life – Page 2 – Practical Insights, by Dr. Annette

Tune-up time…

When I think of tune-ups I think of my car. New spark plugs, wires etc. But when I imagine life, relationships or love tune- ups words like consistency, dependability or reliability come to mind.

What part of your everyday life, relationships or love require a tune-up? I think every now and then it’s good to get an assessment of life to look at what needs tweaking.

Let’s look at the word consistency why it is an important characteristic in our lives. According to the Dictionary consistency as a noun means “Conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy or fairness.”

How does that apply to life? How consistent someone is to a job, career, relationship will build trust. Therefore, consistency builds trust. When an individual is inconsistent, they seem to be haphazard, un-committed or not reliable because you will not be able to depend on them.

Life isn’t fair; life is just life- But when we are working hard and be consistent in our employment or relationships, we are going to build security in the areas needed for stability, dependability and growth.

Consistency is the glue that holds relationships together. When we are consistent in life, relationships and love our actions, behaviors or practices can be relied on since their proven consistent.

Love isn’t a feeling it is a commitment to an individual and relationship. Commitment involves consistency. Consistency builds stability, security and growth into the relationship. Love increases when life, care and nurture is given to it inside a relationship. And relationships continue to increase when life, laughter, fun and security is placed into them in a consistent way. These are attitudes and behaviors that need to be consistent to reap the blessing of healthiness in their lives and relationships. Consistency is the glue that holds relationships together.

Whether it’s living in general or relationships of all kinds honoring your word is a consistent attitude and conduct to have. This builds your lives and empowers your relationships.

A few words that describe consistency or they are synonyms are stability, steadiness, dependability and reliability.

I personally live by way of the scripture “honor your word even when it hurts.” Which essentially means if you say you’re going to do it, do it. This produces reliability and dependability which produces a healthy mindset in living and relationships.

Here’s where the tune-up takes place. Take a deep breath and exhale and see your actions, attitudes or words. Now question whether they are consistent to what you want to achieve in life, relationships and love? And if not, what do you have to do to them to make it consistent? Invite God to tell you how to be consistent in life, relationships and love. https://insightsbydrannette.com/integrity/ https://insightsbydrannette.com/do-you-need-clarity/ https://insightsbydrannette.com/little-things-matter/

Decisions and decisions…

When is it right to do right? “It is always right to do right.” That’s something that Pastor Charles Baker would always say. Initially, I would consider what but as my whole life has gone on, they are words I have lived by. When I’m unsure of my response or do not know which direction taking these words help to guide my decisions.

Life has numerous ups and downs and along with them come so many decisions. Be it a choice of moral, ethical or just plain what you think and like. Knowing distinction of right and wrong helps to lead us on the path of life.

I follow the biblical path of right and wrong. But when facing non-scriptural stuff in knowing what’s the right thing to do it always is the correct choice.

When we are faced with decisions, if you look at every side and make a quality decision based in ethical and moral quality will always be the right decision.

Since I’m a child of God, I know that if I ask, he will lead me if I’m listening. God leads through peace. Confusion does not come from God. So, if you are confused in the decision go back and look at it from all sides and wait until you have clarity to decide.

It isn’t always so easy to do what you know is right if you like what is wrong. But you can do right if you want to make a wrong through processing what is right and what outcomes will be.

Maybe today your facing decisions that can alter your life. Remember ‘it’s always right to do right.’ Follow the peace of God in your decisions and you’ll make quality decisions.

Simplifying life

How do we simplify life? What does a simplified life mean?

Having wisdom is essential to having a healthy simplified life. To me a simplified life is straightforward, made easier in addressing life’s issues and simple in understanding what to do when you need to do it. Wisdom is essential to a simplified life.

In Proverbs 4:5-9 states, “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” 6) “Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you. 7) Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore, get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8) Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9) She will place on your head an ornament of grace, A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

Wisdom helps us to simply life because with wisdom is the knowledge to know the right plan of action. Running from problems complicates situations and life.

I saw this meme on Facebook not sure who designed it but it’s relevant for a simplified lifestyle.

“Don’t Complicate Life”

Missing someone Call

Wanna meet up? Invite

Have questions Ask

Don’t like something Say it

Like something State it

Want something Ask

Love someone Tell them

I think this meme is powerful because it makes it simple. Wisdom is available to anyone who asks. The bible says God gives wisdom generously to those who ask for it and believes he will give it.

If you need help ask, if you miss someone call them, if you want to do something invite someone to do it with you, if you don’t like something say it tell the person. How can someone change if they don’t know what they do bothers you.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean blast someone in anger. Living the simplified life means you speak up so that you’re not blasting in anger. Anger is a secondary emotion which means when we are angry there is something underneath the anger such as hurt, fear or frustrations. Allow your self to let God show you what you’re really feeling instead of just anger.

You too can choose to live a simplified life.

The Rejection Connection

We all face rejection. I don’t think it’s a matter of if but when. There are different forms of rejection but it’s still rejection. It can sting in your heart and play with your mind if you let it.

Some people can shake rejection off easier than others but in the end most of us if not all of us have faced rejection in our lives.

Rejection is part of conflicts and most people try to avoid conflicts. I don’t think anyone likes rejection either.

But what do you do when you’re faced with it? The truth is you have choices and these choices will determine your attitude and outcome through rejection.

The first way some people handle rejection is, to wallow in it and retaliate. If you allow yourself to wallow and retaliate it will cause you more rejection. It puts you in a harder place to heal because unforgiveness will grow deeper. This is not a healthy way to deal with rejection.

The second way some people handle rejection is, to run away and build walls. Running away from the hurt and building a wall so you won’t feel rejection only makes you hard hearted and bitter. Bitterness will grow and effect all your relationships. This also is not a healthy way to deal with rejection.

The third way some people handle rejection is, to identify it, let it out, forgive and move on.

To identify it means recognize the anxiety, hurt or frustration over the rejection. Let it out means talk to someone or journal the hurt and release the emotion of it, cry if need be. Then choose to forgive who or what ever the cause of rejection is. Moving on after the rejection is dealt with will feel like freedom to you. This is the healthy way to deal with rejection.

But, if your struggling with rejection stop for a moment and think about this scripture.

Isaiah 53:2-5 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” Maybe it feels like a dry place. “He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Means not handsome, nothing in his appearance would attract you to him. 3- “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He understands rejection to its deepest hurt. “And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” Everyone forsake him. 4-“Surely He as borne our grief’s and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.” He was stricken and smitten for us. 5-“But He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed.”

Wow! Jesus went through severe rejection by not only the Jewish leaders but by all even his closest friends and family. So, if your struggling over rejection call on the Lord to help you through the rejection and give him the hurt and He will heal you. Choose forgiveness and peace and healing today.

The rejection connection is we all face it. The choice is yours choosing the right way to handle it produces freedom.

Are you stagnate or progressing?

Progress…

Today is exactly six weeks since my left ankle replacement surgery. Tomorrow I will be able to put 25% weight on the left leg. Although the recovery is longer than anticipated due to a fracture and very soft bones. I have seen progress through it all!

Progress propels us on to the next step, level and future. Without progress we can become stagnant. I choose to look at this recovery as a process of progression. First was surgery, then the cast and then the grey boot etc.

I also choose to look at life in the same way. One day I’m recovering from surgery and during this recovery I’m inspired to take a step and create this blog. Which I was unsure of how to do but I googled and here we are. As I learn about webpages, blogs etc. I will continue to progress.

My life didn’t stop because of surgery. Parts of it are on hold and parts are still moving forward. My relationship with my husband has grown through this surgery in little ways. A few of my friendships have also grown deeper and to me those are areas of progress.

You always have a choice in life as an adult. How you perceive a situation does affect you. If I choose to look at the situation and say I’m in a bad place because it’s going longer than originally planned. All it would do is make me feel worse. But I know God is going to bring me through. I choose to be thankful in the process. Gratitude to God, my family and friends produces a joy within me in the process.

Changing how you look at or think about the situation sometimes brings clarity too. So, to sum this up to progress is better than stagnate.

Think on what these words mean and relate it to your life.

The word progress means as a verb, “forward or onward movement toward a destination.” As a noun it means, “move forward or onward in space and time.” Some similar words are progression, advance, advancement, headway or passage.

The word stagnate means, “the state of not flowing or moving, lack of activity, growth or development.

I choose to progress! I choose moving forward and being open to change and health. I choose to keep moving in life. If you have stopped in life activate your will and choose to keep moving in all areas of your life. You’re never to old to learn and grow.

Username and Password

Username

Password

It seems like everything in our lives requires a username and password. From medical appointments to appliance repairs. You go online to look at something and immediately pops up a sign-up email and password.

Then trying to remember the passwords for all these different accounts is difficult. After all your advised not to use the same password. I’m not sure how everyone saves theirs, but we have a system. And then if you lose that password oh boy the hassle to retrieve it. Well at least in 2019 they have a better retrieval now.

As I’m writing this blog my husband calls, he took our dog to the groomer and while he is waiting, he got my car washed. Which is very nice, but he called to say they locked the key in the car. Which is hard to do it is a keyless ignition. So, he needed the code. Lol So, I look for the code call him back and tell him. He puts it in it doesn’t work. He does this several times. We hang up I read the back of the card call him back and tell him something to do after he puts the code in and low and behold the door opens. As I stated earlier passwords-codes are on everything.

I read today in Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine.”

I’m so thankful God calls me by my name, and I don’t have to have a different user ID. He knows me personally and He pronounces my name correctly. My mom named me Annette pronounced Ann-ette not A-nnette. She would correct me on my own pronunciation of my name. She named me and it was important to her.

God calls me by my name, he cares about me. His password is JESUS. He is the truth, the life and the way. To go to the Father, you must know His Son. It seems so simple as I write this, but the truth is, it is simple. Call on God He knows your name. Ask Jesus into your life. He is your password into eternal life.