Attitude!

There are a lot of things that happen in my life that I absolutely have no control over such as my hair loss, how tall am not, my waste size ok forget the waste! Let’s face it life has a way of sometimes just slapping us silly. We are all one phone call away from a life altering situation good or bad. The days we are now living in are days of uncertainly and for many men the fear of a loss job, kids freaking out, unplanned illness and no retirement brings stress and sometimes crazy choices. Guys are just plan tired of all the demands and feeling like is this all worth it? I am the first to admit that my attitude is determined by what is happening around me rather than who is happening in me. I choose to let life determine my attitude rather than letting the life giver Jesus Christ so invade me so encompass me that the “who happenings” are more significant that what happens. Not to sound too religious but I need to be so in love with Jesus that His who overtakes my what! I can choose my attitude when I submit to His authority. Attitude is all about perspective how we see ourselves and others. My attitude changes when it is more about how He sees things not how I see them. Jesus let me see what you see moment by moment!

 

Rejections!

Last night my wife and I went out to dinner in downtown Sacramento. After dinner we decided to go look for the perfect desert and came upon a place that made chocolate crepes…oh ya!  When I got out of the car I saw a homeless person asleep on the cold concrete with nothing more than a thin jacket to cover the person’s legs. It was one of those moments that we all have when it comes to the homeless, do I do something or not? I decided to keep walking (stop judging me) but I couldn’t get the person out of my mind. After desert (awesome) we made our way back to the car. The person was still lying there so I decided to give them a small blanket I had in my car. As I walked to give the blanket the person woke up and to my amazement it was a young woman. I asked her if I could give here the blanket and she said she was fine! But she wasn’t fine she was cold and homeless. Her pride or mental state would not allow her to receive the perfect gift on a cold winter’s night. I had what she needed but she had what she didn’t need… a cold heart or messed up mind on a cold night. I guess I know how Jesus feels when it comes to giving to me at times!

 

Freedom!

Men live their life in layers! We know how to let people get as close to us as we deem necessary. The walls that we have carefully constructed from layers of hurt, pain, fear, failure and rejection will one day serve as the same walls of our inner personal prison. Few if any have the awesome privilege to walk into a man’s person cell of hidden passion, dreams and visions. Men make the walls even thicker by dwelling on what they don’t have rather than being grateful and thankful for what they have been blessed with. Guys live in a quiet desperation that is shield with performance based acceptance. The walls serve only one purpose and that is to keep every man from discovering his God given passion/calling and thereby never becoming fully alive and significant. The only person that holds the keys to man’s inner cell is Jesus Christ the Lord! He sets the captive free, He unlocks everyman’s potential, He alone has the power to restore the lost years due to fear and isolation. The great exchange…His life for yours! His keys for your freedom!

Rejoice!

The definition of rejoice is to be happy or to make someone else happy. Happy seems so shallow to me at times and it changes like the weather in Denver. I believe happiness is based on what while joy is based on whom. The Bible says, “Rejoice” not re-happy! I am happy when the what is in my favor and what makes me happy is performing well. I am happy but I do not have joy! Joy is a result of “who” God is in my life while happy is a result in the “what” to my life. As a Christian man I am to rejoice in the Lord not to re-happy in the Lord. Joy is the person in my life while happy is the performance of my life. My joy may bring me happiness but my happiness will never bring me joy. Nothing can bring me the joy of the Lord but the Lord of my joy. I am a man of consistency when I rejoice in the Lord not seek a temporary happiness through life’s performances. I can praise God as a result of joy not happy. Today I choose to rejoice not just to be happy! Happy is the desert!

 

 

 

 

Road trips!

For those of you who follow my blog I am sure you have noticed it has been a couple of days since my last entry. I was asked to speak to the California Republican Assembly in Los Angeles over the weekend so the Z family decided to make a road trip out of it. I love road trips because it always gives me a few life tips along the way. One of the life tips when taking a road trip is to try to leave the laptop turned off and give your focus to the family not work. Even though it is sometimes difficult turning something off in order to turn something on is well worth the effort. Another life tip I learned was to try to take more road trips! You learn a lot about the people you love when traveling in a car for more than 8 hours like the need to use the bathroom when there isn’t any for miles. I guess the thing that made this trip special is that the next Zelesky road trip will be taking my little girl to Tennessee to go to college. What a life tip that will be!

 

Productivity!

My days fly by and with every passing minute I continue to ask myself one question where did that minute go? Men want to know if they are producing anything that has any significance. We live to do and what we do is very important to who we are. At the end of the day we want to know that in some small way we mattered! In our false humility we do not want the recognition however we do want the reward of knowing that we are not invisible. Productive is different than busy. Busy is simply doing a whole bunch of stuff that is somewhat out of control it is letting the day control us. Productive is being intentional with the stuff that we have to do and we take charge of the day and our life. Jesus was never busy but always productive. He knew when to DO and He knew how to walk away and BE. I believe the greatest productivity is doing nothing but setting at His feet and learning how to BE not DO! After all we are human Beings not human Doings…

 

Little things!

I woke up this morning and tucked away inside of my laptop was a sticky note. Someone knew my life well enough to know that I would be sure to find it there. Someone took the time out of the craziness of their life to think about mine. Someone gave me one of those “little things”! I mean it was just a few lines on a sticky note nothing huge nothing that took a lot of time or money. It was a moment of sweet surprise that touched me and moved me and gave me what I needed… acknowledgement. It is always the little things that cause big things to matter. Sometimes the little thing can cause the heart to break and and over a period of time the marriage to breakup. And sometimes it is the little things that can cause a heart to find healing and warmth and the courage to say I forgive you. Today I received my little thing and all it said was, “you’re a great dad! Love ya pops xoxox Nicole”! She changes my big world with her little things. Thanks sweetie!