I posted the following on Facebook today:
I'm convinced that the best thing we can do for others is to encourage and love them as a friend publicly and pray for them privately.
This was after arriving back to my house before going to work this morning -- and after I picked up my transcript from another university that I attended.
That transcript wasn't any better than the last one that I picked up.
However, I came away knowing why it had taken me so long to face those "failures", if you will.
Understand that I admit that I didn't finish the things well that I had started, but if I had been deeply loved and encouraged I believe that I might have succeeded instead of feeling condemned.
I think today that I realized that I hadn't wanted to go back and face that pain that I had from not having anyone firmly in my corner.
I experience some of that today, to some extent; however, I better manage how to deal with it than I did then.
I have an expansive number of friends that I can lean on now if I need to and I certainly appreciate those who have shared their confidence in me.
That's where the post came from today.
My daughter shared with me something from her last year at college that I think has some parallels to me.
She was in a regularly scheduled meeting of fellow resident advisers where she goes to college and she shared some things that she was going through.
She shared with me that some of them were shocked with her admission because they thought she was "all put together".
I think people think that of me too.
And this is something that I've shared with my daughter often. If you see me out and about, I probably come across as very confident and appearing to be on top of things.
If so, it is a result of me just trying to do my best at whatever I'm doing.
I'm not putting anything on or trying to impress anyone, but in reality I might be struggling and hurting. However, I would never want to burden anyone, even though it is contrary to what we're to believe from the Bible.
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
The big verse in the middle there from Galatians 6 is to bear ye another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
A good commentary on it all is here.
It states, "If a Christian brother or sister is weighed down or menaced by some burden or threat, be alert to that and quickly do something to help. Don't let them be crushed. Don't let them be destroyed."
It goes on and says, "Don't increase burdens. Make them lighter for people. Some of you wonder what you are supposed to do with your life. Here is a vocation that will bring you more satisfaction than if you became a millionaire ten times over: Develop the extraordinary skill for detecting the burdens of others and devote yourself daily to making them lighter."
And that's what my post was about: we should encourage and love people publicly, especially if we can spot that they might be heavy-hearted or sad, and then pray for them privately.
On the job front, I spoke with a recruiter about a healthcare consulting opportunity with one of the local systems of hospitals here. I'm supposed to have a follow-up with her peer. The pay is about 75% of what I make now, but I would be able to stay local.
It is a far way from anything happening, but I'm appreciative of the opportunity to share what I know.
I also had an interview with another area at the customer site that I'm at.
It was scheduled for 30 minutes and it ended up going 50 minutes.
There's some things that would be very new for me, but I feel like I can be successful in that role. And it would give me a very broad exposure to a number of different areas in the facilities as well as a number of different applications of a large, nationally-known healthcare information system.
This is something that my one advocate has sold this other area on me.
Again, I'm eternally grateful that I have people who have these confidences in me.
I think I can too, don't get me wrong, but we seem to always have doubts and have to sell others on ourselves it seems.
I'm reading a few different daily devotionals to be closer to God not just through this rough patch, but where I should have been all along.
Two are sports-minded. Well, everything is actually. It is how I relate, right? :-)
They are books written by John and Kathy Hillman from Waco.
The other materials are those from Tony Dungy that I've referenced before here.
Today's note for August 19 says, "Be patient ... Keep doing the ordinary things better than anyone else. Be uncommon. Do what we do."
I 've said it many times: I don't need to get the glory. Obviously, God deserves it for what He's provided and given to us.
Rather, I get satisfaction knowing that I've helped somebody else succeed.
That's what drives me. What drives you?
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