Inherited Good Works

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children…

 (Proverbs 13:22)

In a strange way, our family life changed for the better during the summer of 2012. When my father-in-law passed unexpectedly, we had to drive from Texas to Indiana to make the final arrangements. Typically, our preferred method of travel for any trip over four hours was to fly; but with no notice, the tickets were ridiculously expensive in both dollars and airline points, so we elected to drive. That trip was the first time in over five years that we were confined in a car together for that many hours.

In those five years, a lot changed in our family. We used to entertain our son with videos; but on that trip, he entertained himself with the music on his IPod or with video games. We used to have to bring music to avoid constantly searching for radio stations, but on that trip we had satellite radio. We used to be in a rush to get from point A to point B, but on that trip, we took the time to see and talk about the sites along the way. As a family, we have always traveled together, but on that trip, we remembered the importance of passing down stories, singing songs, and creating family memories and traditions.

In the years since, our family summer trips have taken us to Nashville, returning through Phenix City, to visit another branch of the family tree; to Washington D.C., to visit many of the national treasures, including watching the fireworks from the National Mall and visiting the King Memorial. The trip to DC triggered a new tradition: on our subsequent travels, in addition to mainstream museums and aquariums, we would tour and take pictures at lesser known memorial parks. So while we were visiting Birmingham last summer, we went to see the historic 16^th Street Baptist Church, and we introduced our son to my favorite Temptation, making a stop to take pictures at the Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park. This year’s must-sees include stopping in Knoxville to visit the 12 ft bronze statue of Alex Haley, my muse for journaling my story, and returning to the Augusta area to see our first house, as well as visit the slave pillar and the James Brown statue, erected after we moved.

Indirectly, my father-in-law is responsible for this renewed sense of family traditions. It’s funny, no matter how many times we offered, he would never fly to visit us. He preferred to take his time and drive his pickup truck. I did not get it then, but now, I understand. What family customs or memories are you passing down to your children, that prayerfully, they will pass along to their children?  Feel free to comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Obedience in Good Works

Obedience is better than sacrifice…

(1 Samuel 15:22)

If you really know me, you know that I profess the Holy Spirit’s grace and mercy by speaking favor over my life. By the instruction of David Frazier, I wave my hand over my head whenever I say the word FAVOR and declare that I believe all that His Word says about me. So when things happen in my life that I do not understand, I know that in the spirit, the experience is for my good. And that faith is what keeps me sane as my family enters a new season and begins a new journey.

When I first learned that we were re-locating again for my husband’s career, my first response was what? My second response…now?  All I could think about were the efforts exhausted during the past three years to become a part of the community. As I tried to reconcile the enormity of a move, everything around me kept reminding me that obedience is better than sacrifice. And that faith, knowing that humble submission to the Father’s will, is greater than any personal sacrifice that I have to make as my family enters this new season and begins our new journey.

When I finally settled down to examine how this change aligned with His Word spoken over my life, He revealed that none of this is a surprise, exposing the rams that He had already positioned for this moment: the teams and infrastructure in place that keep us connected to clients, regardless of physical location; the location of our new home that puts me less than thirty minutes away from a major international airport; and my favorite, the loyalty points that have already been accumulated that can be used to visit the office during the transition months. And that faith, seeing small examples of favor in my life, is what allows me to walk with bolder confidence that this is working for our good as my family enters this new season and begins our new journey.

When I opened my eyes and my heart to see the possibilities in our new community, I realized that I am in a fertile land to expand the purposed work as advocates of educating young people about the 21st century realities of manufacturing and other STEM related careers. I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be for a time such as this. And that faith, knowing that grace and mercy came before me, is the best blessing of all as my family enters this new season and begins our new journey.

Waving my hand over my head, I speak FAVOR over my life and over my family’s life in our new home. This move is not what I planned, yet, I know that it is for the good of my purposed work. Not my will, but Thy Will be done, thus I submit: obedience is better than sacrifice. If you would like to share your experiences about re-locating while building a business, or being obedient to unplanned events in your good works, let us know by commenting or sending an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of the previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

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An Appointed Season

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…

What do workers gain for their toil? (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9)

We took our first vacation in years. We often go on trips, and like most 21st century families, we rarely get completely away. Most of the time, my husband and I are both guilty of answering voicemail or responding to email. So last week, we boarded the Love Boat, disconnected from technology, and entered into some new seasons for our family.

A time to love...James and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last fall. Through the years, we have spent so much time earning a living that we often missed enjoying our life. On Day 2, we started reading Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages and individually conceded that although we have a good marriage, neither of our love tanks is filled completely all the time. On Day 3, J finished the book and the profiles before I did. We both speak bilingual love languages. We share a need for words of encouragement and compliments from the people we love and the people who love us. We entered a new season committed to keeping each other's love tank filled with words of affirmation.

 

A time to let go...Q is growing up so fast. He has two overprotective and overinvolved parents. This was his first vacation where we did not try to dictate his every move. We signed him up for the teen activities and had to trust that we raised a responsible kid. We realized that we have a different child who dances, talks, and engages the least likely audiences when he's in his zone. By Day 4, James and I noticed that we were both exhausted by 10 pm, but one of us had to stay awake until Q safely returned to our cabin, usually just before midnight. Dr. Chapman briefly introduced  The Five Love Languages of Teenagers. We entered into a new season committed to rewarding Q with advanced freedoms in return for advanced familial responsibilities.

A time to live...We spent the remainder of the trip vacationing, visiting new sites, trying new foods, enjoying our life. After seven days away, we had barely exited the port before I was checking voicemail and email. When I finally connected and checked messages, among the first things I read were of the death of a dear friend’s grandchild and the death of a classmate’s younger sister. The euphoria of the vacation subsided. On the drive home, I thought about me relative to the ocean, or that work did not stop simply because I was away. I noticed that while we were gone, God’s appointed season transpired: the flowers bloomed without any input from me. I thought about those two lives lost and their families, who I’m sure, were not focused on work, but in their way, on how to fill the love tanks of the people most important to them. Jesus taught that the person who loves becomes filled with joy for life. At that moment, I stopped toiling over my natural work and shifted to my spiritual work, and I entered into a new season committed to learning to purposely love living. As I write this, my love tank is completely filled.

To learn more about understanding your family’s love language, visit http://www.5lovelanguages.com/