I just got back from the United Church of Christ's national meeting, which is called General Synod, that is held every two years. I was selected as a delegate to represent the Iowa Conference and I reluctantly agreed to attend the meeting which was held in Long Beach, California. You know, sometimes you just have to take one for the team! It would suffice to say I was looking forward to the location and not necessarily the meetings and conference. I was pleasantly surprised by both actually.
Of course the weather was great. It was a little unseasonably humid for southern California, but we suffered through it. We arrived in Long Beach Thursday afternoon. The conference didn't start until Friday afternoon so I took the chance to rent a car, cruise the Pacific Coast Highway, and also take in a Dodger game. Once the conference started on Friday our free time was cut down so the rental had to go back. I would be lying if I didn't say the pull of the beach and the convertible was stronger then sitting in the convention center for meetings, but I resisted the urge and decided to attend the conference.
There were about 800 delegates from around the country, and there were about 2000 visitors from around the country that came to General Synod. The conference consisted of elections of our national officers, the recognition of some dignitaries, worship, and the work was the passing of resolutions. The resolutions were debated in committees on Saturday and then brought to all the delegates for a vote. Let's just say the voting on the resolutions is where the conference really bogged down. The resolutions were anything from a statement denouncing bullying to a call for the UCC to divest itself from companies that profit from fossil fuels. The process of amendments, voting, the voices for and the voices against worked a lot like any committee/meeting works so you can imagine it really got tiresome sometimes, but some good work was done.
What was really cool about General Synod was the chance to meet some new friends, to experience some different worship styles, to see God active in our wider church, and to be reminded that there is a lot of good stuff going on around the country and in our denomination. Now, I may not agree with all the things the national UCC does, and I didn't agree with all the resolutions, but I do really enjoy the fact that the UCC really strives to the an inclusive and all loving church that welcomes all...even those they may disagree with that very policy. I don't always do a good job of keeping our church connected to the wider church, and attending General Synod was a great reminder to me that God is at work in the wider church.
One final take away from General Synod was a reminder to me again to how blessed I am to be serving at the Minden United Church of Christ. I listen to a lot of ministers talk about their struggles, and I was humbled at the way the Spirit has worked with our church and helped shape us into the church family we are. I know I make a lot of mistakes, and I am thankful you are willing to work with me through those mistakes. With the leading of the Spirit we will continue to be a light in this community and a great faith family together.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
If only we'd try so hard
As I'm sure most of you know there are two little boys in our family that keep us on our toes. What you might not know is that we've allowed them to have mo-hawk hair cuts and I think we may have unlocked some inner source of energy that was previously untapped. I'm not sure we can scientifically document this development, but empirical evidence seems to suggest a correlation between mo-hawk haircuts and craziness!
Alex has reached the age now, close to 4, where he has lots of questions about what's going on in the world. Everything from why doesn't the sky fall on us to what happens if we buy a semi. Isaac has been at that stage for a few years now and having both of them asking whatever pops into their minds makes for some exciting car rides and very entertaining conversations. Besides their natural curiosity to know how things work around them they have a great desire to please. I'm sure this isn't confined to my kids, but they try so hard sometimes to be helpful and to please that they get in their own way. We have to constantly remind Alex that the fire in the grill is hot and "help" is not opening the lid every minute to make sure the fire isn't burning the meat! As I look back on their questions, and as I do my level best to answer them without getting too annoyed, even if it is to explain for the 100th time that we have no use for a semi and that I don't know why God only gave us 2 legs, I wonder how our lives would be different if we approached our relationship with God in a similar way.
As adults we lose that sense of wonder and curiosity don't we? We think we have a pretty good handle on how the world works, we think we have a pretty good handle on how God works, and so we really stop asking questions and that sense of awe goes away. Of course our certainty about how things should work can get shattered pretty quickly once the roof caves in, but that's a different blog. Along with losing that sense of awe and wonder about life and the world we also lose a little bit of that sense to please. I suppose we're all trying to please someone or prove ourselves to someone throughout our lives, but are we living in a way that would please God? How often do we even consider what God might think of our actions and decisions? How often do we stop and ask God a bunch of questions about how things work and how we're supposed to interact with them?
My sense is we don't do it often enough. We believe we know what's best for our lives, and so we don't invite God into the decision making process very much. We have become jaded and have lost a part of that awe, and healthy fear, of God so we don't value or seek God's input in our daily lives. Oh, we'll try and find God when the sky is falling or when we think we have a huge decision to make, but how often do we invoke God in our daily lives? How would our lives be different if we made God a part of every decision we made? Ok, so every decision might be a little extreme, but I certainly believe God want's to be a bigger part of our lives if we'll ask God to be. And the best part is God will never get impatient when you ask the same question for the millionth time! Don't you think you would benefit from more God in your life? I know I would!
Alex has reached the age now, close to 4, where he has lots of questions about what's going on in the world. Everything from why doesn't the sky fall on us to what happens if we buy a semi. Isaac has been at that stage for a few years now and having both of them asking whatever pops into their minds makes for some exciting car rides and very entertaining conversations. Besides their natural curiosity to know how things work around them they have a great desire to please. I'm sure this isn't confined to my kids, but they try so hard sometimes to be helpful and to please that they get in their own way. We have to constantly remind Alex that the fire in the grill is hot and "help" is not opening the lid every minute to make sure the fire isn't burning the meat! As I look back on their questions, and as I do my level best to answer them without getting too annoyed, even if it is to explain for the 100th time that we have no use for a semi and that I don't know why God only gave us 2 legs, I wonder how our lives would be different if we approached our relationship with God in a similar way.
As adults we lose that sense of wonder and curiosity don't we? We think we have a pretty good handle on how the world works, we think we have a pretty good handle on how God works, and so we really stop asking questions and that sense of awe goes away. Of course our certainty about how things should work can get shattered pretty quickly once the roof caves in, but that's a different blog. Along with losing that sense of awe and wonder about life and the world we also lose a little bit of that sense to please. I suppose we're all trying to please someone or prove ourselves to someone throughout our lives, but are we living in a way that would please God? How often do we even consider what God might think of our actions and decisions? How often do we stop and ask God a bunch of questions about how things work and how we're supposed to interact with them?
My sense is we don't do it often enough. We believe we know what's best for our lives, and so we don't invite God into the decision making process very much. We have become jaded and have lost a part of that awe, and healthy fear, of God so we don't value or seek God's input in our daily lives. Oh, we'll try and find God when the sky is falling or when we think we have a huge decision to make, but how often do we invoke God in our daily lives? How would our lives be different if we made God a part of every decision we made? Ok, so every decision might be a little extreme, but I certainly believe God want's to be a bigger part of our lives if we'll ask God to be. And the best part is God will never get impatient when you ask the same question for the millionth time! Don't you think you would benefit from more God in your life? I know I would!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Something stuck in my craw...
First off...is that how you spell craw? Anyway, I've been thinking about something lately and I'm going to vent a little bit about it. So I apologize in advance if this seems a little down beat in any way. If you're still reading then here we go!
A disclaimer: I am a sport nut. I watch too much on TV, according to some in our house, and my boys are involved in a lot of sports. I try to catch as many sporting events as I can, and my children will continue to be involved in sports as long as they enjoy them and want to be, and I believe sports can teach our kids a lot about life...disclaimer over.
Have you guessed what's stuck in my craw? It's been rattling around in my brain that past couple of weeks... the comparison between our dedication to sports verses our dedication to church. We will wake up at the crack of dawn to get to our kid's sporting event, but man waking up before 9 or 10 on a Sunday morning can be tough. We will spend hours upon hours watching practices and games and traveling to sporting events, but taking an hour on Sunday for church and maybe another hour for Sunday school seems like asking a lot. Even more difficult is finding 15 to 30 minutes a day for scripture reading and prayer...(I'm guilty of this a lot). I haven't even mentioned volunteering for other activities at church...just how much time does one person have! We're willing to sacrifice almost anything to make sure our kids have everything they need to succeed in a sport, time, money, blood, sweat and tears, but ask us to sacrifice time and money for church then that's another story.
I know this isn't true for everyone, but I'm willing to bet it's true for more of us then we think. I know I'm guilty in this too. Why isn't there more emphasis on church and growing our spiritual lives and serving God? I don't think very many of our kids are going to go on and earn a living playing a sport. I can guarantee that those same kids will need God in their lives. So why don't we put more of an emphasis on building our own spiritual life and that of our children? Is it simply because church/Sunday school isn't nearly as exciting as a sporting event? Is it because we don't always get instant gratification from a scriptural lesson? Is it because the church as failed at getting the point across how important a faith life is?
As with all good questions the answer is probable a mix of all the above. We don't think we have enough time so we push God to the background, and we hope our kids will figure it out on their own later. If that's the thought then what would happen if we applied that logic to other areas of their lives? Oh they'll figure out driving later on their own, they'll prepare for college later when they have more time. Sounds silly doesn't it. I think it's easy to push God aside because we know that God will forgive us and welcome us back, so like any good diet and exercise program we'll start tomorrow....well when does that tomorrow come?
God is forgiving, and God will welcome us back, but God is also fair. Which means if we continue to push God aside then we'll miss a lot of blessings God has in store for us simply because we ignored Him. Not to mention anything about eternal life and possible consequences of ignoring God all along. (My thoughts aren't fully developed down this eternal life road (heaven vs. hell), but I do think we ignore the judgmental aspect of God too much). Also, if we neglect our end of the connection to God then when we need God the most in our lives we aren't going to connect right away because we aren't in the habit of doing so. You can't play a sport well if you don't practice, how do you plan to be able to connect and bask in God's presence if we don't practice doing so? And, our kids pick up what's important from us. If we don't make church and our own spiritual life a priority why should they? Osmosis doesn't work. I would think a strong faith foundation and life would be the best thing we could do for our kids in preparing them for the real world, yet we find it so hard to do so. Yet we dare not miss that next practice!
Rant over...obviously I struggle with this dichotomy too...some food for thought!
A disclaimer: I am a sport nut. I watch too much on TV, according to some in our house, and my boys are involved in a lot of sports. I try to catch as many sporting events as I can, and my children will continue to be involved in sports as long as they enjoy them and want to be, and I believe sports can teach our kids a lot about life...disclaimer over.
Have you guessed what's stuck in my craw? It's been rattling around in my brain that past couple of weeks... the comparison between our dedication to sports verses our dedication to church. We will wake up at the crack of dawn to get to our kid's sporting event, but man waking up before 9 or 10 on a Sunday morning can be tough. We will spend hours upon hours watching practices and games and traveling to sporting events, but taking an hour on Sunday for church and maybe another hour for Sunday school seems like asking a lot. Even more difficult is finding 15 to 30 minutes a day for scripture reading and prayer...(I'm guilty of this a lot). I haven't even mentioned volunteering for other activities at church...just how much time does one person have! We're willing to sacrifice almost anything to make sure our kids have everything they need to succeed in a sport, time, money, blood, sweat and tears, but ask us to sacrifice time and money for church then that's another story.
I know this isn't true for everyone, but I'm willing to bet it's true for more of us then we think. I know I'm guilty in this too. Why isn't there more emphasis on church and growing our spiritual lives and serving God? I don't think very many of our kids are going to go on and earn a living playing a sport. I can guarantee that those same kids will need God in their lives. So why don't we put more of an emphasis on building our own spiritual life and that of our children? Is it simply because church/Sunday school isn't nearly as exciting as a sporting event? Is it because we don't always get instant gratification from a scriptural lesson? Is it because the church as failed at getting the point across how important a faith life is?
As with all good questions the answer is probable a mix of all the above. We don't think we have enough time so we push God to the background, and we hope our kids will figure it out on their own later. If that's the thought then what would happen if we applied that logic to other areas of their lives? Oh they'll figure out driving later on their own, they'll prepare for college later when they have more time. Sounds silly doesn't it. I think it's easy to push God aside because we know that God will forgive us and welcome us back, so like any good diet and exercise program we'll start tomorrow....well when does that tomorrow come?
God is forgiving, and God will welcome us back, but God is also fair. Which means if we continue to push God aside then we'll miss a lot of blessings God has in store for us simply because we ignored Him. Not to mention anything about eternal life and possible consequences of ignoring God all along. (My thoughts aren't fully developed down this eternal life road (heaven vs. hell), but I do think we ignore the judgmental aspect of God too much). Also, if we neglect our end of the connection to God then when we need God the most in our lives we aren't going to connect right away because we aren't in the habit of doing so. You can't play a sport well if you don't practice, how do you plan to be able to connect and bask in God's presence if we don't practice doing so? And, our kids pick up what's important from us. If we don't make church and our own spiritual life a priority why should they? Osmosis doesn't work. I would think a strong faith foundation and life would be the best thing we could do for our kids in preparing them for the real world, yet we find it so hard to do so. Yet we dare not miss that next practice!
Rant over...obviously I struggle with this dichotomy too...some food for thought!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Sometimes you just have to laugh...
Last Sunday I gave a children's sermon that was supposed to get us thinking about faith and how it might be difficult to explain,yet we can still believe. I asked the kids if they could explain how gravity works. I asked the kids what would happen if they jumped off their bed...of course they responded that they would fall to the floor. Then I asked if they could explain how the force of gravity works. They couldn't explain it and I don't think I could either. My point was that just like we can't explain gravity we might not be able to explain how faith works either. But, just because we can't explain or define exactly gravity or faith we can see their effects. I was hoping to get the point across that we can believe and have faith in God even if we can't understand how all that "stuff" works. Well, I think I failed. We get home from church and Isaac has a question. I'm feeling good because I think the fantastic children's sermon stirred something in him and he has a deep theological question...naw...he wants to know how he can jump off the bed and float up the ceiling! Yup...figuring out a way to defy gravity is more exciting then faith I guess.
Isaac's question did get me thinking though. Do we take our faith for granted? Do we just expect our faith to be able to carry us through the difficult times and always be there for us? Of course we can expect God to always be there, but if we do nothing to strengthen our relationship the connection on our end might get a little bad. God never moves. We instead move away from Him when we neglect our relationship with him. The trick to keeping our faith alive and growing is feeding and strengthening it at all times especially when times are good. I have a tendency to let my devotional time slide when things are going good in my life, and then when I hit a rough patch I of course tend to read the Bible and pray more. Silly I know, and then I wonder sometimes why I can't feel God as well when I think I need him the most. Well, I've neglected the relationship and it takes time again to tune my soul and spirit to God's Spirit. Again God's Spirit didn't move away from me, I neglected the relationship and had to rebuild it again.
I need to be better about continually building my relationship during the ups and downs. How about you? Can you be strengthening your connection now so it's ready and strong when then the rough patches come?
Isaac's question did get me thinking though. Do we take our faith for granted? Do we just expect our faith to be able to carry us through the difficult times and always be there for us? Of course we can expect God to always be there, but if we do nothing to strengthen our relationship the connection on our end might get a little bad. God never moves. We instead move away from Him when we neglect our relationship with him. The trick to keeping our faith alive and growing is feeding and strengthening it at all times especially when times are good. I have a tendency to let my devotional time slide when things are going good in my life, and then when I hit a rough patch I of course tend to read the Bible and pray more. Silly I know, and then I wonder sometimes why I can't feel God as well when I think I need him the most. Well, I've neglected the relationship and it takes time again to tune my soul and spirit to God's Spirit. Again God's Spirit didn't move away from me, I neglected the relationship and had to rebuild it again.
I need to be better about continually building my relationship during the ups and downs. How about you? Can you be strengthening your connection now so it's ready and strong when then the rough patches come?
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
And breathe....
As some of you may, or may not know, it has been a bit of a hectic past few weeks at the Wohlhuter household. Tracy started the process of looking for a new job, and has since accepted a position as US Embassador to Bora Bora, so we are getting ready for some transition. Gonna be a big change in weather patterns. No more going from snow one day and 95 degrees in little over a week, but I think we'll get used to the tropical weather and deep blue ocean. Ok, Ok...Tracy didn't get the Embassador position, but she did accept a position at TD Ameritrade and will start her new job on May 28th. A few neat things happened along the journey to a new job and I wanted to share them with y'all.
As anyone knows making a big decision in life is hard. You want so badly to know that you're making the right decision that you almost paralyze yourself with all your analysis. We want so badly to control everything that when we make a decision that is going to have a large impact on our lives we can really struggle because no matter how much you pray and think about the situation there is a certain amount of unknowns. Has anyone been there? Wouldn't it just be easier if God told us what to do? I suppose it would, but have we ever been real good at listening to God? As Tracy decided she wanted to look for another job we asked a lot of questions and did a lot of praying. At no time did I get a flash of light and hear God's voice directly, and I don't think Tracy did either, but there were some cool "God-things" that happened along the way letting us know everything was going to be alright.
For example she had interviewed at two different companies and one company offered her a position and she was waiting on the other company because she really felt she wanted that position. Well as the time got closer and closer to where she had to make a decision the pressure mounted and after she chose to pursue one job she received an email stating the other job wasn't going to offer her a position. So, good choice there. Another day when she was making some tough choices she read her daily devotional and it spoke almost directly to what she was going through....the devotional spoke about letting go and trusting God and that with new opportunities comes worry, but trust that God will see you through it all. Coincidence that devotional happened to fall on the day she had to make a choice? I think not!
Looking back all along the way signs popped up letting us know we were on the right path. Just little things that you could chalk up to coincidence, but looking at them now you see God's hand in it all. Even if things don't work out as we have envisioned and hoped we know that God will see us through it all. There might be some rough patches, but we know that God will still be guiding us and helping us through. The whole experience was a neat reminder that even though God doesn't generally speak through lightening or direct booming voice we could see and feel God's hand in the process. So, if you are struggling with a tough decision know that no matter what the outcome God will still be with you, and if you heard the sermon on Sunday never underestimate the power of prayer! God will help guide you...you just need to know how to listen!
As anyone knows making a big decision in life is hard. You want so badly to know that you're making the right decision that you almost paralyze yourself with all your analysis. We want so badly to control everything that when we make a decision that is going to have a large impact on our lives we can really struggle because no matter how much you pray and think about the situation there is a certain amount of unknowns. Has anyone been there? Wouldn't it just be easier if God told us what to do? I suppose it would, but have we ever been real good at listening to God? As Tracy decided she wanted to look for another job we asked a lot of questions and did a lot of praying. At no time did I get a flash of light and hear God's voice directly, and I don't think Tracy did either, but there were some cool "God-things" that happened along the way letting us know everything was going to be alright.
For example she had interviewed at two different companies and one company offered her a position and she was waiting on the other company because she really felt she wanted that position. Well as the time got closer and closer to where she had to make a decision the pressure mounted and after she chose to pursue one job she received an email stating the other job wasn't going to offer her a position. So, good choice there. Another day when she was making some tough choices she read her daily devotional and it spoke almost directly to what she was going through....the devotional spoke about letting go and trusting God and that with new opportunities comes worry, but trust that God will see you through it all. Coincidence that devotional happened to fall on the day she had to make a choice? I think not!
Looking back all along the way signs popped up letting us know we were on the right path. Just little things that you could chalk up to coincidence, but looking at them now you see God's hand in it all. Even if things don't work out as we have envisioned and hoped we know that God will see us through it all. There might be some rough patches, but we know that God will still be guiding us and helping us through. The whole experience was a neat reminder that even though God doesn't generally speak through lightening or direct booming voice we could see and feel God's hand in the process. So, if you are struggling with a tough decision know that no matter what the outcome God will still be with you, and if you heard the sermon on Sunday never underestimate the power of prayer! God will help guide you...you just need to know how to listen!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Patience...I'm told it's a virture
As some of you may or may not know I do not have a lot of patience. I can do a good job of faking it for awhile, but I would say on a whole patience is something I really, really have to work at. I'm also starting to suspect that my two young boys are rapidly figuring out I don't have a lot of patience and are continually finding new ways to test them. I think by the time they're 10 they will have out grown this...right?!?! I know, I know...your kids will always test your patience.
Take this morning for instance. The boys know there is not video games before school, and if mom had her way there wouldn't be video games period! But that's a different post. Usually I get the boys up, then as I get dressed for the morning so do they, and then I usually have to take Alex's clothes off and put them on the right way, but at least he's trying. So this morning I come out of the bedroom and I hear a funny noise...sounds like a video game. Sure enough...for the second morning in a row one of my son's is sitting in his underwear playing a video game instead of being dressed and ready to go. I didn't handle it well yesterday, and I surely didn't handle it well this morning. As I stated above I don't have patience for stuff like that. They both know the rule, but they just have to test the boundaries. I could spend a day or two writing about how my patience get's tested, but I bet anyone reading this can relate to people/kids testing their patience at some point or another.
As I was sitting in the bus this morning I got to wondering if I can increase my patience level. I'm 36, and I'm fairly stuck in my ways, but there has to be some trick to getting more patience right? Maybe I count to 10 before I dole out any discipline. Maybe I remember all of the times I've tried my parent's patience. Maybe I can pray for God to help me in this area. I suppose all of those things will help, but I'm afraid this may always be a character flaw.
Every time I consider my lack of patience and how frustrating it can be to watch a 7 year old eat with his fingers and drop food on the floor for the millionth time I wonder how God does it. How many times have I, and has all of humanity, caused God to lose his patience? I think Noah and the flood might have been the closet God has come to just throwing God's hands in the air and saying enough! Then, think about all of the stuff that's happened since then. How much war and bloodshed and suffering. I think about the times when I've made the same mistake for the millionth time or I have failed to learn a lesson. How lucky are we that God doesn't lost God's patience with us? If anyone every had just cause to I'd imagine God reached that point a long time ago. Thank God that the Spirit is infinitely patient and that no matter how many times we've messed up we can repent and be forgiven. In many ways God is like a parent, except God is the perfect parent. Never losing patience, never giving up on us, and God will never stop loving us. I think I need to realize that more, and not take for granted how good God is. Maybe if I can be more mindful of how patient God is with me I can be more patient when mud is tracked through the house again for the 100th time! Remember, God is great, and God loves you! No take a deep breath...in out...in out...
Take this morning for instance. The boys know there is not video games before school, and if mom had her way there wouldn't be video games period! But that's a different post. Usually I get the boys up, then as I get dressed for the morning so do they, and then I usually have to take Alex's clothes off and put them on the right way, but at least he's trying. So this morning I come out of the bedroom and I hear a funny noise...sounds like a video game. Sure enough...for the second morning in a row one of my son's is sitting in his underwear playing a video game instead of being dressed and ready to go. I didn't handle it well yesterday, and I surely didn't handle it well this morning. As I stated above I don't have patience for stuff like that. They both know the rule, but they just have to test the boundaries. I could spend a day or two writing about how my patience get's tested, but I bet anyone reading this can relate to people/kids testing their patience at some point or another.
As I was sitting in the bus this morning I got to wondering if I can increase my patience level. I'm 36, and I'm fairly stuck in my ways, but there has to be some trick to getting more patience right? Maybe I count to 10 before I dole out any discipline. Maybe I remember all of the times I've tried my parent's patience. Maybe I can pray for God to help me in this area. I suppose all of those things will help, but I'm afraid this may always be a character flaw.
Every time I consider my lack of patience and how frustrating it can be to watch a 7 year old eat with his fingers and drop food on the floor for the millionth time I wonder how God does it. How many times have I, and has all of humanity, caused God to lose his patience? I think Noah and the flood might have been the closet God has come to just throwing God's hands in the air and saying enough! Then, think about all of the stuff that's happened since then. How much war and bloodshed and suffering. I think about the times when I've made the same mistake for the millionth time or I have failed to learn a lesson. How lucky are we that God doesn't lost God's patience with us? If anyone every had just cause to I'd imagine God reached that point a long time ago. Thank God that the Spirit is infinitely patient and that no matter how many times we've messed up we can repent and be forgiven. In many ways God is like a parent, except God is the perfect parent. Never losing patience, never giving up on us, and God will never stop loving us. I think I need to realize that more, and not take for granted how good God is. Maybe if I can be more mindful of how patient God is with me I can be more patient when mud is tracked through the house again for the 100th time! Remember, God is great, and God loves you! No take a deep breath...in out...in out...
Monday, April 15, 2013
I'm SUPER excited!!
Some of you may or may not know, but our family took a trip to Kentucky this past week for my sister-in-law's wedding. Kentucky is a beautiful state, and the wedding reflected the beauty around us. Congratulations to Darcy and Jeremy! One of the neat things on the trip was sitting by my youngest son Alex. This was his first airplane ride, and man was he pumped! All I heard on that first flight was, "I'm super excited dad...I'm super excited! This is super fun...this is super fun!" His eyes were wide opened and he loved looking out the window and watching the small cars and semis below us. I've never seen a kid maintain that level of excitement before. He was truly having the time of his life, and his excitement was infectious. Even I enjoyed the plan ride even though I could have used about 12 inches more space in between my seat and the seat in front of me. One couldn't help but have a good time
Attitude has huge influence on the way we experience life. I know I'm not revealing anything new, but I was reminded of that fact on my flight with Alex. I never like plane rides (they aren't designed for tall people), and I was certainly wondering how a flight would be with a squirmy 3 year old by me. I had visions of cramped quarters, irate passengers because they didn't appreciate the massage his little feet could give them, and an hour of are we there yet. I had decided before I even got there I was going to have a bad flight. If Alex hadn't been so good and so excited my attitude would have made it a bad flight and experience for both of us.
How many times have we made a situation worse because our attitude was terrible? I'm afraid to count honestly. I'm really good at letting my preconceived notions about a situation dictate how I go into it. If I think it's going to be a bad experience before I even get there then you know what....more times then not I have a bad experience. When I look back at those experiences I can see that if I would have went with an open mind then the experience wouldn't have been so bad at all. Attitude shapes us all the time, and we can control our attitude.
Thinking a little deeper I believe our attitude changes others around us too. Think of a time when you were in a meeting and someone walked in with a sour attitude. What happened to the tenor of that meeting? It generally follows the grumpy person right? Conversely, what happened when someone with some real excitement and enthusiasm came into a meeting? The energy picked up and most likely it's was successful meeting, or at least as successful as meetings can be. A 3 year old had a huge influence on my experience on the airplane, and I'd even go as far to say he influenced how I experienced the rest of the trip. His unbridled enthusiasm got the trip started off on the right foot and it was great from there.
I challenge you, and I challenge myself, to take a look at my attitude before I go into something. I certainly don't want to be the person who brings the whole room down. I'd rather be the person who lifts the spirits of the room. I know that I can't always be sunshine and rainbows, but at the very least I can keep the negativity and preconceived notions at bay so I can at least start the experience with an open mind. Do you think you could try that too?
Attitude has huge influence on the way we experience life. I know I'm not revealing anything new, but I was reminded of that fact on my flight with Alex. I never like plane rides (they aren't designed for tall people), and I was certainly wondering how a flight would be with a squirmy 3 year old by me. I had visions of cramped quarters, irate passengers because they didn't appreciate the massage his little feet could give them, and an hour of are we there yet. I had decided before I even got there I was going to have a bad flight. If Alex hadn't been so good and so excited my attitude would have made it a bad flight and experience for both of us.
How many times have we made a situation worse because our attitude was terrible? I'm afraid to count honestly. I'm really good at letting my preconceived notions about a situation dictate how I go into it. If I think it's going to be a bad experience before I even get there then you know what....more times then not I have a bad experience. When I look back at those experiences I can see that if I would have went with an open mind then the experience wouldn't have been so bad at all. Attitude shapes us all the time, and we can control our attitude.
Thinking a little deeper I believe our attitude changes others around us too. Think of a time when you were in a meeting and someone walked in with a sour attitude. What happened to the tenor of that meeting? It generally follows the grumpy person right? Conversely, what happened when someone with some real excitement and enthusiasm came into a meeting? The energy picked up and most likely it's was successful meeting, or at least as successful as meetings can be. A 3 year old had a huge influence on my experience on the airplane, and I'd even go as far to say he influenced how I experienced the rest of the trip. His unbridled enthusiasm got the trip started off on the right foot and it was great from there.
I challenge you, and I challenge myself, to take a look at my attitude before I go into something. I certainly don't want to be the person who brings the whole room down. I'd rather be the person who lifts the spirits of the room. I know that I can't always be sunshine and rainbows, but at the very least I can keep the negativity and preconceived notions at bay so I can at least start the experience with an open mind. Do you think you could try that too?
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