Are you "full"?

Two nights ago we ate at a  local restaurant and I ordered a hamburger, not knowing what I was getting.  What arrived at my table was a massive burger too large for my mouth to bite into.  But...I found a way...and devoured the burger and was left thinking, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"  I was "full".

I recently sat in a  church service where someone said some really nice things about me. I was uncomfortable--even embarrassed--but in that moment I felt "full" of thanksgiving to God for the opportunities He has provided me in the ministry to serve others.

Last week I was processing bad news about two special friends--both diagnosed with progressing cancer--and for a moment I was "full" of despair--even fear--about my own suddenly-exposed mortality.  I was filled with sadness and even depressed for several hours that afternoon.

What are you "full" of?  It can be that are lives are filled with things we consider necessary--work obligations, household chores, parenting responsibilities, mounting financial debt, other's expectations...and the list goes on.  We can be so "full" of these things that the very zeal for life has diminished because we are stuffed "full" of things that drain us of our energy.

We can feel inundated by emotional things--a personal illness, an ongoing struggle, a broken relationship, a job-related frustration, a painful failure--and these things can so overwhelm us that we are filled with a sense of dread in facing each day.

Or, we can choose what we want to "fill" our lives.

We can't ignore our obligations but we can set healthy boundaries.  We can't dismiss our pain but we can determine where we set our focus.  We can't  skip life, but we can intentionally seek for enjoyment and fulfillment even in life's most perfunctory tasks.

I'm headed home to clean the garage.  This is not a task I relish.  But i have set time aside for it because it matters to my wife.  And I find enjoyment in doing the things that make her happy.  So I am determined to take the 2-3 hours (or more) it will take to straighten it up so that I can "fill" the rest of the day with the positive things that make me "full" of thanks for all God has given me.

Looking out the window

Because of some changes in our daily regimen effected by a burst hot water heater, I am sitting at my kitchen table looking out the window.  Not the normal place I begin my day.

Here's what I see...
*A new day literally birthed on the horizon with blue sky, beautiful golden hills, and a brightening sunlit landscape...

*An assortment of incredible colors, from deep magenta crepe myrtles to white roses, to a variety of dark and light-shaded green trees...

*A few humming birds whriling in place over the fountain on our otuside deck as if transfixed in time...

*A tranquil quiet view dotted with an occasional butterfly flitting past the window

*A large massive oak tree sheltering our yard with its large curvacious trunk providing it a strong foundation...

In the backgroud of my kitchen, plastic shields a portion of the house from us in an attempt to protect it from possible mildew and water damage.  The whirr of fans straegically-placed to dry things out is so loud we have to go upstairs to hear each other talk.

But it is a new day.  A new opportunity to welcome the challenges of life with a positive spirit framed by the look out my window.  Hope is on the horizon

Grappling with Grief

Someone I know is grieving today.  Her fiancee walked away from his commitment to her and she is devastated.

Someone I know is grieving today.  Her mother--much too young-- died during the night and she is now making her funeral arrangements.

Someone I know is grieving today.  He has invested time in an alcoholic who relapsed again for the umpteenth time.

Someone I know is grieving today.  His wife of many years has had a biopsy and he is undergoing the painful wait of finding out whether or not she has cancer.

Someone I know is grieving today.  Her husband is in jail and she is having trouble making end meet and wonders what it will be like when/if he comes home.

How do we handle grief?  It is potentially disabling. It feels very private and yet wee cannot avoid its expression in public..  It never seems to stop hurting.  It makes us wonder if life will ever be the same again.

Here are a few quick observations....
1.  Give yourself permission to grieve;  though it is painful, in a  strange way it is part of the healing process.

2.  Life will never be the same...but it does not mean it cannot still be good, even wonderful.

3.  Time heals.  This trite but true observation is not a dismissal but a recognition of the truth that healing comes even though it may take a while.

4.  Don't isolate.  the temptation to run away will be overwhelming at times.  it's okay to guard your space but surround yourself with people who love and care for you.

5.  Lean on God.  He is the "God of all comfort" (II Corinthians 1:3-7).