Matt's Floating Thoughts

Pain

The pain in my body is intense today.  My Ankylosing Spondilytis is flaring up, and it is difficult to walk.  Better than yesterday however!  I only got out of bed twice.  The first was for a trip to the loo, the second was to spend time with the folks in our bible study.

It’s amazing how humbling pain can be.  I am essentially incapable of doing anything right now that requires movement.  It has numbed my mind as well.  I don’t even have the energy to write a blog post.  But…God is faithful and I know this will subside.

Getting There

No, I still cannot relax.  But…in the midst of my inability to relax I see things changing around me.  This is a good thing.  When too much comfort starts penetrating an organization, things get bad.  When people start believing that they are as good as people tell them they are, pride swells.  I cannot rest while these things exist in abundance. 

So I will continue to pray.  Lent is upon us…this will be a good time for me to reflect and figure out how I can change myself for the better, as well as influence those around me. 

Relax

Something I am terrible at…relaxing.  But today we did a little mini hike.  “We” being the kids, the wife and our friends the Barbers.  We cruised around a trail in the Santa Monica National Park (I think it was called Rocky Oak), saw horses, threw rocks in a pond, and laughed a lot.

After the hike…Noah’s Bagels and Jamba Juice.  A lot more laughter.

I am so bad at relaxing, but every once in a while I can.  I need to do it more.

What Motivates You?

I work with all kinds of personalities.  I’m not simply talking about the people at my place of employment, but also vendors, consultants, customers, congregants, and other people that are in my sphere of life.

Whenever I run into conflict with one of these people, one of the first things I ask myself is, “what is motivating this person during this tension?”  Sometimes the answer is simple: money, job security, time constraints.   Other times the answer isn’t so obvious, so it requires a little history, some knowledge, a bit of intuition.  Factors range from fear to love of power.  

If I’m going to resolve conflict, I have to be able to see below the surface, otherwise I’m not resolving it, I’m just delaying it for another day. 

A New Day

Today is the day after one of the most challenging days of my life.  Yesterday ended up being okay, but it was full of difficult discussions, painful realities and anxious anticipations.

So today is a new day.  The sun will always set on the bad days, and the sun will always rise the day after a bad day.

Thank you, God, for new days!