Saturday, April 29, 2006

 

 

Dear Family,

 

I know some of you have been under much stress of late. Stress is not good at my age or yours. In addition to killing us it destroys our peace, happiness and joy which are some of the more important qualities of life we all look for either knowingly or subconsciously. We try to substitute all sorts of things to get to that place where we think we will finally find what we are looking for.

 

There is a condition some call burnout for it renders one virtually unable to continue to meet or handle their responsibilities. Burnout causes one to feel they are overwhelmed with their tasks and sometimes life in general. It causes one to feel they need to do more but don't have the time or resources. It tends to make them feel there are too many and too great of demands on them and they just can't find the time to get organized enough to get them all done.

 

There is another condition I refer to as the quitter’s disease which is very contagious. It causes one to see the grass as always greener somewhere else. It tends to cause one to see reasons to quit everywhere and in everything. Sometimes if one really concentrates one can find reasons neither he nor anyone else has ever considered. This disease tends to spread especially when one sees someone else quitting or changing and seemingly discovering where the greenest grass is. 

 

Before one starts jumping or tearing down fences, they need to be sure that the other side is really where they want to be. One of life’s greatest cures is discovering what green is and where green is.  

 

A couple of years ago I considered some verses on this subject. The verses tend to point out that what we look for in life, though we call it happiness, is probably found in peace and joy. Those are some of the qualities God promises to give us when we spend more time concentrating  on Him and the things He feels is important rather than the things we think are important. He gives us all the talent and resources we need in order to accomplish what He designed us to do. We are to do what we know to do as best we can and the rest is His to do.

 

The best illustration I can give you is this: A young doctor was upset over losing a patient. While it is his responsibility to do all he knows to do, the life giving or taking is not his responsibility. Sometimes God says, “You have done your best, now the rest is up to me.”   

 

So look for the PEACE AND JOY for there you will find your place.

 

Love ya

 

Dad