The person you are becoming(old person part 3)

I let go of this topic for a couple of weeks.  I thought I was done. Actually,  I was done with this whole blog business.  However, about 4:00 A.M. this morning I could not go back to sleep. So these are the additional thoughts on the old person I will become.

What you are dwelling on today is who you will become.  Let that thought soak in.  You are programing into your mind the things that will be in there for the rest of your life.  Mental images are finding a spot in one of your filing systems in your brain.  We are so careless with what we put in our files!

For example, the first thing that comes to my mind is the TV shows and movies that we view. My friends and family know this about me...I do not like chick flicks.  I realize that this was probably a result of allowing my husband and sons to pick the movies they wanted to see. However, it has become more than that to me. Chick flicks are more likely to  display nudity, sex scenes, and unrealistic romantic relationships. Let's face it.  The people in the movies are portrayed as the most extraordinary lovers of all time.  The guys do not forget to put out the trash, the guys always know the right thing to say, the girls go to bed with their make-up on and look amazing in any situation and to top it off...no one ever seems to go to work!

When I constantly plant those images in my mind, Mark has no hope of competing. Especially deadly is the thousands of images placed in the minds of a single person who is looking for that kind of a person to marry.  He or she does not exist because marriages are made up of real people who mess up all the time.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

^3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

The world does not fight fair. Movies and TV shows are not produced so that I will become a better person. I want to take captive the thoughts that I  allow to creep into my mind. I want to become an older person who helps to smash down warped philosophies. I want to build a life of obedience. and maturity. I am becoming what I am allowing in my mind, no matter what my outward self is doing.
True confession...the main reason that I wanted to express these thoughts is because of the flippancy of many women who planned to see Magic Mike. Comments placed on Facebook about that movie disturbed me greatly. Hear me out.  This is not the worst movie ever. I do not mean that at all. However, it represents a general trend of society that is scary. Be careful of who you are becoming. If that is girls' night out this year, what will be girls' night out ten years from now?

***This blog was written 7 years ago. Oh my goodness...I am not a prophet, but wow! Movies have definitely gotten worse.

The Person I Am Becoming, Part 2

Yesterday I published a blog about considering what kind of an older person you want to be. I wanted to continue in that vein of thought. As we grow older, many of us constantly look back over our life and give it a grade based on  how successful we think we have been.  Let's stop there for today and ponder what that really means.  When I look reflect on my past, I must admit I give it an A in some areas and a failing grade in others.

For example, I have had a rich, rewarding career in teaching. I have loved so many students! They are all my favorites.  I have taught mostly 8th graders.  I like to think that I have laughed with them, cried with them, pushed them to think out of the box, hugged them when life was crashing all around them(everyday occurrence for an 8th grader) and tried to teach them all the life lessons that they needed to survive. Probably an A in that area.  Check that off.

However, when I move to the parenting area, I tremble a little.  I grade myself very harshly in that area. I look back and think of a million things I would have done differently. I would like a do-over. Maybe I should add that my sons turned out to be the most magnificent men on the planet! But deep down, I know that I can't take any credit. The Lord did that in their lives, not me.

In the area of ministry, I tend to give it a C. Mark and I have taught Sunday School for almost the entire 41 years of our married life.  I would give it a much higher grade if we had been the janitors or the coffee servers, an area where we got absolutely no recognition.

Realize that you will do that one day.  Start the process now.  All of us would like to look back over the years and say "that was a life well spent." Notice that your definition of success will have nothing to do with money. No one on their deathbed will be wishing they had made more money. No one. Today may be the best time to redefine your definition of success. Stay focused on what is important in life. You aren't getting any younger:)

P. S. I wrote a blog called "Ordering Your World." I talked about setting goals and priorities. Check it out.
P.S.S. I do not think my spell-checker is working.  I think I am a decent speller but I do know there will be a mistake or two. Forgive!

What Kind of Old Person Do You Want To Be?

(I wrote this blog 7 years ago! I never finished the series. It's time!)

This topic has been marinating in my mind for awhile. I am about to turn 57 years old in a couple of months. I don't feel old at all!  But I want to determine what kind of person I want to become "one day" when I turn old:) I believe it is imperative to live in such a way now to safeguard the life I want to live when I am older.

 I decided to make some observations of older people that I admire. What qualities do they possess?
True confession...it was easier to think about what qualities I have observed that I do not want in my life and reverse that thinking.

Counter the idea that old age needs be a time of uselessness/retirement/atrophy. I personally hate the idea of spending your whole life serving others in a job so that you can float around on a boat and do nothing when you retire. Or walk along the beach and try new seafood recipes every night. It reeks of selfishness. No matter  how good it sounds on paper, selfishness disappoints every time. Many people have told Mark and I to have a plan for working or volunteering if we stop teaching. It is tempting to dream about "when I retire." Examine your reasons for longing for retirement.  Is it so you can be lazy or simply move into Plan B?

Along that line, many people allow their bodies to atrophy. I can't count how many older people say that they use to walk or they use to work out.  But they see old age as an excuse to "relax" more. This is a death sentence for them. At what age is it okay to wind down? If you are keeping up with my blogs, you will see that I am adding in new exercises rather than slowing down.  I made a choice(I will always struggle) to be as fit as I can be. My knee does not hurt anymore when I do Body Pump. I actually thought your knees were supposed to hurt when you got older:).  Best example I know is my husband. He is about to turn 58 this September. He is like Superman. Best shape he has ever been in his life. He refuses to get old!


Last thing to mention on this topic.  I do not, do not, do not think we are useless just because we are older.  On the contrary, I did not start writing a blog until I was older and had a little wisdom under my belt. Mark and I are starting a new adventure next Sunday with our career class. I feel like I have so much to offer a younger teacher at my school. My favorite blog to read is from my college pastor, 40 years ago. I do not know how old he is now but he is literally reeking of wisdom! I want to be more useful with every passing year. As a matter of fact, what did I even offer to others in my twenties?  I was a taker, more than a giver.

I hate long blogs so I will pick up this topic in the next few days. Maybe you young folks need to imagine what kind of "older"person you want to be. It will take a lot of planning and goal setting to become that person one day.  It will not happen on its own.

When We Retire

When We Retire...

See my grandsons every chance we get!!!

Make new friends, all ages!

Go bowling. 

Go hiking at Trinity Trail and eat lunch at Press 

Cafe on the trail.

Go geocaching at Trinity Trail. 

Become amateur photographers. 

Go dancing and/or take more dancing lessons. 

Go to art museums. 

Go shopping for new clothes together at least once a year. We never, ever go shopping! 

Go to a Comedy/improv place. 

Go to Fredericksburg, TX.  

Go to Washington, DC. I have gone but Mark has not.

Buy a lifetime pass(because we are over 62) to the America National Park. 

Go to the Yellowstone National Park. 

Go to Seattle. I have gone but Mark has not.

Go out to breakfast every Saturday. 

Go bird watching, maybe in our backyard. Already working on this. 

Build a fire in fireplace. We never, ever build a fire! 

Go to Cheesecake Factory once a month for desert.  This will be hard because I quit eating deserts about 7-8 years ago. 

Go to a drive-in movie.

Go to the Texas State fair. We get free tickets and NEVER go because Mark is a football coach and this is coaching season.

Go to Orange Beach in the fall. Never have gone in the fall. 

Let every Tuesday be “cook on grill.”

Rent a movie once a week.

Go to Central Market, at least once a month, to eat dinner and hear the band. 

Go to garden nursery together once a year and pick out a new plant that we can  enjoy for years to come. 

Mini trip every Saturday to a new place in Metroplex. 

Plan a picnic at River Legacy after we ride bikes. Have not ridden a bike since my shoulder injury two years ago due to fear of falling.

Buy and play a game together. 

Go to Bass Hall once a year. 

Lay down outside and look at stars.  

Go camping. 

Go to Texas Rangers game.  

Go to Botanical Garden in Fort Worth.

Build a worship playlist on Spotify to listen hear everyday.

Build a dancing playlist to practice our dancing.

Enjoy going to The Prayer Room in Arlington, weekly. 

Let every morning that the Lord gives us, be intentional to make plans that honor him that day.

Retirement Plans

Mark and I are about to enter a new season of life. It really keeps me awake at night, wondering what will Mark and I do with the rest of our life when Mark retires in 7 months. Every time I meet a married couple who are both retired, I bombard them with 20 questions.  How do you like it? Are you traveling? Are you physically active? How do you fill up the 50 plus hours that you used to spend working? Are you volunteering? Are you more involved in ministry? What are the pros and cons? 

I am the type of person that does not like to be caught off guard. If I can plan for it, I do. I like to set goals.

 However, I do NOT want to treat retirement like the world. My favorite verse has always been.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2 NIV

For this reason, I am intentional about seeing what the world does and trying to go in the other direction. The world sees retirement as a time to sit down and relax. The world sees retirement as becoming less active, slowing down. The world fills up the extra time as endless TV watching(I am not a TV watcher so I don’t think I will become one). I have observed that some retired folks become a little more isolated because it is just easier to stay home. And some people become bored of the whole thing and go find a part time job. 

I am not judging in the least about what people do when the hours of work are no longer required. Unless I’m careful, I won’t look any different from the world. I struggle greatly with this dilemma. 

I can remember back in college trying to discern “what is God’s will?” What was his will for my job, for my future spouse, for my place to live? I learned that the Bible was absolutely packed with things to be followed in obedience and if I spent the rest of my life reading and following them, I would be in his will. 

Without a doubt, the very best decision I can make to plan the rest of my life is to continue the things that I already know to be truth. 

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17:16-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The most wonderful thing about these verses is that Jesus prayed them to the Father about me personally. Jesus sits at the right hand and is interceding for me. He wants me to be sanctified in truth. He wants me put right where I am, not of the world, but sent into the world. He knows that Mark and I will be entering a new season of new adventures and I don’t have to fear boredom or inactivity or not being used any longer. 

Psalms 139:15-16 says,

“You could see my bones grow as my body took shape,

hidden in my mother’s womb.

You watched my body grow there.

In your book you wrote about all the days planned for me

before any of them had happened.”(ERV) 

Just as God planned my childhood, my marriage, my job, my parenting...he has planned my days of this new season of life. 

Tomorrow I will share by bucket list that I have come up with for retirement.