Friday, November 18, 2011

My selfish life

Okay, so I finished my NaNoWriMo word count for the day. Big flippin' deal.

This is what someone else did today.


Man am I a selfish witch. Here I am, catering to a selfish whim by working on a selfish project... while this woman is literally doing the work of the Lord.

I hang my head in shame.

13 comments:

  1. Be patient with yourself, Enola; everyday you influence many with what you write and have written. You are teaching your children, taking care of your husband, and making the world a better place. No matter what we do, there is someone somewhere doing more and better; and many, everywhere doing less and worse. I'm really grateful I found your blog and many times wish we were neighbors or cousins or something!

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  2. How do you know your "selfish little project" isn't what the Lord wants you to be doing to touch someone else...?

    Also notice she admitted to her moments of selfishness before she got moving; we all do it and will continue to do it until He comes back :-)

    And I second what Rozy said up there

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  3. Thanks for sharing her testimony, Patrice. If you really think you're omitting something, I'll pray for that for you. Jennifer in western NC

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  4. Crustyrusty has a point. Perhaps the Lord wanted you to be writing. Don't second guess yourself, it's all in His plan.

    I also agree with Rozy. You have touched my life in a huge way! When I get tired of seeing and hearing all of the bad stuff on the news, I come to your site. It lifts me up everytime I visit! Did you know that you are a gifted photographer?! The pictures you take are amazing! I see the hand of God in all of nature. It's one of the reasons I love to fish so much.

    Patrice, you have touched more people in more ways than you will ever know. I live in North Carolina. Odds are I will never meet you or get to know you and your family on a personal level. But know this, long after your blog is gone, people all over the world will remember you and miss this blog. You ARE doing the Lord's work... just in a different manner.

    Bless you and your family!

    Mark

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  5. I third what Rozy (and Crusty) said. Thank you for your thoughts and words of wisdom. I look forward to what you have to say each day.

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  6. Patrice, please---don't say that. Your literary exercise is a wonderful way to hone your gift! I am honored and humbled that you mentioned my post on your blog. You are one of the best people on the internet, and influence multiple thousands for God and country. We are all part of the same body, with different functions. You bless me greatly!

    Kris

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  7. You're very kind, Kris, but you still made me think there's more I can do. I appreciate the unintentional kick in the rump. Sometimes we all need it.

    - Patrice

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  8. I have met this woman and she has blessed my life in a 1000+ ways, just as you have. I stand in awe-God is truly leading your lives and I am thankful to witness her growth and spirituality, and she willingly shares her many talents with all who will just read what she puts out there. She is also working on a book just as you have. I cannot wait for her to get it done! God bless you both.

    Carmen

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  9. Yeah, but it's easy to look at someone else's gifts and talents, and find yourself lacking. All that accomplishes is being discontent with the gifts and talents that God has given you. And it's so easy to look at certain ways of ministering and think that those are the *best* ways, and that somehow, you're not measuring up.

    In the early days of my Christian walk, I thought the best Christian ministers were evangelists. I mean, they were on the front lines, fighting the devil on his territory as it were ;-). And the testimonies were so amazing! How... very... *small*... my work seemed in comparison.

    But then I realize that there are certain jobs only I can do. It sounds lame, but it's true. Sure, some other works for God are more glorious in the eyes of man and garner man's praise here on earth (and God bless those who do them), but Patrice, God has given you a mind and the skills to communicate that many people simply do not have.

    So this project isn't an all out gospel presentation... That doesn't make it innately selfish. You're nurturing and developing a skill that God has given you. You yourself seemed rather excited about the prospect of working on this novel. But I digress...

    If this sense of "conviction" is truly brought about by God, then take time to pray that God would communicate to you what he'd have you do. It's good to be sensitive to the Lord's leading. But if this is is just a simple case of "ministry envy," then you need to cut it out! ;-)

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  10. My "take-away" from all this is that even while the world around us seems to come to a scary, screeching halt, I realize there's another side to the story that's overlooked too often. There's still reason to have faith in the world. God listens and is heard. That makes me happy.

    Finish your novel. It'll add oomph your perseverance. Who knows when that will come in handy in our changing world, hmm?

    Just Me

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  11. Phyllis (N/W Jersey)November 19, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    Dear Patrice,
    Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed I just go to your site. There I find great stories about God, faith, family values, humor and always those wonderful pictures!
    Some people are out on the front lines. Others do just as much by being a truly good "In your face opinionated rural north Idaho housewife." Don't berate yourself; you do so much good, my dear, more than you will ever know!

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  12. Providing a hot meal for the hungry is a worthy task. But if everybody did the same thing, the world would be full of soup and little else.

    We all have our jobs to do. Whether or not we see the usefulness in what we do isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is to do what He wants us to do. To go where He guides us. Patrice, I suspect you're doing just that. Don't compare your work with others, we are all doing different things in order to achieve the bigger picture.

    Now go write some more on your novel and don't worry about it. You are far from selfish.

    Anonymous Patriot
    USA

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  13. Selfish? My friend, you give us much! You put so much time and effort into this blog and look what it does! It draws people together! It inspires them, gets them talking and encourages them to go forth and DO SOMETHING!

    This blog is your soup, and you are very generous with your portions.

    God bless you and yours.

    Steve Davis
    Anchorage, Alaska

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