One would think that opening a quart of milk should be a simple task. Just unscrew the little lid and peel off that thin foil protector, and pour your milk. A simple task, right? Well, not when your little fingers don't work right due to Rheumatoid Arthritis...
Making pancakes with a 4 year-old is a fun activity! We got out the ingredients, the tools, the griddle was set and heating. We carefully measured the mix and cracked the eggs in. Then came the milk! One quart was nearly empty so I poured the remaining 4 ounces of milk into the measuring cup and started to open the full quart. That was the beginning of the end!
As I carefully pulled on that thin little foil security topper, my finger strength was not enough to tear it loose. Instead, as I pulled it, the quart tipped over, knocked the half-full measuring cup to the floor and milk was everywhere! "Are you serious," I exclaimed, as the 4-year-old jumped out of the way! I could just stare in disbelief at the milk on the rug, the trash can, the cabinet wall, the floor, the door of the refrigerator! Thankfully my sweet husband came to my rescue and helped with the cleanup.
All I could say over and over was; "Why can't I remove that silly little foil?" "It's such a small thing to do!" "Why?" "Why?" "Why won't my hands and fingers do what I command them to do?" "Why do I always drop things when I was never clumsy before?" Ethan responded; "You're just tired, right Grandma?" Sweet answer, but not entirely true.
The problem is that no matter how much I have rested and/or slept, my hands just don't work right any more. It doesn't change if they hurt or not, whether I've put anything on them or not, they just don't work! So what do I do with this challenge?
I call it a challenge, because that's how I see it. It doesn't mean I can never do anything again. It doesn't mean I have failed somehow. It doesn't mean I have to give up doing something that I love, like cooking with my grandchildren. It does, however, challenge me in new ways!
In the kitchen I make more messes now, it's really hard to stir things like ground meat in a pan, I have had to buy new dinnerware and cookware because I have a hard time lifting heavy objects without dropping them. Obviously I cannot open milk! So what is the answer? Give up?
No way! I can't just give up! No matter what, I need to keep moving forward, no matter how difficult! But how to do that is the challenge!
So, here is what I've come up with:
1. Change the activity if it's too hard and pick something that's easier accomplished.
2. If I can't do something I must ask for help, easier said than done, but I have to do it!
3. Change the environment if possible, like the lighter-weight dishes, pots, and pans.
4. Change the tools. Invest in ergonomically designed kitchen tools, for example.
5. Be patient with myself. Accept that this is my new "reality." That's a tough one!
6. Rest when I need to for self-preservation.
7. Depend on God and His provision in an even greater way.
No matter what! I will not turn away from God and His provision for me and my family. We all face difficult things on a daily basis. Some of you may think about spilled milk and think, "Really?" "What I face is so much harder!" The funny thing is that the answers are still the same! Stay focused on the goal, be patient, accept that difficult things will happen in life, and depend on God in an even greater way!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Friday, March 4, 2011
Asking for Help-Part 1
Why is it so difficult for some of us to ask for help when facing a difficult situation? This seems to be a universal truth. Let's explore that together.
First off, we all face difficult times in our lives. Also a universal truth! These can be a result of our own poor choices, the decisions of others that affect us, or just plain old life in general. What should we do when we really need some help? How do we cope?
Easy; we hide our pain and distress, try to keep our chin up, push through, and basically not let anyone know what's going on...right? That's how many of us handle hard stuff! Is that really helpful? Does it allow us time to really work through the tough stuff? The answer would be a resounding "NO"!
There are many reasons for this coping mechanism. First, it's hard to admit that we are having difficulty with something. Second, we don't want to be seen as weak, especially with our church friends. Third, sometimes we are so worn out by the hard stuff that we don't even have the emotional and/or physical energy to talk about it!
Sometimes it's easy to pray about all this, easier than talking to people. We know that God already knows it all, He has the inside story. We don't need to spell it all out to God. So we pray and pray, we cry out to God for help. We wait for some reply, some way to make it another day...
Hello! Do we ever think that perhaps our answer from God Himself is to take our burden to His people? Maybe He is saying, "this is why I put this person or that person in your life, to help you with this heavy load..." Hhmmm...Think about that for a moment!
Oh, but we still don't want to do it! We think: "I will be ok, I can make it" "I don't want to bother him or her." "I don't want to be a complainer." "They are so busy, they can't possibly have time to help me..." And on and on...We always have a reason!
Galations 6:2 says: "Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." NetBible The real truth is that God did put us here with other people to share the heavy burden. His plan is not that we go it alone. His desire is that we work together as a community of believers to lift one another up when we are weak and troubled. We need to be that community for each other!
Stay tuned for more "Asking for Help" in some specific situations.
Blessings to all!
First off, we all face difficult times in our lives. Also a universal truth! These can be a result of our own poor choices, the decisions of others that affect us, or just plain old life in general. What should we do when we really need some help? How do we cope?
Easy; we hide our pain and distress, try to keep our chin up, push through, and basically not let anyone know what's going on...right? That's how many of us handle hard stuff! Is that really helpful? Does it allow us time to really work through the tough stuff? The answer would be a resounding "NO"!
There are many reasons for this coping mechanism. First, it's hard to admit that we are having difficulty with something. Second, we don't want to be seen as weak, especially with our church friends. Third, sometimes we are so worn out by the hard stuff that we don't even have the emotional and/or physical energy to talk about it!
Sometimes it's easy to pray about all this, easier than talking to people. We know that God already knows it all, He has the inside story. We don't need to spell it all out to God. So we pray and pray, we cry out to God for help. We wait for some reply, some way to make it another day...
Hello! Do we ever think that perhaps our answer from God Himself is to take our burden to His people? Maybe He is saying, "this is why I put this person or that person in your life, to help you with this heavy load..." Hhmmm...Think about that for a moment!
Oh, but we still don't want to do it! We think: "I will be ok, I can make it" "I don't want to bother him or her." "I don't want to be a complainer." "They are so busy, they can't possibly have time to help me..." And on and on...We always have a reason!
Galations 6:2 says: "Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." NetBible The real truth is that God did put us here with other people to share the heavy burden. His plan is not that we go it alone. His desire is that we work together as a community of believers to lift one another up when we are weak and troubled. We need to be that community for each other!
Stay tuned for more "Asking for Help" in some specific situations.
Blessings to all!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
What About Roller-Coasters?
When I was a little girl, my mother would take us to a school playground near our home. Mostly I would run around and hang from the monkey-bars. I could not stand to be on a swing! If I tried it, I absolutely hated the feeling of the whooshing air pushing against my body. I could not tolerate the feeling in my tummy or the sense that I would fall off the swing. It didn't matter who told me that I was okay, I knew that I certainly was not okay by any means! Mind you, it didn't bother me at all if I fell off the monkey-bars right on my silly head! But those swings, no way! The same goes for carnival and amusement park rides. There will be no twisty, twirly, upside-down horror for me!
I find it amusing that as an adult I still try to avoid anything that will turn me around or whoosh me in any way, either emotionally or physically. I also find it somewhat amusing that God has chosen to allow me to be riding a really high and terrifying roller coaster right now! Very interesting!
So, let's think about roller-coasters...
First of all, they are engineered to be the scariest thing on the planet! On purpose! Second, you cannot think of anything else when you are riding it. Next, they can make you feel sick, out of control of your world, some people even faint from fear! Can there be anything good here? Yes! Atop a roller-coaster you see a bigger world, filled with bigger possibilities! For every upward climb, there is a return to the bottom. Best of all, even the best roller-coaster ride is usually pretty short!
What can we learn then in the practical world?
Let's ride the coaster for all it's worth!
Blessings and love to all...
I find it amusing that as an adult I still try to avoid anything that will turn me around or whoosh me in any way, either emotionally or physically. I also find it somewhat amusing that God has chosen to allow me to be riding a really high and terrifying roller coaster right now! Very interesting!
So, let's think about roller-coasters...
First of all, they are engineered to be the scariest thing on the planet! On purpose! Second, you cannot think of anything else when you are riding it. Next, they can make you feel sick, out of control of your world, some people even faint from fear! Can there be anything good here? Yes! Atop a roller-coaster you see a bigger world, filled with bigger possibilities! For every upward climb, there is a return to the bottom. Best of all, even the best roller-coaster ride is usually pretty short!
What can we learn then in the practical world?
- God's promise says that we will not be given anything more than we can handle, no matter what we believe about that.
- God is the ultimate safety engineer. His mighty hand is always there, ready to catch us if we fall off the ride.
- Sometimes we need to see that bigger view to give us perspective.
- Nothing that God allows is for naught. His ways are purposeful.
- He will never leave us nor forsake us, even on a scary roller-coaster!
- The frightful ride will end and we can get off! We just need to hold on tight in the meantime!
- God's blessings come new every morning and come to those who stand and persevere.
Let's ride the coaster for all it's worth!
Blessings and love to all...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Comments on the "Miry Clay"
Those of you who live in former glacial areas like Michigan know what it means to have a backyard that's full of clay. This dense, sticky substance remained after the glaciers retreated and soil was deposited over it. It's gray and slippery and can actually be formed into objects that will harden and last a long time. I still have a little clay bowl that my daughter Monica made for me when she was age 4!
Although this was fun stuff to mix into our mud pies, it's not so fun if you need to walk across a muddy, clay-filled field. The clay layer is so thick that you sink in when it's wet and slippery. It's a tenacious substance that sucks your feet down so that you can barely move. When you try to take a step, you just lose your shoe! All in all, a very difficult way to travel!
The same can be said to occur as we walk across the field of life...At times the walk is lovely and the path is easy. At other times we must trudge through the miry clay that tries to suck us ever downward. As we attempt to navigate the circumstances of our lives, it is inevitable that there be some clay in the way! Boy do I wish it weren't so! It's so much nicer to just flit lightly from day to day, no obstacle to circumvent, nothing to drag us down...
The reality is somewhat different though. We run, we walk, we flit, we soar, and we trudge!
How can we possibly get ourselves out of the clay? How do we catch up with everyone else on the path after we've extricated ourselves? They all keep walking forward when we get stuck!
How do we make sure we don't get stuck again? Good questions!
It all has to do with focus. Are we watching our steps carefully, making sure to follow God's path? Or are we distracted by life, just looking all around like a toddler would? That's a good way to get stuck! Then what? Do we just stay there, cry and whine, yell and scream? Do we keep exclaiming: "how this could happen?" Or do we purposefully work to extract the stuck limbs? Do we depend on God for His strength or do we try to do this all on our own? Hhmm...
How about catching up? Once we are free from the clay, we need to run to catch up! Running directly toward God, not stopping or turning side to side along the way! Get up and go!
If we follow these lessons, does this guarantee that there will be no more clay in our path? Nope! It's always there, waiting to suck us down, hold us back, keep us from joining with others along the way, distracting us from the true purposes God has for us...
We need to be cautious, need to know God's Word and be in prayer all the time, and need to listen to God's warnings about those clay bogs that lay just ahead!
Although this was fun stuff to mix into our mud pies, it's not so fun if you need to walk across a muddy, clay-filled field. The clay layer is so thick that you sink in when it's wet and slippery. It's a tenacious substance that sucks your feet down so that you can barely move. When you try to take a step, you just lose your shoe! All in all, a very difficult way to travel!
The same can be said to occur as we walk across the field of life...At times the walk is lovely and the path is easy. At other times we must trudge through the miry clay that tries to suck us ever downward. As we attempt to navigate the circumstances of our lives, it is inevitable that there be some clay in the way! Boy do I wish it weren't so! It's so much nicer to just flit lightly from day to day, no obstacle to circumvent, nothing to drag us down...
The reality is somewhat different though. We run, we walk, we flit, we soar, and we trudge!
How can we possibly get ourselves out of the clay? How do we catch up with everyone else on the path after we've extricated ourselves? They all keep walking forward when we get stuck!
How do we make sure we don't get stuck again? Good questions!
It all has to do with focus. Are we watching our steps carefully, making sure to follow God's path? Or are we distracted by life, just looking all around like a toddler would? That's a good way to get stuck! Then what? Do we just stay there, cry and whine, yell and scream? Do we keep exclaiming: "how this could happen?" Or do we purposefully work to extract the stuck limbs? Do we depend on God for His strength or do we try to do this all on our own? Hhmm...
How about catching up? Once we are free from the clay, we need to run to catch up! Running directly toward God, not stopping or turning side to side along the way! Get up and go!
If we follow these lessons, does this guarantee that there will be no more clay in our path? Nope! It's always there, waiting to suck us down, hold us back, keep us from joining with others along the way, distracting us from the true purposes God has for us...
We need to be cautious, need to know God's Word and be in prayer all the time, and need to listen to God's warnings about those clay bogs that lay just ahead!
I waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
out of the mud and mire; mud
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
and put their trust in Him. NIV
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Getting Started!
There must always be a place to start. Where might that be with us? How can we, as Christians, utilize this mode of communication to reach others What might that look like to the rest of the world?
All good questions that need be explored from the beginning...
A blog is a place to share, to befriend, to seek truth in today's world. As a Christian woman, I also need the same. If I am truly believing what I profess to believe, then sharing should be second-nature! If I believe that we as believers are as one body, then I also seek friendship! If I am truly following Christ's example, then I seek Truth!
Let's begin with what this blog is NOT. This is not a forum for denominational attack. This is not a place for advanced Biblical instruction. This is not a place for arguing denominational differences...
What is it then? A forum for those who simply love God with all their hearts, for those who believe that His Son, Jesus died for their personal sin. A place to share that same love with others, a place to share how to walk this faith out in a world that is increasingly stressful and a life more and more difficult.
We face so many obstacles in this life, now more than ever. Reality now includes illness, loss of income, loss of our homes, job stresses, relationship stresses, collapse of the family, increasing immorality, schools that do not teach our children, widespread abortion, and the list goes on and on...
As we chat together via this blog, we will explore these and other topics, search the Word of God and His promptings in our hearts for solid answers that can help all of us.
Join me, then, as we begin out journey...My hope is to post at least a few times weekly, perhaps moving to a daily post. Tell me what each of you wants! This is our time and our place!
All good questions that need be explored from the beginning...
A blog is a place to share, to befriend, to seek truth in today's world. As a Christian woman, I also need the same. If I am truly believing what I profess to believe, then sharing should be second-nature! If I believe that we as believers are as one body, then I also seek friendship! If I am truly following Christ's example, then I seek Truth!
Let's begin with what this blog is NOT. This is not a forum for denominational attack. This is not a place for advanced Biblical instruction. This is not a place for arguing denominational differences...
What is it then? A forum for those who simply love God with all their hearts, for those who believe that His Son, Jesus died for their personal sin. A place to share that same love with others, a place to share how to walk this faith out in a world that is increasingly stressful and a life more and more difficult.
We face so many obstacles in this life, now more than ever. Reality now includes illness, loss of income, loss of our homes, job stresses, relationship stresses, collapse of the family, increasing immorality, schools that do not teach our children, widespread abortion, and the list goes on and on...
As we chat together via this blog, we will explore these and other topics, search the Word of God and His promptings in our hearts for solid answers that can help all of us.
Join me, then, as we begin out journey...My hope is to post at least a few times weekly, perhaps moving to a daily post. Tell me what each of you wants! This is our time and our place!
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