You can do whatever you want to

Watching Glee (I know, Catherine made me!) last week, I heard one character say to another 'you can do whatever you want to' when talking about what he wanted to do after he left school. it got me thinking. Is that right. Can we all do whatever we want to? No, of course we can't. So many people who apply for university don't get into their first choice of course. In the current economic climate lots of people are unemployed but would love to have a job.

So what do we say to our children about what they want to do in the future. How do we give them aspirations and encourage them to aim high. How do we get them to dream, while realising that they may not be able to 'do whatever they want to'. We need to talk to them about what they are good at, and what they enjoy. We need to encourage them to look at all the options available to them. There are lots of choices available to school leavers today, many more than when I was that age, so there are lots of options. And what they want to do at 16 may not be what they want to do in their 20s, 30s or even later. And the opportunities to study as a mature student mean that it is much easier than it used to be to change career later in life. So decisions make at 16, 17 and 18 don't mean that they have to stay doing something they don't enjoy for life.

I feel extremely thankful that I had the option to study at university, but what I intended to do with my life at 18 didn't happen. That's because I failed a year at university and my career path changed because of it. But looking back I wouldn't change the way things happened. I made choices that meant staying at home when my children were young. That is what I wanted to do, and although it was hard, particularly the feeling that I wasn't valued because I didn't go outside the home to work, and the fact that for many years we were very short of money due to only having one income, I would do the same again. But decisions we make all the way through our lives have an effect on what happens afterwards. Because I was out of the job market for so long, I don't have the experience or relevant qualifications to go very far up the career ladder in my late 40's. So be it. It was worth it for the time I spent with my children. I went to school shows, sports days, trips. I didn't become a high flying business woman. But I couldn't do both, because you can only be in one place at a time. And I think regrets are a waste of time. Yes I enjoy going out to work now, to a job which I enjoy, but isn't particularly high flying. Others would think I have wasted my life, but I have three reasonably well adjusted grown up children.

So if our children can't 'do whatever they want to', they need to know that the world has not ended, even though it feels like it when those exam results come through the door and they aren't what was hoped for. There are options, choices and second chances which may actually work out better than the original plan.

Spring Harvest thoughts 2

Some more thoughts from what I heard at Spring Harvest. I know they are very random, but they are the bits that stuck out to me. And they need to be thought about. Unfortunately I have the cold at the moment and can't think so they will not be thought about until I feel better. And my mind won't think of anything useful so bullet points are all I'm going to do today.

1. Sometimes all we can see is rubble. When we feel like this we need to pray.
2. When we pray we need to be willing to do what God tells us.
3. Don't be discouraged, keep on going. God is there whether we feel Him or not.
4. Jesus says we are amazing just the way we are. Stop trying to be someone else. We need to celebrate the fact that we are all different.
5. Jesus did not say 'come to me and life will be easy'
6. Bring what you have to Jesus and He will do amazing things.

Phone

I have a new phone. Well, it is a couple of weeks old now. I love it. It is big enough to read my digital books on, it is small enough to put in my handbag. It takes pictures and the handwriting recognition is really good.  Admittedly it is bigger than your average phone and looks a bit on the large side when put to my ear, but it makes phone calls. I was becoming overwhelmed with tech, having a laptop, tablet and phone, not to mention a camera that I never use because I never have it when I see something I want to take a picture of. I took my phone to Spring Harvest and that was a good test. In 6 days I used it for phone calls, texts, photos, mapping some walks, taking notes, checking into foursquare, keeping up to date with facebook and twitter, an alarm clock and a radio and mp3 player. I could have written a blog post, but I used the laptop for that. So I am going to sell the old phone and tablet and use my new phone instead. I think it was a good investment, and if other people laugh at me holding it to my ear, that is their problem. I don't care!

Thoughts from Spring Harvest so far

Yesterday I was asked what I had learned at Spring Harvest. I had to say that I hadn't learned anything, but I had been reminded of a lot! I think that by the great age I have reached, one has heard a lot of talks, sermons etc and has learned and forgotten a lot of things. It is good to be reminded. So here are my initial soundbites from Spring Harvest so far (and there are still 48 hours to go). What have I been reminded of?

1. God doesn't ask us to do everything, but he does ask us to do our bit well
2. We need to shine out in the world, but we can only shine with what God gives us. If we don't shine we are contributing to the darkness.
3. Do we measure our success by what God sees as important, or by what other people see? We need to find out what it is that God is asking us to do and then just get on and do it. We shouldn't need the approval of others. We need to find ways to serve in secret.
4. We are a bunch of dry bones who can do nothing on our own, but God can make dry bones live.
5. We need to see what God has done and is doing and not what he hasn't done yet. Live by God's timing, not ours.
6. God did not make himself bigger to impress us, he made himself smaller to get alongside us.
7. Jesus has washed us clean in his death on the cross, so we don't need a bath, but we do need to have our feet washed to get rid of the dirt we pick up on the road.
8. The job of Christian leaders is to help people become all that God created them to be.

I'm sure there will be lots more in the days to come. And I need time to reflect on what has been said and the impact they will have on my life.