As much as I enjoyed the downtime, with family, celebrating every moment of the holidays; I am glad to be back to a sense of normalcy and productivity. Hope that doesn’t mean I’m too terribly weird. Mr. M. might disagree and say I was already weird… But I digress.
As I pick up the pace and try to play catch up at the office today, my thoughts are occasionally on my brother who has been searching for that ‘back to normal’ feeling for weeks. He started a group therapy program today and I am hopeful this will lead him down the path to get to some sense of normalcy himself.
Interestingly, yesterday in church my pastor preached on the passage from Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. He broke it down to show that we have an important personal contribution in this statement. We have to make the choice to do something… whatever it is for us specifically…. first, and then rely on the strength from Christ (the divine directive). In his message, he relayed that we need to take steps to move forward up that mountain, or stopping that habit, or acquiring that goal… before He (Christ) can show up and provide us the strength to get through it. And he goes on to say we shouldn’t use the word “can’t” but instead use the word can. If we choose to say ‘can’t’ then in essence we are saying we “won’t” do something… not that we cannot do that something.
I thought this was very profound and ended up praying for my brother and ingested for myself this concept which hit home the very thing I have been trying to share with my brother from the start in his current crisis. When I got home I called him and shared about the message my pastor preached. Later I found out from my brother – his pastor preached about the very same thing that morning at his church. Wow, if that isn’t God trying to tell him something, I don’t know what else it could be.
He is taking steps, moving forward through therapy and even asking about other avenues of medical help from his counselor. I am proud of him. He has a mountain to climb to get over this… whatever this is and in dealing with the his job and the aftermath of his decisions, but he is taking it one step, one boulder, one moment of the climb at a time.
What are the mountains you are facing in 2010?
What are YOU going to do about them?
Find yourself… keeping it real.
3 comments:
That verse - Phil 4:13 - was the quote I used in my highschool senior year album.
I love it and that is awesome how your pastor broke it down. So very true.
I'm struggling with many mountains that I need God's help to conquer. One of those is my struggle to COMPLETE projects. I love starting projects, but I hate finishing them.
Oh and also... you're not weird... i feel exactly the same way this Monday.
I wish your brother the best of luck :)! Thank you for answering my post questions :)!
Welcome back from your downtime vacation& hope you enjoyed it! &Hope you`ll have a good 2010!
There are plenty of mountain I must accomplish this year, &what I`m going to do, is to not give up on them.
Take care!
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