Old Fashioned

A few years ago, my mother-in-law was shopping at a grocery store in Upper Michigan.  As usual, she was chatting with the store clerks, making everyone feel comfortable.  Gordon Food Service (GFS), is a very customer friendly store and will gladly order any special items for you, slice meats and cheeses and fulfill most any other request you have.  A grill out was in the making so the proper items were being sought out.  My mother-in-law brought a rather large chunk of cheese to the teenage boy at the slicing counter and she proceeded to say one of those "take back" sentences.

                "If you could cut the cheese, I'll go take a look at your buns."

Maybe sooner than almost immediately, she realized her comment and giggled off to aisle 6 to check out the buns.  The teenage boy sliced up the cheese and made certain his back was up against the wall.

Do I often say things I wish I hadn't?  Do words come out less profound or not so eloquent as I had hoped?  Are my expressions, ideas and phrases out of date?  I understand these questions are very easy to answer, hence the muse of my blog. 

Lately, I have been made privy to different bloggers who humorously depict characteristics and mannerisms of people trying to live for their God.  Over the years my focus of Christlikeness has, most possibly, developed these characteristics, opening the door to this sarcastic bloggery.  My pursuance of God may cause irritation to many people.  I most likely use goofy words, bad spelling and grammar combined with idiosyncrasies that seem weird and old fashioned.  I do wish I was up to date, interesting, funny and full of new wisdom fulfilling mans desire to follow Christ.  However, it seems, I have not been blessed with overly scintillating bits of information.  But, hopefully, my writing may be taken as heartfelt and not be looked at as buffoonery.  My desire is constantly being updated but my techniques may be somewhat behind the times.  Church speak, being cautious and sensitive leads to criticism because it seems overly zealous, out of date and accusatory.  The reality, however, is a true desire to be the best I can for my Savior.

Criticism may be in order and a little "lightning up" may be the course for those of us who button our shirts too high or our skirts too low.  But understand, the desire for a sense of purity is not all bad.  You may feel I am forcing my carefulness on you because I do or don't do things, when the truth is, I struggle with my ability to be less than I should.

I follow my Christ in the world I am part of and try not to be too stogy.  Some, although, may feel a cold castle in the mountains would better suit me.  If you could somehow adjust your view to avoid my "codgery" and focus in on the few things that may affect you positively, I would be pleased for you to catch some of the love I have for my God.    

Labor Day

I have a brother who is a very successful business man.  He has come to a stage in his  business that most successful entrepreneurs probably come.  This is a stage of transition from "hands in everything" to "hands off most things".  Though I don't know personally, I can imagine that the passage from knowing every intricate detail of your business to trusting other people with these details could be daunting.  The feeling of lost control haunts us all.

He has coped quite well, it seems, and he actually seems less stressed.  I certainly hope this perception is correct.  Through this success and transition, he continues to reach out and share a joy of "work".  My brother has an intrinsic ability to trust people for who they are, not what they have become.  He has this wonderful dedication to family, friends and family friends.  He not only has a soft heart but a deep sense of responsibility to help.  He trusts that people have the ability, but sometimes they just need a little tweaking in the desire category.  If you have ever been long on need and short on a chance, this man would be the employer for you.

There is one criteria attached to working for this brother of mine...you must do just that...work.  He doesn't like to pay people for sleeping in or acting out.  This doesn't seem to be too unruly since it is a "job". 

He knows this employer "stuff" is somewhat of a risk, therefore, he doesn't leave this chance to chance.  He must perform maintenance  along the way creating as much character in these employees as possible.  He teaches them difficult traits such as; if you start at 8:00 am, you start at 8:00 am.  Or maybe that most people feel sick in the morning if one stays out and parties all night.   He helps with solution oriented decisions like; if you work early don't party late.  He shows that better decisions are better for you.  Once he helps them make their sense common he has a very good chance to have a very good employee who not only appreciates their employer but their labor as well. 

Are times as hard as they feel?  Are problems as big as we make them?  Are people as irritating as they seem?  I think our mind develops more stress than our life.  We miss out on the joys of our labor because we get hung up on the expectation of our desires. 

I deliver groceries to a dear old lady.  Her house is in shambles, her family lives far away and her health is not good.  She comes to her door and meets me in her wheelchair as she shakes uncontrollably.  Her labor of the day is to make it to the door and welcome me.  Her joy is intense, her smile is insatiable, she has infected me with her thankfulness.  Does my joy and appreciation for my labor infect people or will I celebrate this holiday with a criticism that my steak was grilled a bit too long?

We all have some labor to attend to.  Are you a CEO?  Do you flip burgers?  Do you dedicate your life to caring for your family?  Labor is a good thing!  Not only does it give us something to do, but it allows us a chance to infuse our thankfulness into the world.

                                            Happy Labor Day!