What. A. Week.

What a Week

The Theme that has been Supercharging Me This Week

This has been an incredible week for me where I work.

I'll even go so far as to say that it's been the best week I've ever had there.

Of course, I started the week very energized after a week's paid vacation. I feel that my mind had an opportunity to rejuvenate itself, and my body had an opportunity to mend as well.

I cleaned out 6 sacks of trash, and 2 tubs of recyclable material, from 12 months of storing and hoarding (and that hoarding is part of the reason I do an annual cleaning in December!).

I was told before our Christmas break last year that I ought to be prepared to hit the ground running in January. My boss wasn't kidding – we've been busy, busy, busy all week long. And it's been great.

Due to a surgery, we are short one assistant supervisor for a few months. This means that each of us who have the capability of doing so, will need to step up and help as much as we can. And nobody's slacking off in that regard – all of us are chipping in almost equally. That's amazing in itself.

My mind usually starts to vacate the premises on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning during a typical workweek. But it didn't do so until I awoke after only 4 hours of good rest on Wednesday night this week, and yet, my muscles and joints were at nearly full capacity for most of Thursday. That's saying a lot for this aging body.

I have noted one thing this week that stands out to me in a big, big way:

My decision making ability has returned!

I really mean that. There are a few complicated decisions that I've revisited this week. And in each case of muddled facts, I envision a tiny little person (the Holy Spirit, perhaps?) standing off to the side of the tangle of facts, waving high, and shouting, “Hey! Hey! Over here!” and directing me to the simple solution to the problem. Oh boy, have I missed that! In the past, I have basically asked myself, “What would so-and-so do?” I have superimposed a man's voice – a pastor, an instructor, a family member or a mentor – over my situation, and let them direct me in that situation. But since that's backfired on me in recent years, there's no doubt, this new way of understanding decisions will help me greatly in the future.

I had one more thing to add to that list, but my memory is pretty iffy when I'm as exhausted as I am right now! It'll come to me, and I'll put that in my next entry here.

I've been waiting for my first check to come through at my bank this year, and it just did, so I'm off to take care of my bills and my shopping for the week, after I take care of a couple of minor things here.

I've said it before, and so I'll say it again:

God is Good!

7:29 am

My Occupation is Incidental

Work is what I do.

Advance to 7 minutes to see exactly what it is I do every day

I am good at little else, if not at putting in a hard day's work.

If you knew all that's involved in my occupation, you would understand that my line of work is not for everybody.

For the years I've worked there, I don't even know that the job is for me.

I ache. I groan. I sweat. I shout. I push. I drag. And I haul myself to my job at all hours of the day, to do it for 12 hours per day (from departing my home, till the time I return), four out of seven days of the week.

Eat. Work. Sleep. Repeat. Eat. Work. Sleep. Repeat.

Back when I started there, I had no desire to remain at this job past two months. I spat and sputtered for weeks, then months. I prayed every day that God would send me home, to the point that, one icy November night, God happily obliged me, and we lost electricity in the town I commute to, for two weeks. Two weeks of no work. Two weeks of no pay.

Two weeks of my saying to Him and myself, "OK, I'll NEVER pray that again."

I spent days, weeks, months, years, furious that I had been reduced to manual labor, laying the blame for my predicament on my circumstances, wringing with pure frustration on the inside that I couldn't break out into the field that I thought I'd gone to school to train for, and wrecking day after day after day in complaining, circular prayer, angry prayer, and in a spiraling, deepening, darkening depression.

It took years - literally, years - of climbing daily out of the deep hole of my depression and seeking God even whilst I was in the midst of my labors, to bring me to the point where my situation was bearable. And then it took years more to level off and begin seeing hope in my situation.

I began that job in 2006. Fast-forward to 2016.

I have been certified to operate an electric jack for several years. I have received recognition on multiple occasions for the positive contributions I make to my company. I have influenced the way we do our work in my department, to the point that they acquired a machine to alleviate the physically demanding work I was required to do day after day after day (which involved an unbelievable amount of lifting and shoveling). I'm even being considered to learn how to tear down and rebuild my machinery, as an on-the-spot mechanic.

My job has bad qualities. And it has good qualities. Character, endurance, and general personal growth have been the effects of my working there. And though I still pray for better work, I am coming to a point that I have learned to appreciate the fact that I have a steady, decent-paying job. It's the best work I can get in this town at this time.

But the title of this entry, is where I really do want to be in regards to whatever work I do in life.

My occupation really is incidental.

"Hey," I tell myself right now, in the most real sense I've told it to myself since 2006, "We've all gotta work." And it's the truth. We all have to make our way in life. We all need an assignment that builds our character and our capabilities. We really do all need the experience of pushing and stretching ourselves. We need the experience of comradery, of close friendships, and of growth.

This job may be a bummer (to be honest). But I'm getting to the place where I'm just glad to have a job.

This is something that's developing, as the thought only really came to me this afternoon. But it's a clear fact. It's a plain truth.

My job is incidental. So long as I do it with the mindset that I'm serving Christ and not my employer, I'll continue to grow as I work there. And I will continue to trust that God has more for me in my future than just the miserable daily grind.

I took my family out to the Chinese buffet last night, for our annual New Year's Dinner. As we sat down, we noticed the couple sitting near us. I knew the lady. Dad knew the guy. He used to work for the Hospital as a maintenance man. He shared with us that he had blown 3 discs in his back, lost his kneecap, had been burnt by chemical that had been poured into the plumbing at the hospital apartments, and was down to 106 spindly pounds in weight. This all happened some time ago.

But the struggle which those two had been through really did make me appreciate the fact that I have the physical and mental ability to do my job, and to enjoy life a little bit in return.

I really do just need to show more gratitude for my situation, and for the fact that I can sit here, with paid utilities and food and a roof over my head and gas in my car, and look forward to God's blessings, without the anxiety of life closing in on me.

There's a lot more I could say here. But I think I'll save that for another day.

The journey continues.

The Rest of my Life

Day one of 2017 commences.

Sunrise from Orbit - Image Courtesy of NASA

I debate what to watch this morning, having turned first to Sunday Today, then to Fox News Sunday. Today was bearable, with a recap of interview highlights from the past year.

But when I turned to Fox, I simply felt aggravated – even before I changed the channel. And I was able to clearly pinpoint what exactly the problem is: I simply do not trust anyone anymore on these political talk shows. Politicians, interviewees, commentators, even interviewers at times, all have a heavy philosophy and personal agenda that they are pushing on the American public and on the world, and everything they say is heavily slanted in the direction of their personal bent.

Thinking and praying things over this morning, I realize that much the same can be said of the church today, as well.

But it's the first day of 2017. And I'm asking myself how I can change my Sunday Morning routine.

Church is a low priority, since I'm a low priority for the Church. I have usually spent these mornings watching something decent and informative on TV, and listening to Erwin Lutzer, and occasionally, Crawford Lorits. But I also have a waxing and waning frustration with the lack of contact with the people of God. That frustration is not assuaged by actually being in church, so it's a no-win scenario for me personally.

So I find myself, once again, trying to brainstorm some changes that I can make in order to sharpen up my Sunday Morning routine.

One idea is to try locating a streaming service that provides access to my favorite preachers, and just listen to my preaching immediately after I wake up. That seems to actually be the best option, since I won't have to wait till a certain time to get my sermon fix. I reinforce that already by listening to a great preacher on the commute to work in the mornings, and by listening to an audio Bible on the way home from work. I'm not closing off all spiritual influence in my life. But I think that, until I can feel trust in God's people again, I really do not want to stick my neck out just to have to struggle with the feelings of dejection and marginalization all over again.

I believe that will be the first thing I do after I'm done journaling – finding a good source of spiritual input, that is.

Flipping through my Sling TV Streaming App, I just located something good to fill the void: A Three Stooges Marathon. That always, ALWAYS brings a smile to my face.

So I have a self-improvement objective for this year now: Watch a good sermon ASAP on Sunday morning, then see how things develop from there.

I'm even now starting to banter about the real possibility of being in church this morning. Likely, I'll go visit with the nephew at my folks' house shortly instead. I get a great deal of enjoyment out of investing time in him and my niece (not in that order – I MISS the goofy fun times I've had with my niece in the past), and I want to continue to capitalize on that before they grow too old for that sort of innocent fun.

Well, I'll tell ya. The Stooges are on a muted TV right now. The sun is shining bright in a crisp, clear blue sky (the air is frigid, but I seem to be handling that pretty well this winter, too). I have an objective now for 2017.

Time to start fishing around to see what I can find.

9:01 am