A Thorn in His Brow

“Ouch, wait!  There is something hurting my foot.”

I brought the hiking crew to a sudden halt as I examined my river shoes.  Thinking it was a sharp rock, I shook my foot to force the pebble out one of the openings.  With a few more steps and a few more shakes it was obvious that the stone would not be deterred.  It was eager to take a bite out of my big toe. 

Crimes Against Humanity

Recently, our pastor challenged us to live our Christian life in the “No Spin Zone” (to borrow a phrase from The O’Reilly Factor.  In other words, our daily walk should be authentic.  There should be no reason for a follower of Jesus Christ to put external “spin” on their personal beliefs, choices, or actions in order to get them to seemingly “fit” within the values espoused by the Christian faith.  Plain and simple.  Do I live that kind of life?  Can I avoid the cultural pressures to conform, and live day-to-day steadfast to biblical truth?

As a people-pleaser by nature, I know I sometimes struggle with “standing out.”  It is easy to succumb to preserving my “image” in order to avoid the uncomfortable tension of being “out there,” standing up for something on my own.  However, my Christan faith often calls me to that exact place.

Closer than You Think

After a decade in this house, I still ponder the intent of that half-circle pane at the apex of our bedroom window.  Structurally, it serves no purpose; it must have been created for purely aesthetic value.  These are the things I ruminate while attempting to fall asleep at night.

The Closing Door

As I finished rebuking my pre-teen, again, for the harsh way she used her words with her little sister, I turned to leave the bathroom.  I had no sooner stepped outside the threshold when I heard the door shut behind me . . . a little too hard.  SLAM!  “That’s it!” I thought to myself as I spun around on my heel.

“But Mom, I didn’t mean to shut it that hard!” were her defensive pleas as I dished out the corresponding consequence for her defiant behavior.  “You don’t understand!”

She claims she didn’t intend to slam the door; and, however naively, I believe she’s telling the truth as she sees it.  But what I responded to was not how hard she closed the door; it was the fact she closed the door at all.  The bathroom door was simply an outward expression for the door I sensed she was closing in her heart.  As she marched away, God convicted me as well.  I thought to myself, “Oh honey, I understand alright.  I understand all too well.”

A Resolution for New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolution (nyoo  yirz  rez’e-loo’shen) noun – originally an early Babylonian practice developed over 4 millennia ago in which a person reflects on the past and ponders the future resulting in a commitment to a reformation, a restoration, a lifestyle change, or a new endeavor.

Most of you who are brave enough to pledge a New Year’s Resolution have probably done so by now.  What I want to know is how many of you have already broken your commitment, or maybe abandoned it all together, at this early date in the year? Have you ever wondered why New Year’s Resolutions are so hard to keep?

Just a Man

Over the Christmas holiday, my family and I traveled to see my father at his home in Missouri.  At 82, my Dad has his share of health issues.  But, more notably, he has accumulated a variety of battle scars from the journey that has been his life.  No one reaches 82 without a few.

As I think back on my childhood, I realize that I had all the typical grand expectations that any girl does of her father.  “Father,” in my head, was synonymous with Prince Charming, Knight in Shining Armor, Super-Powered Hero, and Noble King – all rolled together.  You can imagine my dad didn’t live up to those expectations over time.  What dad could?

Life’s Ripples

Wouldn’t you agree that sometimes our kids have the most perceptive ways of looking at things?

My tween and I were having one of those late night discussions.  You know, the kind where, all the while you’re tucking them in  you are really fantasizing about a quiet house, a good book, and a hot cup of tea. And just as you kiss them goodnight, they bring up a topic of conversation you know you can’t afford to pass up.  It was one of THOSE conversations.  So, as my “time to myself” fantasy fizzled, I resigned myself to sitting down on the edge of her bed.

What Don’t You Know?

Current Affairs — a subject that breeds blissful ignorance for me.

I am generally so consumed with my own day-to-day that I’m hardly aware of the local weather report, let alone national or international concerns.  Most of my broader knowledge base is made up of what my HubbyLu discloses at the dinner table.  Right or wrong, the majority of my days are characterized by a lack of information about things that do not need sack lunches, clean clothes, carpools, or doctor visits.  My bubble, in reality, is rather small.

However, with the most recent current events, it is hard to avoid the biggest headliners (even for the most skilled of ostriches).  And there lies the flip-side of “blissful ignorance”; once the ignorance is broken, so is the bliss.