The Mystery of Enough

Have you ever noticed that when you think the toothpaste tube is empty, there are as many as ten squirts left? Or when you think the bathroom spray is empty, you can get another couple weeks worth of effective deodorizing?

I was made aware of this fact again this morning. I needed a spritz of sweet smelling deodorizer, remembered that I had forgotten to buy a new can of it, but pulled back the handle anyway, and discovered that there was plenty left to do a very effective job.

Then my mind wandered off wondering how many times in life we humans are like that. When the job is stressful, or when a relationship is becoming a train wreck, or when an everyday routine is upset by a calamity – there's always a supply of energy sufficient unto the day. There's something inside us that supports us through for another round of distress, even when we think the tank is empty. The editor of our subdivision newsletter once wrote an article with a reference to those who thought the E on the gas gauge really meant Enough.

And so I think it is with us as individuals. We always seem to have enough – that is when we really look at the situation from the perspective of our reserves, we have enough. We are equipped to bless other people, situations, or conditions. Trials and tribulations are part of the process of equipping us. And hidden within our makeup is enough hope and love to encourage us to give it one more squeeze, one more spritz, only to find that the tank still has something left for you to dispense.

Blessings!

Pete 

Time brings along with it, change. I've accepted the challenge to keep two blogs active by posting at least once a week in each. This blog will be dedicated to items regarding how the stories of our life equip us to bless others ever guided by the Holy Spirit.

The other blog, petervanderpool.blogspot.com will be for items of observations of life and other musings. I hope you will visit, like and share either or both blogs. They are intended to be positive friendly places, each with a different emphasis.

Pete

Hi! Pete Vanderpool here. Welcome to my world.

I believe we are all unique spiritual beings living a human experience, that we are connected to each other, and that experience equips us to bless others. From this point of view, I'll start blogging for Equipped to Bless. Oh, by the way, I have a book entitled Equipped to Bless; Finding Relevance in the Stories of Your Life. Wendy C. Brown and I co-wrote it a while back. 

Story has become very important in today's world, but few people talk about examining them, linking them together, or searching them for relevance. Wendy and I discovered while collecting and writing these stories, that relevance is very important. Psychologists refer to it as narrative therapy, but you don't have to be going to one of them to use and benefit from the technique. 

Read the book. You'll see. 

Go to our website and order one. 

Once upon a time, my duties at work included writing technical instruction manuals. A fellow employee in that department used a phrase which I can't forget:  intuitively obvious to the casual observer.

Applying that to the spiritual side of life, well, our spirituality should be intuitively obvious to the casual observer. Why do we hide it? So it can't be observed by anyone else? Or is it that we, as observers, don't know what to look for or how to respond to it when we see it.

What a shame! Simply put, spirituality shows forth as support for our fellow human beings. We should easily recognize expressions of love. Such observations are intuitive. Is it that we are afraid that if we observe or even become involved ourselves, that we will suffer some great trauma? It is written, love is gentle, love is kind. Where's the fear in that?

Funny thing is that engaging either as an observer or as a participant will result in a good feeling which lasts far longer than the pleasant taste of a chocolate peppermint patty. 

The Importance of Blessing Others

You think you aren't good enough to bless others? You think you don't know how to bless anyone?

Surprise!

   Blessing another human being has nothing to do with whether or not you are "good". It will certainly make you feel good, but there's no requirement to be good to bless someone else.
   And . . . You really do already know how. Listen. That's the key. Listen to the other person first. Hear their words. Hear what they are saying as well as what they aren't saying. Watch them closely. That's listening with your eyes.
   Then listen to your gut. Use your intuition. Do you have a feeling from down inside yourself that there's something happening here that you should respond to? Do it!
   How do you respond? Again, listen. Listen to that little voice inside that tells you to say this or that. Do it with love. If the feeling is that you should simply hug the person, hug them. If you aren't sure how a hug might be received, ask if they would like a hug from you. Don't force it. Just ask and wait for a response. If none comes, be happy to know that you at least offered it as an indication of support. But listen again, more closely than before, for they may really want a hug but are afraid to accept it for various reasons.
  And so I say, you are equipped to bless. Done out of love for a fellow human being, it is the greatest thing you can do. It is the result of a God-given gift hidden in you. Use it!
   Use it again.
   And again.