Saturday, May 21, 2022
Temporary Insanity...A Story about Long Covid
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
This Was Meant to be a Post About Homeschooling
I've been over it for months. So completely over it.
*Sigh*
I don't see any point in sharing my opinion on today's headlines. The truth is so far buried under the dirt of world politics that there is little hope for discovery. It's kind of like watching an episode of "The Curse of Oak Island." Have you ever been sucked into that show? They are always searching out new ways to find a legendary treasure that's been buried for centuries. They find new clues and small bits of hope, but never unearth the goal. Every week a new episode, and every year a new season.
That said, I haven't stopped asking the questions. However, I've begun to lose faith in people in general. For some, there is no such thing as logic, critical thinking, or proper debate. Seriously...it's not a thing. Y'all should read "The Fallacy Detective: 38 Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning." Answers are hard to come by, and I certainly don't have them. I'd like to be part of the discussion, but I've been reduced to being Charlie Brown's teacher..."wah wah wah, waaah wah waaah." Speaking is a waste of energy because nothing is heard or understood. All of us are enemies, except for those that agree with our "narrative" (getting real tired of that word).
This is what gets me. Why must we be enemies?
The thing is, we are no longer driven by love. We are driven by emotion. Emotions are a blessing, and they give us meaning and personality. However, we live in a culture where emotions are the compass we live by. We are told to live out "our truth" and be who we want to be and do what we want to do. Self-control is a thing of the past. Sacrifice is a thing of the past. LOVE is a thing of the past. Think about it.
I love this passage written by Peter. It explains how it's not enough to have beliefs and knowledge alone. We need to add all the other things to it! When we speak and listen using these principles we will be more effective...
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8
And just because this is a passage from the Bible, written by an apostle of Jesus to first century Christians, doesn't mean it can't apply to you...yes, YOU. 21st century Christian, non-christian, political right, political left...you name it!
There is no doubt, the world is full of people who care. They want the best of the best. They want peace, health, prosperity. Deep down we are all in self-protect mode. And I think there is grace for that. But just think...if everyone just took a step back and said things and HEARD things using love and self-control? Sprinkle in a little logical reasoning and maybe progress could be made. Maybe we could even be allies!
You know, I had intended to write a post about homeschooling. Ha! Another day.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Fear and the Lady in the Checkout Line
Yesterday I was in the checkout line at the grocery store. There was a lady ahead of me already at the pay station...more than 6 feet away...and her pile of groceries were over halfway up the conveyor belt. Aware of my space, I felt safe to start putting my groceries on the belt. Then, like an exasperated mother reprimanding her child, the lady ahead of me demanded I wait to put my groceries on the belt. I wanted to cry. I decided to find a new line.
I've been in that lady's shoes. I know all too well. And I would do most ANYthing to not ever feel fear like that again. I found that my hands were shaking as I emptied my cart. My heart literally hurt as I contemplated our future in that moment: Our future seems grim. Our future is fear. Crippling fear. And it may take years to recover.
So many feelings. So many opinions. So many fears. We need to stop viewing each other as enemies with sides. We ALL have fears, and our fears are different! Some are afraid of this virus, some are afraid of losing everything, some are afraid of a communist takeover...etc, etc. We need to stop assuming that our fears are somehow more justified than someone else's just because they are different. I drive down the road and signs tell me to "stay home to save lives" and I think of the 7-year-old who has to go to the store with his single mother. What thoughts plague his mind as he passes that sign? I think of the elderly lady isolated in her room as she struggles to breathe with no family by her side. Does she have the will to breathe much longer when nobody seems to care to visit? I think of the business owner who has been told he's non-essential and cannot fathom how he can recover. Does he feel that the only way out is by a bullet?
Questions. So many questions. Never stop asking questions.
If you aren't on a path towards seeking truth, then I'd suggest a new path. There are rabbit trails here and there, and I'm certainly guilty of going down many of them. I'm the type of person who researches to a fault. I once spent 3 weeks researching car seats for toddlers...spending literally countless hours reading review after review. Hey, when your child AND your hard-earned money are on the line, you better know you're getting the best and at the best deal! I digress...but truth is the ultimate goal, is it not? In John 8:31-32 Jesus says, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Do you believe that? I certainly do. I'm not a perfect person, but I do know that there is a perfect God and He holds the key to a life free of fear.
All that said, fear doesn't have to win in your life. Maybe take a step back and evaluate what the driving force behind your thoughts, words, and actions are. Fear can bring out the worst in me, for sure! My most favorite passage in the Bible to recite over and over is Psalm 91. When anxiety creeps in, I go to a quiet place and read it out loud to myself. Yes...out loud. I have to actually hear the words, and I believe there is power in speaking Truth audibly (that's "truth" with a capital "T"). Sometimes I have to read it until my heart stops racing, or until I fall asleep. I'll be honest, peace doesn't always come easily. I struggle with doubt, just like every other human on earth.
One last thought: GRACE. In a time when fear is at the forefront, smile when you don't want to, refrain from posting the angry comment, and for goodness sake, give people their space.
Be well, my friends.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Lost: The Rest of the Story
In the first few months after I lost my ring, I went through a mourning period. Finding a replacement was going to be difficult. I wanted the exact ring that Adam worked so hard to buy. When we got engaged, we were both struggling college students. And in the few months before our engagement, he had decided to take a term off of school to extend his summer internship. I didn't find out until later that his decision was driven by his plan to give me an epic engagement story (ring included). I will never forget looking inside that ring box while Adam awkwardly knelt inside that horse drawn carriage in Victoria, B.C. amidst onlookers awaiting my inevitable reply..."YES!"
There was no option to buy a brand new replacement as the jeweler was no longer local and no longer carried that design (duh...it's been a few years!). There were many many options to purchase ones that were almost the same, but that just didn't feel right to me. Ebay was my best option, and it didn't take long for me to find my ring. The only problem was that it was going to cost over $1k MORE than when Adam had purchased it brand new. I didn't want to pay that much for a used duplicate.
Over the next several months I would periodically check Ebay for 3-stone platinum rings in the hopes that I would find another one cheaper. I didn't have much luck. Then, one day around Thanksgiving (8 months post-"tragedy") I saw that the ring I originally found was on sale. It was still going to be more than the original price, but by then I had resolved that no other replacement was going to suffice. But to be sure I had exhausted every avenue, I decided to spend a couple of hours on Ebay searching other listings...just hoping I would find one for cheaper. No such ring seemed to exist....until...I found a listing that sparked my interest. The picture was crooked and blurry. The additional pictures weren't much better. In fact, there was even a picture in the mix that wasn't of the ring listed! These folks looked like amateurs. I checked their other listings...all jewelry, and a 100% feedback score on over 2,000 sales. I was hopeful!
I was overcome with excitement at the possibility of this listing being a replacement. The price was almost too good to be true! It was only 25% of the cost of the other listing! I messaged the seller immediately requesting better pictures and asked if there was anything inscribed inside the band. He promptly replied the next morning with everything I asked...and he did NOT disappoint!! I was ecstatic!!!! There's a bit more to that story...but I'd rather not turn this post into a novel. In short, I had it shipped overnight mail (it didn't come!), and it arrived in 2 days...within a day or two of Adam and I's belated anniversary trip to Jamaica.
I really felt like finding that replacement ring was a HUGE blessing. When it arrived, I also discovered that it was the exact same size as my wedding band! It was as if it was meant to be.
Well...fast forward to earlier this month...
It was after church on Sunday, and I received a text from my friend Jackie asking me to call her. If you recall from my last post, Jackie is the owner of the sheep farm where my original ring was lost. She has been in the thick of lambing season and I thought she was wanting to see if maybe I could help out at the farm or something. Quite honestly, I wasn't expecting to hear her tell me a story and end it with."...found your ring." Say WHAT?!?!?!
You see, after searching for hours and hours in the driving rain through piles and piles sheep manure on two different occasions, we gave up. Our metal detectors (one was brand new) had both failed, and the task was just too overwhelming. We didn't know if the ring was even in the manure!
Jackie has a trusted friend that helps out on her farm who does metal detecting on the side. After we had failed to find it, she asked us if we would offer a reward to her metal detecting friend if he happened to find it. We, of course, said yes and offered up a very worthwhile price. Over the last two years that man has tried, on several occasions, to find my ring. 3 weeks ago, he was out trapping varmints on Jackie's farm and decided to take his metal detector. A varmint caught his eye over by that old manure pile, and he almost went back to his truck to exchange his metal detector for his gun...but he didn't. He found my ring instead. Adam couldn't withdraw the money fast enough...and by that afternoon, my ring...my irreplaceable treasure...had returned home.
I won't lie, it was slightly painful to pay that hefty reward after already spending the money to replace it. But, I know God's plans are greater than mine...and today I feel doubly blessed. Thank you Jesus!
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Lost.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Church is Family
Yesterday I was one of the teachers for children's church. The Bible application was a bit of a stretch for young kids, but the basis was about how the Lord blesses our families through us. We started out by putting the kids into two groups and asking them to make a list of things they had in common with each other. This was the absolute best. I loved watching them discover one another...smile, laugh, and even share in disgust. The other teacher and I wanted to let this activity linger. We decided that THIS was exactly what we needed to be doing in kid's church every single sunday (in some way). We ended up greatly modifying the lesson, and even changed the memory verse for the week. To be honest, the original Bible application was virtually lost. But hearts were blessed through this little family...the little children's church family.
There's an old chorus we used to sing at church all the time when I was a kid and it started out: "I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God..." Inherently, we all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We want relationships. We need them, actually. Instead, so many of us are stuck in our own self-pity ("the church didn't reach out to me" or "the church offended me"), or our own self-righteousness ("I don't need the church"). The Family of God (church) is not immune to drama, scandal, cliques, deceit, failure, gossip, etc. And what's sad to me is that people leave the church because of these very things. As a result, issues are never dealt with and the spiritual growth of the church is stunted. But what the church needs is for those people to stay, share what they have in common, as well as their hurts, fears, joys, wisdom, etc. We need to help carry each other's burdens and love unconditionally. Sometimes, all that requires of us is that we just be there.
I had a lot more written on this topic, but I decided to erase it all. I don't know if it was because of fear (lack of faith), or wisdom. Or maybe I'm just a coward for not pointing out the truth. My imperfections and insecurities certainly don't help me to be bold for Christ. Whatever the reason, I just don't think the easily offended world wants to hear what I have to say. However, I will ask this one question: If you call yourself a Christian, and you've excluded yourself from the Church (Family of God), what's your reasoning?
"The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance." (1 Corinthians 12:25-26 The Message)
We need to stick together through all the "yuck" and all the "yay."
And that's that.
Monday, February 1, 2016
The Good Word
For the month of February I'm setting aside the pile of books that sits next to my bed. And for every night this month I'm planning to copy Bible verses in my journal from a list a friend shared. Seems so simple...a bit juvenile maybe...but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm excited to hear what God has to say to me through His "good Word."
Here's the list if you want to try it out too!