I just finished up my second Dale Carnegie book, How To Win Friends And Influence People. It was a quick read, and filled with all kinds of stories about how people were able to overcome various obstacles and improve themselves and their relationships with others.
Overall, I walked away from the book impressed once again at the simple wisdom contained in its pages. If I had to sum it up, I would say that one of the keys to success in life is to genuinely care for other people.
Last night, I was talking with a friend who is slowly trying to get his life back on track. He was frustrated that things were taking so long, and that it seemed like every now and again a stumbling block would appear, making it seem like everything would fall apart.
As hard as it is, we need to take a look at these situations from a different perspective. We need to prayerfully ask ourselves if God is trying to teach us something through it all.
Yesterday, it seemed like everything I did focused on adult education. First, I went with a friend to a satellite campus of Johns Hopkins University, where they offer specialized programs for adults who never earned their bachelor’s degree.
I was really impressed with what my alma mater was doing to reach out to this population, making it possible for them to fulfill something that, for many, is a life-long dream. Hopkins is not alone in providing programs like this. On line “universities” are a dime a dozen today, and not all of them equip a student with what they need to succeed.
One year ago today, I published my first post on Making All Things New:
I’m embarking on a new adventure! For the last eleven months, God has been doing some amazing new things with me. It’s been a radical transformation of my body, mind, and spirit. I want to share with anyone who will listen what’s happened to me, with the hope that maybe they will find some good advice and make some changes for themselves.
307 posts and nearly a quarter of a million hits later, I want to thank everyone who has joined me on this adventure. It’s been fun, and I’m ready to start the next leg of the journey.
Do you sometimes scratch your head and ask, just what is God up to? I don’t know about you, but when adversity or difficulties come, there’s a part of me that wants to run the other way. I only give God a fleeting thought as I do my best to avoid the harder things in life.
But running the other way or doing your best to avoid problems means that you really don’t believe God can bring a greater good out of the situation. God sometimes allows adversity to take you to a higher place. He wants to make you stronger. Will you do your part?
Recently, I’ve picked up on a lot of anxiety amongst the people I interact with. Just about everyone seems to be nervous about something, but mostly people are concerned about the future.
We sure seem to be in a mess, whether as individuals or as a society. Just when we think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, something else happens and it seems like we’re right back to square one.
So, how to we try to shed ourselves of our anxiety about the future? Certainly, some people’s circumstances are serious, and there is much to process. But for others, they are concerned about many things that are out of their control. How can we all be less anxious? Jesus had something to say on the matter.
Last spring, I felt like I was being consumed by problems at work. Primarily, I was working through some issues that seemed to be spiraling downwards, and they put me into a slump. I didn’t know how things would be resolved, but I was in a pretty negative mood, and I wanted to get past it. I made two decisions that helped me re-focus.
The first decision was to take an on-line certification program in adult faith formation. An email I received spoke about a new opportunity to learn the in’s and out’s of this important part of parish life. It sounded good and I was ready for a new challenge.
The second decision was to teach a fourth grade class this school year. One of our volunteers announced that she would not be returning in the fall, and that created an opening. After praying about it, I felt like it would be good for me to spend a little less time on administration and get back into a classroom to teach.
I heard a great story the other day and I thought I’d share it with you. There was a ship that was sailing on a very dark night. Suddenly, the captain noticed a bright light directly in front of him, and he thought for sure that his ship was going to collide with another ship.
He rushed to the radio and sent an urgent message, demanding that the other vessel change its course ten degrees west. A few seconds later, he got a reply. “Cannot do it. Change your course ten degrees east.”
We all have moments when we want to throw in the towel. I had that experience on the second week of my fitness challenge at the YMCA. The leaders were very disorganized, and we were given conflicting information about what we were supposed to be doing.
Just about everyone was frustrated. I started thinking that I could do this on my own, and that I didn’t need the hassle of participating in something that was not what I was expecting. Now, in week five, I’m glad I stuck it out. It would have been far easier to quit, but I don’t think I would have been able to achieve the results I have if I had gone it alone.
Today’s posting comes from my friend Mary Lynne. She’s a good friend and a mental health professional in my area. You might recall she was one of my guest bloggers this past fall.
We are by nature creatures that resist change. Even when we know that it will be good for us. There are certain to be times when we must adapt to either external demands or transitions or to the promptings or callings of God. Either way it’s best to live as fully in the moment as one can for change is on the horizon. And for those striving to live healthy in mind, body and spirit, the rewards of this were mentioned in Paul’s previous blogs.