Changing Relationships

My oldest son has been close by my side even from his earliest days when I would let him ride in the truck with me to work doing construction. He would put on his work clothes, grab a hammer and just have a good time banging on pieces of wood.  As he grew older he would take on larger projects such as sheet rocking walls, painting and building sheds.  After college, he came to work with me as a construction manager for building projects that I had developed.   One noteworthy project was a very large multi-million dollar project where he gained a deeper level of understanding of commercial building and real estate development.

Soon after this project ended and because of large government budget cutbacks, we had to layoff staff and my son was one of the persons affected.  We did a few side projects together to make ends meet but at some point the desire to work together began to disappear and while we didn't know it at the time, this was God's way of preparing us both for a Paradigm Shift.  God brought new people into his life and he brought new people into my life and we both charted new and exciting courses leading us into new opportunities to prosper. 

My son moved to a large vibrant metropolis and took on a corporate job and i began to have new people coming into my work  life with seasoned skill to help me expand my business enterprises.

Looking back, if we had not yielded to the move of God, both our lives would have been limited, slowed or unfulfilled because we were not in synch with the plan of God.  We would have been stuck in a rut and our attitudes toward each other would have deteriorated while our service to God would have fallen short. 

So now we are both feeling energized by our new and evolving assignments.  The expansion of resources, fresh ideas and new discoveries about ourselves makes for a life of satisfaction.  Even the challenges seem small because our energies have been renewed.

If you feel uncomfortable in your present situation you really need to see if God is using this to move you away from people and into a new expansive and prosperous role.  God is a God of Paradigm Shifts and Changes.  It is made clear when we observe the natural seasons Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring.  And each season has it's unique cast of characters.

May you embrace the power of God to have a fulfilled life.

Everything Matters

In this journey called life it is important to understand the signs of life; both spiritual and natural. In spiritual language it is called wisdom and discernment. In the natural the understanding may be called knowledge. Nevertheless, it is very important because it will inform us on when to make a move, when to be still, what to endure, and what to eliminate in our journey.
 
 As part of a bonding ritual with my two sons, I taught them how to play chess at an early age.  I recall how I would beat them regularly and how I would celebrate.  I would see their disappointment and hurt because their emerging male ego had been smashed in defeat.  One day, I was soundly defeated by one of my sons in a 3 move checkmate.  Now the tables had turned and I was the one with the bruised ego and both of my sons celebrated the defeat to their dad with a deadly 3 move checkmate.  You see all the victories didn't teach me a whole lot.  I didn't take the time to understand that this might not last long and that I may have awaken a fighting spirit in my sons to eventually defeat me in chess.   In fact, I got comfortable and careless, but that defeat taught me something.  I don't even remember many of my victories, but I totally remember that defeat which took place 15 years ago. I pondered it because I knew it mattered.  I realized that I needed to be alert, tighten up my game and that my opponent was getting stronger. 

So goes life, we must understand that Everything Matters.  The celebrations matter, but also the defeats because the defeats can teach us how to be alert and aware of the 3 move checkmates.