January Newsletter, 2018  Rick McPherson

I wish I had thought of it.  And, if I could remember where I saw it first and who said it, I would give credit.  But I can’t.  So I’ll just use it.   It’s the New Year and when I saw, “greateen,” it took me a minute to figure it out.  Oh, yeah, eighteen.  I get it.  Making it great is even better. 

Like me, you may have resolved to not resolve anything for the coming twelve months.  Just, let-er-fly and see what happens.  “Que sera sera,” right?  After all if it was good enough for Doris Day, it’s good enough for me.  The paradigm of “whatever will be, will be,” has captured many.  And today it’s been condensed to the sarcasm of, “whatever!”  Really?

After a good night’s sleep and the tedium of the Rose Parade, I’ve decided to start my year with a commitment to make it great, or at least as great as I can.  To do so, I have to constantly remind myself of the difference between what I can control and what I cannot.  Big difference!  Most of my heart-burn occurs when I confuse the two.  So I’m choosing to focus on the former and let the rest go.  My wife humorously condenses this thought by saying, “Not my circus…not my monkeys!” 

Here are a few thoughts about things that I can control and by focusing on them my new year should be great.  At least that’s the plan. 

 I can control my speech…

No one puts words in my mouth and makes me say them.  All the words that I say happen because I choose to say them.  Because of that,  I want to say words that will help, encourage, inspire, heal, comfort and bless.  I want my words to bring life and not death.  I want to do a great job of what I say.

I can control my time…

Well, most of the time, I can.  Life does upset our schedules on many occasions, and there’s nothing you can do about it.  But I have leisure time and recreation time and family time and I can control how I invest it.  My most precious commodity is time because I can only invest it once.  I want to do a great job of investing my time. 

 I can control my food…

My Mom used to say, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.”  Mom hasn’t seen my stomach, lately.  She used to also say, “You are what you eat.”  Mom was pretty smart!  But Mom’s not here anymore and I have to control what I put in my mouth.  It’s not someone else’s job, it’s mine.  I want to do a great job of what I eat.

 I can control my thoughts…

Jesse Penn Lewis wrote, “Your mind is not a playground, it’s a battleground.”   My thoughts are mine alone; no one is forcing me to think a certain way.  I have the ability to choose my thoughts and think thoughts that are;  positive or negative, helpful or hurtful, loving or cruel, spiritual or carnal, eternal or temporal.  I want to do a great job of controlling my thoughts. 

Well, that’s it for now.   All of us at Pacific NW Outreach wish you every blessing in the coming months.  Be blessed.  Be encouraged.  Be well.   

MAY TWENTY GREATEEN BE YOUR FRIEND!

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