Meaningful Work

By Cynthia Ruchti –

“Meaningful work.”

That’s what I said over the phone when in conversation with someone who shared my rant over the four-volume to-do lists sneering at us both. Looking for a spark of hope in the murky fog of responsibilities, I cheered the caller with the line, “Our lists remind us we have meaningful work to do.” Nervous little laugh. Then came the soul-heavy recognition that the Lord had just spoken, not me. And not through me but TO me.

My mom’s final days on this earth, almost a year ago now, were marked by struggle and a pathological inactivity that often rose with a greater ferocity than her pain. She mourned her loss of strength and the steady decline of her ability to breathe, but of greatest concern was the loss of something meaningful to do.

She’d battled congestive heart failure and all…yes, all…of its complications for many years. She understood that physical activities would be sloughed off like dead skin cells. One by one, she gave them up—traveling, gardening, cooking, pulling her great-grandchildren into her lap. Eventually even reading—a great holdout of joy in her declining years—was taken in brief one or two minutes snatches before she tired.

Diligent to the end to pray for those she loved, for her church family, and even for her hospice caregivers, all other avenues of meaningful work disappeared. No to-do lists. No responsibilities except for the labor of breathing.

Not having more than that on her list broke her heart.

Reflecting on the depth of her disappointment, I’m thanking God today that there’s more than one thing waiting for my attention. A robust list. And whether today or tomorrow or next week, they’ll all get done, by God’s grace.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for cheering my heart with this wave of gratitude. Even when the list threatens to choke me, it won’t. And it is evidence that You have given me an abundance of meaningful work.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and past president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—and “The Heart’s Harbor” in A Door County Christmas novella collection released in 2010. Cynthia writes stories of hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

Get the Brush Out of Your Life

By Teresa G. Lusk –

My middle child has hair just liker her mom’s, thick and long. Brushing her hair is an ordeal daily. To make the hair brushing process smoother, I asked her not to bring me the little blue brush she likes so much and instead use only a large squared brush that hurts less and gets tangles out quicker.

The explanation to why she should use the large brush had been something she heard several times and there was no doubt to why she should use it, to keep her from pain.  Still, she often chose to bring the little hurtful brush and all I heard was crying and complaining as was the ritual.

In our home, we try to use simple opportunities to teach life lessons as we did that day when I had had it. Again, she brought the little blue brush shortly after the tears rolled in. I began to explain that the brush was like sin in our life. That we have a choice to do the right thing or the wrong thing according to the expectation God has for us. If we continue to choose the wrong thing, then we will have pain in our life. That brush was like sin in her  life and when something is causing her pain, she needed to do something about that.

Then, the big question proceeded. I said, “If your brush is causing you to hurt, what should you do with it”? She said, “Get rid of it”! That is right! Get rid of the brush that causes pain in your life. To the trash the brush went and we added on more life lesson to her little heart and mind.

Teresa G. Lusk is the author of Good Enough to be a Homemaker and CEO and a Motivational Speaker. Visit www.teresalusk.com for more information.

Trash to Treasure

By Hally Franz –

Garbage collectors need a holiday. Administrative assistants, nurses and teachers have special days. Early-rising men and women who take away the ridiculous amount of waste we Americans make should be celebrated as well. This recognition would be especially nice in January after what must be one of the worst week’s of the trash man’s year, the week after Christmas.

My husband and I have survived the early childhood years; our children are now at tween and teenage stages. One difference in these development stages is the size and price of Christmas gifts. Young children equal large packages without much cost, while older ones get smaller boxes that require more money. Play sets and building blocks take up lots of space and come with layers of packaging. How many Christmas mornings have found you filling black bags with mangled bubble wrap, cardboard and plastic, wrapping paper and bows?

I know moms who are willing to let big boxes remain around for weeks, so their kids can have some old-fashioned fun, but I have to admit, I experience anxiety when the clutter and debris begin closing in on me. I’ll sacrifice my children’s creative opportunities if my sanity is at stake.

My son has frequently retrieved discarded items from our trash for some project he has in mind. He gets big ideas about what can be done with a rusted bird bath or old deep sink. I indulge these endeavors as long as he keeps them in his space and in an orderly fashion. Ivan is the one that started us on the path of recycling several months ago.

There’s a favorite school field trip destination in our area that’s called “Leftovers.” It’s dedicated to making art from all sorts of trash, and what they do with old, seemingly useless stuff is truly amazing. What can be better than inspiring creativity (while eliminating mess), and being environmentally conscious at the same time?

I’m rarely able to see potential in dented and damaged objects, bent and tangled cardboard. I am eager to get rid of anything not obviously worthy in function or aesthetics. Thankfully, God doesn’t look at people in the same way I look at things. He sees value in us all, even when we appear worn and weary, haggard and helpless. He recycles daily as He did in the Bible, making heroes of everyday people, heaven-bound treasures from human trash.

PRAYER: Almighty God, He who has endowed each of us with heavenly gifts and talents, help us to discover the overlooked potential in ourselves and others, so that we may more fully serve You.

“Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:13-15 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her childrens’ school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) Zumba classes.

Watch Out For Wild Turkeys

By Aubrey Spencer –

Jarrod and I were out for a drive the other day on one of our “coffee dates” when all of a sudden we had to come to a quick stop in order to let a group of wild turkeys cross the road in front of us. (Not something I’d experienced before.) After four or five had crossed the road, we started to take off but noticed one turkey running full speed toward the road in front of us in order to not be left behind by his “buddies.” We slammed on the brakes, avoiding what could have been a nasty feather-flying moment, and watched as that last turkey joined his crew on the other side of the road. I had to laugh at the whole scene. I mean, how many people can’t drive down the road because a herd of wild turkeys are running around them? But then it got me thinking about life in general. How many times do we think we’ve got things under control and start to “take off again” just to be bombarded by another “wild turkey”? We take our eyes off our goal for a second and then get blindsided by problems, temptations, bad attitudes, etc. running full speed right at us.

We need to be prepared at all times—for the “turkeys” we can easily see. And for the ones that come sneaking up beside us, running wildly, ready to cause a crash in our lives. Who knew so much could be learned from an encounter with wild turkeys? I guess God can use anything to remind me of keeping my eyes on Him!

PRAYER: Father, help me keep my eyes on You. So often I get distracted and forget my focus. Remind me that You are in control and that You alone are worthy of my attention.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Aubrey Spencer. Aubrey is a real housewife of northwest Kansas. She is a minister’s wife and a mom to two little miracles, Oliver and Ava. She has a passion for writing and entertaining but realizes her greatest ministry at the moment is to raise her children to be people after God’s own heart. She loves to see how God shows up in everyday situations. Read more of her writings at http://ministrymama.blogspot.com.

Back to Basics

By Don Otis –

What do you want to achieve in the New Year? In fitness language, setting goals and maintaining them is called adherence. As it is with anything in life, your goals determine your behavior. We don’t stumble into good health any more than we do ill-health. It takes intention. Or, in Christian terms, we set our heart (will) toward a goal.

In the past several articles, we have talked about how easy it is to fall off the wagon, so to speak, when it comes to adherence to our goals. We have discussed the importance of consistency, cross- training to break up the monotony, and having definable objectives. We have discussed fat-burning cardio exercises and what works best. This means intensity over duration. In other words, it is better to increasing your intensity on a treadmill than to walk slowly for 45 minutes. We call this quality or quantity. Some people think they have to spend a lot of time to get satisfactory results. Not true.

This weekend I had an hour of sunlight left and wanted to get a mountain bike ride in on the Santa Rosa Plateau in southern California. I met up with a Christian chiropractor and we took off at a breakneck speed (there is a reason they call it “breakneck”). We finished ten miles on single track trails just as the sun set. I had resolved to work out that day, even if it was challenging to do it before the sun set.

Here are some of the questions in the Exercise Confidence Survey asked by fitness trainers who want to access the resolve of new clients.

Do you get up early, even on weekends, to exercise?

Do you stick to your exercise program after a long, tiring day at work?

Do you exercise even though you are feeling depressed?

Do you stick with your program even when you have household chores or social obligations to attend to?

I would add many of my own questions to the survey, like “Are you willing to turn off the television or stay off Facebook long enough to exercise? The biggest distracters are our schedules, family obligations, vocational responsibility, or fatigue/depression.

For me, one of the ways I stay motivated is to document what I do. It is simply writing down what I have done for the day on a 4 X 6 card. I have hundreds of these from decades ago. I know, for example, how much slower I am today than twenty years ago. Although my miles are slower, I keep moving and setting goals. This year will end with 1700 miles logged! Whatever your goals are, write them down, check on your progress, and persevere.

The most critical period of adherence to exercise is the first three to six months. This is one of the reasons I encourage a slow, methodical approach that helps people maintain a lifestyle of God-honoring, healthful living. Another reason for the slower approach is to avoid burnout or injury. If you are older or heavier, start with low-impact activities.

If it is helpful, write a contract–even if it is between yourself and God, or yourself and your spouse. Include a series of goals (make these reasonable) and determine to adhere to them–to “show up” even when you don’t feel like it.

Don S. Otis is am ACE Certified personal trainer, the author of Keeping Fit after 40 and Whisker Rubs: Developing the Masculine Identity. He is the president of Veritas Communications, a Christian publicity agency based in Canon City, Colorado. You can contact him at don@veritasincorporated.com.

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