Sometimes You Just Deal with It
Life Lesson
If you are one of my loyal readers, you know I'm a tad bit late getting this to you today. I can list off all the excuses, and trust me, they are valid. But the biggest is, I was going to use part of a talk I'm giving in Connecticut this week on "Living and Leading When the Pressure is On." Subtitle, "It's Always On". Get over the fact I end with a preposition and think about the meaning. :-) Because it is always on, right?
A lot of you are newer to this blog and you may not know much about me. I'm a wife to Michael who is an animator/designer for a major cable network. I'm a mom to Price, a 12-year-old boy who is wise beyond his years. I'm a leader at work. I run one of the nation's most prestigious newsrooms. I also lead in my church where I am an elder. My passion project is this. I write. I actually speak and write. I like to share "Life Lessons". Some of those lessons I wish I learned in church, but I didn't because I didn't experience leadership opportunities until I was older, primarily because I'm a woman. Some of those lessons are because we just don't talk about certain things in church circles. And some of those lessons I learned outside of the church walls just because it was in newsrooms that I learned how to juggle my faith, family and career.
I honestly felt like there weren't a lot of women of faith who were out there, talking to me. So, I decided to join the women who were and spark conversation. All of that is a big wind up to share one of my biggest life lessons. Sometimes you just deal with it. I'm writing this blog late because I lost my entire talk for this week. My "one drive" apparently wasn't syncing and it's gone. Ugh! I know what my Saturday will be now. I write better under deadline anyway, and it will keep my mind off of some other stuff going on. I'll just deal with it and move on. That's all I can do, right?
I've also had a lot of health challenges in my life. Cancer twice. Technically three times, if you count skin cancer. Hodgkins Lymphoma and Breast Cancer. I still deal with a lot of fall-out from treatments and the fact that I have a body that just doesn't tolerate much. People call me strong with the way I have dealt with things and continue to deal with things. I'm not. I am weak. It is in Him I am strong.
I am reminded of that every time something comes up. When I try to deal with it all on my own, I get all crazy and not focused. When I remember there is something greater than me in control and holding my hand the entire way, I am OK. While sitting in my office yesterday, I have to admit I was having a moment of feeling sorry for myself. I decided to sort through a stack of papers sitting on my desk. In those papers I found a bracelet. It had the word "breathe". With that, I took a breath. Then, I looked up at what I have hanging from my lamp in my office. There, I saw the word, "faith".
Breathe. Faith. Take a deep breath. Have faith that there is always a plan greater than you understand. That is how you move on.
It's not that God doesn't give you more than you can handle. That's not what the Bible says. People are basing that saying off of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which is a verse that explains God will always give you a way out of temptation.
The fact of the matter is, there is a lot in life that is more than you can bear if you try to do it all on your own. Strength comes from Him. The one who gives us life. I like how the NLT version puts it in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "9 “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
So, my "Life Lesson" for the week is something I've learned from just dealing with a lot of "stuff". Sometimes you have to deal with it. You give it to Him. Know there is a bigger picture. In knowing that, you can deal with it, and move on.
I'm thinking maybe my first version of my talk needed to be reworked. I'm going to deal with it and just get it done. I'll talk to you all next week
