Month: March 2017

Turning 40: Five Things I Wish I Had Known 20 Years Ago

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I wrote this five years ago…as I prepare to turn 45, I’d add a few more lessons learned in the five years since this was written.  I think the most important thing I continue to learn as I age is that life is a process, a journey, and sometimes lessons need to be taught over and over before they are truly learned.

1. You don’t have to be perfect.  I know this is one of the ones from 40, but this is a lesson that I keep having to learn. God keeps reminding me that I am being made perfect (whole, complete), but no one is perfect except His son.  On this earth mistakes are teachers, and failure is part of the perfecting process, and I am a continual work in progress.

2.  It is ok to not be the best, or even good, at everything.  Chalk it up to my 3 on the
Enneagram, but my drive to excellent at every single task I do continues to create a lot of stress in my life, especially when my motivation is to look good to others and not always to simply honor God.  Ouch.

 

3.  The fate of the world doesn’t lie on my shoulders.  I repeat, the fate of the world doesn’t lie on my shoulders.  The repetition was for me, not you.  If I take a day off, if I sit down and read a book or watch a movie, the world continues to spin because it is God, not I, who set it all in motion and keeps it going.

4.  No is a complete sentence.  Enough said. Continue reading “Turning 40: Five Things I Wish I Had Known 20 Years Ago” →

Life Unplugged

Published on by julesjohnson74602 Comments

I’m not sure how it began.  I think it all started with the chaos of moving to a new home in a new city in the middle of a school year.  However it commenced, it was clear:  my children’s use of electronic devices had gotten out of control.

“Mom, can I play on my i-Pad while you unpack?”

“Mommy, I finished all of my school work; can I play X-box for a little while?”

For two months, I acquiesced because it allowed me to unpack one more box, organize one more closet, and buy one more minute of peace.  Before I knew it, my children, particularly  my son, were begging for electronic devices on car rides, at dinner, and even attempting to slide them under pillows in case they awoke in the middle of the night.  Clearly, we had a problem.  Their dependence on smart devices for constant entertainment had even taken a toll on their personalities.  My son was moody and jittery when the iPad wasn’t in his hands.  Fights ensued over whose turn it was to play X-box. They were rushing through assignments simply to get to tech time.  When I finally decided enough was enough and attempted to set limits, I was met with mourning and gnashing of teeth, so I found myself continually giving in because that was easier than the hassle of dealing with the outburst over just saying, “No!”

Continue reading “Life Unplugged” →