Showing posts with label volunteer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteer. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Time on Your Hands

If loneliness is a problem in your life, you may just have too much time on your hands.

Being happy as a single is no accident. The secret is to convert wasted, tentative time to convert it to positive, committed time. Since many singles have time on their hands during evenings, weekends, vacations, it’s easy to turn nonproductive time into a time of growth.

No matter what your business or social schedule is like, taking time every day to review the day and to look at yourself quietly and calmly provides you with a space to grow, to change and to find alternative ways to get what you want.

Some things to contemplate are:

  • Who am I?
  • What am I doing here?
  • What is the purpose of my life?
  • What is God’s plan for my life? (that is sometimes not so obvious)
  • Is there a reason why I am living, and is there a reason why I am living single?
  • How much of this is my own creation, and what can I do about it?

Some of these may seem silly. You may say, "I know who I am." But, do you really? As mentioned before, you have to love yourself before you can love someone else. And you have to know yourself before you can love yourself.

Some other questions to ask yourself:

  • What did I want today?
  • What did I do to get what I wanted today?
  • How did other people see me today?
  • How did I see myself today?
  • What did I do to improve myself or understand myself better today?
  • How do I feel about myself today?
  • Where do I see myself a year from today?
  • Where do I see myself five years from today?
  • Where do I see myself ten years from today?
  • What do I really want, short term and long term?
  • What am I doing every day to get it?
  • Did I take time for myself today to plan and then review my day? If not, what got in the way.

Making the Most Out of Being Single

Creative Outlets in your own home:

  • Learning a foreign language
  • Playing a musical instrument
  • Surfing the Net
  • Learning new computer skills
  • Reading
  • Discovering hidden talents
  • Exploring your spirituality
  • Gardening – indoors and out

Getting Out – Don’t sit and wait around for things to happen. Mr. or Ms. Right probably won’t just come knocking at your door. You have to go out and meet them

  • Take classes
  • Volunteer – Free
  • Go to the Library – Free
  • Go to the park – Free
  • Go bike riding – Free
  • Get involved in church or community activities

But be careful not to over do it. Taking on too many responsibilities can lead to burn-out. Don’t be desperate to fill in those lonely hours by volunteering for too many projects. Remember, when you volunteer to do something, you are expected to do the job well. If you take on too many projects, your results will be sloppy. It’s better to take on one or two projects and do them well, than to burn yourself out trying to do too much.

Remember, you are NEVER ALONE! God is always with you. Jesus is always walking by your side.

If you don’t have that type of relationship with God and Jesus, then sincerely pray this simple prayer:

Dear Jesus,
I am a sinner and need you in my life. Please forgive me of my sins. I believe that You died on the cross and rose from the grave. Please come into my heart and life. Thank you for helping me turn from my sins and follow you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you received Jesus into your heart, welcome to the family of God! The following will help you deepen your relationship with Christ:

  1. Pray. Just talk to God no matter where you are. He doesn’t care what the words are, just that they are sincere.
  2. Read the Bible everyday to learn about Jesus and how to live that pleases God. Start with 1 John, then the Gospel of John, the Philippians.
  3. An important part of helping your relationship with Christ grow is to tell others about Him. Demonstrate God’s love and be active in telling others about Jesus.
  4. Find a bible-based church and become active getting to know other Christians. Find one with a singles ministry or groups for people your age. Many have groups for different interests. Shop around, but commit yourself to finding one and joining a church family.

God Bless,
Giselle
E-mail: deovolente.love1@gmail.com
http://www.giselleaguiar.com/
Phoenix Singles Examiner

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Pay It Forward

Yesterday's Our Daily Bread devotion was entitled "Pay It Forward" recalling the movie of that name about not repaying kindness, but passing it on. Being kind to others makes us feel good - and it doesn't need to cost us anything but a little extra effort. There's a commercial for Liberty Mutual that shows an act of kindness witnessed by someone, then that person in turn performs and act of kindness to someone else and it goes on.

Last year I read
The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life by Piero Ferrucci. (Warning: he quotes the bible in addition to other non-Christian sources). It's chapters cover: honesty, warmth, forgiveness, contact, sense of belonging, trust, mindfulness, empathy, humility, patience, generosity, respect, flexibility, memory, loyalty, gratitude, service and joy. Those are all feelings that we long for and feelings that we get in return for being kind to other people. To quote Ferrucci, "Kindness frees us from the weights and obstacles that imprison us."

As singles, sometimes we have a lot of time on our hands. To find ways to help others, go to
Volunteer Match. There you enter your location and the type of volunteering you are interested in; ie. working with children, the elderly, hospitals, homeless, mentoring, etc.

Many of you may find yourselves unemployed right now. Looking for another job should be top priority in your lives, but you still may find yourself with time on your hands. We are social beings. Since I've been out of work, I miss the daily interaction with coworkers. Volunteering even it's only a hour or two a week, when you're unemployed helps you to socialize with other people and it also looks good on a resume.

Before Jesus shared in the Last Supper with his disciples' feet and said, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." ~ John 13: 14-15. He was telling them to "pay it forward."

To quote the ending passage from the Our Daily Bread devotion, " To know love, open your heart to Jesus. To show love, open your heart to others."

If you don't know Jesus and want to, just pray this prayer wholeheartedly right now:
Dear Jesus, I am a sinner and need you in my life. Please forgive me of my sins. I believe that You died on the cross and rose from the grave. Please come into my heart and life. Thank you for helping me turn from my sins and follow you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


If you received Jesus into your heart, welcome to the family of God! The following will help you deepen your relationship with Christ:

  1. Pray. Just talk to God no matter where you are. He doesn’t care what the words are, just that they are sincere.
  2. Read the Bible everyday to learn about Jesus and how to live that pleases God. Start with 1 John, then the Gospel of John, the Philippians.
  3. An important part of helping your relationship with Christ grow is to tell others about Him. Demonstrate God’s love and be active in telling others about Jesus.
  4. Find a bible-based church and become active getting to know other Christians. Find one with a singles ministry or groups for people your age. Many have groups for different interests. Shop around, but commit yourself to finding one and joining a church family. (Read the Benefits of a Church Family).

God Bless,
Giselle
I welcome questions.
E-mail:

deovolente.love1@gmail.com
http://www.giselleaguiar.com/
Check out my new column for singles at Phoenix Examiner.com