Gluttons For Punishment?

Your kindness will reward you,
    but your cruelty will destroy you.

Proverbs 11:17 

 

Are you a driven person?  Are you the type who simply will not stop until the job is finished, regardless the cost?  Are you among those who willingly sacrifice everything, including your family and your own health, to get the job done?  Do you push yourself without letting up?  Do you find yourself anxious, frustrated, irritated, and even angry by things you cannot control?

 

You see, we ALL are like that to some degree.  We ALL have things we want to accomplish.  We ALL have dreams and goals.  We ALL push ourselves, at times, beyond the point of being healthy.

 

I was recently reminded, rather unkindly, by one of our volunteer Chaplains, who shall remain anonymous (but it "not" Chris Hutnyak), that I'm not as young as I used to be.  This Chaplain even told me that he was glad to know someone who was there when the Ark was built.  After my heart started again, I realized that he was right.  You see, I had allowed the Chaplaincy to take over my life, and I needed to be reminded that it's okay to take a vacation to prevent burnout.  Still not thrilled with the whole "there when the Ark was built" comment, but that's another point for another day.

 

How can we take care of others if we don't take care of ourselves?  We treat others with kindness, yet we punish ourselves by not stopping to take a breath or a break.  And being cruel to ourselves WILL destroy us!  How do I know?  I've already had one quadruple bypass surgery....because I didn't take time to unwind and relax and take better care of myself.

 

I heard a proverb, but I can't remember where (no cracks about age please) that said, "The unmended bucket is of no use to anyone."  Take time to take care of yourself!

That Moment When...

Gray hair is a crown of glory;
    it is gained by living a godly life.

Proverbs 16:31

 

I remember, as a youth, being asked for my identification to make sure I was "of age."  And while, at the time, I found it annoying and inconvenient, it was part of being young.  I will not forget the first time I was purchasing some items at the grocery store and the bagger looked to be about 10, and he said, "Do you need any help carrying these to your car, Sir?"

 

That was a gut punch for me!  When had I become......old?  

 

     *   I did understand that I didn't move as quickly as once I did.  

     *   I did notice that I tended to look forward to sitting down more.  

     *   I did notice that I seemed to nap without fighting it.  

     *   It did occur to me that I no longer thought of myself as invincible. 

     *   I began to notice that the "music" of today had become *gasp* too loud.

     *   When did all my favorite songs get moved to the "Oldies" station?

 

And then came the day when I looked in the mirror and saw my Grampa looking back at me.

But the more I looked at the face looking back at me, the more I remembered that Grampa may have slowed down, but he enjoyed life and he had a lot of wisdom to share.

 

I have admitted before and confess it again, I haven't exactly lived a godly life for most of my breathing time.  I played the part when I needed to, but that was just a mask I wore when I needed to.  But once God truly got hold of me, the mask came off and my life changed.

 

Now, I still screw up more times than not; I still say things I shouldn't; I still think things I shouldn't; I still recognize that I mess up with alarming frequency.  But, God hasn't finished with me yet, because He's still teaching me and He's letting me stay around a bit longer, because His mission for me has is not completed.

 

I have a crown of gray hair, sparse though it may be. And hopefully, some wisdom has found its way into the grey goop between my ears.  

  

 

We're Have To GROW UP?

The glory of young men is their strength,
    but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Proverbs 20:29

As I may have mentioned a few hundred times before, I like most of Jimmy Buffett's songs.  Many of them have meanings that are very deep (and then there are the others).  One of the songs that came to mind when I saw today's verse is, "I'm Growing Older, But Not Up" where we are reminded that, while our bodies are not what they used to be, our minds are more than they used to be.

 

I don't want to grow up.  It's just that simple.  I still have toys (I collect minions and gadgets and such), and love playing games.  Confession:  I was never (and am still not) what one might call "athletic" or "coordinated" or "graceful" or anything of the sort.  Because of that, I played games more for the fun instead of the competition (some people takes games WAY too seriously).

 

As I have progressed in years (yeah, let's call it that instead of "Got Old"), I have noticed that so many people take everything so seriously.  Try people watching sometime.  You'll see more scowls and absence of smiles.  Some people actually look like they are angry at everyone, hate life, and are just passing the time of going through the motions, and have given up on everything and everyone.

 

Look at what today's verse says, The glory of the young is their strength.  The splendor of the older is their grey hair (experience and wisdom).  Just because we grow older doesn't mean we stop enjoying life!  Growing older doesn't mean we stop learning!  It just means.....well....we might want to consider not trying to relive our "glory days."