Amen to August!

The month started with a surprising opportunity to adjust my attitude, and it appears it will also end on a positive note.

Throughout the month, devotional readings have offered just the right words to keep me hopeful even when my actions weren't accomplishing my intentions.

As I've looked for a way to wrap up the month, some key words come to mind, all starting with the same initial as August:

Acceptance.
Authentic.
Admirable.
Artistic.
Appears.
Acknowledge.
Ask.
Action/act as if.
Assignment.
Abundance.
Also (as in: "This Too, Is God" -- it's worth looking up, along with "Simple Abundance").



And I can't resist including some Scriptures that have guided me:


"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

^"Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature."  Romans 12:2

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)

The thing about weeds

I can be compulsive about pretty much anything, and my August mini-obsession was pulling weeds.

We've had enough rain scattered throughout this summer that the lawn has stayed fairly green. Grass growth has been consistent, generally requiring mowing slightly more than once a week, no more than three times in two weeks.

But those weeds!! I was aware that long before the grass needed a trim, various strains of crabgrass, johnsongrass and who knows what else were shooting out, making things look unruly in the easement between the sidewalk and the curb, and in a patch where the side yard meets the back.

I noticed some of these annoying weeds a day or two after a rainfall and decided to take advantage of the soft soil to see if they would be easier to pull. And they were. I'm not a gardener and not much of a lawn caretaker at all, but pulling those weeds gave me a sense of satisfaction. My husband was on one of his many trips this summer, so I texted him a picture. His affirmation made me feel even better about that simple task.

Not too long after the next mowing was followed by another rain, I noticed more of the pesky weeds. So I went out and pulled them. Altogether, I think I've done this three or four times now. Gene's no longer impressed. In fact, he and a friend joked that it had become my new distraction (SQUIRREL!). It still feels satisfying to me.

The thing I noticed about the weeds, though, is that after I had pulled the most obvious ones, it became harder to distinguish the nuisance grass from the good grass.

This made me think of some of the difficulty I have with tasks such as housecleaning or even with spiritual soul-searching. Most tasks, however difficult they may end up being, have some easy components, and I tend to do those first. When it gets more difficult, it's harder for me to stay focused.

With the weeds, I decided it would be better to pull some good grass than to let possible weeds stay rooted. I trusted the grass would easily spread back to cover any bare or thin places.

I wish I would adopt that attitude with the inside jobs. I still struggle to pull -- or get rid of -- anything I think might have any value in the future. It continues to stymie my major post-workforce project.

I hoped that by writing about this, after writing about good intentions, I would have some new insight and motivation for pulling the weeds that clutter my house and mind.

I'm still waiting .... 

More complicated truth....

My good intentions are often to do more things that would help others, and I default into just doing what helps me or those closest to me. 

Sometimes my good intentions involve stepping out of my comfort zone. I default to familiar actions that may be worthy but fail to stretch my faith, spirit or service. 

Something I read earlier this month in a 12-Step meditation book called Twenty-Four Hours a Day has stayed with me:  

"The nearer I get to this new life (my goal), the more I will see my unfitness. My sense of failure is a sure sign that I am growing in the new life. It is only struggle that hurts. In sloth -- physical, mental or spiritual -- there is no sense of failure or discomfort. With struggle and effort, I am conscious not of strength but of weakness until I am really living the new life. But in the struggle, I can always rely on the power of God to help me."

I hope and pray I am growing toward a more spiritual life. "Thy will be done."

I had written that on Aug. 3, and the next day, I jotted this in my journal:

"Ebbs and flows. After such a slow start this week, Friday and Saturday are more productive. Another reason to keep on praying, believing, reading Scripture, focusing on the positive, embracing good intentions and trusting that God is in charge, even when it seems like He has no control or interest in my life." 

I'm pretty sure I had intended to make this into a blog post all those days ago. Better late than never? Three weeks hence, the words still ring true, and I am grateful.

The complicated truth about good intentions

“Good intentions are pretty worthless if I don’t follow up with action.” 

That’s what I posted on Facebook while I was walking around the pond in the neighborhood park this morning, trying to pray and motivate myself into more action.

I can’t count how many of my good intentions haven’t gotten past the thought stage so far this week. 

I do think it’s better to have good intentions than bad (or none at all). 

This may be related to Scripture from one of my devotionals earlier in the week, which I also included in my most recent blog post: 

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

It also brings to mind the relationship between prayer and action. I believe it’s better to pray in faith even if I can’t or don’t act than to not pray. Because I believe prayer changes hearts, starting with the heart of the one who prays.

It’s also worth remembering that the actions (and especially the outcomes, answers and results) related to prayers and good intentions need to rely on God’s timing and purpose, rather than my will. 

I’m also aware that even though my good intentions have far outpaced my actions, I have followed through on some worthwhile thoughts.

There’s just so much more I think I need to be doing!!

I’m praying for God to guide my heart, mind and steps, to have me accomplish what He would have me do today, to His glory. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Meanwhile, this Scripture from my previous blog post is also relevant again today. It came up today in my Proverbs 31 devotional, which might bring on even more writing ....

^"Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature."  Romans 12:2

August attitude adjustment

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

These words of Scripture greeted me as I opened my Upper Room Daily Devotional email this morning. I sorely needed the words and reminder this first day of August.

A headache and other discomfort from either allergies or a cold have zapped my energy since sometime Friday or Saturday (four or five days ago). I keep trying to will myself not to be sick, but I end up back in bed for at least a nap. And for some reason, when I don't have energy, my mental outlook plummets.

I kept trying to battle my attitude, shifting from reading Scripture and praying to trying to take right actions in hopes a right attitude would follow. Nothing seemed to be working. But I kept on.

By the end of the day, my outlook is better.

A related essay by the Upper Room devotional writer, Jane Reid, also offered positive guidance for me. She wrote that we need to practice praying.  One good prayer practice she suggested was "to come to God with no agenda, simply because we want to be in God's presence." She proposed that could be the key to making the 1 Thessalonians 5:17 call to "pray without ceasing" become possible in our busy lives.

"If we want to grow close to God, we need to practice doing the impossible, and we have to trust God for the results," she wrote.

This echoes 12-Step guidance I've been trying to incorporate into my life.

Today, trusting God for the results meant to keep on doing the best I could, one little action after another, even when it seemed like I wasn't getting anything accomplished.

I made a couple of phone calls, including to a friend whose call I had let go to voicemail on Monday, and also made another offer to help someone. I did some research on a task I've been assigned that is outside my comfort zone. And then I pulled some crabgrass from the front lawn that sprung up quickly after our most recent rains.

Some things I had hoped would be resolved today are still unanswered.  So I get to continue to trust God for the results. I am grateful for the lessons of today and the guidance of Scripture.

^"So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service.  Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature."  Romans 12:1-2