Is this what is important in your life?
This is a continuation of a post had back at the beginning of this pandemic. I did a cut and paste of sorts, so we wouldn't have to back track. The older post is italicized for this purpose.
I have learned a few things recently about what is important.
Science is important, doctors are important, nurses are important, aids are important...
Our military is important, our local police, fire and EMS workers are front line and are important...
Service providers are important, store clerks, truck drivers, waste collection, plumbers, electricians, general workers are important for our society...
Farmers are important and local growers and workers are important.
Family and friends are important. People who care about you are important.
Local businesses and large employers are just as important. Whether you work for Walmart or the local hardware, businesses employee local people. Amazon is nice and it is a huge help, but we cannot buy items that put our local shops out of business. We need to balance things. I realize Amazon has distribution centers and I am not picking on them, but the idea that we can save a dollar or two and get it shipped to our door, will ruin and has ruined many small business. Almost like what people said about Walmart at first, and to be honest, I might have thought that also. But I know better and I know many people who work for Walmart and I know they have a stake in our community. I guess there just has to be a balance, a way of spreading your money and making smart choices.
Most importantly, God and church are important! In the darkest and strangest times, we need to connect with our God and our Savior. Sharing that message in these times are vital for us. Connecting via non normal means has become very important. Virtual church, who would have thought? Now it makes me yearn for the day of gathering together inside of a building and singing at top of lungs!
So what's not important
Overpaid sports stars and their opinions
Overpaid actors and their opinions
Overpaid corporate leaders, their golden parachutes and lavish lifestyles
Overpaid government leaders who are disconnected from their people
Hopefully if we survive this ordeal, we come away with a new sense of values. We grasp finally that sitting at home or walking around the neighborhood or gathering at church is important to the fabric of our life and culture.
Putting in a honest days work and coming home to your family is what made this country great. Hopefully we right the ship and find a new balance and find out, each in our own way what is important.
Science is important, doctors are important, nurses are important, aids are important...
Our military is important, our local police, fire and EMS workers are front line and are important...
Service providers are important, store clerks, truck drivers, waste collection, plumbers, electricians, general workers are important for our society...
Farmers are important and local growers and workers are important.
Family and friends are important. People who care about you are important.
Local businesses and large employers are just as important. Whether you work for Walmart or the local hardware, businesses employee local people. Amazon is nice and it is a huge help, but we cannot buy items that put our local shops out of business. We need to balance things. I realize Amazon has distribution centers and I am not picking on them, but the idea that we can save a dollar or two and get it shipped to our door, will ruin and has ruined many small business. Almost like what people said about Walmart at first, and to be honest, I might have thought that also. But I know better and I know many people who work for Walmart and I know they have a stake in our community. I guess there just has to be a balance, a way of spreading your money and making smart choices.
Most importantly, God and church are important! In the darkest and strangest times, we need to connect with our God and our Savior. Sharing that message in these times are vital for us. Connecting via non normal means has become very important. Virtual church, who would have thought? Now it makes me yearn for the day of gathering together inside of a building and singing at top of lungs!
So what's not important
Overpaid sports stars and their opinions
Overpaid actors and their opinions
Overpaid corporate leaders, their golden parachutes and lavish lifestyles
Overpaid government leaders who are disconnected from their people
Hopefully if we survive this ordeal, we come away with a new sense of values. We grasp finally that sitting at home or walking around the neighborhood or gathering at church is important to the fabric of our life and culture.
Putting in a honest days work and coming home to your family is what made this country great. Hopefully we right the ship and find a new balance and find out, each in our own way what is important.
New post ramblings.....
I wrote that and believe that personally. But I think the question that I ask is more complicated and more personal. What is so important in your life that makes you get up? What is so important in your life or even to your life that you are willing to change? Maybe that is the key question isn't it? Not what is important, I mean that is a good question, but answers are like a certain body part, and we know we all have one of those....
So let's make it personal. What is so important that it will make you change your life? [remember this is how I process, I write and I discover what is behind the writing]
What is so important that it will make you change your life?
Is it love? That is a huge umbrella of a word isn't it... Love.... Love you have for a spouse, love you have for a child or children, love you have for grandchildren, love for friends, love for God... ask yourself the hard questions, is love the reason or the thing that is so important that you are willing to change your life?
I would hope that love is part of the motivation to change. I almost believe you have to have it to change. For people who deal with addictions [and I am one] we are selfish to a large degree. [forgive the pun] We engage in a destructive behavior and act selfishly, that action is not done because we love ourselves. We actually do not like ourselves and it is probably safe to say people who engage in destructive behaviors hate themselves.
I can hear a few people saying "hate" is a strong word. Yes no doubt! But that doesn't mean it isn't true. It's easy to hate yourself, it's hard to love yourself.
Think about it, how much do you beat yourself up? I do it all the time! I am not talking about cutting my wrist or slamming my fist or my head into a wall, but I constantly find fault with everything that I do. Do you? Probably....not? I do not know, do you? Some of you might....
I do and to be honest I can not figure out why... I wish I could figure that one out. It might actually be key for moving forward.
I know we have sidetracked off topic a little [go figure] so let me bring it back in...
Years ago... six or seven years ago when my granddaughter asked me "Why are you so fat pops?" I had to do some soul searching. The hardest thing to do was to go to the doctor and ask for help. The next hardest thing to do was to go to a dietitian, and from there it only got harder. Try walking into a gym as the morbidly obese guy and asking to speak with a personal trainer.... then actually showing for the first session with the trainer and then again and again. Nothing about that journey was easy and is not easy, but... big but.... when I see our grandchildren, I want to cry....
I know, sounds silly doesn't it, but they are important, all of them! Even though I don't spend the time with them that I should, they are a perfect reason to be healthy.
But is that enough? Great question and the answer is a resounding "NO"
I have learned that one as I have failed in my health journey...
So what is so important that it will change your life? Your spouse? You love them and you probably cannot imagine your life without them, but is that love so great that you will change?
The answer to that is...no....Sorry it isn't. I know how I think... I have a life insurance policy that will cover somethings when I am no longer here and there are days that I think life would be better without me in the picture. So what then?
Maybe the hardest thing to value is.... what for it..... yourself....
Ok that picture is of me [the one in the background, with Marcus... Marcus is a post or series of post for another day for sure] But Marcus took this picture of me smiling and with my hands in the air like I don't care.... back on track...sorry
How do you wrap your mind around that one? How do you believe that you are important and actually believe it enough so you are willing to change in this life? You have to value yourself and love yourself first.....
As a Christian that should be easy, but... like so many things that I know, it doesn't mean that I completely beyond a shadow of a doubt believe it or put it into practice. I write and preach that Jesus loves....even me! Yet I treat myself like I belong to the Evil One....
Do we all do that? I wonder, no judgement zone here, just throwing that out there. Do we dismiss the love and grace of God and easily accept the bad seed that is sown by the Evil One? I wonder if we have conditioned ourselves to do that?
Dig deep time... think about it, have we done this? I beat myself up so easily and have such a hard time taking compliments or encouragement from others. It is like I will never be good enough and I embrace that 100 percent!
I don't think I am going to solve this problem as I write, because to be honest with you, I will lose most of you about two or three days in of reading my ramblings on this. So I am going to try to wrap this up....
What's important to you? You have to figure that out! I have to figure that out! When it comes to living and when it comes to trying to push yourself beyond the limits of what your mind says. You cannot do the incredible, when your mind says otherwise.
That is what I am working on.... finding the why and what....and conditioning the mind to believe that beyond a shadow of doubt.....
Stopping for now
Church this morning
Peace and love
Paul