Paying Attention in the New Year

Another year passed, a new one begun - Happy New Year!  May 2014 be a year in which truth, peace and love are evident in our own lives, and also globally.

I went for a long walk this morning, and (no surprise) noticed many people out walking or running.  This is the day when we turn over a new leaf, set our goals for another year.  The calendar has turned to a page that is fresh and white, with a new number - 2014. Could this be the year our dreams become reality? The possibilities are endless. The old is gone, the new is here - we get to re-draw the picture, or re-write the script.  It's an opportunity too good to miss. 

It feels good to have another chance, doesn't it?  As a kid, I remember - every September - entering a new classroom, getting new notebooks, and writing beautifully in those clean, perfect notebooks for at least the first week. But then the assignments piled up, I started to hurry, and got careless.  Pretty soon, my writing was looking messy (no wonder we called our notebooks 'scribblers').  And every September I'd try again.  I never gave up.

Looking back through several  journal entries, I notice that each year, the goals I come up with are often very similar to what I resolved in previous years.  Maybe this is because I never really 'arrive'.  Most times, my determination holds strong for a few months, until I (ever so slowly) slide back into old familiar habits.  I start to eat the wrong foods, I neglect to set specific time aside for my spiritual growth, I grow weary of searching out publishers for my work.

It's likely that I'm not alone in this.  If everyone met their goals, being granted new opportunities in a new year wouldn't be nearly as appealing. There would be no talk of New Years' resolutions. If we accomplished our goals, we wouldn't need that fresh calendar page to give us hope.  We'd simply carry on from one success to the next.  But our personalities, formative influences and circumstances often hamper our ability to be persistent and consistent.

What comforts me in all of this is that I don't need a new year to begin again.  Every day affords a fresh start; God gives me that opportunity with each new sunrise.

But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lam 3:21-23)

God's mercies are there to pick me up, and they're never ending. How amazing is that? No matter how many times I'm stuck in my failure, He urges me to acknowledge my weakness, submit it to Him, and move on with renewed hope in His faithfulness. 

The other thing that comforts me is that I've got Someone in my corner - not just passively watching, but leading me forward, providing all I need. If I'm paying attention, I'll notice that the path is laid out for me.  The canvas and the page have been well prepared.

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)

A new thing - the desert's gonna bloom!  Forgetting the past, leaving my failures behind, I have new hope, knowing I'm loved for who I am, and that my dreams are valued.  So I resolve to pay attention; I'm eager to perceive the newness that's ready to spring forth!  How about you?

Of Careers, Calling and Parental Pride

Earlier this year, I blogged about having pride in our kids - pride that comes naturally for parents. 

I remember my dad being proud of his daughters, making it known that he could farm with his two daughters just as well as any man with sons (maybe his biases skewed his perception just a bit...). We have a number of friends whose kids have worked in the family business, which must be a good feeling - sharing knowledge, goals, looking at ways to move the company into the next phase or change, building together. We are naturally pleased when our kids follow in our footsteps, choosing to emulate us in their job or profession.
 
Growing up, I knew a large family whose kids all became either pastors, doctors, nurses or professors, most of them taking on a missionary stint in Africa or other developing country. To the last one, they were kind and compassionate, displaying none of the arrogance we often associate with highly successful people. I wondered what conversations around their supper table must have been like.  While we were talking about the best way to avoid scours (diarrhea) in newborn calves, they were likely discussing the latest medical breakthrough and the impact it would have on those who might benefit - or perhaps debating a difficult theological problem.  As years passed, my respect for this family only grew - parallel to their accomplishments which truly benefited people in countless ways. It's enough to make most of us just a bit envious.

What constitutes success? Is it our education?  Our accomplishments?  Our status?  Our wealth? Our health? Our fame?

Throughout history, people who lived what we call a 'full' life - who made a difference somewhere, were people who listened to their heart. They leaned in to their potential. (What is our potential, if not who we were created to be?) Instead of emulating someone else, they discovered who they really were, and developed that person. They responded to their own specific calling. Isn't that a worthy task for each of us? To find and follow the passion and gifts that lie inside of us?

I recall walking through the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck, Nova Scotia some years ago. Meandering through the displays, reading about this extraordinary man completely mesmerized me. This was a man whose greatest passion lay in compassion for people and discovering new ways of communicating, especially related to the hearing impaired. He was too busy working out his new ideas to worry about the financial rewards of his labor. He handed his telephone company, Ma Bell, over to his wife, which made her a very wealthy woman. He didn't work for fame; he cared deeply about people and used his inquisitive and creative mind to follow his heart. You can almost imagine the neighbors shaking their heads and saying things like, "Why isn't that man out making a decent living? Imagine just staying in that workshop every day! What will all his experimentation get him?" Still he forged ahead. His calling was greater than his desire for approval.

None of our kids have followed in our footsteps in terms of education or career. None of our kids has remained in the family business. None of our kids has status or wealth. None of our kids have achieved fame. What they have done is followed their hearts, and let God guide them to their best life...in an ongoing journey.  Each is being true to his/her own calling (each very different from their siblings) - and yet each one exerts positive influence in the lives of others; of that I have no doubt.  I know this, in part, because they influence me.

I don't expect, or even desire that our kids be like us. My hope and joy comes in seeing them find and follow their specific passion, working to develop their talents and gifts, even when it's hard and demands sacrifice. That they do so with integrity - continuing always to follow God's best for them - not for someone else. Envying someone else's place in life is a sure path to failure and defeat.

Accepting who we are, discovering our potential and then striving to be our best is one of the key ingredients to wholeness. When our children (and grandchildren) learn through success and through failure - in the confidence they are unique individuals who have a unique place in this world, I'm in their corner.  My heart is instilled with respect and yes, even pride.

Three Things (Part 2)

 Insight shows up when we pay attention and use our intuition to see what's really going on.  It's listening with our heart and seeing with our soul.  It's gaining a deeper understanding by looking deeper than the surface. 

Research is a key requirement for gaining insight.  And insight is a key requirement for the pursuit of excellence.  Whether you've been inspired to cook in a specific ethnic flavor, write a biography, volunteer with a charity or live a healthier lifestyle, knowledge of your subject is essential.  A painter of wildlife studies animal anatomy.  A historical fiction writer reads up on the time period their novel will cover.  An interviewer gets to know as much as possible about the person she's interviewing beforehand, along with related subject matter.  This is elemental.

But insight is more than knowledge.  It is a passion that sets your work - the painting, the book, the relationship, the project - apart from the rest.  Passion ignites deeper thought about how our actions will stir others.  How will our painting move the viewer?  How will our investment into the relationship affect the other?  How will our composition stir the hearts of the audience?  We take ownership not only of the project, but of its effects. Insight gives us a unique perspective on our subject - and turns our deeper ruminations into specific actions.

All our best intentions, however, are nothing without a third element, diligence.

Only when inspired to go beyond consciousness by some extraordinary insight does beauty manifest unexpectedly.  Arthur Erickson

Three Things (Part 1)

Inspiration by itself does not produce results.  Nor does the combination of inspiration and insight, although one might argue that those two in combination can possibly improve someone's character.  But as we pursue excellence in our dreams and passions, a third element is necessary. To be diligent is to be focused and intentional.  Diligence requires self discipline, for when it comes to being successful at our work or play, who else can we discipline (unless parenting is our focus, but that's a subject in it's own right). 

Diligence is the steadfast application of ourselves to the task at hand.  Basically, it's good old-fashioned hard work.  In a culture where instant gratification is the norm, we are often left with a deflated enthusiasm for the time required to produce excellent results.  The drive to be diligent - our energy - is largely fueled by inspiration, whereas our method is produced by insight.

Great leaders who were met at every turn by opposition or desolation, yet refused to give up, were somehow inspired to keep going.  Think of William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, and Eva Peron.  Their influential actions changed the world, bringing dignity to an oppressed and enslaved humanity.

Mother Theresa, one of the greatest role models of diligence in our time struggled deeply with depression and feelings of Divine abandonment, yet continued her work with relentless focus, courage and energy.  In times of doubt and loneliness, sheer determination drove her forward - determination to be true to God's calling in her life.  Perhaps it was her vision to accomplish one small deed at a time, rather than great, sweeping successes that gave her the ability to move one foot before the other, over and over.  This kind of diligence is difficult to understand; there is no instant gratification in it - yet its results generate a new cycle of inspiration, insight and diligence. 


“I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.”
― Mother Teresa

Fitting Pride

 Pride - while not so much in our society at large - at least within the Christian community, is a word that holds negative connotations.  Christians believe that pride leads to all kinds of sin...envy, deception, greed, hatred, ... the list goes on.  If you want to read more, just check out the book of Proverbs on this subject.

 

But today I admit to being proud - and I believe my pride is both acceptable and fitting. It's a pride not unlike my pride of being Canadian.

Our oldest son, Jeff, returned this week from the Selkirk Mountain Range and a grueling 10-day full Ski Guide exam that will result in his accreditation with ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides).  He called just before the exam started to say that examiners were looking for white-out conditions to test applicants' skills.

Post-grad from a three-year Outdoor Program at Northwest Baptist College found Jeff living in his car and subsisting on Kraft Dinner as he was trying to find his way into the Whistler area as a guide.  Now an 'old timer' in the area, he has since worked with various guiding companies, and done free-lance work.  A few years ago, he successfully gained accreditation as Assistant Ski Guide with ACMG, and has gained valuable experience guiding heli-skiing.  Jeff has logged days and weeks of skiing and traversing experience in varying terrain to get to the point of being eligible for this exam.

I wondered if I should wait to post this until after he gets his results, but there's really no reason. As his mother and biggest fan, (OK, maybe his wife, Nina rivals me in this category)  I fully expect him to enter into this world-class accreditation with flying colors.  Were he required to re-do the exam, I'd be just as proud of him for his passion and standard of excellence in his field.  He will continue to work towards a full ACMG designation, which besides Ski Guide, includes Rock Guide and Alpine Guide categories. 

What got me onto this subject of pride was surfing through our oldest daughter's blog.  Kelly blogs regularly about the ordinary and not-so-ordinary moments that constitute family life.  When I read her stories and insights, I am constantly amazed at her parenting skills, how she demonstrates her love for her husband and kids in practical and sacrificial ways, and how she cares about those within her sphere of influence.  Her parenting style is loving and consistent, and it includes good humor and empathetic understanding.  As a matter of principle, she looks for the good in others, and looks to their best interests. She has true friendships because she is a good friend.  She's resourceful.  She's a volunteer, has her own photography business, blue melon photography, runs a guest house, Adagio Guest House, teaches piano, and continues to learn new things.  She and her husband are hospitable people.  Like the rest of us, Kelly is not perfect, but she is diligent and intentional about being a Godly woman. This makes me a very proud mom.

Our youngest daughter, Tara, has recently successfully completed her final exams at West Coast School of Massage Therapy.  For the past 2 1/2 years she's had her nose to the grindstone studying, while giving up the simple pleasures of leisure time and social interaction in order to meet her goals.  What she didn't give up, thankfully, was building a relationship with Dave, the man whom she will marry in just 8 weeks.  Although academic success has always required hard work from Tara, this time she outdid herself.  She measured the cost, made sacrifices, gritted her teeth and not only got through it, but did so with excellent results.

Tara's social and compassionate nature is well-suited to her chosen career.  She's told me over and over again about the satisfaction she feels from being able to assess and treat people with health issues.  Having been treated by several RMTs including Tara, I believe that Tara demonstrates a natural gift for this work, and that she will do well, quickly building a repeat clientele.  The emotion I felt when she stepped forward for her diploma formed a lump in my throat and gratitude in my heart.

I am so pleased to observe my grown children excel in characteristics that have never particularly been my strong suit.  I'm not nearly as focused as Jeff, as loving and consistent as Kelly or as determined as Tara.  Of course, there is my husband Don, from whom they may have inherited and learned some (if not all) of these traits.

In essence though, these accomplishments are because of God's grace - how he's made each of our children, how he's shaped them, and his care over them from the day of their birth.  These accomplishments are also about the gifts he's placed within them, and their desire to go with who they are. (More about this later).  This gives us immense reason to celebrate and be thankful!

Hmmm - I wonder if God ever feels pride in us, his children.  But again, another topic for another day.