Validation

/ faithsweatandtears / Leave a comment

There are times in this life journey when being Ms. Independent catches up with me (more like smacks me upside the head). In such moments (or days, or weeks), I feel sub-par in various areas of my life, be it motherhood, work, school or even spiritually. In the midst of the frustration, beautifully validating moments sometimes come along that may seem like happenstance, but I choose to believe that they are God-orchestrated blessings to remind me that being independent is well and good, but it’s also ok not to have my act together all of the time.

When I changed jobs last summer, the “status” of my position also changed. It’s still a full-time job, and on the surface, you wouldn’t know (or probably care, which is the whole point) that the type of full-time category had changed. Well, that little change meant that I was not eligible to be a member of an internal organization that I’ve been actively involved with for several years. I tried to pretend like it was no big deal, but the truth is that my feelings were hurt, as if I’d been brushed aside.

Earlier this week, I attended a Christmas reception on campus and ran into the current president of the organization. She pulled me aside and said that she’d been trying to get in touch with me (had my old number) to tell me that she was horrified when she heard what I was told about not being eligible for membership. She had personally stood up to the board about this issue and asked me to please consider rejoining the group, because I was valued and appreciated. Realizing that someone went to bat for me like that was truly refreshing.

The other much-appreciated validation moment came earlier today. I have been exchanging emails this past week with a professor about organizing my dissertation committee, and I asked for her candid input after she finished grading my recent research paper, to see if it would be feasible to expand into my capstone project, and, ultimately, my dissertation. Her feedback would be extremely important, and if she shot it down, then I would likely have to start from Square One with a new research agenda.

I almost cried when I checked my messages today and saw this note:

The paper was extremely well written. So much so that I cannot state with specificity any area which I think you could expand/improve for Capstone purposes. However, I most definitely believe the potential for a Capstone project exists. I am guessing you could … basically just broaden/expand upon all areas. You explain it very well – particularly given that many people are not familiar with it. Great job!

It is nerve-wracking to be at this point in the program and realize that push has come to shove, and you really need to have a solid idea for your dissertation. Having this kind of input is so reassuring! I’m pumped up and excited to crank out my last three classes this spring & summer and hit the ground running at full speed for my capstone & dissertation in the fall. The department chair is leery of people rushing to finish in the fall, so I may have to stretch it out until the spring, but I am determined to put my best foot forward, and I’ve never felt more motivated.

Thank you, Lord, for these moments where you remind me that my life isn’t just about going through the motions day in and day out. I don’t know exactly what you have in store, but I trust you and thank you.

Day off to-do list

/ faithsweatandtears / 2 Comments

It’s the first weekend in a long time when I didn’t have research or writing that I should be doing (finally finished the term paper — woohoo!), so I decided to tackle a few of the seemingly endless items on my household fix-it list. My 13yo offered to help, and together we repaired a cracked bed boxspring (too many dog-piling boys!) and installed a ceiling fan in my bedroom.

2012-12-02 16.49.07Isn’t it pretty? It took about three hours, and I’m pleased to report that there was no bloodshed or electrocution involved, although I did cuss a couple of times and dropped a screwdriver on my foot. I have installed a ceiling fan once before (replaced a light fixture), but this was the first time that I replaced a whole fan with a new one. I called my dad for advice on the wiring to be sure I understood the instructions, and I thought I put everything together the way the diagram showed. Unfortunately, when I turned the switch back on after the whole thing was assembled, nothing happened. 😦

My fingers and arms were so tired from holding them above my head all that time using a manual screwdriver; not to mention that my knee was expressing extreme discontent from standing on a ladder. I had to call it quits for the day. I will re-inspect the wiring tomorrow, if time permits. and see if something perhaps came loose during assembly. In the meantime, I have a lamp in my room. It’s kinda cozy, actually, but I do miss the fan. (I know I could call for help, but it irks me that I couldn’t do it myself, and besides, none of my parents need to be standing on ladders, either.)

Anyway, after all that, I forgot that I needed to bake a few dozen cookies for work tomorrow, so I was on my feet for another hour-plus doing that. I’m ready for a hot pad, some ibuprofen and bed. At least the bed is fixed! :p

Don’t Waste a Moment (Prayer Devotional for the week of December 2, 2012)

/ faithsweatandtears / Leave a comment

The Christmas story is absolutely astounding, but like we talked about last week, sometimes word pictures can become so familiar that we gloss over the fine print and miss out on important parts of the story. For example, I was rereading the account in Luke 1 about the angel appearing to Mary to let her know that she was going to have a baby. As if to reassure her that his message was legit, the angel even told Mary that her barren relative, Elizabeth, was miraculously entering her third trimester! After hearing the angel’s news, Mary went to visit Elizabeth in person.

So, in a nutshell, Scripture tells us that the angel showed up out of nowhere, shocked Mary with the news of God’s plan for her, told her about Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and then left (v. 38). That’s the part of the story that is very familiar to me. Yet, the very next verse says, “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to [Elizabeth’s town].” I don’t know about you, but I probably would have splashed water on my face to be sure I wasn’t dreaming and then called my best friend to say, “You are not going to believe this!” while still reeling about the angelic encounter.

But, not Mary; she just walked right out the door in faith. As far as we know, Mary might not have even been pregnant yet. It sounds like after the angel left, she put her walking shoes on and high-tailed it to Judea. I love the way The Message paraphrase says that “Mary didn’t waste a minute” to go and see Elizabeth.

God gave Mary a promise, and she didn’t hesitate to believe it and act on it. The angel concluded his talk with Mary by reminding her that “no word from God will ever fail” (v. 37), and Elizabeth exclaimed how blessed Mary was because she believed God’s promise (v. 45). As we begin our advent journey this week, let us all be encouraged that God holds true to his promises.