Friday, November 19, 2010

Soft Landing in Spite of His Choice


My domestic cat Scooter is an adventurer. He likes to explore, whether it be out back taking a tour of the mini-forest or in my own kitchen, jumping right in the thick of my dishwashing, which translates to always visiting the inside of the dishwasher before it is completely full.

Recently I purchased a power washer for some yard maintenance. It’s a nice useful tool that came in a decent size box that of course, has lived in my kitchen since it came home with me.

One night, I woke up half way through my sleep cycle and was parched. I went downstairs to pour a glass of water. While at the frig, I hear a small meow coming from an unfamiliar place. Scooter had fallen into the power washer box and landed on the bedding that I had precariously placed on its edge when I was doing laundry earlier that evening.

He looked up, rather sleepily and seemed to be trying to explain that he was stuck, but looked very comfortable in spite of his circumstances.

I thought to myself, isn’t that just like God and His plans for us? Even though we may make choices that seem like good ideas at the time, there is always the chance of them back-firing and having consequences we had not considered. And yet, there is our loving Father, catching us when we fall and providing comfort in the thick of the mess. All we have to do is Thank Him and wait for His Will and guidance to lead us back on track.

I was happy to lift Scooter out of the box and place him on a chair, but do you know that he rather liked it in there after all? He had climbed back in after I left the kitchen and of course could not get out when I came back. Silly kitty! So I rescued him again and put the box in a different place.

As humans, I hope it will not take most of us too long to learn from our initial mistakes. Repeating the same destructive or unwise patterns over and over again is not only a waste of precious time, but it does not allow us to grow as quickly and successfully as we could or should. God wants so much for His followers to live full, productive and fruitful lives. We would do well to heed life’s lessons and respond with vigor and grace, rising from our transgressions and morphing into more learned individuals.

I am so glad to be living in the day and age of blogging! It is wonderful to be able to share stories. The re–telling of events often helps others to recognize better choices in their own lives. Blessings occur for both the storyteller and the recipient. I hope you live well, have many adventures and become very, very wise!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Og Mandino – Have you ever read his books?

Be sure to search for his name on the web. His organization has a wonderful web site and it is chock full of positive information to assist us in this journey called Life!

One thought featured in his book called “The Greatest Salesman in the World” is “I will be master of my emotions.” While it is so important to put on your best face in spite of circumstances, I also believe that it is so very necessary to give yourself time to experience and take in what has just been divulged, what you must be forced to accept, what you have just learned that caught you off guard in a positive or negative way.

(Notice that I say positive or negative… as surely either could have consequences.)

I received some sad news today and lickety-split my synapses went into overdrive. I went down the path of imagining what might happen next, what choices I should make and when. These are all good things to consider, but they were absolutely an immediate reaction to the news. As the day ended and I had time to wind down, I realized that perhaps those morning thoughts ought to be cornered for a spell…not an eternity mind you, but just tabled for the short term.

Above all, praying must occur before any actions take place. Living in the moment, making decisions at the drop of a hat, certainly those times happen, but I am reminded that God loves people and has a plan for each of our lives. He wants what is best for us, irrespective of what might seem like daunting circumstances. Asking for His guidance is prudent and leads to more time spent in peace than otherwise. His will shall always be done and I trust that those who love God will be lead where He sees fit!