Is Your Best Yet to Come?

We soon will be moving into another year on the way to another decade! Decades certainly travel at the speed of a “don’t blink, you’ll miss it” kind of rush. When we were teens or young adults, we thought we would never, ever see the time when we were called “senior citizens.” But, sure enough, every single one of us arrives blinking our eyes in surprise and wonder! Of course, when we finally do get to our mountaintop, our minds play tricks on us and we still think we are twenty years younger than reality.

Possibilities We Never Knew We Had

Every season of our lives has its pros and cons. In our college years, life started happening all at once. Joyfully or not, we were separating from our parents and envisioning a lifetime of great success, the “I can’t live without you” type of perfect relationships, and happily doing things our way.

Between our 30s and 40s, life started revealing its true nature. Things were different than we originally imagined but still manageable. Our energies slowed a bit and then took off again, as we adjusted our goals to fit our lifestyles. Here we learned the difference between “Me, Me, Me” and “We, We, We.” Life was good as long as we were willing to open our hearts and minds to the world.

Midlife comes onto the scene with a vengeance! For some, it’s a shock to look in the mirror and discover a new landscape or an entirely new life. Now we remember all those things we wanted to do thirty years prior before interruptions and distractions took over. We start making plans, realizing time is starting to speed up.

The good news is that we can look around and see new possibilities we never knew we had. Currently, thirty-four percent of people in the U.S. are age fifty or over with fifty-three percent women and forty percent of men and women living as single/single-again. So we are not alone by any means. If we genuinely want to do something with the next fifty years, we need to be willing to get out of the house and meet others in our "tribe."

Five Ideas to Start Planning

Thinking about it, our experiences pile one on top of the other for our entire lives. They build for us an entire “library” of knowledgeable events, good and bad. We can not actually go back in history and re-do our lives. But we can go forward, call on our learning episodes and make things new and different. We could start with these ideas:

• Lifelong Learning - always beneficial and fun, pick something you’ve wanted to learn or participate in doing. Many local colleges are beginning to re-open their campuses post-Covid with some reduced schedules.
• Road Trips - how many of the U. S. states have you seen? How about renting a car in that foreign country you’ve dreamed of stepping foot in? Day trips are also a great way to see sites without a big commitment.
• Community Events - right in your own hometown, there are plenty of outdoor occasions (social-distancing) to use your skills, learn new ones, or volunteer and make your neighborhood better.
• Church Groups - just ask and you’ll see your church can always use your help. You’ll feel useful and needed for sure.
• Dating - please take note that dating clubs, organizations, and especially online dating, are not recommended by this author. They rarely result in any permanent relationship, are sometimes costly, and can actually be dangerous for the novice. However, if you feel you are ready to begin a new relationship, getting out and joining with others in some of the above groups may lead to meeting someone with similar interests. And that is a very good beginning!

Getting to Step Two Using Step One

No matter our circumstances and lifestyle at the moment, there is a way to make a difference with our days. God provides what we need when we need it if we just ask. He is always ready to help and will never, ever leave us. He's our own personal training coach! Just having a determination to do something with our lives that is worthwhile and beneficial is Step Two. Step One is placing our faith in the One true God. There's no reason why we can't do that, right?

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful" (2 Timothy 4:7 NLT).

Don't Forget the Main Course

WELCOME TO OUR MINI-THANKSGIVING MESSAGE!

THIS WEEK IS THANKSGIVING AND WE ARE CHALLENGING YOU TO TRY AND MAKE THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS PART OF YOUR DAY EVEN IF THIS YEAR HAS NOT BEEN WHAT WAS EXPECTED. 

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever (Psalm 107:1 NLT)

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1 NLT)

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful (Colossians 3:15 NLT)

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

MAY EACH ONE OF YOU BE BLESSED THIS WEEK!

THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

What Does Happiness Mean to You Right Now?

This has been a year of challenges, frustration, heartache, and not knowing what to do next. We are left to our own devices to create some kind of normalcy in our homes. In about two weeks, we celebrate Thanksgiving and for sure, it will probably be quite different for many families. Let us just stop for a minute here and offer our condolences to any of our readers who have suffered unbearable losses. Our hearts are with you.

Many of these emotions are new to us and can feel awkward because we have lived a certain way and changes are occurring rapidly—some of them becoming permanent. The important thing to remember is even though this is a whole different way of looking at the world (masks, social distancing, grocery limitations, etc.) that doesn’t necessarily mean our lives are taking a turn for the worse if we keep our health intact.

Our outlook can eventually become one of encouragement and an incentive to change things for the better. For instance, we know of a person who is now permanently working full-time from home since her company has suspended “live” operations on-site for all employees and permanently closed its physical doors. This has been a blessing for her not to have to commute to work every day and, additionally, for her second grader who is now enjoying homeschooling and having mom nearby.

Open the Door and Get Some Fresh Air

“Happiness sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” (John Barrymore, American actor)

It’s true, some of us are feeling a bit isolated right now not being able to see our friends and family in person much. We are beginning to realize life may never really be the same as before this pandemic. So, the best effort we can make would be to “reinvent” our lives for the better.

We can start by figuring out what happiness currently means to us. Like right now. Today. This week. This month. It probably will be quite different than last year so really think about it. What is our number one need and how can we find a way to make that happen?

Would connecting with a friend be our current wish? That might mean picking up the phone to hear their voice instead of emailing or texting. Or maybe meeting for lunch in a park if we stay six feet apart. We not only will cause our own happiness but cause our friend some happiness too. Bingo!

Are we really missing out on some great food? True, we may not be able to go to our favorite restaurant if they don’t have dine-in service, but we certainly can go to the grocery store, pick up some items, go home, and surprise ourselves by trying out a new recipe. There will probably be leftovers for tomorrow too.

It’s possible we are going “stir crazy” staying at home so much. And even though we thought all our closets and drawers would get cleaned out and organized once and for all, it just hasn’t happened. So maybe gathering a few family members, packing up the car, and going camping for a few days will change our outlook drastically.

Where Is Our Happiness?

Okay, we get the idea. We can certainly go through that door and make our own happiness. Try out old things in a new way. Develop new daily routines. Let’s face it--we are the only ones holding ourselves back. Everyone is in the same boat right now so no sense making things worse by complaining, whining, and giving up. That’s not us. Life is a big challenge, especially now, but we are strong, determined women ready for anything. Let’s make it happen!

The last suggestion to move closer to happiness is to either continue praying or start praying for friends, family, neighbors, our cities, states, country, and the world that we will see an end to Covid-19 in the near future. Those are seven important categories, so maybe choose one each day and really pray for needs to be met whatever they are.  

God knows. 

God cares.

God helps.

He’s waiting to hear from us.

"Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found" (Psalm 119:35 NLT).

 

Are You Looking for a Second Chance?

Sometimes, we find ourselves on the wrong side. The wrong side of a sports team that lost the game, the wrong side of a job not suited for us, the wrong side of planning a disastrous vacation, the wrong side of a conversation, and even the wrong side of a travel destination.

“A man ended up on the wrong side of the Arctic after boarding a flight 1,400 miles in the OPPOSITE direction! He had followed the wrong queue on the airport tarmac and didn’t realize his mistake until the plane landed. It’s near impossible to get on the wrong flight with all the security measures that airports put in place – but somehow a Canadian man managed it.” (Rosie Gizauskas, thesun.co.uk)

And how about ending up in a cemetery? “My daughter and I were visiting a college in Bangor, Maine. After a nice trip, we had our GPS take us back to the car rental agency. Except … it just didn’t seem like it was taking us the right way. We were in the middle of nowhere and pulled up to a graveyard and the GPS said, ‘You have arrived at your destination.’ We did end up having a pleasant walk around a beautiful cemetery, however.” (Alan Willett, New York, Geico.com)

Better Results

We can all surely relate with our own stories. Funny or serious our tales are usually quite embarrassing. Life simply doesn’t allow us, humans, to get by without ending up on the wrong side of whatever now and then. Maybe it was because of a lack of planning. Maybe it was the wrong time, place, or person. It has happened to all of us.

Thankfully, there are second chances. We can usually re-do or un-do our mistakes with a little effort. It may pinch some or hurt for a period, but we can and will survive if we are determined to change our outlook and methods. What is amazing is that often when we try, the result is even better than our first attempt.  

“The decisions you make today will determine the stories you tell tomorrow.” (Craig Groeschel, author and pastor of Life Church)

It’s when we resist change and continue with our same thoughts and behavior that it never works out for us and we don’t stop to figure out why. We must realize if what we are doing is not working, then we need to find a different path. And, yes, that is scary because we prefer to stay in our comfort zone—it’s cozy, cushy, and cuddly. And best of all, it doesn’t require anything from us. But staying in that contented environment solves absolutely nothing. We know what a bear looks like after a long winter season of hibernating, right? Podgy, paunchy, and pudgy. Exactly what we don’t care to look like!

Book a Conference Today

New plans are called for now to avoid living on the wrong side of life. But we are going to need some help and direction. Once we have that, our vision will become clearer. Some people have incredibly supportive family members or friends to call on to brainstorm ideas. (An alternative would be a professional counselor). We can bounce thoughts and viewpoints off them and begin to form perspectives—a better picture in our minds of what a new life can look like. This is exciting!

In the Bible this kind of wisdom is often called discernment and is unbelievably valuable to us. We do need to make some plans, but we also must understand that God has a certain purpose for each of us and without asking for His help, our plans will end up on the wrong side of life. So, let’s have a “conference” with Him each morning and brainstorm. He will listen and give excellent directions. The road looks rosy now!

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21 NLT).