Day 6

"God, I know this is where you called me to be. Why aren't things working?" Have you ever said or thought that? You know you are exactly where you are supposed to be and doiong exactly what you are supposed to be doing and still nothing seems to be coming of it. As a Christian, if you haven't experienced that yet, be prepared, that time will come. Let me encourage you that when those times come, keep marching. Have you ever thought about the men under Joshua's command? "How are we going to conquer Jericho?" The first day was probably pretty exciting and everyone was all in and sure of victory. I am sure by day 6 of all marching and no change, discontent was starting to settle in. They were exactly where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to be doing, and absolutely nothing seemed to be happening. You can be where God has placed you, doing what you were called to be doing and not be seeing any results. That is okay, it is just day 6. Day 7 is coming, just keep marching. God's word does not return void. He will do what He has promised, it may only be day 6.

Burning the Furniture

I get the same question pretty frequently when I am traveling, "Why do you travel solo?" I figure it is time that I come up with an answer to that. As I thought about it, I discovered the answer is a bit more complicated than I first thought. There is a simple answer, I don't really have another option. I have been single all of my life, so I don't really have a built in travel partner. Not being satisfied with that answer, I dug a little deeper. What I found may come as a surprise to some of you. I don't like people. Okay, that isn't completely true. I like people, some of my best friends are people. So a more accurate answer is that I am an introvert. I am going to let you in on a little secret, a lot of teachers and performers are introverts. Yes, those people that literally earn their living by talking in front of crowds don't like interacting with people. Okay, that isn't really true either. Most introverts, at least the ones I know, are perfectly fine with people, talking in groups, or being in the spotlight. We can "perform" when called upon just as well as extroverts. The difference comes when we are done. Perfroming, for lack of a better term, does different things to the emotional storage tanks of introverts and extroverts. Performing for an extrovert fills their tank. It burns physical energy but it replenishes their emotional tank. With introverts it burns the same physical energy, but it also burns emotional energy. When I am done teaching for the day, my emotional tank is running on fumes. Did I enjoy the day? Yes, I love what I do and wouldn't trade it for anything. Am I ready to not see people for several hours? Yes, and I think you will find that is true of a lot of teachers. By the end of the week we are done with peopling and want nothing more than to see no one for a few days. Can I be around people on the weekend? Yes, but know that by that point my tank is empty and I am looking around for alternate fuel sources. If an introvert is out with friends on their time off just know that they are buring their furniture just to provide the energy to be social. There are some exceptions to that, at least for me. Being around my volleyball team, even on weekends, actually refills my tank. There are a few, very few, individuals that also refill my tank. If you see me out on a weekend with someone, they are most likely one of those people. This all means that by the time summer comes around all of my furniture has been burnt to keep me socially present for 9 months. I need time to rebuild the furniture so I can function for another school year. For me the thing that does that best is traveling. It allows me to see amazing places, take a lot of pictures, get some reading done, and learn about the foods and cultures of new places. Doing it solo also means that I don't have to "perform" for anyone. So that is why I travel solo, I am rebuilding my furniture so I have something to burn when I need extra emotional energy.

What Are You Waiting For?

When I started coaching high school girls volleyball I had no idea how much I would use my psychology education. Volleyball in general, and with teenage girls in particular, is a very mental game. The same team that can be unstoppable in one game can go to looking like they have never seen a volleyball in an instant. There are also matches where everyone plays timid and and cautious. As anyone that has played for me for any length of time can attest, one of the things I say in times like that is, "Stop waiting for someone else to make a play. You have to be the one to make things happen." As Christians I think we can fall into a similar trap. We look around at all of the things that are going on around us. We see all of the ick that is happening and we pray that God would do something. We wait for some divine intervention or someone else to step up and take on the task. We keep waiting for someone else to act and to tell us what to do. When God doesn't send someone or do something we shake our heads and wonder why He hasn't done anything. I think God's message would be the same that I give my players, "Stop waiting for someone else!" We need to stop waiting for someone else to act in our stead. When you see things that need fixing, instead of waiting for someone else to do something, get to work. Perhaps, just like Esther, you were made for such a time like this. Matthew West released a song about a decade ago called Do Something. Take a few moments to check it out.