Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 154). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But so many people want it to be.   They never want changes.   They want to balance their life.   But Larry says, “Life is not static.   It goes through seasons, some predictable and some catching us by surprise. Each has its own responsibilities and assignments.”   That is reality. He says, “During harvest the farmer had better reap. Family, friends, rest, and spiritual reflection might all be important, but if the crops aren't brought in on time, they'll rot in the field. Harvest isn't a time for balanced living. It's a time for something that looks a lot like workaholism.” My son is in Law School right now.   He is doing a good job at spending time with his family but his life is out of balance.   ...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 140). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Larry shares how he came to this conclusion.   He said, “At some point—I don't know exactly when—I just gave up. I decided I'd had enough of trying to live up to the best of everyone and everything. It was a smart move. Once I stepped back, I realized that most of my motivation to emulate all the strengths and traits I admired in others didn't come from listening to the voice of God. It came from trying to please friends and mentors who all assumed that their calling must be my calling.” We do that don’t we? He goes on, “I was surprised by the new sense of freedom and renewed focus I experienced once I no longer felt the need to match up to everyone else's best practices of the Christian faith. I was finally free to foc...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 138). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Somehow that thought for some will lift a great load off of their shoulders.   For others it relieves a lot of guilt.   Larry says, “Nowhere are we given the responsibility to become proficient in all the strengths and skills he's granted to others (gifts and capacities that perfectly align with their God-given assignment, but often have little to do with ours).” He gives a great example of this, “Imagine a professional golfer all worked up over his inability to consistently kick field goals. Imagine him spending hours trying to perfect the difficult skill of accurately kicking a football. We'd question our golfer friend's sanity; write him off as a fool. Anyone gifted to be a professional golfer needs to spend the bulk of...