Saturday, July 24, 2010

Hope

Lamentations 3:22-23

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.


If ever a passage of scripture were to give hope, I feel this would be it. The prophet Jeremiah writes about despair, pain, suffering, sin and wrongdoing. The passage speaks of anguish and depression so deep, it had "walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains."
It speaks of a heartache so real "He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver."
He felt ashamed and mocked and cast away, "I became the laughingstock of all my people;they mock me in song all day long."
I feel there is a guilt, a sense of unforgiveness towards himself, "I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is."

As I was reading this passage, I felt myself identifying so closely with the feelings and thoughts Jeremiah had written. I have been through periods of depression that threatened to choke me out; at times it seemed I couldn't breathe because it hurt so bad. I have been wounded by friends and family, and felt my heart ripped out of my chest. I felt broken, pierced, bleeding inside.
I have been publicly ridiculed by those who called me friend to my face. It was like they slapped me in the face, spewing nastiness from the very mouths they had commended me with. And I myself have been unable to forgive my own wrongs and shortcomings. It has felt like an inescapable blemish upon my report card of life. That I was/am never good enough. Like I will never get ahead.

We all go through periods in life of hopelessness. Of depression. Of ridicule and wretchedness. We have all felt the sting of betrayal and humiliation at some point in life. We have all been through times of loss and bereavement. This is life. This is what being part of mankind brings. No one is exempt. No one can avoid pain.

And yet, in all the pain and hopelessness there is in our hearts, there is still one thing to find a measure of hope in. And that is this: "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

No matter how dark, or how impossibly long the night may seem, we know that eventually morning will come. No matter how strong the wind is, or how high the waves of the hurricane may grow, pretty soon the storm will pass and all that is left is memories and a need to recompose.
Just as the rainbow that God placed in the sky after Noah's flood, he has given us a promise also. That his mercy is always new. That each trouble, each night we may face, in the morning, at the end of the tunnel there is a compassionate and understanding and loving God.

"You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."
O Lord, you took up my case;
you redeemed my life."

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Theft Problem IMPORTANT MESSAGE:

Since Mariposa Mom is about identifying and embracing changes, I thought I'd share this all-too-true tidbit with you:



You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves.

My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick. The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine?
I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans. And then the thieves struck again.
My butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear-end to the thighs they had stuck me with earlier. But my new butt was attached at least three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favor of long skirts.
Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was fixing my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper arm swing to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a time. What could they do to me next?
When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey neck, I decided to tell my story. Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee! Those 'plastic' surgeons are using REAL replacement body parts -stolen from you and me! The next time someone you know has something 'lifted', look again - was it lifted from you?

Therapy for Insanity

I thought we needed some lightening up today. I have read this before, but laughed again reading them tonight. Enjoy.

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hairdryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
5. Put Decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "For Marijuana".
7. Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
9. Skip down the hall rather than walk and see how many looks you get.
10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
11. Specify that your drive-through order is 'To Go'.
12. Sing along at the Opera.
14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.
15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.
17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'
18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'
19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

Hahaha! So, are you the type of person who would do any of these? HAVE you done any of them, or something similar? I would SO do some of them if I had a partner in crime. Which is your favorite?

Monday, July 12, 2010

Challenge and Passion

Life without challenge and passion is far more destructive than physical danger.

I was reading this article tonight in Reader's Digest about this lady fisherman. And when I came to this quote (above), I paused to consider the full meaning of it.
My first reaction was to ignore it and pretend I hadn't seen it. My second was to focus on the first part and not the last. Let me tell you why.
For some reason unknown to me, I am terrified of pain. I suppose that's a pretty normal thing to be afraid of, but it affects me in numerous ways. I am afraid of falling...like simple tripping on the sidewalk kind of falling. Afraid of heights also stems from it. Even climbing a ladder or mid-size stool will have me rattled. I get really freaked out when we have a close encounter while driving. And I even "protect" myself from emotional pain by distancing myself and moving on pretty easily. For instance, when a good friend moves away, generally I'm more likely to just get on with life than make a great effort to write and call. I know it sounds rude and mean and callus, but it's kind of a defense mechanism my mind has invented over time for different reasons.

So, all that to say...I don't like physical danger. I play it safe. And that is why this quote stuck out to me and I couldn't shake it. Something could be worse than being destroyed by physical danger? Yeah right!
But then I take a look at myself. Do I have those first two things in my life right now? Challenge. Passion. Am I really stretching myself and doing something I absolutely cannot live without? Am I living out my dreams? Am I living life to it's fullest?
My first thought is: of course. I have a husband. I have three beautiful children. I live in a decent house with room outside for the kids to play. I have family nearby. I live a very safe life.
Where is the challenge? Well, sure I am raising my boys to be (hopefully) strong, christian men, full of integrity and strong in their morals and convictions. Sure I am struggling to keep the household running and functioning with minimal infractions and uproar. But beyond the average, everyday things that every other parent deals with, what am I striving for?

I really don't have any answers, and to be honest, I'm slightly uncomfortable with the thought that I may have to stretch beyond my safe zone. Maybe someone else out there is struggling with something similar. Maybe it's you. Are you living life to it's fullest? Are you being challenged, or fulfilling your passions? If you are I commend you. That is a brave thing to do. But if you find yourself questioning the same as me, all I can say is, I understand.

Let me leave you with something else the author of the RD article said:
"When you are fully engaged, life is richer. To be consumed by doing what you love is the ultimate reward. Yes, it's risky. But it's worth it. Simply put, life is better out on a limb."