I'm not exactly sure how to begin this blog. God has been showing me so many things lately that I'm unsure how to form the words to compose a sentence that will relay to you what I'm trying to say. But, I guess that the only place I know where to begin is God's grace. I feel like recently I have experienced His grace and mercy so much more than I ever have. Some of the circumstances He has used to show me these beautiful attributes of Himself have been stressful and confusing, but now that I have started to see and feel Him in such a raw and uninhibited way, I'm so thankful for those circumstances. I don't understand Him. He is too good and I don't deserve His love or the relationship with Him that He eagerly awaits to experience with me everyday. I fail Him so often. I forget about Him so often. I take Him for granted, but He still provides. I think I know what is best, but He continues to show me His plan and timing are so perfect.
I'm at this point where I just don't know what the next step is or where I'm supposed to be. This has been such a journey for me. I have never felt this way before, if I'm being completely honest. I'm trying to figure out where God wants me and where I can be used. It has been such a lonely process at times. But, He has placed so many people in my life that encourage me, pray for me and, most of all, just want to be there for me. Some of those people might not even realize the affect they have had on me. I've truly started to realize that we are made for relationships. We can't do this alone. Most of the time I try to do this life on my own. I want to feel strong enough by not needing people to rely on. But I couldn't be more wrong. I need communication with other people. I need someone to laugh with after an exhausting day. I'm beyond thankful for the people that have poured their time, energy and love on me.
I realize this blog was quite random, but is a taste of what God is doing in my life right now. He is showering me in His grace and using people in my life to show me His love for me. Wonderful.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Working Hard or Hardly Working?
Lately I have been doing a great deal of thinking for a proper definition of hard work. I know this appears to be a simple answer, but I can't help but wonder if this definition has changed over the course of a few generations. Let me explain.
When I started my job this summer, the university had this seminar (for lack of a better term) examining this generation of students that we would be working with for the upcoming year and how their attitudes toward life will affect their college decision making process. It took a look at the current generation and the two generations preceeding it. The students of this generation were described as taking longer to become self-reliant, having a sense of entitlement to anything they think they deserve and desiring quick success with little effort. This description has been on mind since that day in August, and possibly so because I am grouped into that generation.
The more I think about it, the more I see it. If we want to lose weight, we simply take a pill. We learn how to do the minimal just to get by, whether it is school, work, relationships, etc. Often times commitment to people or organizations are nonexsitent due to the fear that someone might actually expect something from them, ie. responsibility. So, is this true? Do teenagers and young adults not know the definition of hard work and/or are they practicing it? Even worse, do they care? I know, of course, that this is all based on the overall and not everyone lumped into this category has this mindset, but still I think it is something worth further observation.
As I ponder these things I refer back to my original question of hard work. Is hard work doing what you are told and then going home at the end of the day? Or, is it doing what you're told to the best of your ability? Or, is it doing what you're told to the best of your ability AND going above and beyond when necessary? Would a "hard worker" complain when having to do a task that is not his or her job? Or, would he or she lend a hand if that meant the job would be completed? As I type these questions I admittedly am unsure of my answers. Of course I know which answers I would like to pick, but do they definitively describe my work ethic? Are they the adjectives that reflect my work habits and attitudes? I do not know. In addition to all this pondering, is it true that this generation, I, expect the best even if when the time has not been served?
So many things to think about. My hope and desire for this generation, for myself, is that we would examine this topic of hard work in each of our lives. That we take responsibility, neglect laziness in exchange for determination and discipline and surrender our need to "keep up with the Joneses".
When I started my job this summer, the university had this seminar (for lack of a better term) examining this generation of students that we would be working with for the upcoming year and how their attitudes toward life will affect their college decision making process. It took a look at the current generation and the two generations preceeding it. The students of this generation were described as taking longer to become self-reliant, having a sense of entitlement to anything they think they deserve and desiring quick success with little effort. This description has been on mind since that day in August, and possibly so because I am grouped into that generation.
The more I think about it, the more I see it. If we want to lose weight, we simply take a pill. We learn how to do the minimal just to get by, whether it is school, work, relationships, etc. Often times commitment to people or organizations are nonexsitent due to the fear that someone might actually expect something from them, ie. responsibility. So, is this true? Do teenagers and young adults not know the definition of hard work and/or are they practicing it? Even worse, do they care? I know, of course, that this is all based on the overall and not everyone lumped into this category has this mindset, but still I think it is something worth further observation.
As I ponder these things I refer back to my original question of hard work. Is hard work doing what you are told and then going home at the end of the day? Or, is it doing what you're told to the best of your ability? Or, is it doing what you're told to the best of your ability AND going above and beyond when necessary? Would a "hard worker" complain when having to do a task that is not his or her job? Or, would he or she lend a hand if that meant the job would be completed? As I type these questions I admittedly am unsure of my answers. Of course I know which answers I would like to pick, but do they definitively describe my work ethic? Are they the adjectives that reflect my work habits and attitudes? I do not know. In addition to all this pondering, is it true that this generation, I, expect the best even if when the time has not been served?
So many things to think about. My hope and desire for this generation, for myself, is that we would examine this topic of hard work in each of our lives. That we take responsibility, neglect laziness in exchange for determination and discipline and surrender our need to "keep up with the Joneses".
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