Are you seeing clearly?

I have such a routine each morning when I get up.  Coffee, devotional/Bible reading, prayer, writing of some sort, daily goals and calendar review ~ my list is long!  Even though I do a lot electronically I'm a big pencil and paper gal, so I'm always jotting notes, making lists and just writing.  As I was looking at my calendar for today I remembered that I have my annual eye exam later this morning. I've been waiting for this day, as my glasses need constant adjusting and I'm sure I'm in for an Rx change.  It will be nice to have answers and know that some improvement will be made (I hope!)

However, I also know that I will have my eyes dilated mid-morning, so lots of reading and writing will be out of the question for a few hours.  You have no idea how frustrating that is for someone that is always doing those two things! I know that I will be sitting here trying my best to make things come into focus when I simply have to wait for the effects of those drops to wear off. Blurred vision is coming!

I spent last week in the classes I was teaching going over personality test results.  I had only spent a couple of days with 4 women that are taking the class and when I asked them "What do you think my personality type is?"  All 4 said "EXTROVERT!"  I love it when I ask that question and then I get to reveal my traits, before I share theirs with them.  You see, I actually test out as a pretty strong introvert.  Though I absolutely love teaching, public speaking and leading I really have strong introvert tendencies.  I crave solitude, quiet and need frequent times alone to recharge.  Some of my other traits are quite recognizable but that one is often not guessed at all.  I wrote a little bit about this in my last post, about how surprised those women were when I told them the results of their own tests.  I have thought about it so much over the last few days, it is still rattling around in my head.  We think we know and understand people around us, we think we have a clear picture of who they are and what they are like.  The process for these classes that I am teaching was to review an application, do a short interview and then we all met to start the job and life skills classes.  I will meet with this group of 4 women from now until the end of May, 3 days each week. After just one week of classes my first impressions are already proving to be somewhat wrong. There are unexpected treasures in each of these women that I'm just beginning to discover. The really cool thing is to watch them discover those things about themselves. 

Do you have blurred vision when it comes to those around you? Do you only see an image but don't really take the time to get to know them or understand them? It can be a challenge, and it can take us out of our comfort zone to take that step to really learn about someone. Ask questions, listen and look beyond that first impression.  You may be the only one who extends a hand of compassion, understanding and/or acceptance to those you encounter.

Set out today to see others as God sees them.  I assure you, when you keep that thought in your mind always - to view others as God does - your opinion will change, and it might just change you!  I know it does me.  

1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. NLT

Prayer: Lord, help me see clearly today.  Open my heart to You, so that I may in turn open mine to others. Guide my thoughts, words and actions in all that I do so that it be pleasing to You.  ~Amen~

Together or Separate?

How would you describe yourself when it comes to working with others? My husband often talks about getting things done around our home and coming up with ways to do those things by himself.  We have many projects that he has managed to complete all on his own, by using ingenuity and plain old creative thinking.  I fully admit that I love to be in charge, but I also realize that it takes teamwork and cooperation to get most things done.  We all have skills and talents and when we put those together we can accomplish great things.

Today I hope you will take a moment to read chapter 3 of Nehemiah.  I am not going to type the entire thing out, but you can learn a lot from those verses if you take just a little time.  At first glance it seems like a lot of boring lists of names.  When you really dig in there is a wealth of information in this chapter.

In a nutshell it is a list of those who came together to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.  In that list you will find some interesting facts.  Some who came together to work on that project:

*priests

*sons, grandsons

*leaders who refused to work with certain people

*daughters

*goldsmiths

*perfumers

*leaders of districts

*temple servants

*neighbors

*merchants

Are you getting the picture?  Many people, from various walks of life, had a common purpose and they came together to get the job done.  Not one of those groups could have done it alone, but together the pile of rubble started to take form again.  Nehemiah had a vision, a plan and a goal that required a large group of people to come together in order to complete that plan. I love the wording "next to them, next to him, after him,  across from his own house....." I can picture it! Seeing work being done, something special being accomplished and wanting to be part of it.  

Where in your life are you 'on the outside, looking in?'  What is going on around you that you wish you were part of? There are a lot of things that can separate us from others, or a better way to put it would be how we allow ourselves to be separated from others. It is kind of disheartening to look back at most of my adult life and wish I had done things differently.  I worked at jobs or on projects that I thought were expected of me, all while ignoring the pull on my heart to do something completely different. It has been a long process but now I feel like I'm listening and following the path I'm meant to be on. All that I have learned in these first 59 years of my life are coming together and I'm excited to see what is next. Turning 60 is like opening a new door to a bright and unknown land that begs to be discovered. I have a plan, I have goals and I'm going to figure out a way to do the impossible!  The things I do now, particularly in my work, require me to work next to and with others.  Some days I still feel like I'm on the outside looking in, as if my days go by with someone else directing them. I  want to be like Nehemiah, to see the pile of rubble before me and want to rebuild it. To inspire others and invite them to come along with me, to build something great. 

My 'dare greatly' always involves God.  Yesterday I had moments when it seemed like all that I work for and strive to achieve is so far out of reach that I might as well give up.  Then that small voice stirs inside of me and says "I never gave up. I believe in you. I never said it would be easy, you have much to learn as you keep going".  So today I will.  I will keep talking about my vision and my plan. I will look for others that see the good we can accomplish together - and before we know it others will be 'next to us, come from across the street' and we will build.  Opposition will come, another pile of rubble will need to be cleared before the building continues.  

Keep moving the debris out of your life as we continue to journey through Lent.  Learn from chapter 3 of Nehemiah - that coming together allows us to build strength out of destruction and God's hand will guide you through it all.

Prayer: Lord help me see Your vision in the impossible.  Bring those that will share my vision to stand along side of me, to work in the dirt and find the beauty that is there to be uncovered.  Help me to step out, to join in and to do.  Lead me forward, help me push the debris aside and build on Your foundation.  Bring the unexpected helpers into my life, that we might have a common goal of doing Your work.  I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.