I am still considering the things my 'charismatic' friend has been sharing. The part I struggle with is that he feels personally responsible if a prayer for healing doesn't take effect right away, he believes his faith is what is lacking. I believe God heals in present time and I believe that Believers have the power through the Holy Spirit to bring healing to others...I just don't have peace about it all being based on the 'strength' of one person's faith. God used illness and health-related trials many times in the bible as a way to bring glory to himself, and from personal experience I know how a trial through health struggles can strengthen a relationship with God. So I will continue to ponder these things until I sort them out in the Word between the Lord and myself.
One of the biggest changes I wanted to make as a new leader of my organization was to improve communication. That simple goal has become such a huge learning curve for me. Number one, I have always avoided communicating because I am not an eloquent speaker and I don't always think quickly. Number two, communication is directly related to creating and maintaining relationships with others...another area I have always avoided in life as a way of protecting myself. And so, here I am...solely responsible for a million dollar company's day-to-day management and I have never developed/maintained solid relationships before (aside from my husband). Boy, am I learning a lot!!!
I spent an entire 5 hours of my work day yesterday simply "communicating". I communicate to relay information about upcoming changes, to learn about the perspectives of others, to ask permissions, to give directions, and in helping my employees resolve conflict. In every decision I make, there are several parties to communicate in order to ensure things continue to flow smoothly. Sometimes I simply cannot keep up with the intricate thought processes to keep the communication going. I tell my assistant, "I don't have enough time in my day to think about all these issues, let alone communicate to every single person every time." I am learning that the majority of a leader's work is to make decisions, communicate those decisions, and then explain and address issues and questions that result from those decisions. Sometimes I miss the days of hiding away behind my desk buried in the paperwork I did as an assistant. Now I must delegate that joy to someone else so I can be the leader God has called me to be.
On the home front we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We've gone through a phase of fatigue and poor time management and now we are sticking to some better routines that helps the kids get their homework done earlier in the evening and allows more time to play and enjoy dinner together. Housework is still a work in progress, but after a day off I was able to make a huge dent in our main living areas and so far have kept it clean and less cluttered than before. My oldest has lost all of her front teeth leaving a 4-tooth gap on the top and a lisp when she talks. It was fun to witness because she had to re-learn how to drink liquids and eat her food without her teeth. :0)
