What did I just see...

Our Daily Bread
I have a joke with some of my movie-loving friends.  I sometimes describe scenes in movies as "What did I just see and why did I just see it?".  ha!  I also use that sentence to describe some shows I have seen as well, like Le Reve, Ka, etc.

We can ask that question about life sometimes!  "God, what did I just see and why did I just see it?" is a question I seem to ask a lot!  A lot of times it is a matter of perspective, like the devotional mentioned.  After wandering (and wondering) in the desert for 40 years, the oasis at the promised land looked amazing!  To the writer, it was not so much!  ha!

If there is anything I have to learn over and over again , is the matter of perspective.  I try to look at my perspective.  I try to look at the perspective of others.  Doing so helps make me more compassionate and empathetic.  I still have a very long way to go!

Lord, thank you for your promises.  Please help us to always have faith in them.  Help my unbelief!

Simply Saturday
Finding Balance
I am a man that "goes for things in life".  I have been thinking more and more about what means for me as I enter the last few decades of life.  I am a smart guy and sometimes get confused about balance.  Here are some examples.

Workouts
For a few months, I worked out sort of hard almost every day.  I was tired all the time.  Went to bed early.  I realized I was doing too much.  I have backed down on the hard workouts to a few times per week.  I try to have some kind of activity the other days.  This is working much better.

Work
Yes, I know we all have to work very, very hard sometimes with lots of overtime and stress.  That is a constant in today's economy.  Finding balance for me is minimizing the stress, more importantly how I react to things at work.  I have a choice as to how I react to the stressors.  No one or nothing can "make" me stressed.  I have a choice.  I also have another choice -- what to do with my career.  Should I stay where I am or look for another position.  Another company?  I plan to stay at my current job as long as they will have me because I have work-life balance now.  I am thrilled with that!

Relationships
I struggle with this a lot.  I was always taught to be self-less and loving.  That is the Christian way to be.  Preachers teach us to be loving.  I had a situation recently where my loving attitude towards someone was misconstrued as being codependent!  How did that happen?  Finding balance, as I am learning, is knowing when you are giving too much for the wrong reasons.  Yes, Christ gave all for us.  Are we supposed to give all for the folks we love?  As with God's love, it is a two-way street.  We can choose to accept or not to accept God's love.  God still loves us either way.  Yes, we can continue to love someone even though they don't accept our love.  We can still love them, but move on to someone who will accept it.  Finding balance is important for those of us who are usually the ones who love more...

Are there examples in your life?  Have you lost balance in some areas?  Let's pray for each other about balance!

***************************************************
Let go, my friends!  God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!