Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Leap of Faith

Preparing to make a leap of faith - in baby steps... I am all signed up to take a pre-retirement leave of absence for the next two years. At the end of that time, I'll be eligible for early retirement. This will be the first time I haven't earned my own living since I graduated from college. DH is completely supportive, excited, and has been campaigning for this moment for a LONG time. I'm very excited, and terrified, like the sleepless nights before going to sleep-away camp. What will life be like when I don't have to get up and go to work five days a week? What will life be like without my income? When will my creative juices get stirred up, and what form will the creativity take?
And mostly...what does the Lord want me to do with the time and energy that will be freed up in 55 days?

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Bible verse for pondering

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is...His good, pleasing and perfect will.

One way to see this...
Don't get your values from TV shows, advertising, magazine articles. They don't measure true. When you want to measure something very accurately, you get a calibrated tool from the toolroom, one that is calibrated against an absolute standard to assure that it measures true. Trying to use a stretchy tape measure won't necessarily give you an accurate number (it might by accident!), but using a precise scale will.
By not trying to conform to the values of this world (he who dies with the most toys wins), we can become aware of God's values. They provide us with a more accurate way to value how we spend our resources - time, money, energy - to achieve authentic happiness.