There is a tradition at our church that at the beginning of each month we celebrate all the birthdays and give the birthday people a chance to tell what they have learned, or what God is doing in their lives. For some strange reason they always skip November so I don’t ever get a chance to say anything. But I did give it a lot of thought just in case. And since my birthday comes at the end of the year I tend to be in a more thoughtful frame of mind anyway, and I do think about how my year has been, and what I see for myself in the future. I think about things I’ve learned, things I still struggle with, my hopes and goals; I guess you could say I do a personal inventory of my life, with both the good and the bad, and see where changes need to be made. It is a good time to reflect on what I believe God is teaching me.
I think the biggest thing I am learning, or dealing with, is that life isn’t fair, and people aren’t going to treat you fairly. You might be doing more than anyone else, but get nothing in return. There might be others who do next to nothing, but they are the ones who get recognition, some kind of rewards, or special treatment. It’s been a very tough month in that respect. I think it’s true that the more we do for people, the less important it becomes to them. Sometimes we need to search our hearts, and reevaluate what our motives are, and see if it’s really worth it.
For me personally, it is a constant struggle to remind myself that I do what I do to serve the Lord. I do it without asking anything in return, and so I should
expect nothing in return. I need to remember this always, and ask myself, “Do I want rewards now, or rewards later?” Interestingly, someone from church sent me a little devotional this morning. And I have to say that it came at the best time. Because on one hand, it confirms what I know to be true, that people won’t treat us fairly. And on the other hand, this is what we must expect until we get to heaven. So I just have to accept it and deal with it. But that is hard to do.
I am looking forward to a song that Ryan will be writing about this topic. It should be pretty dang epic.
Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Then we had to go through security, and then go wait in a big room. Eventually there were a lot of names called, and I was 1 of them, and we had to go to court house #17 to have a jury picked. Getting from one room to another was nuts. That building is like a maze trying to find your way around. But selecting the jury was the most boring process. That poor judge. I don’t know how he keeps from losing his mind. He has to ask the same questions over, and over, and over again...
There is a tradition at our church that at the beginning of each month we celebrate all the birthdays and give the birthday people a chance to tell what they have learned, or what God is doing in their lives. For some strange reason they always skip November so I don’t ever get a chance to say anything. But I did give it a lot of thought just in case. And since my birthday comes at the end of the year I tend to be in a more thoughtful frame of mind anyway, and I do think about how my year has been, and what I see for myself in the future. I think about things I’ve learned, things I still struggle with, my hopes and goals; I guess you could say I do a personal inventory of my life, with both the good and the bad, and see where changes need to be made. It is a good time to reflect on what I believe God is teaching me.
Darryl and I loved having the boys home for Thanksgiving. My boys are what I’m most thankful for! We had a very nice week together, even though they spent most of their time doing homework, and I spent most of my time being sick.
Ryan sang, and Kyle played djembe at church on Thanksgiving Eve.
This is what Ryan wore to Thanksgiving service. I meant to get a picture at church with the 3 of us in it, but I forgot, probably because I was sick.
