It has been my experience on my spiritual journey that when I am doing what God wants me to do, and when He has great things in mind, evil is always right there. And with this, I count it pure joy that I'm going through various trials right now. But can I just take a minute and tell you how frustrating it is to have to deal with gossip issues? I feel like I'm in high school! Even in working with the young adults in Montana I never had this problem. And the women involved (of course it is a woman problem!) are almost 30! If someone feels that I'm ignoring them because I haven't called them in the past couple of weeks (everyone knows how much I talk on the phone anyway!) please tell ME instead of calling my friend and starting the conversation with "I really have a problem with ______." And then, if you do have a problem, please accept my invitation to really talk about the problem rather than hiding behind the fact that it is the weekend and the only time you can spend with your husband. Grrrr.
In unrelated insanity news, I have be reading and praying and, to make a long story short, I feel like I need to be keeping up my CPE (Continuing Professional Education) for my CPA license. I have no idea what that will mean apart from now I will be finding time to take classes. It has been quite the journey. I've had very hurtful experiences in the past with Godly women telling me that if I'm too busy that "work" (ie, my job) needed to take a hike. Accounting is part of my very being. It's like telling an artist not to paint. I know, hard to imagine that someone could feel so passionately about accounting. I don't really understand my love of it either. But it's like the runner on Chariots of Fire said "when I run (read: do accounting), I feel God's pleasure." Why would I stop that? Like I said, I have no idea if God will use that outside of my home anytime in the near future. I know that He has an amazing way of using talents and abilities and education that He has given people. I want to be ready to be used by Him in WHATEVER way He sees fit. That's why I woke up at 1:40am yesterday so that I could watch a live webcast from 2-4am to get free CPE credit. (Thank you, Lord for PricewaterhouseCoopers!)
Ok, so that's been my week--how are YOU doing?? :)
Friday, September 08, 2006
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5 comments:
Sorry that you have to deal with such immaturity! I would definetly continue with your CPA stuff. To me it is frustrating when people feel that ministry has to be connected to the church. While I do believe that the church has very specific needs and of course, help when you are needed. But why isn't my daily calling to take care, nurture and guide young children not considered a ministry. Or Jesse, when he is used by God to enforce the laws that He has put into place. Is this not considered doing "God's work" or reaching out to the people he works with? I am not disputing that there are special rewards for the sacrifice of volunteer, but our daily lives and every person we encounter are our ministry. I don't know, what do you think? (Sorry I had such a long response)
Oh Laura Beth!!! I know what you mean with gossipy high maintenance friends. I have been experiencing that here a little bit too. It sure makes you step back and evaluate who your true friends are. Your a great lady LB and you will always be loved and appreciated for who you are in my eyes!!!! J
I understand your frustrations. This is something that has definitely frustrated me the past few years. It seems hard to escape...sadly enough, even among missionaries.
While this is true, it also challenges me to make sure that I am not doing the same. I find myself slipping and sharing a frustration I have about someone else's personality at our school. I recognized myself doing this some last year. Through my frustrations over the very thing you are talking about, God has used it to make me check anything I say about an individual. If it is not honoring to them or sheds light on them a negative manner, even slightly...I am keeping my mouth shut. God has challenged me to only use my words for encouragement and not hide behind "venting" or "sharing a common frustration with a friend" as an excuse to dishonor someone with my words.
Our words have the power to bring death or life. I choose to use them to bring life.
Sorry...This is something I have/am definitly dealing with! It's always nice to know I am not the only one.
Also, God gave you your passion for accounting. Even if you don't understand the why or how He is going to continue to use it in your life...I encourage you not to stuff that passion in a closet because you are now Mommy. There is that verse about how God will give you the desires of your heart. Well...the preface is...IF you are seeking Him. I know that you seek Him out. Those desires He placed in you are from Him. He will help you make sense of them in light of your new full-time job. Good luck with the classes.
LB, God gave you a gift to be a CPA. You are being a responsible steward of that gift by keeping current. He will use it in His way, in His time, at His choosing. When He needs a CPA He'll be able to use YOU because you are prepared and you trust Him enough to follow his nudgings even without knowing where they will lead. God is much bigger than "either/or" so don't limit yourself (or Him!) by feeling like you can be a mom "or" a CPA. He's made you really good at both and He'll use all your talents...just maybe not all at the same time. Keep following Him and don't worry what anyone else has to say about it. His opinion is the only one that matters!
As for the gossip issues, again, His opinion of you is all that matters, not the "friend" who thinks you're ignoring her. But I will pray for you. That's hard anywhere, but especially at Osan where everyone is right on top of each other and every day is stressful. I didn't have many of my finer moments there and could get into a negative spin fairly easily. I wouldn't try to be mean or catty, but Amber's comments about hiding behind venting and sharing frustrations hit a little too close to home.
I went through this specific thing time after time with a certain friend in Denver. I finally realized she was extremely high maintenance and I was just going to have to not let it affect me. That was hard, and in the end we had really grown apart. She would get frustrated and feel hurt that I would always drive the 35 minutes to her house to have coffee, and that I wouldn't call her every other day. Give me a break, woman! I was dealing with four children and all their activities, a husband and all his activities, singing at the church five days a week AND trying to keep a house together.
My dear Laura Beth, you are wonderful. You run your life the way God wants you to and DON'T feel guilty about it. We choose our priorities based on His guidance and direction.
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