Rejection or Redirection?

What if rejection is really only redirection?

The thought came to me the other day as I was pondering some changes in my life. In many of the cases, what seemed to be a very difficult time or circumstance actually was almost a blessing in disguise. If the one door had not closed, I would not have looked for another and would not have found the better door to walk through.

Have you ever experienced a rejection? Rejection hurts. It doesn't matter where it comes from, it just hurts. Sometimes it's hard to get past a rejection. It can affect how we feel about life and how we feel about ourselves. It can keep us from moving forward.

Sometimes, we won't make a change until we are forced to. Even if we're uncomfortable. Even if we know it's not where we need to be. Sometimes, rejection is exactly what we need to move forward.

What if we changed how we thought about rejection? What if we just considered it as redirection, instead?

Have you ever tried to navigate one of those maze puzzles? There's usually only one way in and one way out. Getting out of the maze involves making several wrong turns, having to change direction at dead ends, and keeping on going until you find the right path out.

Life can be a lot like a maze. It's full of opportunities to change direction, isn't it?

The next time we face a rejection, we can choose to consider it as a redirection and then take a different path to move forward.  The new path might be exactly what we need and might take us to wonderful places we never even thought of!

Are You "Puzzled?"

Growing up I really liked doing puzzles. There was just something about getting a new puzzle and knowing that if you put it together just right, it would be a beautiful picture and look just like the picture on the box! There was also the challenge involved in finding the right pieces. Sometimes you really had to look hard for them because the pieces looked so much alike. It helped if you could find the pieces that had the same color. I would always start with the corner and edge pieces so I could build the framework for the picture. Piece by piece the picture came together. You simply cannot rush putting a puzzle together. It takes patience and quiet thought. But, oh the satisfaction when it was finished!

It occurred to me the other day that we are a lot like puzzles. We make our plans for life much like putting a puzzle together. We know what we want and make a plan to get there. It's kind of like we're building the framework of our lives with the corners and edge pieces. We go to school, get a job, get married, have a family, etc. It's when "life happens" that we have a hard time figuring out what to do. Sometimes we try to fix things by looking for just the right answer or puzzle piece. Sometimes we try to fix things with something that looks like it will help, or fit, but it's actually is just a short term solution. That's like when we find a piece for the puzzle that looks like it will fit, but when we try it, we see that the picture doesn't make sense.

When I'm in the midst of trying to find the right piece or make the pieces fit in my life, it helps me to remember that there's someone who already knows what my "picture" will look like. He knows the picture on the box because He's the one who created my puzzle. In Ephesians 2:10, it says "For we are God's masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

You see, he planned my puzzle picture long before I was born. He knows all the pieces and how they will fit. I don't need to worry about finding the right pieces at the right time and I don't need to feel pressured to make the pieces fit. I just need to trust the Puzzle Planner and have patience. My picture isn't finished yet. But when it's done, I'm sure it will be beautiful!

Do You Need a Friday?

Who doesn't look forward to Fridays? Fridays bring the promise of THE WEEKEND for many of us. We imagine what we can do with our WEEKEND. It might be filled with fun activities, time at the beach, getting together with friends, or just hanging around the house. Whatever plans we have or don't have, we still look forward to the WEEKEND.

Why is that?

I think, for many of us, it is a break in the routine of "have to's." Monday through Friday, we might "have to" go to work, or you might "have to" take children to school and help with homework when they come home, or you might "have to" go to school, yourself, and worry about tests and homework. Whatever your "have to" is, you look forward to Friday and the WEEKEND, and not having to think about the "have to's."

Did you ever stop to think that the WEEKEND can be a state of mind? What if we changed our thinking? What if we broke from the routine and had a WEEKEND day in the middle of the week? What if we took a Wednesday off and just did whatever we wanted to?

Of course, that's not always possible, due to finances, jobs or responsibilities. But...what if every now and again we took a day just for ourselves and changed things up just a bit? If we can't take off from work, we could change it up by taking a different way to work, stopping someplace along the way to pick up breakfast, and listen to our favorite music on the way in. Or...we could pack a lunch and go to a park at lunchtime and just breathe it all in.

Sometimes, all we need to lift our spirits is a break in the routine and something to look forward to.

The next time you find yourself bogged down in the "have to's," take a break in your routine and find a way to have fun! Plan a WEEKEND day in the middle of the week!

Look forward to your "WEEKEND!"

Happy Friday Eve!