When I was growing up, my mom would say, "this too will pass." At the time, I did not understand the true meaning of those words. Now, I realize that when you are down, you have to hang on and know that it will pass. It may not be instant but life keeps going and if you hang on, you'll be amazed at the directions you can go.
A new favorite song is Overcomer by Mandisa:
You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight ‘til the final round
You're not going under
‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds You
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer
Sometimes, a great song with a great beat can be the thing to lift you up. Overcomer - isn't that what we all are? Life puts bumps in our paths. Sometimes, they are big. Sometimes, they are small like spilling coffee in the morning. Whatever the bump, we can overcome. Small bumps are usually easy to fix but it's the "how" we fix them that makes the difference. Do we explode into a rage or do we briefly get frustrated and move on? Big bumps may require more faith.
I know when my daughter had a tooth lasered (yep, a laser), she was determined she would not go to school the next day because it had turned black all the way around the gum line. A typical teenager, she felt ugly and worried what others would say. I reminded her that the black would go away at some point and this was a bump in the road to a better smile. Her friends, I told her, would not walk away from her or make fun of her because of a black gum.
She came back from school at the end of the day smiling. You see, all her friends knew she had surgery. All wanted to "see" it when she got to school. They did not make fun of her. Some wanted to see it over and over because it was "gross". Once she realized that, she actually went and showed it to some girls just to see their reaction. Nice.
The life lesson was that even though we all have bumps in the road... we all need to face them and do our best to deal with them. As the song says, "You're Not Going Under"..
May being an Overcomer be your mantra today!!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Do you talk to your momma with that mouth?
Part of my job is monitoring social media for my customers and I'm a Facebook fan myself. I use social media to reconnect with friends from my past and catch up with them. It allows me to cheer on their kids and "like" their life events while managing my day to day life.
I'm amazed, however, at the number of people who have all out wars with people on social media. It's like a billboard where your messages are publishing to all the passing motorists. One in particular took to Facebook to talk about her coworkers. She was slinging names like Sponge Bob slings Crabby Patties. I was a little shocked. Then, I wondered if a coworker was a "friend" of hers. Awkward. A day passed and a few exchanges later and the language got so bad, I had to delete it all.
My kids and I were watching a show one day where the gal said, "Do you talk to your momma with that mouth?" We chuckled and sometimes use it as a humorous way to remind each other that our talking has stepped over a line.
When people post on social media, they may want to think about momma. :) Or Grandma or Auntie or whomever may be viewing it. If you are comfortable with the language you use, have at it and let it flow. If, however, you get caught up in the heat of the moment, you may want to pause and think, would I talk this way to my momma? If not, you may want to wait or private message someone.
I'm amazed, however, at the number of people who have all out wars with people on social media. It's like a billboard where your messages are publishing to all the passing motorists. One in particular took to Facebook to talk about her coworkers. She was slinging names like Sponge Bob slings Crabby Patties. I was a little shocked. Then, I wondered if a coworker was a "friend" of hers. Awkward. A day passed and a few exchanges later and the language got so bad, I had to delete it all.
My kids and I were watching a show one day where the gal said, "Do you talk to your momma with that mouth?" We chuckled and sometimes use it as a humorous way to remind each other that our talking has stepped over a line.
When people post on social media, they may want to think about momma. :) Or Grandma or Auntie or whomever may be viewing it. If you are comfortable with the language you use, have at it and let it flow. If, however, you get caught up in the heat of the moment, you may want to pause and think, would I talk this way to my momma? If not, you may want to wait or private message someone.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Outward Pain
Recently, I was reminded of a chronic condition I have of a low knee cartlidge. You see, my knee had felt a little sore. I ignored it. I kept pushing and then suddenly, wham. I felt a gush and was unable to put pressure on my knee for 24 hours. The rebuilding process will take weeks and therapy.
As I walk to various events hobbling around, I get looks of sympathy. People hold the door open. Others have a look of sadness in their eyes.
I started thinking about my pain. Some pain, like mine, is an outward pain. You see it. You know it is there. You can tell that the person is in pain.
Yet, many of us carry an inward pain. That pain that no one can see but it is there. Perhaps it is a fight you are in, a struggle of money, a worry that you are carrying.
What I find is that pain is pain. The great news is that God is there with us with it all. When I faced a three hour drive with severe pain, I started out by crying. I wondered, "How am I going to do this?" The crying became a cry out as I asked God to just help me get to a place I could manage. I moved my foot some, twisted it and within minutes, the pain eased enough that I could make the journey.
Here's the thing - we don't know what pain people are carrying. Nor, do we know when we'll be in pain. The one constant is that we can pray. We can ask for healing for those who are sick. We can ask that God make one adjustment in someone's life that will make it manageable.
And, we can "see" the pain. Perhaps a friend is more sensitive than usual or someone bursts out at you for something. They may be carrying inward pain. They may not be sharing the pain they are carrying. Still, shouldn't we look on them with the same sympathy as those who have outward pain?
As I walk to various events hobbling around, I get looks of sympathy. People hold the door open. Others have a look of sadness in their eyes.
I started thinking about my pain. Some pain, like mine, is an outward pain. You see it. You know it is there. You can tell that the person is in pain.
Yet, many of us carry an inward pain. That pain that no one can see but it is there. Perhaps it is a fight you are in, a struggle of money, a worry that you are carrying.
What I find is that pain is pain. The great news is that God is there with us with it all. When I faced a three hour drive with severe pain, I started out by crying. I wondered, "How am I going to do this?" The crying became a cry out as I asked God to just help me get to a place I could manage. I moved my foot some, twisted it and within minutes, the pain eased enough that I could make the journey.
Here's the thing - we don't know what pain people are carrying. Nor, do we know when we'll be in pain. The one constant is that we can pray. We can ask for healing for those who are sick. We can ask that God make one adjustment in someone's life that will make it manageable.
And, we can "see" the pain. Perhaps a friend is more sensitive than usual or someone bursts out at you for something. They may be carrying inward pain. They may not be sharing the pain they are carrying. Still, shouldn't we look on them with the same sympathy as those who have outward pain?
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