WELLNESS NOTES
Can it be September already? Time seems to fly so quickly and we all feel some concern about keeping up with it. Taking a moment, at this the beginning of another season, may help us redefine our goals and look more clearly at the tasks set before us. Jeremiah 18:3 & 4 states:
“–I went down to the potter’s house. I saw him working at his wheel. His hands were shaping a pot out of clay. But he saw that something was wrong with it. So he formed it into another pot. He shaped it in a way that seemed best to him.” Imagine God’s hands shaping YOU. What kind of pot are you? How has God shaped you?
We are asked by our Desert Southwest Annual Conference to ‘make more of ourselves’ by practicing God’s Extravagant Hospitality and Abundant Grace, and becoming more aware of the needs and concerns around us. September is usually a time when we shift gears, get back in the swing of our work or volunteer work, restart our church committees, and look toward what we wish to accomplish in the months ahead. How will we ‘reshape our pot’ to do a better job of the jobs we do? Here are some thoughts that may prompt us to set our goals with a new focus:
Am I really WELCOMING new folks that I meet? Do I make eye contact, wear my nametag, smile and really see people I do not know well? Am I being a good neighbor and sharing my love of Christ with those with whom I come in contact?
Am I using the GIFTS God has given me in a way that makes God happy and that I enjoy? Do I stay with a committee commitment ‘because I have to’ or because I feel called to and enjoy it? Should I be honest and resign from one area in order to serve and give in an area that better serves ‘the way I am shaped’. Do I need to become ‘another newer pot’?
Am I taking the time needed to take care of my WELLNESS? Do I need to make my annual appointments with my physicians, dentist, eye doctor, and Minister? (Yes, I said Minister—do you take time to counsel with your Minister and update your spiritual journey
periodically?) Make a list of the questions you have for each of these professionals that care
for our wellness.
Am I looking closely at current events and forming my own opinions about how my fellow travelers on this earth are being treated? Am I strengthening my mind by reading and listening to information that Jesus would approve of my viewing? Do I need to make some changes in how I form my opinions and glean my information?
Am I living in awareness of ABUNDANT GRACE? Am I praying daily and reading God’s Word? Do I pray with gratitude for what I have been given and for the journey I have been set upon. Am I sharing my abundance with others with generosity and joy? Am I being a cheerful giver as well as a cheerful receiver?
HE IS THE POTTER—-I AM THE CLAY—MOLD ME AND MAKE ME—BEGINNING TODAY
Alice Stephenson BSN,RN,CDE, PN
Parish Nurse Consultant