Angela Benson
Today marks the beginning of the second week of our Purpose Driven Life journey. Even though I’ve been through week one before (as have many of you), the readings still gave me something to think about. What struck me deepest were the chapters on metaphors for life on earth. Pastor Warren gave three: live as a test, life as a trust, and life as a temporary assignment. I don’t think I fully grasp these three.
Life as a test. This one I get. God allows for situations that test our faith. The goal is not for us to fail, but for us to pass so that our faith is increased. (He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we’re able to withstand.) The more we see God come through for us, the easier it becomes for us to believe that He will come through for us.
Life as a trust. Now this one is deep. It reminds us that all we have on this earth is on loan to us and God is watching how we handle it. So I don’t have to worry about keeping things; I’ll have what God wants me to have.
Life as a temporary assignment. This is probably the hardest to grasp even though I know it’s true in my heart and mind. The time that we spend on earth is but a fraction of eternity. When compared to eternity, the time we spend on earth is nothing. If that’s the case, why do I allow things to stress me out? Sorta dumb, isn’t it?
My goal for the coming weeks is to keep these three in mind (test, trust, and temporary assignment) and assess the events of my life by them. So as I face situations throughout the day, I’ll assign them to a category to help me understand what God is doing. This will serve to remind me that what happens on earth can only be understood in light of God’s plan for me on earth. I’ll let you know how it plays out.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming week. Let’s get started. If you get some time, share what you learned this week. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.
Blessings!
I absolutely loved this book! Nice to see someone blogging about it. All the best to you in 2007.
Thanks for stopping by,Holly. We’re enjoying the book.
I’m having a hard time really thinking about the points he suggests. I’ve got so much else on my mind so that I’m already behind. Actually I read the first few days ahead and when I got the library book, I saw that he made it quite clear about not rushing ahead.
So I’ll just do as much as I can.
I was wondering about what I’m not satisfied about. I’m not upset about not having good looks or anything like that. It’s my procrastinating, my frustration, the stress as you already mention that I allow to overwhelm me. Yesterday I was really frustrated by several facts:
1. That the carpet cleaners that were to come yesterday, as per landlord, failed to even call.
2. That he thinks it’s my duty to pay for the cleaning.
3. That he’s made no real move to get the problem of the malfunctioning refrigerator cleared up as far as the fact goes that I used up almost double the budgeted amount of money.
4. That he now tells me I’ll have to find someone to move my heavy things because he can’t even find anyone to help him.
All that is overwhelming me so much that I read the daily reading and that’s it. My mind is immediately reoccupied by what I need to do to move out of here by Jan. 31. I’m not really being productive in any way. I need to study the daily reading more, read it several times and think of all the implications.
I guess what I’ll do is read it through and think about it as much as I can and then go back later and really study it.
I am reading and praying about the questions and I must confess I feel petty admitting that I am struggling with accepting my health and financial circumstances.
My hubby and I are both on social security disability incomes and I get a small government pension. Between the two of us we pay rent, utilities and car insurance but have a constant struggle to keep up with rxs – 15 of them – dr visits and food. Our health insurance just went up $160+ per month, we don’t qualify for ANY KIND of assistance because social services says our income is to high, and most of the clothes we have are hand-me-downs from friends at church.
God has always made a way and others don’t have as much income as we do and they have kids. We are truly blessed but it is HARD to remember how blessed we are when we are constantly juggling and trying to keep things from being turned off.
I am a college student, trying to make a positive difference in our life and start a business to make a positive difference in other’s lives. So far everything I have tried ends up making things worse. I am trying to ‘let go and let God’ but the stress is just an extra burden.
I’m sure you know thissince you read this far but, I need all the prayers I can get.
Sigrun and Charlotte, my prayers are with you both. I know the struggle because I’ve faced the struggle–both with PDL and with finances–and still face them. I’ll post more tomorrow (I know I’m behind).
Know that I love you both but God loves you more and even though sometimes it looks like He doesn’t, He knows your situation and is taking care of it. Just hold on!
Angela
Thank you for your kind words and prayers Angela.
Sigrun, I was not ignoring you and your plight. You are definetly in my prayers. IWe live in an apartment too and for signing a year’s lease we were supposed to get a free carpet cleaning -which I think should not be listed as a ‘bonus’, but something they do when needed. Anyway, they waited 2 1/2 months and the day before they came they stuck a flyer on our door to tell us they wouldn’t move anything. Well who was going to move furniture, my husband with the damaged heart, or me, my neurological, and my scooter???
I know that was nothing like your refrigerator problem but I wanted to let you know that I feel for you. Hopefully, things are getting better but just remember Angela and I- and many others – are praying for you and God takes care of His children even when we cannot see that care.
The only way I know to get past some of the saddest times in my life is to COUNT MY BLESSINGS – NAME THEM ONE-BY-ONE!!!
You are so right, Charlotte! We do have to focus on the blessings because it’s so easy for us to lose sight of them in the midst of the of needs that we see as going unmet.
I thank all of you for your prayers and am praying for you too. I’m glad to know some of the problems others have so it doesn’t feel as if I’m the only one. It’s so hard to count blessings when the only one is that you know God is holding us in the palm of his hand while other people criticize your weakness. I do have my pastor and his wife who have gone through a lot of problems of their own including the misdiagnosis of their second son’s illness and his death before he was 10. He is a very compassionate person and freely admits his own sins and failings. He’s actually retired but still stays active where he can.
Please pray for a resolution of the hydro problem. It seems that since my landlord did pay the $35 for the carpet cleaning and his nephews came to help me move the heaviest furniture for about an hour, he thinks his duty is done. He’s been “a help to me” and is even giving me a ratty old table. I guess all this is to make me forget about the hydro. I keep wondering now if it’s worth going after half of the over $600 or not. He keeps saying that he wants to go to the hydro office with me and talk to the people there about it. I told him that the employees there told me that there is no way to see anybody there but I can call them and ask them to give him the information he needs right here on my phone after I’ve verified his identity. Yesterday he called to ask if the “boys” had been here and didn’t say a word about the hydro, just more or less said “Well, then everything’s all right”. Is it the Christian thing to go after what his defective fridge cost me or shall I just say, “It’s God’s will that I pay this.”
Please pray for an answer to this.
Charlotte, I can see that our health and financial situations seem to be the biggest problems for both of us. I’ve been on disability for going on 12 years now. I can quite understand your problems about moving things. I’ve got things here in the basement and the landlord asked me to put all my things in one spot and his in another so that he can have his thrown away–except for said table. I’ve told him umpteen times that there is no way I can move these things by myself. So when the people come to get the garbage down in the basement, I have to be there the whole time to make sure that they don’t take any of my things but all of the landlord’s. I also have two cans of paint upstairs in the apartment. What am I supposed to do with that? It seems that everybody always does just half the job.
I hope very much, Charlotte, that you were able to solve the problem of moving the furniture. That’s the reason why I wanted to get it done before I moved in.
Again thanks so much for praying for me. Please tell me what in particular all of you need prayer for. I also want to sort out a lot of my stuff but that’s not going too well either. I definitely need to ask God for help in getting rid of the non-essentials. I always think, “Oh, maybe I’ll need this some time.” It was a mentality that was formed during and just after the war when everything was reused and recycled like one of my mother’s coats. When it was getting too shabby for her, my mother made one for me. When I grew out of it, she made one for my doll. Even in our throwaway society, I try to keep any and everything that might still be of value and use.
My arms and fingers are starting to let me down on my makeshift desk.
God bless all of you for praying for me and may he help you in all of your daily problems. I know that in the scheme of things my problems are infinitesimal but after 12 years of this kind of thing and especially the last 16 months of extra stress, I’m praying for some peace and quiet for just a little time at least.
I hope very much, Charlotte, that you were able to solve the problem of moving the furniture.
Unfortunately, I did not find a solution. When the man came I just told him we are both disabled and cannot move the furniture and he left. Fortunately, the carpet is not to bad.
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I definitely need to ask God for help in getting rid of the non-essentials.
I also have that problem of not throwing anything away. People give me clothes and say – if you can’t wear them give them away or throw them out but I never want to throw out things that are good. And I don’t want to give them to an organization that will sell them because they were given to me.
Just saying this ‘out loud’ makes me think when I come home from school tomorrow I need call the nearest church and have them pick this stuff up. We live in a two-bedroom apartment and don’t deserve to have it cluttered like this. God loves us and we need to love ourselves.
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Is it the Christian thing to go after what his defective fridge cost me or shall I just say, “It’s God’s will that I pay this.”
As a Christian we are supposed to be MEEK not WEAK. We are not doormats for every abusive landlord that comes along. Standing up for yourself in this situation would not be wrong. Yes pray about it so you do not dishonour Christ by losing your temper and cussing at him, but let him know that you expect him to pay his share – and that you will not just let it drop.
Charlotte