Stuff That Matters in Life

Katy’s Weblog

It’s quite an enigma to me why we remember certain rather useless things from our childhood, while probably forgetting a lot of important things.

I remember growing up when we had relatives over for dinner, my mother would start washing dishes right after dinner. My father would tell her to relax and enjoy the conversation with the relatives. Her response was, “It’s my job to wash the dishes. If I relax now, I will still have to wash them later. I would rather do it now to get it out of the way.”

Every time I look at the dishes in the sink, or at a chore I have to do, I remember what my mother said. Sometimes I would try to do it quickly to get it out of the way. But at other times, her words inspires me to do the opposite. “It is my job, and that means I can choose to do it now or later. I’ll do it later.”

Either way, my mother’s words had an influence on me. 🙂

Dream

Filed under My dreamsby Joyful

I dreamt last night that I was having a baby. My water broke but the baby wasn’t coming out.

Then I woke up and had to go to the bathroom. A full bladder probably explained why I had that dream.

If I had to do it again, I would plan my life to adopt a child after I had my own. I’ve had fleeting thoughts of adopting, but it was more just wishful thinking without intentional planning.

I thought adoption was only for women who could not have their own biological children. So when I thought of adopting, I did not let the idea take root because I thought it was ridiculous to adopt since I was rather fertile in being able to conceive my own children. But recently, I met a few families who are in the process of adopting or have adopted after having their own children. I also have been listening to Family Life and Dennis Rainey is very big on adoption; his own family has 4 biological children and 1 adopted child – and he can’t remember which one is adopted, he says.

I would’ve wanted to adopt a little African baby with cute tight curls and long eye lashes, and give him a name that sounds Chinese like Bruce Lee  🙂

It’s been said that a good counselor is someone who has gone through a lot of pain him/herself. I think it is true.

Most mental health professionals go into their line of work because they’ve gone through some hard times, and want to help others. They genuinely want to help people and can help them overcome difficulties as they have.

2 Corithians 1:3-4 is right – …the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

A friend of mine whom I value as a very good counselor had a very difficult life growing up. Her mother is bipolar, a very dysfunctional family, parents were divorced when she was young, faced extreme financial hardships, acted as a surrogate mother to her younger siblings. By God’s grace, she is well-adjusted today. But I am sure it was a difficult journey.

All these experiences has given her sharp insight into the human experience. But her skill as a counselor did not come overnight. And it came at a cost.

My favorite Bible teacher Dottie used to say, God doesn’t waste anything. Whatever we are going through, God has a purpose. Maybe it’s to help someone else, maybe it’s to help you grow in ways you wouldn’t have otherwise, maybe it’s so that you can be a counselor to someone someday.

Our experiences in life are never meaningless.

Ever wonder how God can use you in a significant way? Even an average Joe like you? In Outlive Your Life, Max Lucado gives an excellent perspective on living a life of “goodness that outlives the grave, love that outlasts the final breath.”outlive your life

I expected this book to be just another inspirational book on living for God. But Max Lucado always surprises me. The stories he tells are not only entertaining and heartwarming, they illustrate how we as common people, can live a life that impacts others.

The book is also full of practical suggestions. How to be generous, to work with others, withstand criticism, practice humility – these are some of the major concepts that were explained clearly in each chapter. A verse and prayer follow each chapter help the reader internalize the concepts.

Max Lucado has a way of making Biblical truth come alive and get down to where we live. I always enjoy reading his books and come away spiritually refreshed.

Disclosure:  Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for this review. Opinions are entirely my own.

I always thought the role of Counselor Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation, was ridiculous. They need someone on the team to understand people’s feelings? I thought her function was rather useless because her insights are often obvious. Her telepathic abilities comes up with something like – I feel that the people on the planet do not like to be invaded. Duh!

But recently, I’m finding myself as a sort of Counselor Troi (sans her shapeliness, unfortunately). While dealing with various issues of my dad’s stroke and relocation, I am the sibling who gets emotional. I am the one who says things like, “We have to consider his feelings and what he wants.” While my brother and sisters are ready to take action to do what we think is best for him, I interject with, “Let’s look at it from his point of view. Is it what he would want?”

I sound like Deanna Troi.

There was a time I considered being a counselor. I took a few counseling classes, but decided it would be too emotionally draining. It is draining enough in my work as a real estate agent. I experience with my clients the anguish and excitement of buying and selling a home. I work as if I am doing it for myself. Everyone’s experiences become my own.

Maybe Counselor Troi’s role is useful after all.

Jesus calls us to be servants – the greatest is the servant of all.

I don’t mind being a servant, if I am the one who volunteers and chooses to be a servant.  I determine what I will or will not do.

But I don’t like to be forced to be a servant – when someone orders me around, or when I am forced to perform menial tasks. I don’t like to be pushed to beyond my boundaries. But that in fact is the true spirit of servanthood.

Servanthood on my terms is not servanthood at all. I am counted as very little in God’s Kingdom.

This means that when circumstances forces me to humble myself, to take some abuse, I should not complain or be indignant. It really is an opportunity to exemplify true servanthood and climb the ladder of success in God’s Kingdom.