my emotions

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Letting Go And Moving On Isn’t Always Best

When the season changes, letting go of some things and move on to other things is pretty normal.

Letting go and moving on isn't always best

Certainly that’s true with the NHL hockey playoffs. My team is now out and they’re down to four teams. The weather is getting nicer, there are bigger breaks between games and it seems like the playoffs are just dragging on. 

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before but my daughter was born the night Calgary won the Stanley Cup back in 1989. That was May 25. Now 34 years later we have another month before a team will walk away with the cup.

I’m ready to watch golf Sunday afternoons and not be glued to a TV Saturday nights for the next four weeks.

It’s light outside for longer in the evenings; there is more to do outside in the summer. I’d really be happy if hockey season was over. 

There are so many other things that can take its place – things you can’t do in the winter months.

For me there is golf. I’m looking forward to playing more this season than I have in the past number of years. In fact, I’m playing this weekend which I’m quite excited for.

I’ve also started mountain biking again. I’ve already been out several times. It’s always interesting to bike the trails when the leaves haven’t fully come out yet. You see the trails differently from when everything is lush with colour. I like this transition time.

There are other things as well, like getting to the cottage. 

We spent the last week puttering around Sauble Beach. Though it was too cold to go in the water, it didn’t stop Lily and I from going for a 10 km walk along the beach at sundown. Our first sunset of the season and it certainly didn’t disappoint. 

… I will say our legs were a little rubbery when we got back to the cottage. 

New seasons are for letting some things go while picking new things up. However, this year I’m a little sad to let one thing go. 

Next week will be my last hockey game until fall. Yes, I said I was ready to let hockey go, but I meant watching hockey on TV. 

Other years I was also glad when I stopped playing. This year, however, it’s different. I’m sad it’s coming to an end even though I’ve played more hockey this year than I have in a long, long time. 

From February to the middle of April I played 4 to 5 times a week. Since then I’ve played on average twice a week. You might think I’ve had my fill, but I would still like to play a little in the off-season.

It’s a satisfying feeling showing up to a cold arena in shorts and sandals, hockey bag slung over your shoulder. It’s hard to describe, but the contrasts put a smile on my face.

So this year it will be hard to let go until the seasons change again.

Here’s the thing: I’ve been thinking that sometimes we let go of speaking up for God. The world doesn’t want to hear it; there is pressure to keep silent. But I was reminded in my time with God this morning that every voice matters. Whether it’s a quiet voice to a few people or through a new medium, God wants us to keep speaking up for Him. There are many other voices that seek to drown Him out, but as for me, I want to keep my voice being heard. I don’t want to let go of speaking of God’s love and goodness to us all. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you want to hang on to in this new season of life? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I’m Missing Another One And The Total Is Mounting

It happened again just yesterday; another one went missing.

I'm missing another one and the total is mounting

Before you think the worst scenario, I’m not talking about some child abduction or any kind of kidnapping attempt. 

However, it surprises me how many times in a year that emergency system on our phones goes off to let us know that a child has been taken. It should never happen and it is always concerning when that message is broadcast.

But there are other things that go missing in our lives, some of them regularly. Fortunately most of the things that go missing are found. Like how many times do your keys go missing, even for a few minutes? 

Sometimes my reading glasses have gone missing. I’ve checked my pockets, my night stand and the last place I remembered using them, only to realize that they were on my head. 

The glasses were never really missing. It was my sense of feeling and awareness that went missing on those occasions. 

When you think about it, there are a lot of things that go missing every day. Whether it’s a piece of paper, your wallet, a nut or bolt, glasses, even your coat, anything can go missing, can’t it? 

One time, I had a hockey game but was feeling sick. My parents told me they didn’t want me to play, but I didn’t listen and went anyway. 

I put on my equipment and when I went to put on my skates, one was missing – just one skate. It turned out that my dad had just taken it out of my hockey bag. I didn’t play hockey that night. 

Most of what goes missing is found again, sometimes moments after it disappeared. But some things that go missing are never found again.

It was one of those things that went missing yesterday. 

I have a drawer where I keep all my socks. They are organized mostly by colour, but I have another section that is organized by numbers. That area is for single socks that have no mate. One sock out of a pair has gone missing. 

You might think it strange, but when a sock goes missing it is rarely found … well, at least in my experience. 

I have – based on yesterday’s new acquisition – a total of five single socks in that section of my sock drawer. 

By the very nature of me having a section where I keep these odd socks, you would think that I have hope of one day finding the missing socks. That’s not the case. I have doubles of a lot of my socks so I keep the odd ones in case a matching sock from another pair goes missing. Then I’ll still have a pair.

Socks that go missing don’t get found. I’m convinced the washing machine eats them or the dryer fries them and spits the pieces out through the vent.

All I know is I’m not going to see that sock again. 

Here’s the thing: Some people think that wherever we end up, we will be together and it will be a party. But heaven and hell are very different. Heaven is a place of community with God and others who have placed their faith in Christ. Hell, however, is not a place of community. When someone goes there, they go missing. People in hell will not get to console each other or take comfort in being with others. There will be no sense of togetherness whatsoever in hell. So while you can, be sure you are heading to the place of community where no one will go missing. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is the most common thing to go missing in your life? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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Inspiration – Boy Do I Need It Bad

When you don’t have any inspiration, you don’t have much. 

inspiration - boy do I need it bad

Inspiration gives you the ingredients to make something. You can’t make anything or make something happen from a vacuum. 

 A vacuum sucks the life out of anything.

I remember back in about 1990, I got a new pair of skates called Vacu Tacks.

These skates were different than most. To get the right fit, you would put them on and the salesman would heat up the skates with a heat gun, like an industrial-powered hairdryer. It got so hot in the skates that you could hardly keep your feet in them. 

Then they zipped a special bag around each skate while the skates were still on your feet. With an air pump hose attached, they sucked all the air out of the bags, forcing the skates to form tightly to your feet.

… A vacuum is good for skates but not for inspiration.

Being in the lockdown here in Ontario is like being in a vacuum. I have no inspiration to write. You need something to give you inspiration, but with this vacuum there’s nothing. 

The last several weeks have proved the most difficult for writing these blogs since I started back in 2012.  

I’ve been writing this blog for nine years now and I have never found it very hard to come up with a topic to write about. There is usually something that happens that I can turn into a post. 

Right now there seems to be nothing happening. 

I have spent more time sitting, staring at an empty screen than I have writing. When I have something to write about, it usually generates more ideas. The main thought gives me inspiration and the words just flow.

The only vacuum that would give me inspiration right now is the food sealer I saw one time at Costco. That gadget was amazing! You could put anything in the bag and the air would be sucked out so that the bag formed tightly around the food. 

I thought we should get one, but Lily believed if you just put a straw in a bag, sucked the air out and quickly sealed it up, that would work just as well. 

Well, now that they are making straws illegal (an environment hazard), how is she going to make that work, I wonder. 

I’ve pulled things out of the freezer before and there were all kinds of ice crystals that clung to the food, like barnacles on the bottom of a ship. … At least there was something there. There had to have been some moisture inside that bag when we put it in the freezer. 

You may not like having to scrape freezer burn off the top layer of your ice cream either, but at least you have something to do. 

In space there is no air, but at least they can float. 

With the gravity here on earth, it’s like we are stuck on the ground but with the life sucked out of us. 

How can I write in those conditions? … I guess I found a way.

Here’s the thing: We need inspiration to write. The Bible was written by the inspiration of God on about 40 different authors from many different walks of life that spanned over 2000 years. You know a book like that had to have divine inspiration to stay consistent to the main theme and point to the one true hope: Jesus Christ. Now that is real inspiration. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s giving you inspiration these days? Leave you comments and questions below.

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My Heart Won Over My Head Today

The other day I had a conflict between my heart and my head. It turns out that my heart won.

my heart won over my head

This kind of conflict happens when you know something to be true or something seems to be logical, but you want or wish for a different outcome. 

On the outset you would think that isn’t a fair fight at all. Truth and logic should win out every time. In reality, however, it doesn’t always happen.

The truth is that I know the dish of M&M’s on the table over there is not good for me. That’s a fact. But I really feel like tasting that peanut, coated in chocolate, covered in a hard candy shell. 

Guess what won that fight? I downed about seven or eight of them before I could stop myself. 

The truth and feelings fight may never be fair but somehow feelings wins the day way more than we would think. 

It’s like an underdog win. We never expect it to even be close, but sometimes we root for the underdog and we are really happy when it wins.

Yesterday I watched the Super Bowl. I knew some information about the two teams and I knew the odds. 

The favourite team was the Kansas City Chiefs; the underdone was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The two quarterbacks were at the center of the ranking. The Chiefs’ quarterback is young, brilliant and makes plays out of nothing, scrambling out of trouble to gain yards. The Buccaneers’ quarterback is old (in terms of football), crafty, wise and has all the experience the young quarterback lacks. 

I had watched the two teams play during the season and I was convinced, like the odds makers, that Kansas City would beat Tampa Bay … but my heart wanted the Buccaneers to win for Tom Brady, their quarterback. 

He’s already won six Super Bowls – one more win and it would put him in a category by himself. He won’t have too many more chances to make it happen. He’s my boy, so my heart was with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

As for Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ quarterback, he has won one already, and with his whole career ahead of him, he will undoubtedly win more. Both he and his team were so skilled, though, I really didn’t think they could possibly lose. 

When it came down to game time, I didn’t have any doubts. Chiefs would win, even though I wanted the Bucs to pull it off. 

In the end, against the odds, the underdogs won the game. … My heart won over my head. 

And an ironic thing took place in the game. The team that should have won, the team that was picked as the favourite, let their emotions, their feelings, get the better part of them. 

They got into penalty trouble and, though I’m not saying it’s what cost them the game, their emotions or feelings were a detriment to their game. 

As for me, there is no weeping over the fact my heart won over my head. I’m quite happy with the outcome. 

Here’s the thing: Sometimes you will have an agenda before you. You will be on a time constraint. But then you feel that there is someone you need to care for, a call you should make, a kind deed you should do. That’s God nudging you, trying to get you to let your feelings win over your head. Make sure you follow your feelings in those cases. You will be happy you did. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When does your heart win out over your head? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Can’t Pick A Winner To Save My Life

It’s safe to say that I can’t pick a winner in the NHL playoffs this year. 

I can't pick a winner to save my life, a coin toss

In fact, if you want to know which team is going to win a particular round, it‘s best to pick the team I don’t want to win. 

Sometimes you just can’t pick a winner and that’s how I am right now. 

If we were drawing straws, I would draw the short one. I feel if I was flipping coins to see how many heads would come up, right now most of the coins would turn up tails. 

Have you ever had a feeling that something was going to happen and then it did? Well, that’s foreign to me at this particular time.

Do you remember when you were a kid at Christmas and you were hoping, hoping, really hoping for a certain toy to be under the tree for you? Then you got to the last present and you were over the moon because you got just what you wanted? 

Well, that is not happening to me right now, and this feeling that whatever I get behind is going to flop, fizzle or fade is getting to be too much for me.

I kind of want to stay neutral; I don’t want to get my hopes up. I just want to coast along and go with whatever happens. 

With that attitude, you don’t bottom out emotionally. You can stay even-keeled and be unfazed at outcomes. Sure, you miss out on some of the highs, but you avoid the deep lows which are far more difficult to handle.

For me this started with the Toronto Maple Leafs exiting the NHL playoff scene really before it began. … They called it the playoffs but really the first round was to determine who would get into the playoffs. The plus side was that the Leafs were one of the teams battling to get in, while other teams didn’t even get that chance.

But that is a distant memory now. Since then, in every series, the teams I have been rooting for, and hoped would advance to the next round, have fallen flat. 

There have been teams I was glad to see ousted from the playoffs, but often in those series I was hoping for both teams to lose (as impossible as that was).

My latest two teams to go down were Colorado and Vancouver. I’ve never been much of a fan of either team, but I had watched some of their games and been impressed. I thought they were winners.

… Heartbreaks on both accounts: Colorado went down in overtime in game 7, after trading goals with Dallas in the third period. Vancouver – well, their goalie stood on his head keeping the puck out until 6 minutes left in the game, when one eventually got by him.

So who do you want to win the next round? Just ask me, and then go with the team I’m not cheering for. 

Here’s the thing: Life is hard to predict. You can make decisions, follow a direction that you think is best, only to find out it’s not leading you to the place you hoped for. That’s why it’s best to have a guide, a counsellor, someone with insight directing your way. God has given us a directional book in the Bible and He promises to give us the Holy Spirit to guide us through life. Don’t take gut-feeling chances with your life and future. Trust in God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What hope do you have that needs to be given over to God? Leave your comments and questions below.

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What To Do When You Push It Too Hard

From time to time I publish an old post I find relevant. This post was originally publish in September of 2016

I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard lately … too hard, in fact. 

what to do when you push it too hard

I came off of my summer vacation without having done very much – mostly hanging out at the beach and doing things with my family. 

Oh yes, and eating an enormous amount of candy. 

Then coming off of vacation, I threw myself into work. I spent one week in the office and then the next week I spent back at my cottage planning for the year. 

… I think that week took more out of me than my first week after vacation. I worked every morning, afternoon and evening because I was alone, and needed to get everything done by the time I left.

There were some late nights, but I knew I would be glad I spent the time once I completed my planning. 

This week I’ve poured myself back into work at the office, working and not doing much else. 

I’m just coming to realize that I’ve been pushing myself too hard. I need to watch it and be smart about the next few weeks.

The issue is my emotional state. I’ve noticed I have a lack of emotion lately and that is concerning. I have not been attending to my emotions – it’s been all work – and now I’m depleted in the emotional department. 

What brought this to my attention was a sermon I was writing on emotional health. For an illustration, I wanted to use a story I remembered reading about a famous pastor who had had an emotional breakdown.

I’d read an article about him years ago, so I googled his name and found the story. My intent was to get the facts straight and then get back to writing my sermon.  

But as I read his story, it rang true with my life. I read the whole article again and concluded that my “emotional gauge”, as he put it, was on the low side … not critical but going in that direction.

Two things he wrote made sense to me and that’s what I intend to work on. 

First you have to engage in things that bring you joy, things that take you away from the heavy load you are carrying, whether that be work, worry, pressure, or … well, you get the idea. 

For me that might be golfing, biking, playing hockey, or kicking back and listening to music. 

Second, your emotional reservoir takes time to fill up. 

There is no quick fix, so you have to regularly engage in emotionally strengthening activity … which isn’t easy because the crazy thing is you don’t feel like doing it. 

It’s easy to make excuses to get out of doing these activities. You literally have to schedule them, force yourself to do them, and keep doing them.

That’s good advice and it’s what I need to be doing over the next little while to get myself in post-vacation shape again.

Here’s the thing: What I’ve written so far is good, logical advice, but there is another piece to your emotional health, and that is God. Take time with Him and seek His help. Ask Him what is at the root of your emotions and what you need to do. Then pause and wait till He gives you His answer. When you have it, go do it. God’s grace is sufficient for you and His power is made perfect in your weakness. I read that somewhere (2 Corinthians 12:9).

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is your emotional state right now? Leave your comments below.

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I Gave Up On Them … There, I Admit It

I have to admit it: I gave up on them … but maybe it was for the best. 

I gave up on them ... There, I admit it

It is strange talking about hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of the summer, but anything goes this year.

By the time this post is published the final game of the series will already have been played. Their win last night might not matter, but what does matter is how I responded to the game last night. 

First, I wasn’t sure I could take watching the game at all, so I went for a long walk on the beach with my wife, Lily. The Leafs were battling it out while I was getting great drone shots of the sunset.

When I did start watching the game, I will be the first to admit that I turned the TV station when the Leafs went down 3-0 in the final half of the third period.  

I gave up on them.

I was convinced that it was over and that their season had come to an end. I’d seen the scenario take place too many times to watch it play out to its end. 

I flicked the channels for a bit, settling on a movie when I decided to check my watch. … I get scoring updates on my watch. I figured the game was over so I looked to see what the final score was. 

I couldn’t believe my eyes!

It said the game was 3-3, and that could only mean one thing: we were in overtime! 

I quickly grabbed the remote and turned back to the game. The first overtime period had just begun. 

There were chances at both ends. At times it looked liked the Leafs were beat, but our goalie made a save or one of our players cleared the puck. 

At one point, my son texted Lily and asked how my heart was doing. Lily texted back, “He gave up on them, but is watching now”. 

His response was “maybe it was the healthiest thing he could do.” 

The curious thing is, if I had have been at the game in person, I would not have left the building until the final horn sounded. I would have been there to watch every agonizing minute of the game. 

But being at home, watching from my couch, the sense of despair ate at me. Then it became 3-0 and it was too easy to just turn it off. It was too easy to walk away, find another program to watch, focus my mind on something more pleasant, become distracted from how I was feeling. 

As tense as the overtime was, I didn’t turn away. There was hope, a chance the Leafs could win. 

And then it happened. The four big stars of the team came together – Rielly to Marner to Tavares to Matthews, who made no mistake. 

They WON!! 

And my heart, at least for then, was at rest.

Here’s the thing: Maybe you are not a quitter. You would never give up on God or church. But maybe from your couch it becomes easier to have your heart turn to other things. Maybe all the bad news, the changed world, the no magic fix for the virus, the possible years we will have to distance and protect ourselves is too discouraging. So the easy solution is to turn your attention elsewhere. Let me just say, this is not the time to give up on God or the church. Now is the time to tune in, show up, be more vigilant than ever. Christ won on the cross and He will come in victory. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s your plan for staying connected to Christ? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Being Content Is Something We All Need To Work On

The character trait of being content is something we all need to work on. Though I notice a lack of contentment in others, I also know that I need to be more content. 

Being content is something we all need to work on

… There is still room for discontentment though. Think about it … if we were all content all the time there would be many things that would never have been invented. 

Think of the wheel. If we were always content, no one would have thought of carrying anything any other way than in their arms or on their backs. Some things would never have been moved from their spots. 

But I’m really talking about being content with everyday experiences like the weather. 

The weather takes a beating, that’s for sure. Many people have even given the weather a personal name so they can blame it. They call the weather, “Mother Nature”, and she can be nasty at times. 

We also personalize certain weather conditions like hurricanes, though I have never heard of Hurricane Bob.

Especially with the weather, we find it difficult to be content. 

The other day I was listening to the radio and the two radio personalities were discussing the weather. We were experiencing a heat wave at the time. Temperatures were up into the 30’s C and the humidity was a making it feel 10 degrees hotter than the readings on the thermometer.

Instead of enjoying the heat for the brief time we have it, the DJs were pining away for cooler temps like 15 degrees. In the winter when it’s -15 C, they will also be wishing for that 15 C optimal temperature. 

… Just never content with what we are experiencing at the time. 

Farmers are notorious for not being content with the weather, though I can see that. The weather dramatically affects their livelihood. 

The old boys down at the coffee shop in Lloydminster, Alberta (or is that Saskatchewan?) – well, I guess it depends on which coffee shop they’re in – are not content because if it’s raining, it’s too wet and if it’s not, it’s too dry. If there is lots of snow in the winter, it’s too much, and if there is very little snow, well, that’s not good either. 

When I heard the radio jocks talk about wishing for fifteen degrees in the middle of the summer, I realized that in the spring when it’s 15 degrees out they will be longing for hotter summer weather to hurry up and arrive. 

As for me, I will be content with the weather we are getting right now. Sure, it’s hot but I will take it right now and enjoy it. I will sit and eat my meal on our deck and enjoy a little dessert as the sun slowly makes its way lower on the horizon. 

However, I will then take my plate and go back into our house that is air-conditioned to about 23 degrees … so maybe I’m not as content with the weather as I think.

Here’s the thing: When you find contentment, it’s hard to stay there. Something will soon pull you from being content to being discontent. God can use that discontentment to nudge you to find contentment in Him and His will for you. When the discontentment comes, don’t just complain. Look for where God is leading you to find contentment again. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where is your discontent leading you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Isolation Is Good For Something; Not Sure What That Is

This Isolation is wreaking havoc on my efficiency and making me less productive. 

Isolation is good for something; not sure what that is

Probably most people and businesses in general are running at a lower efficiency than they normally do. I was talking with someone recently who said he thinks he’s operating at 70%.

It’s understandable. We are finding our way through a new set of rules and measures. Life is not what it was a few months ago before coronavirus.

I am in the same boat as most people, although, if anything, I should be more productive and working at a high efficiency. You see, I work best when it is quiet, and boy is it quiet at work!

I hear of people working from home and being on Zoom meetings where their three-year-old makes an appearance several times during the meeting … and the kid isn’t updating their dad or mom on the latest sales projection numbers.

I know some people are going nuts trying to get work done at home. 

I’m the opposite. I still go into the office, and I’m the only one there. It’s really quiet which should be perfect for me. 

I once had an assistant who loved to play music when he worked. He often would play it Friday mornings when I was trying to write my sermon. He would keep the sound low but he had a subwoofer in his office and all I would hear was boom .. boom . . . . . . . boom . . boom . . boom echoing through the wall between our offices.

I couldn’t concentrate at all.

It’s probably because of my ADD that I need quiet to focus, but the quiet isn’t even working these days. Anything can take my attention away from what I’m working on.  

In fact, the other day I stopped working on my sermon to pray. After a moment or two of prayer, I realized I had spotted a black squiggle mark on my desk and my mind went to some cleaner in the kitchen I had seen earlier. I almost stopped praying to go get that cleaner when I realized what I was doing and got back to praying. 

Maybe it is too quiet here at the church. Maybe I need a couple of three-year-olds messing with my mind and my patience. 

Wait … I’ve been there before, and no thanks; I’m not going back.  

But maybe it’s not my ADD. Maybe I’ve been going for too long without a break and I’m running out of steam. 

Come to think of it, it’s often around now that I remember my summer vacation is coming up and I start thinking that it can’t come fast enough. 

Maybe it’s that I would normally be a little more active by now. I would be mountain biking and golfing. I haven’t done any of that and I haven’t really been working out in my home gym either. 

It’s possible that it’s all these factors and the isolation has just created the perfect storm for them all to be working against me. 

Here’s the thing: This isolation can get you off your game with your time with God. Your schedule has changed; you don’t have the same routines as normal. You may have different demands placed on you. All these things can create that perfect storm that makes spending time with God more difficult. Let me encourage you to find some calm in that storm. Eke out some quiet waters where you can listen to the Lord for direction and guidance through a turbulent time. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How efficient have you found yourself to be in this isolation? Leave your comments and questions below. Hit the “like” button if this has been helpful and subscribe if you want these posts to come to your inbox.

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Right Now My Urge To Buy Is Great

There are certain times of the year that I’m more inclined to buy things.

buy, change purse

Right around this time of year is one of them. I don’t know what it is … maybe the ads that are stacked on our kitchen table? 

Maybe it’s the Labour Day sales, or just something in the air that begs me to get something new, something fresh, something I don’t really need. Whatever it is, it sure hit me this morning. 

At breakfast I was greeted with a stack of ads, specifically from the stores that I might shop at. I think Lily pulled all the right flyers and put them by my place at the table. … Hey, maybe she’s the real reason I’m in a buying mood!

I’m not that much of a shopper – that’s to say that I don’t go shopping all that often. I can’t remember the last time I walked through the local mall in our town. 

But when I get a hankering, sometimes it’s hard to stop me. 

I remember when I was about eight and my brother, John, was six. We had never gone to the neighbourhood strip mall by ourselves but we campaigned our mom to let us go on our own.

The mall was about a ten minute walk away … maybe fifteen for us because our legs were shorter back then.

We didn’t have anything in particular that we wanted to buy. We just wanted to get some candy and be all independent-like.

After much pleading and begging, my mom said we could go. We were thrilled and excited to be able to do it.

We headed for our room and our respective piggy banks. 

We needed to take some money, but how much money did you really need in order to buy cent candy from a variety store back in 1964? 

We were definitely not going to take along our piggy banks made of cheap china, so we got out our change purses. We didn’t have wallets back then because most of the money we had were coins. 

We opened the bottoms of our banks and started to fill our change purses with coins. 

I’m not sure we had a clear concept of what money was worth. Our intent was to cram into those purses as much money from our banks as we possibly could. 

We were making a run for the border on this trip and we needed every cent we had.

About the time that we were attempting to zip up the purses – that were so full of coins we couldn’t actually pull the zippers across to close them – our mom walked in.

It was like we were caught red-handed. 

She immediately realized that we would have no restraint and promptly called off the trip to the mall.

There were some tears and pleading after that. But mom knew we would not restrain ourselves. 

… I guess with no mom around this weekend and the urge to spend, I’m going to have to restrain myself.

Here’s the thing:  There are times when temptation is greater than at other times. Maybe it’s just the season that brings it out in you. The temptation to sin can seem all encompassing. Knowing when those temptations come is one thing; knowing the reason why you are tempted and purposely setting up roadblocks against them is another. But having restraint is also something you need to employ against temptation. Put up some resistance and call on God. He will come alongside and help you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to resist right now? Leave your comments and questions below.