humility

The True Cost of Accuracy: Are You On-Point?

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It’s time to file taxes again!  Don’t I know it?  Last night, I was digging through my old calendar, post-its, receipts, online account statements, and hand-written chicken scratch notes to find documentation for my tax preparer related to a home-based beauty business I’d jumped into last year (without waiting to hear God’s answer of whether it was time to jump in or not).  It’s great product, great people, and great earning potential.  So what was my problem with making the business work for me?  Time, energy, and effort required…vs. the amount I had available of all those resources.  I grossly underestimated the quantity of each that it would take for me to be successful.  Through trial and error, I’ve learned that no amount of desire or enthusiasm can make up for hard work.

Frankly, last night’s activities were tiresome…and I became more tired as I looked at my overloaded 2010 calendar and saw how much I’d been ripping and running in the crux of my mad entrepreneurial dash last year.  I think my hubby had compassion on me as I peered into the computer screen, longing to be finished when the end was nowhere in sight.  I’m not a “numbers person” to begin with, so having to capture this numerical data was already taking me outta my comfort zone.  I’m so used to “eyeballing” something or “rounding up” to estimate a total.  I’ve “eyeballed” my food portions, only to discover that what I thought was 1 cup of cereal was actually closer to 2 cups – oh the horror of that discovery!  I’ve also rounded the estimated price of each item on my grocery list to the nearest dollar so I have an idea of what I’m going to spend on groceries each week.  It’s helpful, but not completely precise.  Both of those scenarios have proven to yield less than accurate results for me.  So why do I keep relying on those methods?  Because it’s easy – the path of least resistance.  But comfort and complacency are enemies of lasting change.

It will always cost more later when you take shortcuts now.  I wanted to report my tax information with honesty and integrity (i.e., not artificially inflating or misrepresenting anything) because that’s part of my Christian witness.  When my tax preparer told me the preliminary numbers I submitted last week looked a little low, she asked me to revisit my mileage log, the training I’d participated in, etc. and confirm the accuracy of my figures.  So back I went to the piles of stuff (no, I didn’t even have it in a shoebox).  Mind you, the standard evening household activities still needed to be done – checking homework, corralling young bathers, making lunches, laying out clothes for the next day, etc.  Since I had a time deadline to meet for turning in the tax info, I felt the pressure beginning to mount.  Yet, because I didn’t stay diligent throughout the year and keep my records in a more organized manner, it cost me extra time to assemble the required information – weeknight time I’d planned to use in a different way.  The final result of my labor was a higher tax returnw(hich was definitely a positive aspect that made it worth the investment of time), but did I have to wait and gather everything at the last minute?  No!  Through this tedious experience, I have learned a valuable lesson – one that I hope not to repeat in the same way again!  Ask God to show you where He wants you to be on-point today…

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

(Isaiah 28:9-10)

© Copyright 2011 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Initial Progress Report: Operation Science Fair Project 2011

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God is a WONDER!  He kept me calm yesterday while I helped my son navigate the waters of selecting a Science Fair Project (SFP) idea, and he turned in his Initial Progress Report today (complete with testable question and materials list) – ON TIME!  If this sounds trivial, please reference my aforementioned aversion to Science Fair Projects.  This is nothing short of a miracle. 

We were so excited about getting started that we did the experiment part together (thanks to a Monday night homework sheet designed to jump start the SFP process) – I guided him to something not-too-intricate…for both of our sakes. 🙂  Through this learning opportunity, my young apprentice will learn “What materials float best on water.”  We selected a piece of wood, a hair pin, a penny, a cotton ball, a plastic ring, and I added a Cheerio at the end because I was DETERMINED to see something float.

I even backed up (from hovering over him and controlling the process like the helicopter mom that I am) to let him put each item in the water and take it out, too.  Ooooh…ahhhh!  The point of the SFP is for the student to enjoy the delight of discovery, right? Yada, yada, yada…my point is to get it over with, but I know God is working on my attitude with this set of circumstances.

As if that weren’t fantastic enough for one day, I also pulled my daughter’s second tooth and made my hubby’s requested pancake dinner…in spite of the fact that a fresh batch of whole wheat spaghetti with ground turkey was already lovingly cooked during my abundant free time this weekend – LOL!  Yes, God gave me His strength because I chose to obey Him and allow Him to change my heart, and I’m grateful.  Not because it was Valentine’s Day, but because of His unconditional love that keeps us from failing.  We’re halfway through the SFP – yippee!  Okay, maybe not halfway through, since there’s also a research paper to do (I will cross that bridge when I come to it), but we’ve made progress.  As my dad says, “How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!”  Here’s to digesting our first bite…

Needless to say, SuperWoman has left the building…I am duly exhausted.  G’nite! 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.”

(Philippians 4:13-14, NKJV) 

© Copyright 2011 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Fix It Up Anyway: The Illusion of “As Is”

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This one’s short, sweet, and to the point…

While waiting for the train yesterday, I was struck by the realization that most folks don’t want to change.  Why?  Because we don’t feel like it.  Or we don’t think we need to.  We’re think we’re fine just the way we are.  In the spirit of full disclosure, you should know that I happen to be one of those change-resistant people.  I am maturing as I begin to appreciate the integral, intrinsic, and essential role of change in my personal growth. 

When you buy something, like a car – even if it has a tag on it that reads “For Sale AS IS” – don’t you have a right to fix it up?  Of course you do!  So why do we attempt to block God’s right to change our hearts?  Sure, He receives us “as is,” but He wants to work on us to improve our value.  He purchased us with the costly blood of His only Son, Jesus.  Therefore, if He wants to strip the old paint of emotional baggage from us or bang some dents out of our flawed character, we must allow Him access to do so.

As Christians, our relationship with Christ is not static, but it is dynamic and ever-changing.  Which means that, as He fixes us up for His glory, we have to change.  Daily.  What will you allow God to change in you today?

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

(I Corinthians 6:19-20)

 © Copyright 2011 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Getting Low

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Maybe I’m wrong, but somehow, I just don’t think anyone signs up for a class in humility.  Yet, when the wake-up call comes, it’s like, “Oh yeah, the Word does tell me to humble myself, doesn’t it?”  It’s no mystery, and it’s not rocket science.  It’s part of our faith walk.  And when we walk in humility, we’re in a position that captures God’s attention because we’re acknowledging Him as sovereign and supreme in our lives – and not just relegating Him to the position of someone we consult from time to time when things get tight.

Humility has been one of my Pastor’s key sermon highlights for several weeks, but obviously, I didn’t get the personal message until I saw blinking neon lights and arrows pointing straight at me.  Well, God’s got my attention now, for sure.  And as much as I know I’ve grown this year (insert retrospective year-end reflection music here), He showed me ever so gently today that He will require all the more of me in the coming days of the new year.  It’s not an emotional thing; it’s an obedience thing.  So I should give God what He wants, not just what’s convenient for me, right?  Right.

And that requires humbling myself, realizing that whatever ideas I can come up with in my finite mind could NEVER surpass the plan of the almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent God Who created me.  What an humbling thought.  Perhaps getting low is the best way to enter a new year…on my knees and with my heart bowed in true worship. 

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

(I Peter 5:5-7)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Where Are You On the Totem Pole?

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During a recent conversation with a brother in Christ, I mentioned several of these things, and his response was, “That sounds like a blog entry to me!”  So I’m sharing this with you in obedience…may you meditate on God’s Word to those He loves. After all, this season is about reflecting on His extravagant love, demonstrated through the precious gift of Christ…oh, how we need Him!

In these turbulent times, it pays to be in proper position according to God’s will.  Often, we feel that we should be in a higher position at work, paid more, given more responsibility, recognized more.  Have you ever considered that, at least for this season, you’re exactly where God wants you to be?  In order to learn, you have to admit that you don’t know everything – OUCH!  If you’re in the role of a student, you’re learning something new, or you’re someone who has a manager and is being managed, there’s a reason!  In my first job straight out of college, I thought I was ready for a management position until I was honest with myself and admitted, “I really need a manager; I don’t have it together like I thought I did!  There are some skills I must sharpen before I’m truly prepared to accept a role with that level responsibility.”

As we celebrate the season of the birth of Christ, we must acknowledge that a stable was not the expected point of entry for a King, right?  However, that’s exactly how God planned it.  When we are humble, it’s easier to condescend to men of low estate than when we are high-minded and haughty (Romans 12:16).  Being what others consider the “low man on the totem pole” may be a position of safety, security, and provision for you.  Getting out from under that umbrella may expose you to undue problems and complications.  As my husband says, “I don’t need to be important; during war, “important people” get killed first.”

We cannot assess worth and significance based solely on what our natural senses tell us.  Only God knows when a washpot has more value than a Ming vase.  The vase may look exquisite when displayed on a shelf, but what practical purpose does it serve?  The washpot gets used daily – multiple times a day.  So how are you allowing God to use you these days?  Is He receiving glory from your life because you’re submitted to His will, even when (and especially when) it punishes your flesh?

Stay low.  Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.  Then watch what He will do next… 

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

(Romans 12:3)

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

(I Peter 5:5-7)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart