Yet-Ness
Living With Determination
Introduction
I have been pondering a powerful little word: yet. Are you where you want to go in life but are not there yet? Do you live under a pile of frustrations but haven’t found your way out yet? Have you been through a difficult time and aren’t through to the other side yet? Thank you for joining me for this issue of The Adventure of Reflection as we ponder the power of “yet-ness” and living with determination.
A Minute of Motivation
Go the Extra Mile
The race of life is not a short sprint; it’s an ongoing marathon.
Sometimes we expect to achieve our goals and dreams in just a few short, give-it-everything-you’ve-got, efforts. Then we become dismayed when our efforts are not enough. We’ve tried, and we’ve tried, and we’ve tried, and still our goal is not achieved.
If you’ve given it all you have, is it time to give up? Perhaps, but first consider the importance of the goal you are seeking – do you still want it? If the answer is ‘no,’ then it is time to let go and head in a different direction. If, however, the answer is ‘yes,” then it’s time to go the extra mile, to get up, brush yourself off, and go farther.
It’s painful to reach within yourself or reach out to others for the strength to go on, especially when you’re certain you cannot possibly go on. Consider this: you never know how close you are. Obtaining your dream may only be a few steps away, around the next corner, or over the next hill. You can’t quit now! Go another mile. And if you’re not quite there yet, go another mile.
This determination is what separates the winners from the losers in life. Those who win are those who are willing to go on, even when they are certain they cannot do so.
If what you are seeking is important to you, then make the extra effort to keep going. It’s not obtaining the goal that’s most important any way; the perseverance and character you develop while pursuing a goal is what’s truly valuable.
So, when you’ve given it all you have and you’re tempted to just give up, remember to go the extra mile.
Note. Written in 1993 and preserved on dot-matrix printer paper. I wrote this thirty years ago and had not yet published it until now.
Enjoy Life More
Patient Determination
I usually write on Thursdays, which means inspiration typically starts to show up by Wednesday. This Wednesday, at lunch with a friend, I said I didn’t know what I was writing about, at least not yet. Since the year-ago decision to write weekly on SubStack I have kept a schedule of time to write, whether I had advance inspiration or not. Funny thing: inspiration always showed up.
This week the inspiration was just in one word: yet. This word has been percolating in my mind for several weeks now. When no other inspiration arrived I realized my patient determination to wait for inspiration was the inspiration. I don’t fret when I don’t know what I will write about, I just trust that inspiration will come when it is time.
Are there important, unfinished parts of your world? Are you frustrated because the time, energy, or money hasn’t yet arrived? To enjoy life more, practice this patient determination of “yet-ness.” It looks like this: I don’t know what I am going to write – yet. I haven’t had the time – yet. I don’t have the money – yet.
Can you feel the boost to your spirit from adding the word “yet” to the end of these problem statements? Where do you need to practice “yet-ness” in your life? I fill-in-the-blank-with-your-lack-of-something - YET.
Faith Corner
“Yet I will praise the Lord.” (see Habakkuk 3:18)
There are 395 uses of the word “yet” in the NIV translation of the Bible. Some books of the Bible use it more than others (Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and John; 24-29 times in each). The translation of the prophet Habakkuk’s book uses it only twice. Similarly, the translation of the prophet Jeremiah’s book Lamentations, uses it three times. Both of these books were written between 625 and 587 BC during a time of spiritual decline of God’s people, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the captivity of the Jews by Babylon.
These two books, Habakkuk and Lamentations, are mostly depressing books to read. Written during a bleak time, the images of rebellion, destruction, and despair are horrific. Habakkuk and Jeremiah, as God’s prophets, fully knew why God had allowed His judgment to come upon His own people, that judgment coming through their enemies, the Babylonians. The two prophets loved God and they loved His people; they experienced deep anguish because of this dark time of decline and subsequent judgment.
And, yet, they responded with determination to rejoice and to focus on the Lord’s great love and mercy. Jeremiah, in the bleak book of Lamentations, includes his intention to “call to mind” the great love, mercies, and faithfulness of the Lord (see Lamentations 3:21-24). He determinedly reminded himself to focus on goodness and hope.
Habakkuk, about whom little is known, wrote about possible calamities of failed crops and loss of livestock, and said, “yet I will praise the Lord” (see 3:17-18). He (or maybe she) asserted to focus on God’s goodness and salvation no matter the circumstances.
Dear Lord, the times around me are dark and troubling. Thank You for the words of Jeremiah and Habakkuk, who lived in ancient times of despair because of the rebellion of Your people. The times were difficult yet they chose to praise You and trust Your character of love and goodness. Help me to follow their example and determine to rejoice at all times, even when I do not yet see Your deliverance. Amen.
Poetry Pause
The Power of Yet
I don’t have a solution -
Yet.
I don’t know what to do -
Yet.
I don’t see good in the bad -
Yet.
Hopeless,
Turns into Hopeful,
By a single word:
Yet.
By Cindy MacGregor, June 15, 2023
Note. Tacking on the word “yet” can create a powerful shift in perspective and hope.
Old Mom to Young Mom
Patient “Yet-Ness”
Every parent traveling with children has heard the repeated chorus of “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” It’s funny how all children, in their eagerness to arrive somewhere, will ask the superfluous question. Clearly, the carload has not yet reached its destination until the vehicle stops and the parents announce “We’re here!”
Asking the question doesn’t make the destination arrive more quickly; it only annoys the driver who might reply “What do you think?” or “You just asked me that five minutes ago.” And, after being asked one too many times, the children hear “Please stop asking me that!”
Road trips, as a metaphor for life, are an opportunity to teach patience and purpose to children. Parents can help children enjoy the trip and pass the time in ways that will create fond childhood memories. Plugging in a movie into the DVD player is one way, and is probably merciful for small, pre-reading, children on multi-hour trips. But there are many other ways to interact with children on the road. See: Road Games for Kids. These games get children to interact with each other and the world around them, teaching them to enjoy their time together in the journey of life.
As an old mom to young parents, I encourage you to see road trips as a time to teach “patient yet-ness” to your children. Live with intentionality as a parent on these trips, making the time together part of the fun, not just a time to zone out into a device. Your children probably won’t remember the movies they watched on the road but they will remember, in their hearts and minds, the joy they had playing games with you while traveling. Life really is about the journey and being together along the way.
Dear Dr. Mac
Dear Cindy:
[On “The Big Screen”] As I read your opening referring to "one of a kind" the inscription I had placed on my husband's crypt reads "Beloved husband, one of a kind." I also remember lying on the grass with my Dad on hot summer evenings. He would point out the Big dipper, Little Dipper, and the North star. I too find the heavens fascinating. I have gazed at the Southern Cross in Australia and a Puma outlined by stars in Bolivia. God's creation is awesome.
[signed] Ruby
Dear Ruby,
It warms my heart to know that some of my words stirred such fabulous memories and meaning! I am picturing you and your dad "reading" the night sky; what a beautiful image of childhood with a man who worked so hard to provide for his family!
Yes, your husband was "one of a kind" and your time together was also "one of a kind" - including your own sky-gazing joys!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and precious memories! I am grateful for the way my words can travel through cyberspace and connect us!
Blessings,
Cindy
Dear Readers:
You can find all my previous posts at ARCHIVE .
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