Spirituality Guide

How do you keep it real? By being true to yourself. By being honest and doing everything that you vow to. When you are true to yourself and keep it real, you can sleep good at night. When people look at you, what do they see? Do they see someone who is honest and fair? Or are you (as my grandmother would say) a “shyster”, someone looking for the easy way? Keeping it real is important.

I try to take on that philosophy when dealing with people in my life. It’s very interesting to me to watch how I interact with people. Let me give you an example:

I was asked to be a part of a non-profit organization’s program where I would serve as the mistress of ceremonies. The ceremony was over three weeks away and I could not get things settled. I was behind in my freelance writing work, the children’s schoolwork was overwhelming, the house was a MESS and I had multiple projects going on. In addition to all of this, the company was about 45-60 minutes from my house and started at unreal time of 8:00 on a Saturday morning. Since this invitation was not going to bring me any new business and limited exposure, I decided it was best not to take it. That settled things. I wouldn’t go.

What did I do? At first I wasn’t going to do anything and just not show up on the day of program. But that’s not keeping it real. Got to keep it real. So I did.

I called the client and just explained how much I had going on and how it didn’t look like something I needed to do right now. That’s it plain and simple. After I said this, the client thanked me and assured me that they WOULD be calling on me again to be on their program. All because I kept it real.

Working with kids and babies can really make you question whether or not you are operating in ministry. Although you feel a yearning or a sense of urgency in being called to do this, check whether or not it is a true spiritual calling or a desire just to do good.

In working with children in ministry, I have experienced and heard just about everything there is to hear. Can you imagine how it must sound to hear an adult riducle a child? Or worse, to tell a child that he or she is “incapable” of doing something? True spiritual guidance dictates that no matter how hard something is or how challenging something is, if you are doing from your heart, it can be achieved without turmoil. You can make it a positive experience. Think about it:

Have you ever been asked to help out in children’s ministry and felt a churn in your stomache before answering?

What about having to talk to or call down a child who was misbehaving…did you question his parent’s parenting skills?

Or when you were asked to help with the children’s ministry, you responded that you had to “pray about it”?

Being a role model, an example or a mentor is more than just in name only. Being a spiritual helper requires that your heart is involved and that you will be satisfied to get no glory or recognition in return for your hard work. Ministry isn’t easy nor is child-rearing. They both require patience and lots of love.

Which do you have…or do you have both?

How is it that a sinus infection can be a blessing? Well, after I was examined by the doctor and he had listened to my lungs and looked inside at the back of my throat, his news to me was startling. He told me that it was a good thing that I had come in then because if I had waited one more day, I could have presented with mycoplasma. To the layman, that’s “walking pneumonia.” Yikes!! How in the world could this be? Thankfully, I only had a case of bronchitis and with a 10-day round of antibiotics and plenty of fluids and rest, I would be good as new. Back to my old self. Well, kind of.

The blessed part of this being sick was the awareness of it. You see, I’m just as busy as everyone else is. Running here and there, carting kids back and forth to activities, helping people, cooking, cleaning, meeting deadlines, faxing, negotiating, copying, writing, phoning and everything else on a day-to-day schedule. With so many, many things to do in a course of a day, who in the world has time to be sick? Not me! I had been having slight sinus drainage with a headache and congestion for a few weeks and it was slowly starting to catch up with me. After three weeks of taking Benadryl on a routine basis, it had stopped working and the congestion was starting to settle in my chest. That’s the rattling the doctor heard when he examined me.

I feel strongly that our bodies “talk� to us and tell us when they’re not feeling well. We should listen to its subtle hints. If I had not gone to the doctor that day, I could have been sicker than I am now and possibly hospitalized. Nothing, I do mean nothing, is worth my health.

You decide now…will you listen to your bodies?

Giving to others gives us a feeling that no one can explain. A feeling that is simply euphoric because you had the ability and capability to practically change someone else’s life. Whether it’s in a big way or a small way, the same feeling applies. That’s also the feeling you can expect if you participate in a contest that is being sponsored by the American Red Cross out of the Connecticut Blood Services Region. The Red Sox has used the American Red Cross numerous times in the past to benefit the organization and to draw fans to their games. The Red Sox has found it to be something that the public loves to participate in and look forward to. In this contest that is going on now, all you have to do is give a blood donation and your name will go into a drawing for a chance to win two World Series game tickets. The winning name is going to be pulled just before the game, which is what is enticing World Series fans to go, give blood and cross their fingers for a chance to win some of the hottest tickets out right now. Paul Sullivan, the CEO for that division, says the he has a “whatever it takes� attitude to draw donors in, but realizes that for this contest the draw is a chance for WOW tickets. I can imagine that the donors feel wonderful knowing that they have contributed in a significant way to help others.

And in this case, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

I had a very long day today. I had been sick for about two weeks, and my youngest son had been sick for almost 4 days. I had a headache, coughing, sneezing and general discomfort. Although I took my son, who also suffers with asthma, to the doctor right after he showed cold-like symptoms, I elected to “wait� because I had a lot to do and just couldn’t slow down to go the doctor. The doctor? I’ll get to that later.

When I got to the doctor, I had an idea that I “might� have a slight sinus infection as a result of dealing with allergies. I had been at the beach the week before so I figured the salt water has taken its toll on me. I was having sinus drainage and coughing a little. The doctor started examining me, looking in my ears, looking at my throat and listening to my lungs. After he did a thorough examination and asked me a few questions about my symptoms, he told me that I had a slight bronchial irritation in my lungs. But what he said next is what REALLY got my attention. He told me that it was a good thing that I came in there when I did because things could have been uglier than what they were. He said I had a case mycoplasma. What??!! Mycoplasma is the technical term for the walking flu. Its symptoms are similar to a cold with coughing, fever, body fatigue and a few others. But what’s also strange about this sickness is that you can be sick and not even know it.

Tomorrow I will share with you how this sinus infection almost attacked my body but God was working in my life to turn it around. A sinus infection brought me closer to God.

Come back tomorrow and I will tell you how.

My three-year old snuggled up close to me today, telling me he had a secret for me. He kept telling me over and over, “I love you mom”. He always says that when he wants something. What was it that he wanted? Chocolate milk of course. He had been drinking chocolate milk for the last few days and really, REALLY liked the taste of it. Although I had been telling him no for the last eighteen times he asked, he insisted that he loved me and he HAD to have that chocolate milk…now!Sometimes, if there is something that we really, really want, we may be tempted to make promises that we might be able to keep. Think about it: have you ever known anyone to cheat death? What about someone who prayed and prayed for their child to recover from a horrible illness?Promises that we make in the time of emotional turmoil are never ones that we should take serious. If they were THAT serious, why should we wait until we are in trouble to make them? Even after this, after we make these ‘promises’, remember we have a vow to keep.What was your vow? Stop smoking? Eat less? Drink less? Work less? Exercise more? Come on, you have to admit, you’ve done it. When you had the last miracle to take place in your life, did you make those same or similar promises?  Keep in mind this one thing. No matter what life brings you or how hard things become, promises shouldn’t be taken lightly. Be prepared to follow through and make good on your promises no matter what the situation is. Be prepared to follow through on your vow. 

You just might get some chocolate milk instead of broken promises.

There we were at the football field yesterday for practice when all of the whining started. No, not from the players but from the moms and dads of the players. Their complaints? Their child’s uniforms weren’t right or “cute� enough, their child hadn’t had fair playing time or who was supposed to bring the snacks this time, it’s getting late, blah, blah, blah! I just listened to them and shook my head. Not to sound condescending or rude, but it just amazes me sometimes how we’re able to put so much energy and thought into so many things that really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I mean, really, is it all that important to worry or even argue about whose turn it is to be on sign duty when there are people around us who are sick or even dying?

I read on April Gilford’s blog about a friend of hers who has stomach cancer. It really touched my heart because it reminded me of a friend I know who is sick. Really sick. And, when I think about her or I see her, I always wonder how she really feels about her life. I’m sure she doesn’t take time to trivialize over the little things we think are so important. What’s really important are those “lastsâ€? of everything. Like, what was the last thing I said to you before you went to sleep. Or how did we last say goodbye. How about that last look before they disappeared into the building. The lasts. That’s all that’s important. I wish I could get people to understand and appreciate life just the way it is. I wish people would get over themselves and just enjoy what time they have and hey people they have to share it with.

The lasts. That’s all that’s important.   

My daughter is pretty impressed with me as a mom. She thinks I’m her hero. Of course, I’m not, but it feels pretty good to be thought of as a “hero”. While, as we know, a hero is a person who performs great, superhuman powers. A hero is someone who doesn’t know pain or at least doesn’t succumb to it.

A hero, I’m not.

However, I do like to think of myself as a God-chaser, someone who strives daily to find and commune with God. I think that if there is a purposeful, direct focus on striving to have a relationship with God, you can find success. He, is our hero. He is our super-human (does that apply?) rescuer. He is God.

I read some excerpts from the Life as a Christian Woman Blog and I noticed some similarities. While we think sometimes we should live and act a certain way, it is more realistic to understand that we are not all perfect. We are all just human. Humans needing and seeking for our superhuman, all-powerful God to rescue us and give us protection. In this post at http://www.lifeasachristianwoman.com/finding-losing-and-finding-god-again/ we read how she was disappointed time and time again by those who were in the “faith�. Those that were in the church seemed to hurt her more and more with their words and their narrow-minded thinking.

Whether we praise God or not, unlike Kathy Griffin did in this post at http://www.findreligion.net/jesus-can-suck-it/, we have to know before it’s all over as to who our God is. God IS our hero. He is our saviour. Kathy thinks he’s insignificant. I think He’s wonderful. Because of my beliefs, I strive daily to teach my children who the real hero is. Who the real person to glorify and worship is. Sure, I can single-handedly bake cookies, review spelling words and blog an entry. But who else can erase sin, offer redemption and hope and help us get through the tough times? No one else but God. Yes, He’s my hero.

Now, my daughter thinks He is too.