Update:
On Tuesday I got my five-mile bicycle ride in early before the forecast
said it would rain. Ha! I decided to try a new route. I’ve been riding every day for almost two
weeks; certainly I could handle that small hill down at the corner on Hwy J,
right? I eventually made it up that long
gradual grade but the muscles in my legs were burning painfully by the time I
made it to the stop sign. I guess I need
more time preparing my muscles for that level of workout—sounds sort of wimpy
but that is where I am at right now. Every
day I get a bit stronger, so eventually I’ll get there and conqueror that hill
and bigger ones too!
I spent the day working at my office.
I took all afternoon clearing off the piles of paper that had gathered
on my desk over the last seven months of rushing in and rushing out of the
office. By nature I’d rather pile than
file, so it is not as easy as it might sound for me to do this. What is always so difficult is that I might
want that item again, but where will I put it so that I can find it in six
months? I have found that it is easier
to throw things away that I think I might want after they have sat buried on my
desk for over a half year. If I never
missed them in that amount of time, I probably won’t miss them if they get
permanently filed in the trash.
I did some pre-marital counseling in the evening and then I went home
and spent an hour exercising before going to bed.
I forgot to tell you this story from last Sunday morning. On Sundays I take my wheelchair with me and
use it as I go back and forth down the hallway before church to save my walking
for church and Sunday afternoon. I
always wear my black exercise gloves when I am in the wheelchair outside of the
house. The leather palms and
half-fingers allow me to grip the wheel more firmly and have more power while I
roll. So this Sunday, I was rushing to
get out of the house and get to church.
I grabbed everything quickly and got out the door. In my rush, I put the exercise gloves on
backwards, they fit either way; but now I have a nylon fabric on the inside
against my palms. As I roll down the
first part of the ramp, I try to brake for the turn but the wheels slid freely
through my hands and despite the death grip, I could not slow down. As I am rushing towards the railing at the
end of the run, I was barely able to get my right foot down and come to a
stop. Whoa!! That was a rush! After reversing my gloves, I made it down the
rest of the ramp in a much safer fashion.
One thing that I’ve notice during this last week is I am now able to
sleep on my side again. After my surgery
I had to sleep flat on my back; that took me well over a month to learn how to
comfortably do it. Once I had my leg brace off at night, I was told I could
sleep on my side again; but I could never get comfortable with one leg shorter
than the other. Somehow in the last
week, my body finally figured it out. I
shift back and forth from left side to right side during the night; but I’ve
always done that. Now occasionally, I
will still sleep on my back as well.
Sleeping on my side feels so good and natural to me; I’m glad I have
that position back again. Over the
years, curling up on my side has been the signal to my brain to shut off and go
to sleep; so I can hit my natural “Off Switch” again! Consequently, I don’t have to go to sleep
with headphones on listening to music any more.
Nice! Besides, sleeping on your side
with headphones (or ear buds) is painful on the ears!
Thought for the Day:
John Maxwell in his book, “How High Will You Climb” talks about the
fact that even Jesus received criticism while He walked this earth. Maxwell says, “In spite of experiencing
misunderstanding, ingratitude, and rejection, our Lord never became bitter,
discouraged, or overcome. Every obstacle
was an opportunity. Broken
heartedness? An opportunity to
comfort. Disease? An opportunity to heal. Hatred?
An opportunity to love.
Temptation? An opportunity to
overcome. Sin? An opportunity to forgive. Jesus turned trials into triumphs.”
I think whoever wrote the line, “Sticks and stones may break my bones;
but words will never hurt me” was an idiot.
Criticism can be very painful.
Words can be destructive and have lasting effect in our lives. Even the thickest skinned person is damaged
by a continual barrage of painful rhetoric.
So what can we do when we face criticism? First I think it is important to realize that
no matter how hard we try, not everyone will like and appreciate us. Sometimes what hurts is not what was said
(after all it might be accurate) but how it was said or when and where it was
said. Sometimes we realize what hurt us
worst was why it was said.
Always look for the kernel of truth embedded in a criticism. Normally there is a least a bit of truth in
what is said, no matter how poorly it was communicated. Learn what you can from it and then move on
and let it go. Especially pay attention
if the criticism comes from multiple independent sources. There may be truth if more than one person
sees it.
If there is someone who constantly belittles you; perhaps you can avoid
them. Sometimes that isn’t possible but
it is a good idea to minimize our contact with people who are constantly
putting us down with very little substance to their evaluation of us. We don’t need the head game and the struggle
to constantly recalibrate our thinking.
Ultimately, the only person’s evaluation of me that truly matters is
what God thinks of me. When I am stung
by criticism, I turn to Him to see if it is an accurate criticism. I take time to pray about the criticism and
ask God to verify or deny what was said about me.
After I have squeezed as much truth out of it as I can and made any
necessary adjustments to my life, I look for encouragement to act as a salve on
my wounded spirit. Someone who is close
to you and knows you, someone who will tell you the truth and still encourage
you is an invaluable asset to have. When you hear a fair evaluation, even if there
is some correction needed it can be such a lift to your emotional
well-being.
So take comfort in knowing that even Jesus who was perfect was
criticized. His response to criticism is
a role model that we can seek to emulate.
Everyone will have critics. Don’t
let criticism destroy you. Take to heart
what is valid and disregard the rest.
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