Marching On

March comes to an end and time moves on.

I'll be heading out for a 400+ mile trip on the motorcycle so it will be a day without noise.
I'll be able to catch up on some social media feeds on my occasional stops if I choose to, but for the most part it will be nothing but the sound of wind. I don't have a radio, so I won't be listening to any news throughout the day. It'll be nice.

I do have a blue tooth headset in my helmet and may listen to a little music for part of the day.
At some point, I'll probably add a charging port to my motorcycle. If I'm going to be taking all day rides and using my blue tooth to listen to music from my phone, I'll probably need it.
I haven't ridden for the past week, so I am really looking forward to the ride.

*****

I'll have plenty of time for thinking on the road today, but I have already been doing some reflecting on the month as it comes to an end.

On the physical front I decided that I really need to get back to regular exercise and have started walking again. Yesterday was the first day that I didn't get a good walk. It was raining or drizzling all day and so I only managed less than a mile. It was the first day of spring that I didn't make the 10,000 step goal. I'll try to get the steps in today by taking a few walking breaks along the way.
I've been eating better but still have a ways to go to re-establish healthy eating as a lifestyle.

Spiritually I am always in a struggle.
I know that probably sounds weird coming from an evangelist, but it is true.
Evangelism conferences and exposure to people that are working hard for the kingdom often make me realize how little I do that has positive impact on the lives of others. Some people are working very hard to show the love of God to people in need while I am content to stay fairly isolated from others. It is a difficult thing to show love while avoiding people.
Hmmm...something for me to think about.

On other personal assessments, I think that I might be misrepresenting myself to others.
Oh we all do it. We put our best face on when we go out and try our best not to be a complete butt-head to others, but as much as I try to be pretty transparent about my faults, some people still give me way more credit for being a decent person than I deserve.
In doing a little spring cleaning, I re-read some of the comments written on my retirement photo from SGF. I'm not sure if I should feel good about having fooled so many people about being a good guy or humbled by their assessments of the man they believe me to be. I remember a conversation I had before I retired when a coworker commented that I was a good person. I told her that she has no idea how hard I have to work to be that person. Somehow, I don't think that a good person would have to work this hard every single day.
If you really want to know the truth, check with my wife and kids. They've seen the ugly side, perhaps far too often.

All-in-all, I'm not sure what I'll do with these assessments.
I know that I'll keep up with the health improvements -- at least for a little while.
I'm not real sure about the ministry assessments. I guess I should be more purposeful about sharing God's love for people. I'm just not sure of how I will do that.
As for the real me -- geez, I don't think I want people to know that guy. I guess I'll just keep working on being a little bit better so that I can eventually remove the mask and there won't be much difference between the person you see and the person I really am. Dang, that's going to be a lot of work!

But time marches on...

Any monthly assessment from you, my readers?
Leave it in the comments if you care to.

John <><