted person from Psalm 4.  At other times, I felt like the most special person in the world due to the love shown to me by my friends.  I cannot complain about things, but I find a way to look at the negative side when I get worn down like I am now.  I always recover.  I feel like a huge burden has been lifted as I am pushing aside some bad habits and poor decisions.  I thank God for helping me heal.

OH, and I gave up popcorn for Lent.  Yikes!  

Hang in there, my friends.  I WILL be upbeat and steady.  That is what I do...