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Archive for the tag “The Perfect Place”

30 Jul 2020

Finding My Happy Place

How you feeling these days? I must admit, my head hasn’t been in a good place during these last couple of months. I have been going a bit stir crazy. I am also feeling a bit frustrated and ready for all this to be over. You too? I don’t know anyone who is enjoying these crazy times. I do like less traffic in the morning when I have to go to work. But if I am not careful about my thoughts, the loneliness and lack of social interaction can overwhelm me.

My happy place is with my family. I wrote about my family time at the beach back in June. I need to share a secret with you. Everyone who commented on the blog posting said it was a great tribute to my parents and I guess it was after all. However, the secret is my parents were not the focus as I wrote out my thoughts about the beach trip. I was actually thanking my family for an amazing time throughout the years. Yes, my parents were instrumental in the foundation of our annual beach trip set twenty-eight (?) years ago. But this year, the trip was so needed in my life. I was growing desperate for some type of normalcy and finding peace in the craziness. The trip came at the right time.

Human interactions are truly important to our emotional and physical health. We need it. We crave it. I most definitely need my family time. I’ve had a revelation about how much I need my family during a crisis. It’s made me rethink my future and where I need to be for the next season of life. My timetable for moving to my “retirement” place may be sooner rather than later.

Our emotional wellbeing is just as important as our physical wellbeing. So what do you do to get your head in the right space? Do you have hobbies you turn to for a “happy” hour or two? I love golf. I also enjoy walks and being outside. I noticed when I don’t get outside, I get a bit cranky. What makes you happy?  It really is essential to find a place to go when the craziness is too much.

I have also realized that I need my time with Jesus. Maybe the struggles we face are to bring us closer to Jesus. He is supposed to be our “happy” place. He is our comforter, our peace in troubling times, our rescuer, and our protector. Being in God’s Word, keeps me focused and keeps me from feeling isolated and lonely. I remember where Paul was when he wrote most of his letters to the churches and to his fellow missionaries. If not for prison, we might not have had these Scriptures. Think about that for a minute or two.

We need to stay focused on the things that are important to us. We are to make it a priority to gain some perspective of where we are in life and this season we’re in. God can use us in this season if we stay open to what He is doing around us. We might not be in prison but we have some available time right now. What is God calling you to do in this season? What is He showing you about this time we’re in right now?

This is not the end as we know it. It’s just a different season. God is still working on His plan and things may seem out of control. But I believe God is placing things in the right place for the next season. We may need to move into the right place. Or God may already have us in the right place for now. Keep your eyes and ears open and wait on the Lord. I believe we will see something greater if we just wait on Him to move.

Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:7), he fought the good fight, he finished his race, he kept the faith. Just as Paul suffered in his season and came out on top, we too can have his focus and keep the faith even in our trying times. Find your happy place and hang on. Get your head in the right space. Endure through this time. Keep the faith as Paul did while he underwent his trials of separation.

The victory is ours even when it feels like the battle has been lost. God is still in control. Brace yourself for what may come next, but lean upon the only thing that cannot be shaken – Jesus. He is a sure foundation that cannot be moved. Be amazed in His presence for you cannot go wrong when you are with Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8

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21 Mar 2019

Spring Forward

It’s a new season – so the calendar says. The clock was moved forward just a couple of weeks ago. The sun as moved into its new position. Birds are chirping away; flowers are blooming and the pollen is pooling at the edges of puddles. Yes, it’s spring. And maybe it’s a new season for me as well. At least, I hope so.

Ever since my Dad died last September, I have been in a funk. I can’t really say it’s a product of grief. I just have been out of sorts. Did it have anything to do with my Dad’s death? I don’t know. My grieving for him has been quite different from the way I grieved over my Mom’s passing. I don’t understand the difference. Maybe it was because Mom’s death was quite sudden (two months of sickness) versus Dad’s which was a slow descent to death’s door (over two or three years). Nevertheless, I am ready to move forward into a new season. I’m done with the funk!

A couple of months ago, the natural healthcare doctor I work for bought her own place; and we moved to the new space within a matter of days. It’s a very small practice with just three of us running the show. The doc, an office administrator and me. You could ask me what I do at the practice, and I might give you a bit of a pause before answering. I wear many hats there.

Ever since we moved, I have been the IT person, the phone person, the financial person, the maintenance person and even the cleaning person. I really enjoy the many hats. I never know what I will be called to do when I walk through the door. I actually like that kind of variety. Oh, the thing that I really get paid to do is be the assistant to the doctor. I work with her and her patients as we help them on their healing journey. That’s pretty cool! I feel like this is my calling and I am totally stoked that I get to do this and get paid for it!

But something’s missing. For the last few months, I just feel off. I have had my own healing journey over the last few years and I feel like that too is almost done. So what’s next? What am I prepared for in God’s perfect timing?

Waiting. It’s a hard thing to do. It feels like I have been waiting for something all my life. I am free to move forward in everything God calls me to. For eight years, I have been preparing for something else. I moved into the role at the doctor’s office three years ago. It’s been a constant learning process. We learn new things all the time. Researchers are discovering new things all the time. And we learn from their due diligence. The work environment is a learning environment. That too is a good thing. We need to stay hungry for new ideas and approaches to enrich our lives.

The patients who come through our doors are seeking answers. Sometimes it’s hard to help them find those answers when so many things are wrong in their approach to healing. Sometimes, it takes a gentle rebuke to get them to think differently and to move into a new lifestyle that will be conducive to healing.

Each individual comes in with different expectations. Some are expecting a miracle cure from the doctor that really doesn’t exist for what really ails them. And it’s sad to witness their lack of understanding and their lack of follow through. They usually just walk away.

But then there are others who come through the door and embrace change. They realize what they’ve done in the past hasn’t helped, so it’s time for a change. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. In order to have a different outcome, it means change. Change is a good thing. A new season is a good thing. But it comes with a cost.

Change. It means moving out of our comfort zones. It may mean moving to a new area. It may mean leaving something behind we love in order to embrace something new. But if God calls us to it, there will be something better with embracing the new.

We are called to listen and respond to what the Holy Spirit is nudging us to do. The nudge could change our whole world, but most likely it will change someone else’s. One thing we might need to change is our attitude about change. God may be calling us to something new. Are you prepared for it? I think I am. Let’s move forward in embracing the new season and see what God will do in us and through us while we jump into His will with joy!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NLT)

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20 Aug 2014

The Perfect Place

Last week, I wrote about my love for waterfalls. I would love to live in a place where I had access to such natural beauty. Ideally I would have a view of mountains, a lake or a beach. When I was twelve, my parents and I moved to the North Carolina Mountains. When I went to college, my parents moved further into the hills of NC. Their house was placed amongst rhododendron with a small stream running along the back of the property. A waterfall provided the stream up the hill from the house which flowed beyond our house into a lake. You could sit outside on the deck with the sunlight filtering through in perfect peace. My parents eventually moved back down to the flat lands soon after I graduated from college. I didn’t appreciate those moments when I had them to sit in that perfect place in perfect peace. I was restless to move on.

I think I would be more creative in natural surroundings. I think my creative juices would flow best if I could hear the rustic sounds of nature just outside my door. Right now, I’m here in the midst of the blaring music, dogs barking and rushing cars flying down my neighborhood street. One day maybe I’ll pack up and move to a less hectic place. But where would I go? As I contemplate my perfect place, I realized as I walking my neighborhood one morning there is no perfect place. There is always something that would cause me some irritation.

I do not like critters – snakes, spiders, or crawling bugs invading my personal space. If I was at the beach, there would be all sorts of bugs encroaching on my territory. If I was at the mountains, there may be a few bears, lots of snakes, and other sorts of critters that would keep me in constant flux! Maybe if I moved to an island in the Pacific, I would find peace amongst the swapping palms; if the mosquitoes didn’t eat me alive. I’ve been to Maine and Alaska in the summertime. There are issues with bugs there too, not to mention the unfavorable weather for a hot climate girl like myself.

Maybe the perfect place is the place where I am right now. God gave me instructions to move here several years ago. Until I get direction to move again, I am in His perfect place. Every time I have moved in my life, God has given me opportunities in those new places to learn something about Him that I might not have known if I stayed where I was. Sometimes we have to move in order to grow. Sometimes in the midst of staying we learn patience and endurance. God has placed me in different places for different reasons. I can be content right here and right now because God has something for me to learn in this place and in this time. I can’t rush the process of learning. Is it perfect for my creativity?

My house may not be in the ideal place for my creativity. But I have made a place in my little area where birds are welcomed; where squirrels lounge on my deck; where flowers bloom and trees grow. I have a little space of quiet in the midst of a busy neighborhood. And God has given me peace here. No matter what my circumstances, I have found my rest in Him. I have found my perfect place. And it has nothing to do with my physical dwelling. I will stay in this place because I don’t want to be anywhere else a part from Him. I am resting in Jesus’ loving arms, feeling His presence and soaking in His peace. Thank you Jesus for being my perfect place!

The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Psalm 23:1-3(NLT)

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