When relocating, remember...

I am no expert on the subject of relocation; in fact, every step of the process has been instructive for me.  I am learning as I go.  Here's a few observations about the process.

1.  It's hard to be doubly-focused--on what you are moving from and what you are moving towards.  Because both for us are good places to be, we are discovering the need to grieve what we are leaving behind and to focus on what lays ahead.  For example, we are leaving dear friends, a beautiful home and a wonderful church...but we are moving towards family, grandchildren...and the ocean!

2.  It's a challenge to get agreement from your friends and family.  Each one has a vested interest in you and an idea about what might be the best course to follow.  Listen to them--hear their wise counsel--but, in the end, you must ask, "What is best for us?" and "How is God leading us?"  Granted, there is an aire of subjectivity that cannot be ignored, but, truthfully, we want to follow where we sense God is leading.

3.  It's a nightmare to look at the whole picture at once; in fact, it can swallow you up with fear and anxiety.  Yes, a comprehensive view is important but a step-by-step approach makes the process less ominous.  For us, that translates today into this.  We have to sell our house--that's our primary concern. The rest of the issues--packing, garage sales, how to move our stuff, work parties, etc.--those we can address when the time comes.  

4.  It's important to stay on point.  "What's our objective?" "Why did we decide to do this in the first place?"  Sometimes we lose sight of that and overwhelmed by the details, we become inundated with the demands of the process, and forget what motivated us in the first place.  We want to be near some of our grandchildren and more free to visit the others--and we want discretionary time to serve the Lord in a variety of settings in this season of our life.  Hence, our relocation.

5.  It's invigorating to stop and give thanks.  God has been so faithful to us throughout our lives and when we remember that no obstacle before us seems insurmountable.  

If you're pondering relocation, or, like us, are in the process, remember these things that may help you, as they are helping us, walk through a  process that presents some unique challenges.

How we choose our heroes...

I have my favorite sports teams--SF Giants, LA Lakers, SF 49ers.  It's a bad day for me when they lose.

I have some sports' heroes" as well--Warren Spahn (I know, I'm old), Buster Posey, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant...I could hear some of you gasping for breath as the list grew longer.

Last weekend Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant--two of my sports' "heroes"--suffered devastating losses.  Tiger dropped his ball illegally following an errant a shot into the water at the Masters, and Kobe Bryant tore his achilles tendon en route to seeking to lead his team ti the playoffs.  Same day.

Tiger and Kobe are incredible competitors and highly-skilled athletes; in fact, they stand head and shoulders above their peers.  I love to watch them compete.  Beyond the athletic arena, however, they are a disappointment, both of them guilty of well-publicized acts of sexual indiscretion, a sanitized way of identifying their behavior towards women.

Still, I like to watch them. I keep hoping their character will match up with their athletic prowess.  Tiger missed an opportunity to withdraw from the Masters as an honorable man--he was allowed to continue over a technicality---and Kobe tweeted a reaction the early morning after his injury for the world to read that was derogatory and disturbing.  It would have been comforting to hear a monologue about what really matters in life.  Wistful thinking.

So much for my "heroes".

Real heroes have character that outshines their resume of accomplishment and repertoire of skills.  Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey are two modern-day heroes.  The movie, 42, details three years of their lives during the mid-forties when Rickey determined to integrate professional baseball by signing the young black Robinson to a contract with the then Brooklyn Dodger organization.  The story of their painful journey and forged character in the heat of prejudicial public abuse is ennobling.

I will take men like Rickey and Robinson.  They are heroes for the right reasons.

Choose your "heroes" well.

Enjoying what you do...

Enjoyment seems an illusive state of mind; in fact, it seems almost an oxymoron when considered in the work environment.

In this season of semi-retirement where I have the luxury of some discretion in choosing what I do, I am finding true enjoyment in counseling and coaching.  These have been work-related responsibilities in my long history as a pastor but the context was different.  They were attached to my pastoral role and tended to be primarily crisis-oriented, squeezed into a very busy schedule.  It was typically the traditional "tyranny of the urgent" that set my counseling agenda.

It is different now.  My counseling and coaching is more measured, set in a context of long-term goals for the client, and measurable progress, hopefully, moving towards finding healing and wholeness.  My goal as a counselor-coach is not to elongate the process; rather, it is to wean the client from me and direct them towards the Word of God and their daily relationship with God as a source of continuing refuge and strength.

I am not a simpleton; I understand that my role as a listener and as a director--pointing the client to things they may not see clearly, and more often than not, reminding them of things they already know--can be a critical piece on the road to self-discovery and experiencing the fullness of life God intends.

Yesterday I met with three different clients and the testimonies they shared about how God is working in their lives made me smile within.  They all have continuing needs and ongoing work to do--as we all do--but today I felt true enjoyment in my work.