The way of joy

 What does it mean to be joyful? How do we become people full of delight?

I came across this verse this morning and it seemed clear to me, so I wanted to share it with you.

"To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given them from heaven."
                                                                                          John 3:27

John the Baptist was talking to his disciples because an argument broke out between them and "a certain Jew" (troublemaker) about ceremonial washing. His disciples were complaining that the man he'd testified about - Jesus - was baptizing and "everyone is going to him."

It seems as though there was some spiritual jealousy on the part of the disciples. John's response was wise. He said, "I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him." He went on to explain, "The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete."

John had finished his mission. He knew he'd successfully performed the task God had given him. He'd pointed the way to Christ. In fact, even after Jesus began his ministry, John continued to baptize and point people to Christ. He did this until his death.

We too can be filled with joy when we reject spiritual jealousy and learn to be happy with whatever work God gives us.

A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.

I'm going to make this my goal and work hard to attend to the work He's set before me.

       Want to join me?

Unproductive Habits

Ok...here it is, my complete list of all of the habits that make me unproductive (or less productive). As a side not: This does note include the list of things that make me feel guilty, but now I realize that they are related. That list will be next:)

Lack of daily exercise
Frequently I don't want to communicate with others
Procrastinating on tasks I find boring or difficult
Letting others (esp. my husband) change my scheduled plans
Not clearly coordinating or communicating my schedule to my husband
Not checking bank accounts daily
Not asserting myself aggressively when opportunity arises (i.e. I can be too polite)
Taking myself too seriously
Taking others too seriously
Not following up on relational e-mails in a timely fashion (I hate Google stacking)
Not following up with Unstuck e-mails urgently (I hate Google stacking)
Not setting work related goals high enough to be challenging
Getting distracted by other people's problems
Using too many journals/notebooks (I have a pretty paper addiction)
Not giving myself time to learn difficult tasks (persistence)
Forgetting people's names (this is new)
Not fixing broken things in a timely manner
Impulsively switching between projects
Not writing every day
Not setting writing goals
Not checking in enough with extended family
Being lazy about marketing
Keeping piles of photos out in the open (irritant)
Not checking e-mail every day
Delaying critical/important conversations
Inconsistency in listmaking
Not giving myself the luxury of time (for too many things to list)
Buying cards and not sending them out (I like cards:))

So there you have it! Tonight, I'll pick the top three to four that mess me up the most and outline my action plan about correcting them. Planning is half the battle here, the other half is following through.

The best part about this exercise is that I spent the last 3 days in a state of mindfulness, which oddly gave me clearer insight into how much other people's productivity levels negatively affect my own. More to come on that!