Regular Guy Russ

Not sure what comes to mind when you think of rest. For me it usually makes me think of sleeping in, taking a nap or feet up watching a movie or reading a book. At my age, I regret all those times I complained about taking naps in Kindergarten!

But a while back I was sitting in the woods, one of my “rest” places, thinking of all the craziness that was 2020 and now 2021. Both for me and others it seems like non-stop stress. Job loss, health issues, Pandemic, whatever we have all been facing and still face, they are all Rest Stealers. I found myself wishing for a peaceful place to make everything just pause. A place that at first I thought would be a place of inactivity. Then it hit me, a little different understanding of rest.

You see I thought about that place of peace and for me it’s turning to God for peace. That was it, the turning piece. While I was thinking of rest as stopping the carousel of crazy and being inactive, I realized that turning is a verb. English majors please refrain from commenting here :).

For me the realization was that sometimes we have to DO something to rest, to truly rest. That may involve working on solutions to problems that we’ve created that are stealing our peace if we can. It may involve fixing the broken relationship that may be keeping us up at night. Perhaps it’s admitting we were wrong and asking forgiveness from a friend or relative. Maybe, just maybe, it involves us admitting we’re not Superman, that we are in over our heads, that worrying hasn’t solved anything and “Turning” to God with our frail hands holding all the broken pieces and saying “Here, I can’t fix it.”

I know it’s a bit odd to think of working to rest, but give it some thought. Put in the effort where required. More importantly realize there’s a turn over at some point that will bring you to that spot – REST.

We all have them. Sometimes we don’t even know how they started or why we do them. I’ve been thinking a lot about them recently as we just finished the Holiday season. Traditions that is. Officially defined as “Transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.” Maybe during the strange Holiday season that was 2020 you gave Traditions some thought too.

Maybe it’s something you do at Christmas or New Years. Perhaps it’s something you do at Birthdays or Weddings. I always enjoy learning about other people’s customs and traditions, there’s so much we can learn from each other. My mom and I had birthdays just a few days apart and made our own traditions to celebrate.

For just a moment though let’s look at Mr. Webster’s definition a second time. Doesn’t say anything about a special day or season. That’s what I’ve been thinking about, especially as my wife makes me put up all the Christmas dishes that only get used once a year!

You see maybe there are Traditions that should be happening every day. Again the definition says “transmitted from generation to generation.” What am I “transmitting” with my son, nieces, nephews, friends and co-workers?

Things like honesty, kindness, work ethic, my Faith, even things like my interest in gardening and canning or hunting and fishing. Someone shared with me to learn, even though as a young teenager helping my Grandmother can green beans sure seemed like a hot and tiring “tradition.” But am I sharing too? Am I passing on those qualities and knowledge? Are you?

I think in our instant, always on and technology driven society we’ve moved from sharing person to person to letting Youtube and the Internet do it. Don’t get me wrong, I think I’ve earned a Master’s Degree from YouTube and you are able to read my thoughts in this Blog forum. But that person to person sharing – Transmission if you would – I fear it’s becoming a lost art.

So as you reflect on the very different times we’ve all managed to adapt to in this strange period, make efforts to share your traditions – you know those teachable moments about good behavior, loving one another and perhaps even some of your skills or knowledge you’ve gained over the years. Traditions, pass them on.

 Yep!  Caught you! Some of you were starting to blare Elsa from Frozen in your head as you read those words!  Don’t worry this thought isn’t about about a Movie or Song, but those words do have significant meaning.  

We’ve all had some bad stuff come our way in this journey of life.  People have wronged you, we’ve been faced with health or financial crises. We’ve lost loved ones. For sure in 2020 we’ve all had our “normal” turned upside down.  Some of us have faced even darker things, things you can’t talk about or want to never remember.

In light of all that this Holiday season, sure seems trite to just say “Let It Go.”  But the alternative can lead to a burden and bitterness that will cover your life with a fast growing weed or fast moving storm.  It will slowly cloud your every thought and distort your every interaction. 

I was recently talking to someone I’ve known a long time. I know their history. They have been dealt some bad cards in life sure and over the years they have forgotten about those 3 words and let that cloud settle in.  I realized that this person now views every interaction and every situation through a distorted lens.  They think no one is genuine, there’s always a suspicion and they always feel like they are on the short end of everything.

Look it’s not easy.  Human nature says to be angry, fight back, get even.  But the other side of the coin is the way to healing.  For that we need to look no farther than Jesus.  On the cross, He was asking forgiveness for the people who put Him there.  Talk about “Let It Go !” Once we realize that burdens of hurt and pain were not meant to be carried by us, there is a freedom mentally and emotionally.

I’m no counselor, just a guy who observes things.  I think we can all agree that “Letting It Go” whatever “It” is for you is better than years of pain and the cloud that can overtake your life.  So maybe this Christmas season, there is someone you need to call or visit, maybe something you’ve been holding causing pain, a heart change that you need to work on and by doing that you give yourself a gift – you “Let It Go.”

 Maybe it’s because I watch too many Westerns.  I mean is there even such a thing as too much Gunsmoke, Ponderosa, or John Wayne Movies? Or maybe it’s just the way I’m wired up.  What do you think of when you hear the word “Surrounded”?

I was listening to one of my favorite artists the other day, Michael W. Smith.  He has a song titled “Surrounded” and as I listened to the words, it hit me that maybe I have been thinking of being surrounded all wrong. 

Usually being surrounded is a bad thing.  Surrounded by the bad guys in a Western.   Surrounded by the enemy while fighting a battle in a war.  When the police have a suspect surrounded it’s usually game over. All true, but what if there’s more to being surrounded?  What if we flip it around?

We are all surrounded by close friends and family members during our days.  We are surrounded by the good things we choose like positive people, or being part of a team working towards a common goal.  Our Creator surrounds us with beauty as we look at nature and the amazing things displayed for us.  

What if we look at the challenges and obstacles we all face in light of the support and help we already have surrounding us and the help we can ask for and choose?  As I began a new chapter in my career today, I was moved to tears by the stream of texts from those surrounding me with well wishes, prayers  and encouragement as I headed into my new adventure.  Seems like Marshall Dillon always wins against the bad guys of Dodge City when his friends help him out. 

Even Scripture shows us that Jesus surrounded himself with 12 followers.  They sometimes fell, as all friends can and were a lot of work at times, but those 12 Jesus chose to surround Him changed the world.

So maybe give some thought of who and what you are surrounding yourself with today.  If you find yourself fearful of being surrounded by the bad guys and problems, be sure you are surrounded by those people that have your back, circle the wagons and will fight to help you get through it.  When we do that I bet those obstacles and challenges that you face look a little easier to conquer.

Since my favorite time of the year, hunting season, is just around the corner I was telling my son a hunting story the other day and made me think I should probably write a blog about it.  No, no it won’t be about the big one that got away or if only I could have gotten a little closer as it usually goes for me.  Actually it was about a pretty common thing – Fog.  

 Since I’ve found myself with some extra time on my hands recently, I decided to tackle a big project I’d been putting off.  Tearing down a storage shed.

I know, doesn’t sound all that bad, Demolition is always more fun than Construction right?  Well, you see I built this shed, or should I say put it together over 10 years ago.  I knew I was headed for problems when my 10×10 shed came in a box that fit into my SUV.

It was ALWAYS a problem.  It leaked, always in different spots.  It rusted no matter what I did.  I had a limb fall onto it and made a hole in the roof.  Yeah, it was always a problem.  When finally Demo day came and I began to take it apart piece by piece, I realized the changes the shed had gone through during it’s painful journey with me.  That nice shiny metal was rusted and dented.  That sturdy wooden floor and platform was dull and rotten in places.  That answer to all my storage needs several years ago had turned into an eye sore and destined for scrap.

Made me think of us, as people traveling this journey of life.  We all start out some new challenge fresh and shiny.  A new job, Marriage, or any of life’s challenges that come our way.  But we all get changed, Weathered if you would, just like my old shed.  Time and life’s worries dull our shine, stress and difficult times eat away at our foundations.

Doom and Gloom perhaps?  No, you see while time and life do change us, no stopping that, there is a choice.  We can use these changes and adversities to be stronger.  To seal our leaky cracks, replace bad pieces of metal and repair our weathered boards and ask for a helping hand along the journey.  All things my old shed couldn’t do and is the reason it’s probably already recycled into a car part by now.

You see King David in Psalms 16 said because he had God he wouldn’t be shaken.  We can have that same thing. Weathered, yes.  Changed, yes.  But with God’s repair help we can grow and become stronger and avoid ending up in that recycle pile. 

So, take some time and and look for repairs you may need and ask for help from friends, family or God to help make them.  

We all have them.  Sometimes a bunch of them.  Too many if you ask me.  Appointments that is.  Work, School, Doctor’s – why we even came up with technology that schedules, reminds and tracks us to keep on task.  The Corona Virus has sure changed some of that.  How we do our appointments and maybe we even realized that not all of those appointment times were really needed.  

Brave. Courageous. Courage.  What do those words mean really?  You hear it and read about it a lot.  Someone was brave or courageous in some act or stand.  Showing courage or bravery means this or that or is defined as this or that.

You know that old saying, “A friend is someone who knows where all your warts are but loves you anyway?”  Or maybe it’s just that I’ve seen way too many cliched signs and memes lately.

I was thinking the other day of where I am, where I want to be and the people around me.  I seem to have found myself at a rather large life intersection and one tends to contemplate such things at those points in life. I thought about the saying and while it’s cool to have people around you to accept you for who you are, I found myself thinking more about the warts.

I know, great blog – about WARTS!  Yucky things in unwanted places, hard to get rid of, still can’t verify if they come from toads though.  But really, what are our warts, yours and mine?  What are the bad or distasteful things in my life that I should change or get rid of? I’m sure we all have some things  to show up when we do the wart exam.  That’s the hard part with these kind of warts.  Sometimes they are not always out in the open, sometimes you have to do some introspection and ask for help from God or others to be able to see them.  And then, there’s no treatment from the local pharmacy for these warts either.  Each one of these guys are different. requiring a different approach.  Oh, and just like the warts that may or may not come from toads, these kind of warts can come back.  Sometimes in the same spot!

Wart removal – never easy, always painful.  Maybe it’s something big and obvious, I’ve battled weight issues for years.  Maybe it’s a wart that no one sees, not even you but one of those good friends or a gentle nudge from God alerts you to some area that needs treatment.  One thing is for sure, life is certainly better with warts gone.  Find your space, a walk or hike, some quiet time doing a hobby and pull out your wart glasses.  You may be surprised at what you find.

Tricky thing – seeds are.  If you know anything about me then you know I’m an avid vegetable gardener, obsess over it even.  I plan time off work to plant, rearrange things to harvest, can and freeze.  All that work has sure come in handy in our current COVID 19 world.