I’m Growing….On Purpose

Who knew that when I headed for Austin on Saturday to be at my grandson’s baseball tournament and celebrate Father’s day with my son and his family, that I just might be growing more than I had planned on in this season of my life. But, I’ve learned that if we don’t want to grow stale, become dormant and start withering up like a plant, we need to KEEP GROWING on purpose.

The family was getting ready to go away a few days and were about to hire a couple of people to attend to Bryson’s animal kingdom while they were away. Since my time is flexible right now, I boldly exclaimed: “Let me do it!” So here I am – attending to 32 animals. Bryson, my 11-year-old trainer set out to model every detail of his animal responsibilities so that I would acquire his skills. Some say “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks" and I’ll admit – it’s taken some tough encounters with these animal friends that almost convinced me to quit and call in the REAL pros for the job.

Not being on high alert to an enormous longhorn, I got too close to his 6-feet horns wing-span and got whacked in the face. Then, not being the pro that Bryson is, I let the goats overpower me when I was taking their feed bowls out to them and got tangled up and fell. Then there are the chickens that a new brood of seven that has been added to the already 9-chickens. The nine are quite accommodating at night when they go into the chicken coop, but the seven haven’t adapted just yet to the nine and they have to be rustled up and individually caught and put into the coop. Needless to say, I thought this is too much for this gal to take on during this "mature" season of life.

BUT, then, as I always do when life seems to get overwhelming, I muster up those spiritual muscles and apply scriptures that are indelibly imprinted in my heart to remind me WHO I AM and WHOSE I am and I begin to declare “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) And, “I am MORE than a conqueror through Him Who loves me.” (Romans 8:37) And new vitality and vigor come inside me. Yesterday, was VICTORY day as each task I was able to handle with confidence and competence – even gathering up each chicken and putting them into the coop! Whoop! Whoop!

We all have treasures inside of us -- there are skills, talents, and potential that God put there, and it's up to us to grow and develop them. If we don't, we'll find that rocking chair or recliner and just switching channels on the remote control, becoming "that's all there is" to us. We will have stopped growing and when we do, we'll start dying to ambition, risk-taking, living life large, and refusing adventure and excitement.

I'm going to keep learning new skills, reading books, taking internet courses, going to seminars, gleaning from mentors – like my 11-year old Bryson. I refuse to coast through life. I'm purposing to make the moments count -- I'm going to keep on KEEPING ON...I am going to live and grow on purpose and help a lot of other folks GROW ON PURPOSE with me!!!

No Man is an Island, so Why Try to be One?

My Austin family recently acquired four more goats to add to the family's five goats, making it now a 9-member herd. One of the new goats was a loner from the start. He didn't hang with the rest of the herd and stayed at least 20-feet away from them. The family kept trying to bond them all together, but that one just wanted to go-it-alone. When they went out to feed them on Thursday, that one straying goat didn't come in with the rest and when they found him, he had been attacked by what they think was a mountain lion. A proper funeral and burial were given by the family with a gravesite covered in stone. No matter the species, it's not easy to deal with a loss in the family.

Remember the story in the Bible of the shepherd pursuing that one little lamb that strayed from the others? He left the 99 to go after that one who was also a bit rebellious and a loner. That shepherd knew that little lamb could fall in a pit or be prey to a predator. (Luke 15:4). God created the animal kingdom to be together and the human kingdom to be together. We all need each other. We need each other for caring, tenderness, hugs, touch and emotional support; connection, sharing love, learning and growing emotionally and spiritually; companionship — sharing fun and laughter, play, adventure and everyday life; for having each other's back. We thrive when we feel connected and supported by each other, and we suffer when connection and support are not available. We had these needs as babies and we never lose them.

King Solomon spoke to that in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his friend. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Like that precious little goat, some of us prefer to be loners and go-it-alone. But that's not what God planned for the human race or the animal kingdom. I’m sharing this today because I’m thinking about those who prefer to be alone for one reason or another, but the fact is, we need each other.

English poet, John Donne penned those words: "No man is an island", which paved the way for that beautiful song:
"No man is an island. No man stands alone.
Each man's joy is joy to me. Each man's grief is my own.
We need one another. So I will defend each man as my brother, each man as my friend.

I love my independence, and, particularly, this sweet season of life that I'm in. But, independence isn't what God called us to. We need each other. He didn't call us to live on islands by ourselves or to roam by ourselves. We are here on this earth, at this time, and this place, to touch others and affect others by our actions and our words. We should be INTENTIONAL with our daily interactions. Every time we walk out our door to this world, we are carrying the LIGHT to brighten our world and other people's lives with God's love and peace. We can leave an imprint on every person we meet -- even in a small way -- but, nothing is small in God's sight when we allow His light to shine in and through us. We just might be a difference maker for someone today! So, let's get out of that "island mentality", and get on the "crowded places mentality" -- where we get to rub shoulders with others, and perhaps our LIGHT will rub off on them and they will start "shining", too!

"Let EVERY-THING That Has Breath Praise the Lord!"