Most weeks are far easier than this one. My back still hurts though it is improving. Guess it would be easy to blame that but I won't. The schedule is still very off for various reasons. Guess it would be easy to point a finger there but I won't. The main thing is that today there is lots of frustration on my part over this disjointed week. I want to be all better but it isn't happening just yet. My deepest desire is to truly get into a pastoral groove but that isn't happening either. Who is there to blame? The harsh answer is there is no one to blame but the person who stares back at me in the mirror.

It was the late Frank Pollard who wrote, "blaming others is the # 1 indoor sport of people." He was right on target with that one. There is something to blaming another person or another event of life that makes us feel better. It may not solve a thing but it can ease our guilt. We feel bad that life doesn't fit our preconceived pattern so we find fault in another. Who cares if we are stuck in the same rut? We can enjoy the rut believing it has nothing to do with us!

Ok, that is a bit of a downer so far. Let's aim for a better solution. Surely God has a better answer than whining or blaming. The answer is found in owning our life. That may be a tad scary to do but it is essential. It is the difference between staying stuck and moving on in life. We own our life and our choices so we can decide to make better ones. I truly believe that God can start with nothing to move us where He wants. You can read story after story in scripture of people just like us who feel stuck in the status quo. When we spend less time blaming and more time owning our life we leave time to find God's best.

Remember you are loved and that God is not finished with you yet. Take inventory of your friendships as to who lifts you up or who brings you down. Enjoy at least a few minutes of time for you. Decide on at least one thing you control and aim at improving. Oh, and don't just blame God for your lot in life. Chances are He is wanting you better many more times than you do. There is no one simple solution to dealing with these kinds of times. Just know that blaming is definitely not one of them.

Bro. Trey