- Wisdom 9: 13-18b
- Psalms 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 4, 17
- Philemon 9-10, 12-17
- Luke 14: 25-33
- The big picture
- Have you ever been told that your take on something suffered because you didn't have "the big picture"?
- Were you able to find out the "big picture" so that you could make decisions more intelligently, or did you have to continue to muddle along, knowing that there was more going on than met the eye?
- Why do you think that God doesn't always give us the "big picture"?
- Do you think that any of us has that "big picture"?
- Separation anxiety
- Have you ever felt abandoned by God, lost in some maze that no one else can see?
- How do you think that you got into that circumstance?
- How did you work your way out?
- What did that teach you?
- Transformation
- Have there been any sharp turning points in your relationship with God?
- Were any of those expiences brought on by something that you did, or were they totally initiated by God?
- Do you wish that you had seen those coming?
- Decluttering life
- If your house was burning, what would you be sure to rescue on your way out?
- How do you know if your attitude toward that thing/person is helping you, or hurting you in your walk with Jesus?
- How are we supposed to rid ourselves of attachments to things in our lives that are hurting us?
- How deep is my trust in God?
- What in my life is robbing me of my peace?
- What is going on right now in my life that will make my relationship with Jesus better?
- What is holding me back from true freedom?
Trading my sorrows
The hard part of making your career in a large corporation
Is that, in the aggregate, there's a powerful, nameless, faceless presence,
That often lacks anything that anyone would call kindness.
Some shrug their shoulders and call it the law of the jungle.
The fit survive, the rest of us don't. It's hopeless to try to make it different.
You might as well try to stop the wind from blowing.
Others will tell you that it is no one's fault. Fear is the constant strand
Woven through the decision making process. Fear of losing business
Fear of losing suppliers, fear of losing control, fear of irrelevance.
Others will tell you that it's not worth worrying about, whatever the reason,
Just move on with your life and be grateful that you dodged those bullets,
All those years. Gratitude will ease the pain, buffer the grieving, open your eyes.
For my part, I just know that nursing a grudge, cherishing a hurt
Hurts no one but myself. The hard part is knowing who to forgive.
And maybe that forgiveness needs to start with me.
Forgive myself for getting so attached to a career, a position, a spot at the table
That the whole bundle became so important to me, that I let the rest slip away.
And mistook obsession for a work ethic. Forgetting that there are all sorts of work.
Maybe the best way to be ready to give something/someone up is to savor that now,
And know that there will be no regrets later for lost opportunities to learn and grow.
And remind myself that every moment is privileged, every season in life unique.
Shalom!
Is that, in the aggregate, there's a powerful, nameless, faceless presence,
That often lacks anything that anyone would call kindness.
Some shrug their shoulders and call it the law of the jungle.
The fit survive, the rest of us don't. It's hopeless to try to make it different.
You might as well try to stop the wind from blowing.
Others will tell you that it is no one's fault. Fear is the constant strand
Woven through the decision making process. Fear of losing business
Fear of losing suppliers, fear of losing control, fear of irrelevance.
Others will tell you that it's not worth worrying about, whatever the reason,
Just move on with your life and be grateful that you dodged those bullets,
All those years. Gratitude will ease the pain, buffer the grieving, open your eyes.
For my part, I just know that nursing a grudge, cherishing a hurt
Hurts no one but myself. The hard part is knowing who to forgive.
And maybe that forgiveness needs to start with me.
Forgive myself for getting so attached to a career, a position, a spot at the table
That the whole bundle became so important to me, that I let the rest slip away.
And mistook obsession for a work ethic. Forgetting that there are all sorts of work.
Maybe the best way to be ready to give something/someone up is to savor that now,
And know that there will be no regrets later for lost opportunities to learn and grow.
And remind myself that every moment is privileged, every season in life unique.
Shalom!
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