Life, the Universe, and Everything

Had a lot on my mind and heart lately, and I still haven't figured all of it out yet, but I just have been feeling really thankful for the wisdom of mentors and books and scripture and all sorts of stuff. Here are two (seemingly contradictory) bits of book that have really spoken to me recently:

     Constant role-playing is disastrous. It works against women's good mental health, pushing them toward anxiety and depression. It works against women's sense of self-knowledge, leading them to focus on the externals rather than the internals. And it runs absolutely counter to the call of Jesus. Jesus called people to a consistency between the outer and inner person.
     Externals, like the religious practice of the Pharisees and the role-playing of the sweet minister's wife, have a way of deadening us to our true selves. Jesus' ministry was a wake-up call. Repent means pay attention, look alive!
     Jesus' call to Martha was a call to stop playing a role and climb off the pedestal. She could have gone on for years, just keeping her head above water in a domestic frenzy. Jesus saw beyond her activities and told her to stop coping.
     ...It is easier for a woman to remain in the roles than to step out of them.
     Why would women cheerfully accept roles? Because they provide a way to cope. In fact, one of the biggest problems many women face is their excellent coping skills.
     ...Oh yes, a woman can cope. If she packs her feelings down a little harder, does what duty demands and says no to self, she can keep going for years. But does she want to live her life coping, getting it right on the surface while her soul suffers? Or does she want to thrive?
     To thrive, a woman needs to be in touch with herself. She needs to respond to Jesus' call to focus on her soul and what will nourish it. Instead of pulling her roles more tightly around her, she needs to step boldly off the pedestal.  (from Balancing Act: How Women Can Lose Their Roles and Find Their Callings by Mary Ellen Ashcroft)


     The most important choice you make every day is your attitude. Your internal attitudes are far more important than your external circumstances. Joy is mind over matter. 
     A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals the relative importance of subjective attitudes over and above objective circumstances. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here's why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren't satisfied with silver; bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all, so they were just happy to be on the medal stand.
     How we feel isn't determined by objective circumstances. If that were the case, silver medalists would always be happier than bronze medalists because of objectively better results. But how we feel isn't circumstantial. It is perceptual. Our feelings are determined by our subjective focus.
     ...I think there are basically two types of people in the world: complainers and worshipers. And there isn't much circumstantial difference between the two. Complainers will always find something to complain about. Worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings. (from In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson)

If you get a chance, I highly recommend reading either or both of these books! Great food for thought.

Peace,
~Rebekah