pattern

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Doing Stuff You Don’t Like Doing

Where do you sit on doing stuff you don’t like to do? Are you one of those people who takes it on as a challenge or a duty? Or are you one of those people who will, if possible, do anything other than the stuff you don’t like doing?

Doing stuff you don't like doing

For some things, I often fall into the second category. If I can I will avoid things I don’t like to do and for as long as I can.

When I was young we had a huge back yard and my brother and I would take turns cutting it. I didn’t like cutting the back yard because it took an hour and a half. And when you are thirteen, an hour and a half is like an eternity! It was precious time I would never get back. 

Well, I would put off cutting the lawn until I almost needed a swather to come cut it. I always hoped that a farmer would look at our lawn and bring his combine over and make hay bales out of the grass. 

The thing about leaving something you don’t like doing is that the delay often makes it worse. You will eventually have to do it but it’ll be harder to do when you finally get to it. 

I sometimes will look for excuses to not do the stuff I don’t want to do … like a baseball pitcher with a hang nail who misses his start in the rotation and has to go on the DL. 

Put a little crazy glue on that hang nail and get out there and throw some strikes! 

Meanwhile in the NHL playoffs this past week, a player had a skate jammed up under his visor just missing his eye. He went to the dressing room, got 74 stitches in his forehead and around his eye, missed about thirty minutes of the game while the doctor worked on him, and then came back to play the rest of the game. 

He gave no excuses … and probably makes $10 million less a year than the pitcher with the hang nail. 

And then there was me the other day. 

I hate raking the lawn the first time in the spring. I will avoid it and flat out say, “No, I’m not doing it.” But now I’m retired and have some time on my hands. 

It’s definitely one of those things I don’t like doing. But I decided rather than putting off doing stuff I don’t like doing, I would get’er done.

So I got the rake out, put some gloves on and started raking. Five minutes in, my rake broke. 

That was my excuse; it was perfect.

But I hopped in my car and went and bought a new rake. Then I got right back to it.

Three rakes in, the handle came off. 

I was almost ready to call it quits and give in to my desire not to rake. Instead I took that rake downstairs and drove a nail through the rake and the handle. 

No excuses! I raked the lawn. … We’ll see about next year.

Here’s the thing: We can get into patterns or habits around our relationship with God. Circumstances often bring about those patterns or habits. One of those patterns I observed since coming out of lockdowns is people not going to church. It’s too easy to sleep in on Sunday morning or to watch church online … or to get to where church fits into the category of not doing stuff you don’t like doing. It’s not easy to break the pattern or change that attitude, but get up and get back to going to church. You will be more engaged in your faith and an encouragement to others who attend.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How much effort will it take to make it to church this week? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Years Have Not Changed A Pattern

It’s been over 30 years but nothing has changed … between me and my golf partner. Recently I played golf with him, the one who got me hooked on the game.

When I was in high school he belonged to a private golf course, but would play golf with me at a municipal course close to where we lived.

At first I would hit more bad shots than good ones, but over time it seemed that the good ones stuck with me and I forgot about the bad shots I made.

I think it’s something like giving birth: a mother forgets what the pain was really like so that she is eager to have another child. … Okay, it’s nothing like giving birth, but somehow the good shots I made – as few as they were – kept me coming back for more.

I think I was a slow learner because this friend would give me a lot of tips each time I duffed another shot about 20 yards down the fairway. 

He didn’t do it too much, though, because too many suggestions can really get annoying after a while. … I know because I’ve helped Lily with her golf game. I have to catch myself or she gets a little angry with me.

Over the first few years I started to get better at the game until I was making more good shots than bad ones.  

I would still have some holes where I blew up and shot an eight or something, but it always seemed, by the end of each round, that I had made a really good shot that caused me to think I could do that every time. 

As I got better, I started playing more with my friend and even eventually joined the golf club where he was a member. 

We had a few really great years of golf there before I moved out west to go to school and then work.

In those years that we played together, he would do something interesting. He would club me on almost every shot. 

I don’t mean that he took a golf club and whacked me over the head with it; he just told me what club I should use. 

He did it when I first started learning the game and he never stopped. 

It got so routine that sometimes I would just look at him and he would say, “use a 7 iron”. I would pull it out of my bag without a thought of questioning his suggestion.

He was right about 95% of the time … that’s if I hit the ball well.

That was our pattern. But that was also over 30 years ago. 

When I recently had the chance to play with my old friend again, I noticed something interesting. When I would get to my ball he, like clock work, as if it was automatic, would say, “use a 7 iron” … and I just pulled it out of my bag. 

There were even times when I didn’t say anything. I just looked at him and he would tell me. 

It was like we’d never stopped playing together; he was still helping me play better.

And somehow I had the same effect on him. He had his best round of the year so far.

Here’s the thing: Get in the habit of asking God for help, even with the little things in your day. If you start to include Him more and more in your decisions, and really listen for His response, then years from now when you are making some crucial decision, or even a minor one, God will whisper in your ear which club to pull. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who have you come to count on for help? Leave your comments below.

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Maybe “Jersey Shore” is on to Something

I have never really been into fitness, though I have always exercised in some fashion.  You see, I don’t like lifting weights or doing aerobic exercises.  You wouldn’t find me taking out a gym membership or dressing in tight clothes, wearing a head band, moving in front of a TV, and following an instructor who has way too much energy and enthusiasm for one person.

I’d rather play hockey, ride my bike on trails, or have my golf clubs with me when I go for a walk.  In fact, if there is some kind of game associated with an exercise, there’s a good chance that I would enjoy it.

But for the last two weeks, and at least for the next 14, you can picture me in those tight fitting exercise clothes (please don’t) doing some movements, or pumping iron, or going for power walks without golf clubs on my back.  That’s right, I’m a fitness guy now.

It’s not that I want to be a fitness guy, but the cardiac rehab clinic is trying its hardest to turn me into one.  Every day I have to go for a power walk, as well as either do an aerobic workout or weight training.  They give me Sundays off … small comfort.

I haven’t even met with the nutritionist yet, but when I do at the end of the month, I’m sure she’ll slap me with a few dietary restrictions that will officially turn me into a nuts and berries kind of guy.  She just better not pull meat from my diet!  (I don’t consider it a meal if it doesn’t include meat.)

Thankfully, when I exercise in a way that I enjoy – like playing hockey or mountain biking – I can count that.  That’s why on Saturday, instead of doing my thirty minute aerobic exercise, and going for a thirty minute power walk, I went for a two hour bike ride through the woods near our house.  I listened to tunes playing through my ear buds, took in the amazing view of the coloured leaves, and negotiated the slippery, leaf covered trails.  It was an awesome ride!

With everything I’m being instructed to do in a day, I’m starting to feel like I’m on the reality show “Jersey Shore”.  A typical day for Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is GTL which stands for Gym, Tan, Laundry.  He doesn’t have much time for anything else in his day.  I’m beginning to feel the same way!

I know in time I will fit these new things into my daily pattern of life and they won’t feel as forced as they do right now.

Here’s the Thing:  This past Sunday, I spoke about giving control of one’s life to the Holy Spirit.  It has to be something I give myself to on a continual basis or I’ll take back control.  In order for the Holy Spirit to influence my thoughts, words, decisions and actions, I have to allow Him to be in control every day.

That means I have to make some adjustments in life to allow Him room to direct.  That’s not easy.  It means other things might need to be eliminated, or at very least rearranged.  It takes a while to discipline oneself to accommodate those changes, but in time, being controlled by the Holy Spirit will not seem forced.  Rather, it will be my natural pattern of life.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  What needs to change in your daily routine to allow the Holy Spirit control? Leave your comment below.