Monthly Archives: July 2017

Distraction Detours

by Lydia Floren

We all get distracted from time to time, especially those of us with ADD. Here is an example of what I call a “distraction detour” from my life recently:

I am finishing a task in the kitchen before I head out to run errands, and realize I need something from upstairs, so I run up to get it. I walk into the spare bedroom, and immediately notice that it is a mess. I pick up a book and put it on its shelf. And then I rearrange the shelf a little. And before I know it I have completely organized the room.

And then I look at the clock.

Two hours. I’ve been up here two hours. How in the world did I get started on this? Oh yeah, I came up here looking for something…what exactly was I looking for?

I shrug my shoulders, and hurry back down to the kitchen. As I enter, my eyes fall on a T.J. Max bag sitting on the counter. Oh yeah, the baby shower gift. That’s why I went upstairs: I needed a gift bag. I turn around and climb back up the stairs muttering “gift bag, gift bag, gift bag” with every step, so I won’t forget why I came upstairs this time, and end up getting side-tracked all over again.

Sigh. Distractions happen. And occasionally–more for some of us than others– they sidetrack us. An unplanned two hour detour in a busy day, shoots a hole in our careful plans, and keeps us from accomplishing as much as we had hoped. But we don’t have to let these DD’s ruin our day. When my day is disrupted by a Distraction Detour, I get frustrated with myself for letting it happen. All too often, I will continue ranting at myself for the rest of the day every time I think about it.

What is wrong with you? Can’t you even go upstairs and find a stupid gift bag in under two hours? Look at the time! Even if I hurry the rest of the day, I’ll never get everything done now!

Distraction detours impact our plans, but they don’t have to steal our joy.

So what’s a person to do when you recognize you have a DD? And how do you keep a Detour from turning into a Disaster? Here’s a few things I have learned in my long experience with DD’s:

PUSH THE RESET BUTTON.

As soon as you realize what is happening, stop. Take a deep breath. Give thanks. As my friend Denise often reminds me, “There is always always always something to be thankful for.” Next, walk through the rest of the GRACE pneumonic we’ve talked about before (see Living GRACE)—Give thanks, Release, Accept, Continue, Enjoy.

Give thanks. Thank You, God, for my mind, no matter how scattered it gets. For Your love and patience, for the way You made me. Thank You that You multiply my time, and will help me to do what is most important without worrying. And thank you for what I got done these last 2 hours, even if it wasn’t on today’s to do list.

Release. I give all my time to you, and all my plans. I release myself from the expectation of perfection. Please show me how to give myself grace, and lighten up a little (or a lot). And help me to quit “shoulding“ on myself.

Accept. Here’s where I am now, Father. It’s __o’clock. I have ___ hrs left in the day. As I regroup, show me what is most important. Help me to eliminate and concentrate.

[You might make a short to-do list, 3-5 things, depending on how much time is left.]

Continue. Start out fresh, right where you are, as if it was the beginning of the day,

Enjoy the rest of the day, free of worry and minus the self-guilt trip. God understands, and he loves us just like we are. So lighten up. Laugh a little, and then a lot.

Distraction detours happen to all of us. Don’t let them highjack your joy. Be kind to yourself. Step back, regroup, handle them with GRACE. Laugh a little (and then a lot) and move on!

Don’t remember the former things; don’t dwell on things past. Isaiah 43:18

Rejoice in the Lord always. Phil 4:4

Waiting for Directions

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This week’s post is from a guest writer, Rebekah Lowe:

Waiting is hell. Okay, it isn’t, but it is really, really hard.

I have just come through a time of waiting, and it was no day at the beach. Unless it is a day with sunburn, sand in your shorts, and lots of jellyfish. Waiting is hard. Even when I know all the things. Like, that I don’t want to rush ahead of God’s best choice for me. And that I can trust that there is a good reason that I am waiting. And that He always thinks up better solutions for me than I do for myself. And that He will take care of me in the meantime, while I wait. Still…

We were going to sell our house and move. Not just for fun. But because we needed to reduce our expenses. It took us awhile to face facts, to understand that a move was necessary. But we came to realize it, researched best options to sell, and put the house on the market. In terms of real estate markets, we live in a hot neighborhood, in a hot city, and it was Spring. The triple threat, right? We thought we would sell the house in a couple of days, for near asking price. Everyone said so. We had watched God sell houses with remarkable speed for us several times before. I was fond of saying, “God does real estate!”, and He certainly does, just as he does anything He chooses to do for us.

The first weekend came and went, with many lookers, but no offers. We visited another possible home for us, and began to calculate what we might offer for that place.

The first month came and went, with many lookers, but no offers. We dropped the price a little, and I made my first of many spreadsheets, so I could analyze what we might net, at any given price.

I’m sorry to say, the first year came and went. Year!!! By then, I was just about at my wit’s end. Price drops, a different real estate company, nothing seemed to help. I still knew, just knew, that I dare not try to wrest control back from God. Not that He wouldn’t let me, He would have. God is a gentleman, as Lydia Floren says.

Rather, I knew whatever options I could manufacture would never live up to whatever He was waiting for. AND, it seemed pretty evident that factors that made sense in this world, like market strength, price points, and selling strategies were not the barriers.

So, I waited. Not without complaint. Not all that patiently. With the encouragement of my friends, I waited. With pleas for Him to do whatever needed doing, I waited. With Him meeting our needs all along the way, I waited.

And last week, He sold the house. I still don’t know why we were waiting, God and me, but I know that good things came from it.

During the last year, I went from reluctantly selling the house to being thrilled that the house sold: God gave me plenty of time to get used to the idea. Maybe He knew I wasn’t ready.
I remembered what it is to wait without knowing what we are waiting for. May I never blithely comfort a friend who is waiting again!
I learned yet again that God will continue to meet my needs, one step at a time. Apparently, I have to relearn this regularly. Maybe this will help me with a much harder problem down the road.
We found a wonderful new home that wasn’t available when our house went on the market. Maybe someone in that neighborhood needs me, or maybe I need them. Or, maybe God just thought it was a cute place for us.

So, if you are waiting, you have my full understanding, and buckets of empathy. If you belong to God, what I cannot give you is sympathy. Because, despite how it feels, good things are in the works for you, and you are being cared for all along the way. This interminable waiting will end, and end well.

And remember the quote from the movie, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel?” The hotel manager is reassuring a guest and says, encouragingly, “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it is not yet the end.” So true for God’s people: if it is not yet all right, it is not yet the end. Just you wait.

–Rebekah Lowe

Praying for Patience

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“Whatever you do, don’t pray for patience!”

Have you ever heard someone say that? I know I have. It seems to be a common half-joking-but-more-serious warning, that Christians sometimes give each other. But why not pray for patience? Isn’t patience one of the fruits of the Spirit? Isn’t it a great asset in our relationships and our faith? Why shouldn’t we pray for patience? Here’s the reasoning:

“Don’t pray for patience,” people say, “because if you do, God’s going to send you a heap of trouble.”

But is that really true? Does God punish you for asking Him for patience? Does praying for patience give God a cart blanche to “Job-ify” your life by bringing you hardship?

No. Of course not.

Troubles are a part of life

In fact, Jesus made it very clear that difficulties are a part of life, including (and sometimes especially) for believers. “In the world you shall have tribulation” he said in John 16:33 If we think living a life of following God is trouble-free, we haven’t been reading our Bibles. Trials are a reality in each of our lives and they’re going to keep coming. Count on it.

An Opportunity

As far as I can tell, “praying for patience brings trouble” logic is based in a misunderstanding of Romans 5:3-4

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 (AKJV)

Notice that Paul doesn’t say, “Pray for patience and God will bring tribulations (troubles).” He says glory – or be thankful – in your trouble, seeing it as an opportunity for good – patience – to come from the hardships.

Our Choice

Hard times are acomin’, and they will keep on coming. We have no choice about that. But we do get to decide how we respond to adversity, and our choice will either make us bitter or better.

When we decide to give thanks (glory) in the middle of every situation, we are reminded that our difficult circumstance is not for nothing. At the very least it will strengthen our ability to be patient, and endure it with grace.

by Lydia Floren

The S Word

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by Lydia Floren

One of our favorite family phrases comes from the movie Aladdin. The little parrot, Iago, gets all upset and starts venting to his boss, the evil Jafar. Jafar’s response is simply this: “Paaaaatience, Iago. Paaaatience.”

What gets us so riled up, that we lose our patience with ourselves or others? For me, it is the S word. No, not the four-letter S word….the six-letter one: “should.” When “should” creeps into my thoughts and makes its way into my conversations, patience goes out the window. Joy is replaced by restless discontent. I start focusing on what is wrong instead of what is right.

“They should be doing this. I should be doing that.”

“They should fill all of these potholes.” “I should get more respect.” “The computer system should always work perfectly.” “I should be able to manage my time better, or be a better person.”

Should is a toxic word. It poisons our peace and eats away at our patience. Shoulds stress us out and put stress on those around us.

Cure for the S word

The cool thing is, there is a cure for the S word–the “should” infection. It’s the T word: thanksgiving. The practice of giving thanks in all things stamps the shoulds right out of our life. Gratitude banishes discontent, restores our joy, and replenishes our patience.

“Thank you Father, that we have paved streets, and that these potholes will eventually be filled.” “Thank you that You respect and value me, and are teaching me to respect and value myself.” “Thank you that the computer system works 99% of the time, and there is a great team of people working on keeping it that way.”

It doesn’t come easy.

Replacing the “S” word with the “T” word takes some practice. It doesn’t come easy. In fact it can feel quite awkward and contrived, especially at first. But, it is incredibly powerful at restoring our perspective and our joy.

“Thank You that every single one of us is imperfect and in process, and You love us right where we are.” “Thank You that we are each fearfully and wonderfully made.” “Thank You that I don’t need to do anything to earn your love, and there is nothing I can do that will change it.” “Thank you that You are always present and at work, and working things to good.”

“Thank you that there is always, always, always something to be thankful for.”

When we cultivate a grateful heart we quit “shoulding” all over ourselves and those around us. Our words and actions are motivated by love instead of driven by discontent.

How has the “S” word invaded your life? What happens when you replace it with the “T” word?