Week #10: Busy trying to figure something out? Try a new approach
March 5, 2006
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one will fill up so if you are interested, I recommend enrolling now.
Destined to Write! is a teleclass for aspiring writers who want to be
published. It begins this spring on April 10th. Get the details
and register online at http://www.valorieburton.com/tele.html. If you
enroll 14 days before the start date, you'll receive more than 20% off
the teleclass fee!
This Week's Topic: Busy trying to figure something out? Try a new approach“If
any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to
all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
- James 1:5
Dear Friend, My mother loves to tell the
story that when I was two years old, I taught myself how to tie my
shoes. I’d asked her several times to teach me. Although she said she’d
teach me “when I got bigger,” I insisted that she show me how to do it.
She did. One afternoon for 45 minutes, she patiently demonstrated
shoe-tying step by step as I diligently attempted to follow her
instructions. But I couldn’t get it and I became very frustrated.
“Baby, you’re too young,” she said in a comforting, motherly tone.
“We’ll try again when you get a little older,” she promised, leaving me
in my bedroom to play while she went to cook dinner. Apparently I
didn’t do much playing, she recalls. To her utter surprise, I emerged
from my room an hour later – shoes perfectly tied. When she asked how I
did it, I replied in my then-southern drawl, “I jes figgiditout!”
(Translation: “I just figured it out.” :)). Throughout my
childhood, it became a phrase I’d use whenever I figured something out
on my own. But as I entered adulthood and began to grow spiritually, I
noticed that figuring things out doesn’t always happen just because you
determine to do it. Not everything in life is as simple as “just
figuring it out.” Of course, there are definitely times in life when
your determination to do something is essential. Perseverance is the
key to your success when you set out to live a purposeful life.
However, there are some things in life that we can waste our energy
trying to figure out. It is in those situations that we must be willing
to let go, pray for wisdom and trust God. This week, I challenge
you to identify the things in your life that you have been fruitlessly
trying to figure out. Here are a few of the most common: - When “the one” will come into your life so you can get married
- Why something happened that you wish had not happened
- When you are trying to figure out and fix someone else's problem
- When a long-awaited door will open in your life
- Why some people are blessed in certain ways that others are not
- When it’s taking longer than you thought to see your dream come true In
what area of your life do you find yourself frustrated and trying to
figure out something that perhaps is not meant to be figured out? Doing
so consistently can lead you to be stuck, angry or aggravated with God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own
understanding,” Proverbs 3:5 says. Sometimes our knowledge is too
limited to figure out why things happen (or don’t happen) the way they
do. God sees the big picture. Our job is to trust completely. Accept
“what is” while continually learning and growing spiritually. When
you don’t know what to do or how to deal with certain situations, ask
for wisdom. Stop trying to figure it out. Let go of the need to control
when and how things will happen. Take a deep breath. Pray for wisdom.
Then slow down and quiet down enough to hear that still, small voice
whisper words of comfort, peace and wisdom into your spirit. My challenge to you this week:
Identify what you need to stop trying to figure out. Let it go. Pray and listen for wisdom about how to proceed from here. Journaling assignment:
In what current life situations do you need to let go of control and trust God more? When you will begin to do that?
Until next time ... Warm wishes,
 P.S. Encourage your friends and family by sharing this newsletter and invite others to subscribe! Just send them to
www.valorieburton.com, where they can enter their email address on the home page. Valorie
Burton, a life coach and speaker, is the author of Listen to Your Life,
Rich Minds, Rich Rewards and her latest, What's Really Holding You
Back?. She coaches groups and individuals to live their best lives.
Learn about her coaching groups and subscribe to her FREE,
inspirational e-newsletter at www.valorieburton.com.
Enroll Early for the Destined to Write! Teleclass
Destined to Write! is a teleclass for aspiring writers who want to be published. Space
is very limited. This one will fill up so if you are interested, I
recommend enrolling now. It begins this spring on April 10th. Get
the details and register online at
http://www.valorieburton.com/tele.html. If you enroll 14 days before
the start date, you'll receive more than 20% off the teleclass fee!
Please feel free to forward the Rich Minds, Rich Rewards E-Newsletter
to friends and colleagues, but please forward in its entirety. The Rich
Minds, Rich Rewards E-Newsletter is written and distributed by Inspire,
Inc. Copyright (c) 2005 Valorie Burton. All rights reserved. www.valorieburton.com.
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