Over the weekend, there was a marriage seminar taking place at my home church. It was Friday evening and my dad was milling around the house and said, "Hey, you should come to the church for this marriage seminar you might learn something you didn't know." I thought to myself, "Sure, why not give it a go." It turned out I was the only single person there; but that's okay, I still enjoyed hearing refreshers of things I've heard before and the introduction of new things I haven't.
One of the concepts I took away from Pastor Rojas this weekend was that when you are thinking of partnering up with someone for life, you want to make sure they are displaying characteristics of "committed people" and not "convenient people".
Let me break that down for you...
Characteristics of Committed People
1. Character based
(Make decisions based on what is right)
2. Controlled by priorities
3. Servant mindset
4. Life and lips agree
5. Inwardly influenced
6. Always winning
7. Persevere during tough times
8. Patient and tolerant
Characteristics of Convenient People
1. Emotion based
(Make decisions based on what is easiest)
2. Controlled by feelings
3. Selfish mindset
4. Life and lips disagree
5. Outwardly influenced
6. Always whining
7. Quit during tough times
8. Tends to take the easy way out
I know that I have heard this before, but the way he presented it was concise and to the point. It was as if he gave a list of "red flags" to be on the look out for. One of the red flags he did mention that I will paraphrase is...
If someone has an "All about Me" mentality - it's time to exit stage right.
I think I resonated the church with a couple of "Preach" and "Amen" outbursts after that left the pulpit!
As far as the rest of my stay-cation, it has been quite relaxing. I have gotten some decent running mileage in the books, spent some time with my little sister, spent Sabbath with the Blairs, and did a lot of piano practicing. All in all, I am living blessed with no room for complaints.
About a week and a half ago I celebrated my 29th year. It was a tough week, as I was hit with several blows of bad news. I won't dive into all of the details but wanted to share this verse...
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Romans 5:3-5
Romans 5:3-5
In other news, I am nearing the end of my contract in Philadelphia. My official end date is Sept 16th. I have three weeks left. It seems surreal! I feel as if I just started there. Time sure does have its way of passing quickly. I signed my next contract that starts December 15th at Central California Children's Hospital. I am moving on out to Fresno, making another cross country trip!
In the meantime, September 18th, I'm headed to North Dakota for Lorinda and Reimy's wedding! I am excited and blessed to be able to share in their special forever day. I am also thrilled to catch up with friends while experiencing North Dakota for the first time.
On the mission horizon, I'll be leaving for my 5th trip with Children's Heart Group (Penn State Hershey) to Guayaquil, Ecuador - November 8th. I am excited to work with the team and for our mission in Ecuador. Please keep us in prayer.
Until next time - I challenge you to read this article on 10 things you can do to improve your life.
I'm working on 1-10 myself! :-)
Always remember...
It's all about people.
