It's not real astonishing. So don't get your hopes up! However it is true. A couple weeks ago we stayed at the Sherton at Westport (Priceline is a great thing. You should do it). We love staying there in the summer with the kids. The pool is just marvelous... it really is! The morning we were leaving a little lady who was full of spunk was out early. She wore a shiny black one piece swim suit and her hair was blond and spikey. She looked to be 65 years old. She laid out in the morning sun. She had little skinny legs. She would get in the pool and do a few exercises then sit back down for a bit. You could just tell she was a fun lady by looking at her.
Of course, I couldn't miss a conversation with her. I know it can be an annoying trait, but I do love getting to know people's stories. Heidi and I moved to her side of the pool to sit and dry off. Before we were ten feet from her she began talking to us. I still can't decide where her accent is from. My best guess is Italian. She began with basic chit chat. She showed us pictures of her grandsons. And told us how she was going home soon to cook a birthday dinner for her youngest.
Here's the best part. She dried off and wrapped a coverup around her and sprayed perfume all around her. It was one of those strong, musky, no name type perfumes. By golly, the next thing I knew she was at Heidi's neck spraying her and her wrists. Then, she gently turned my wrists over and sprayed me. She said, "Now you will smell lovely for the men."
We loved it! We did stink. But, we loved being blessed by her intoxicating personality. I have thought about her several times and decided that I hope to be like her. I want to always live a life with no walls, especially when it comes to people.
I have lived so much of my life protecting myself from hurt. No need to explain why. There are many of us who have been through tough stuff and learned to cope and move on by building walls. I have been in a long process of trusting God to free me from my self-protection and control, I am now starting to be immersed in the freedom of loving people freely.. whether they deserve it or not.
The more I fall in love with the God of my Salvation and trust Him and follow Him through His Truth, the more I live in joy and peace. Freedom, joy, and peace are a good trade for control and fear.
I guess the point is, don't be offended when I spray you with horrible perfume the next time I see you. It just means I love you!
"Perfect love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18
"Fear keeps life small." - Ann Voskamp
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
I quit
I recently quit a job I have been doing for years. Gosh, I don’t even know how long I’ve been doing that job. It’s something I picked up at a young age and was just natural to me. I was really good at it. It’s crazy to quit something that I have spent so many years investing into. I had practically mastered it.
In the months since I have quit the job, I am now experiencing some major changes. My daily routines have changed, my relationships have changed, my thoughts have changed. It’s a big deal to quit something that has been apart of your life for 20 or so years. The best way to describe what I have experienced since I quit is: Freedom.
I seem to enjoy the simple things of life so much more. I am more patient with people. I can see beauty in nearly everything and everyone. I have slowed down. I dance more. I dance a lot. I smile more. I laugh out loud. A weight has been lifted. That job was a heavy load.
That job was a dead end job. It was sucking the life right out of me. I never even realized I was not being compensated for all the time and energy I invested in it. After applying some truths from God’s Word, I realized that NO ONE EVEN ASKED ME TO DO THIS JOB! I had assumed the role myself! Why in the world would I take on something that was so draining and pointless?
I guess I thought doing that job might give me a little control. Or maybe it was my way of simplifying something that can’t be simplified. Sometimes it made me feel better about myself and other times it made me want to crawl in a hole. That job also gave me a lot to talk about with other people. Like minds would always collaborate together and come to similar conclusions. It made me feel powerful. It made my eyebrows be bent with a scowl. It made me stay awake at night analyzing and strategizing. Perhaps, I did the job because it stopped me from self-reflecting. Or maybe because it stopped me from getting too close to other messy people.
I haven’t even told you what job I quit! I was a self-entitled judge of… everything and everyone. Take it from me, it really has no use in this life we live. Our Creator doesn’t intend for us to take on that role. He has that job covered. I sure am glad that the only One who is Love is the One who is judging. He is the only One with an untainted perspective. He is the only One who knows the whole story. He is the only One who can handle the weight of the job and still be Love. He is Holy and Righteous. I am not.
I do find myself slipping back into the judging roll often. It’s a habit, a comfortable place. I understand that it is a process for me to go through to be fully complete. I can already tell that things have changed since my perspective has changed. Oh, I wonder what the freedom will be like 10 years from now!
How captivated will I be by people when I no longer put them in boxes or categories? How compassionate will I be when I see other people’s faults as wounds they have suffered? How grateful will I be when I appreciate all the extremes of personalities? How wise will I be when I understand that every person who challenges me or hurts me is giving me the opportunity to depend on my God for strength and peace? How motivated will I be when I face difficult times knowing that my faith and character will grow?
I am a very passionate person. I have lived through some tough stuff. So, I’m not talking about living life with rose colored glasses on. I still get angry and I will fight for justice. Uh oh, I better not get started here… that’s another story! Here’s an example: When someone offends me and it rightfully makes me angry, I don’t have to chain myself up by acting in anger or by gossiping. I can duck that one out and let their consequences come their way in due time. In the meantime, I tell God how angry I am and ask Him to give me perspective and love. Here’s the incredible part… then, I’m FREE! No bad consequences, no guilt, no grudge. Actually I get to experience true peace and joy. I’ll take that trade any day.
Life in relationship with our Creator is what life is all about… that’s our “job”! Each day, He frees me from the chains I have put myself in. The “job” He has for me continues to unfold into something I can’t imagine not being a part of. I better stop here before I get onto another topic!
Check out this guy. No judging
In the months since I have quit the job, I am now experiencing some major changes. My daily routines have changed, my relationships have changed, my thoughts have changed. It’s a big deal to quit something that has been apart of your life for 20 or so years. The best way to describe what I have experienced since I quit is: Freedom.
I seem to enjoy the simple things of life so much more. I am more patient with people. I can see beauty in nearly everything and everyone. I have slowed down. I dance more. I dance a lot. I smile more. I laugh out loud. A weight has been lifted. That job was a heavy load.
That job was a dead end job. It was sucking the life right out of me. I never even realized I was not being compensated for all the time and energy I invested in it. After applying some truths from God’s Word, I realized that NO ONE EVEN ASKED ME TO DO THIS JOB! I had assumed the role myself! Why in the world would I take on something that was so draining and pointless?
I guess I thought doing that job might give me a little control. Or maybe it was my way of simplifying something that can’t be simplified. Sometimes it made me feel better about myself and other times it made me want to crawl in a hole. That job also gave me a lot to talk about with other people. Like minds would always collaborate together and come to similar conclusions. It made me feel powerful. It made my eyebrows be bent with a scowl. It made me stay awake at night analyzing and strategizing. Perhaps, I did the job because it stopped me from self-reflecting. Or maybe because it stopped me from getting too close to other messy people.
I haven’t even told you what job I quit! I was a self-entitled judge of… everything and everyone. Take it from me, it really has no use in this life we live. Our Creator doesn’t intend for us to take on that role. He has that job covered. I sure am glad that the only One who is Love is the One who is judging. He is the only One with an untainted perspective. He is the only One who knows the whole story. He is the only One who can handle the weight of the job and still be Love. He is Holy and Righteous. I am not.
I do find myself slipping back into the judging roll often. It’s a habit, a comfortable place. I understand that it is a process for me to go through to be fully complete. I can already tell that things have changed since my perspective has changed. Oh, I wonder what the freedom will be like 10 years from now!
How captivated will I be by people when I no longer put them in boxes or categories? How compassionate will I be when I see other people’s faults as wounds they have suffered? How grateful will I be when I appreciate all the extremes of personalities? How wise will I be when I understand that every person who challenges me or hurts me is giving me the opportunity to depend on my God for strength and peace? How motivated will I be when I face difficult times knowing that my faith and character will grow?
I am a very passionate person. I have lived through some tough stuff. So, I’m not talking about living life with rose colored glasses on. I still get angry and I will fight for justice. Uh oh, I better not get started here… that’s another story! Here’s an example: When someone offends me and it rightfully makes me angry, I don’t have to chain myself up by acting in anger or by gossiping. I can duck that one out and let their consequences come their way in due time. In the meantime, I tell God how angry I am and ask Him to give me perspective and love. Here’s the incredible part… then, I’m FREE! No bad consequences, no guilt, no grudge. Actually I get to experience true peace and joy. I’ll take that trade any day.
Life in relationship with our Creator is what life is all about… that’s our “job”! Each day, He frees me from the chains I have put myself in. The “job” He has for me continues to unfold into something I can’t imagine not being a part of. I better stop here before I get onto another topic!
Check out this guy. No judging
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