Another interesting week...
As always, by Friday mornings I am pretty much wiped out from the week. This week has been one of those weeks of watching friends over the years deal with the pain of divorse, family challenges, job changes, conflicts at home with their spouse or the relentless pressures of kids.
All this to say, life is hard at times. I find my week at work is mostly spent meeting with many people - friends, customers or family members that consistently say "I'm tired of... or I am just ready to give up." My heart goes out to these individuals because we live in a world that is harsh and says we need to do life on our own. What a lie, straight from the pit of Hell, Satan himself continues to try to destory our relationships we value and its very sad to see those relationship die.
The hope is God gracious and kind, one who seeks those that are hurting and begins to take their burdens and pain of doing life alone. Amazing if you stop and think about it - in spite of us and all the baggage we bring to the table, God still chooses to love us.
So that brings me back to "Good Intentions" - they are just that, nothing more, nothing less. However, when good intentions move to "action" then things begin to change.
If I commit to leading my family, I need not tell my wife I am going to make her and the kids my priority; rather, I need to "do it" - show up on time for dinner, date nights with my wife, teaching the boys to become men that honor their own wives and so on.... These are simple words to say, but hard to do on a consistent and regular basis. At the end of the day, our spouse, friends or other family members will let you know how you have done, not by words, but the intentional actions that you have delivered on a regular basis.
My point, whether its your family, friends, work or personal habits - it starts with you. Move from good intentions, to becoming an individual that is very intentional with your actions and watch what your world begins to look like. God is good, He gives grace to the humble and despises the proud.
Where are you? Start today leading by your actions and the outcomes you desire will soon follow...
Your Friend in Christ, Ron.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Age of Inferiority - Why do we say what we say?
Ron’s Reflection of the Day:
Last night, Adam (age 11) and I were doing week number 4 together, a study from Focus on the Family - Preparing for Adolescence by Chuck Swindoll. He was talking about when we are teenagers how we can run through certain seasons in our lives as young adults that he calls “Age of Inferiority.” A time when other teenagers put other children down or take personal attacks on a child and start labeling the child in a negative way…” After processing this idea and talking it through with Adam, the study then had you calculate the number of times people say negative or hurtful things about you. So here are the calculations we can up with last night:
On average, Adam and I took a guess that people will say at least 1 hurtful thing over the course of a day;
On average, we decide to use just 5 days per week, hence: 1 hurtful comment x 5 days a week = 5 hurtful things are said to a person on average per week;
5 hurtful comments X 52 weeks per year = 260 hurtful comments per year
260 hurtful comments per year X 7 years for my son (Age 11 – 18) = 1820 hurtful comments from other people over the course of his adolescent years. Ouch!
The Point:
As I reflected on my conversation with Adam yesterday regarding the 1820 hurtful things someone is going to say to my son over the next 7-years. I immediately thought of myself, how as an adult at 38 years of age – how am I doing? Does this continue today as an adult? If I am honest, it probably is double, especially during the current economic climate that we all live in. So next time your ready to fire off something that hurtful, may you be quick to listen, but slow to speak.
Have a good day, Ron.
PS - Here is the link to the study:
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/schoolage_children/prepare_for_adolescence/physical_changes_and_inferiority.aspx
Last night, Adam (age 11) and I were doing week number 4 together, a study from Focus on the Family - Preparing for Adolescence by Chuck Swindoll. He was talking about when we are teenagers how we can run through certain seasons in our lives as young adults that he calls “Age of Inferiority.” A time when other teenagers put other children down or take personal attacks on a child and start labeling the child in a negative way…” After processing this idea and talking it through with Adam, the study then had you calculate the number of times people say negative or hurtful things about you. So here are the calculations we can up with last night:
On average, Adam and I took a guess that people will say at least 1 hurtful thing over the course of a day;
On average, we decide to use just 5 days per week, hence: 1 hurtful comment x 5 days a week = 5 hurtful things are said to a person on average per week;
5 hurtful comments X 52 weeks per year = 260 hurtful comments per year
260 hurtful comments per year X 7 years for my son (Age 11 – 18) = 1820 hurtful comments from other people over the course of his adolescent years. Ouch!
The Point:
As I reflected on my conversation with Adam yesterday regarding the 1820 hurtful things someone is going to say to my son over the next 7-years. I immediately thought of myself, how as an adult at 38 years of age – how am I doing? Does this continue today as an adult? If I am honest, it probably is double, especially during the current economic climate that we all live in. So next time your ready to fire off something that hurtful, may you be quick to listen, but slow to speak.
Have a good day, Ron.
PS - Here is the link to the study:
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/schoolage_children/prepare_for_adolescence/physical_changes_and_inferiority.aspx
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