Life Teen retreat coming up this weekend...in a couple hours, actually. I know it's going to be really good, especially because the past couple days...week(s)...months...have been pretty challenging. It's really tempting to focus so much on myself, on feeling frustrated about work or my schedule or whatever else, and not be truly present on the retreat. I know that God is bigger though, and that He is always faithful, so I can lay down all of those burdens/worries/etc. at His feet.
Keep us in prayer this weekend! Come Holy Spirit. :-)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
It's that time again
I feel like I ought to write something. List format seems the least intimidating right now, so here goes:
- I need a break, majorly.
- Consequently, I'm really really glad to get away to VA to visit some munchkins (and their parents) for a couple days
- My schedule is challenging but...uh....good for me, I guess. Or something.
- Spring is coming! It might be a while away yet, but it's surely on its way :-)
A while back I said that Much-Afraid from Hind's Feet on High Places and I have a lot in common right now. I've been reading that book again in little bits lately, and I've been realizing how true that is. Here's a little gem that I read the other day:
"I love doing preposterous things," he replied. "Why, I don't know anything more exhilarating and delightful than turning weakness into strength, and fear into faith, and that which has been marred into perfection."
- I need a break, majorly.
- Consequently, I'm really really glad to get away to VA to visit some munchkins (and their parents) for a couple days
- My schedule is challenging but...uh....good for me, I guess. Or something.
- Spring is coming! It might be a while away yet, but it's surely on its way :-)
A while back I said that Much-Afraid from Hind's Feet on High Places and I have a lot in common right now. I've been reading that book again in little bits lately, and I've been realizing how true that is. Here's a little gem that I read the other day:
"I love doing preposterous things," he replied. "Why, I don't know anything more exhilarating and delightful than turning weakness into strength, and fear into faith, and that which has been marred into perfection."
Monday, February 21, 2011
Snow storms, long hours, and the like
The hospital never stops. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't always cooperate with that. Yesterday at work, the charge nurse said those fatal words to me..."Do you want to stay over? We're desperately short..." I waffled for a little while, but...how do you say no to that? Especially when everybody says the roads are bad. So, I said yes.
An incredible thing happens after midnight at the hospital. All of a sudden the frantic pace slows. It's quiet. Patients are sleeping, at least in theory. There aren't a million things to do at every given moment. The lights are dimmer. It's quiet. There's time for conversation with coworkers. It's peaceful. Granted, I'm sure it isn't always this way, but it is definitely a different pace. Then 6am happens. I have to give heparin shots, finish up charting, and try to avoid the fifty people in white coats suddenly appearing out of the woodwork. Suddenly everything is loud and busy and overwhelming and I need to get out of there.
By the end of it, I was awake for over 24 hours straight and very ready for bed.
An incredible thing happens after midnight at the hospital. All of a sudden the frantic pace slows. It's quiet. Patients are sleeping, at least in theory. There aren't a million things to do at every given moment. The lights are dimmer. It's quiet. There's time for conversation with coworkers. It's peaceful. Granted, I'm sure it isn't always this way, but it is definitely a different pace. Then 6am happens. I have to give heparin shots, finish up charting, and try to avoid the fifty people in white coats suddenly appearing out of the woodwork. Suddenly everything is loud and busy and overwhelming and I need to get out of there.
By the end of it, I was awake for over 24 hours straight and very ready for bed.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
That was the craziest couple of days at work that I've had in quite a while. Busy, just crazy busy. I am so grateful for a weekend off to recover. Something I've been pondering a bit lately...
I was talking to a friend of mine a while ago about how there's a lot of freedom in obedience. When I don't have a choice about something, all of a sudden I'm not indecisive anymore. I don't have time to be. I don't have time to let nervousness or fear keep me from doing something. In the moment it can be stressful, but it's rather incredible to look back later and think, Wow, I did that. I just did it. Now I'm beginning to understand the value of obedience. It makes it a whole lot easier to do something that I feel uncomfortable with. I think that's God's mercy to me, because I am being stretched majorly in so many ways at work. At least I can be confident that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing...Somebody else is in charge. And boy, is that a good thing!
I was talking to a friend of mine a while ago about how there's a lot of freedom in obedience. When I don't have a choice about something, all of a sudden I'm not indecisive anymore. I don't have time to be. I don't have time to let nervousness or fear keep me from doing something. In the moment it can be stressful, but it's rather incredible to look back later and think, Wow, I did that. I just did it. Now I'm beginning to understand the value of obedience. It makes it a whole lot easier to do something that I feel uncomfortable with. I think that's God's mercy to me, because I am being stretched majorly in so many ways at work. At least I can be confident that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing...Somebody else is in charge. And boy, is that a good thing!
Friday, January 14, 2011
In the (snowy) desert
"The desert not only reveals the truth about yourself but it also transforms you internally, and polarises your attitudes. The gift of the desert lets you overcome lukewarmness, because the desert forces you to make choices."
"The desert is the place and time for separating oneself from attachments, from one's own systems of security. A person wandering in the desert has nothing. His life's situation is uncertain, he has not securities, he lacks everything. He who crosses the desert experiences the necessity of being satisfied with what he receives from God and the necessity of awaiting everything from Him. He experiences the necessity of relying solely on God, because God wants to become everything for the traveller through the desert."
"In the desert, you come to know God who never abandons you. It is true the God hides Himself in the desert, but in reality He is very close to you. God is never closer to you than He is then. He waits only for your faith. He waits for you in faith, to stretch our your arms to Him."
- Fr. Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith
These quotes really struck a chord with me when I was reading this book a few days ago. It's hard to describe, but I realized that what I've been feeling lately is ok. The desert. Right. Everyone talks about it, and I know I've experienced dry times that are rather desert-like before, but this is a different kind of desert for me, I think. Currently, my schedule has forced me to be a little bit more isolated, and that's not something that I'm used to. For the first time, I find myself facing a choice to deal with feeling isolated by: a) retreating even more into myself, relying on my own "strength", or b) making the choice to trust that God is present here and the He knows what He is about.
Realizing that I'm in the desert doesn't make it easier in one sense, because I still feel isolated and I'm beginning to realize just how much growing I have to do. At the same time, it is very relieving, because I know that there's a purpose for what I'm going through. I think I need to re-read Hinds' Feet on High Places though. I'm pretty sure Much-Afraid had to learn some of the same lessons I am right now.
"The desert is the place and time for separating oneself from attachments, from one's own systems of security. A person wandering in the desert has nothing. His life's situation is uncertain, he has not securities, he lacks everything. He who crosses the desert experiences the necessity of being satisfied with what he receives from God and the necessity of awaiting everything from Him. He experiences the necessity of relying solely on God, because God wants to become everything for the traveller through the desert."
"In the desert, you come to know God who never abandons you. It is true the God hides Himself in the desert, but in reality He is very close to you. God is never closer to you than He is then. He waits only for your faith. He waits for you in faith, to stretch our your arms to Him."
- Fr. Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith
These quotes really struck a chord with me when I was reading this book a few days ago. It's hard to describe, but I realized that what I've been feeling lately is ok. The desert. Right. Everyone talks about it, and I know I've experienced dry times that are rather desert-like before, but this is a different kind of desert for me, I think. Currently, my schedule has forced me to be a little bit more isolated, and that's not something that I'm used to. For the first time, I find myself facing a choice to deal with feeling isolated by: a) retreating even more into myself, relying on my own "strength", or b) making the choice to trust that God is present here and the He knows what He is about.
Realizing that I'm in the desert doesn't make it easier in one sense, because I still feel isolated and I'm beginning to realize just how much growing I have to do. At the same time, it is very relieving, because I know that there's a purpose for what I'm going through. I think I need to re-read Hinds' Feet on High Places though. I'm pretty sure Much-Afraid had to learn some of the same lessons I am right now.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I'm bad at blogging
Kinda thought this might happen...haven't posted in a month or so...can't think of much to say...
Life's crazy, work's crazy, social life is nonexistent, God is good.
That's the current state of affairs, folks.
Life's crazy, work's crazy, social life is nonexistent, God is good.
That's the current state of affairs, folks.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
What a week!
Holy smokes....that was one interesting work week. I was telling a couple of my coworkers today that it's been the kind of week that you look back on and think, If I can handle that, I guess I can handle anything! Suffice it to say that it was very busy and very very stretching. But it's done. And I do feel like I could handle just about anything right now. Well...after a couple days off, that is. :-)
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