Monday Morning Memo: Throwing a Tantrum

We love to watch old reruns of The Andy Griffith show.  Even though we have seen each episode hundreds of time, we still laugh out loud at their crazy antics.

One of my favorite episodes is when Arnold Winkler moves into town and befriends Andy’s son, Opie.  When he finds Opie cleaning out the garage to earn his allowance, he tells him that he shouldn’t have to work for his allowance…that parents just owe their kids money.  He said that’s why it is called an allowance…it is money that kids are allowed to get.  He also demonstrates to him how to throw a tantrum, which will scare Opie’s father into giving him whatever he wants. 

Opie then goes to Andy and shares Arnold’s “words of wisdom” in an attempt to get out of his chores.  When Andy doesn’t oblige, Opie decides to try the scare tactics.  He first tries holding his breath, hoping when he turns blue, his pa will cave.  Andy’s response?  “That’s good exercise for your lungs.”  Opie then falls down on the floor and starts kicking and screaming.  Andy’s response?  “Don’t get your clothes too dirty.”  Andy stood firm and wasn’t a bit swayed by Opie’s outbursts.

I’ll be honest; there are times I want to throw a tantrum.  There are times when I think life just isn’t fair and I shouldn’t have to endure my current circumstances.  There are moments when I think God is asking me to do more than I should have to do and He’s making me feel downright uncomfortable.  There are days when I know what He wants me to do, but I realize the sacrifice that I’m going to have to make to accomplish His will for my life is too great and I want to either hold my breath or kick and scream to get Him to change His mind. 

I was feeling this way last week when I heard the story of the Massachusetts woman, Becca Pizzi, who completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.  The weeklong event began with the first marathon in Antarctica on January 23 and then she ran marathons in Chili, Miami, Spain, Morocco, Dubai and Australia.  All in all, Becca ran 27 hours, covering 183 miles on foot and flying roughly 23,000 miles.

When I first heard this story, I figured that this runner was probably a young athlete who devoted all of her time to train for this grueling event.  I was proven wrong when the reporter said that Ms. Pizzi is a thirty-five year old single mom who works two jobs and still manages to run 100 miles per week.  That, my friend, made this story even more amazing to me.

It would take tremendous strength and determination to run these marathons even if you were in your early 20’s, but to do it at thirty-five when your day-to-day schedule is crazy busy making a living is nothing less than inspiring.  Becca said that for her, running the marathons was 70% mental and 30% physical.  Then she shared, "It was a mind game, you know, and I thought from day one, you're going to have to get real comfortable being uncomfortable. And I did that and I thought, 'Don't let your mind get away from you.' And if you let your mind get away from you, the race is going to be over."  (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/becca-pizzi-world-marathon-challenge-first-american-woman-to-complete/)

You have to be real comfortable being uncomfortable.

I’m sorry, but that just isn’t something I want to do.  I don’t like to be uncomfortable.  I don’t like to do things that push me to my limit and beyond.  I don’t like to be inconvenienced.  Oh, there have been things in life that I have really wanted…but I wasn’t always committed enough to endure being uncomfortable.  My intentions were usually good, but sometimes I gave up when I realized that I would have to endure discomfort to succeed.  For some reason, I decided that what I was trying to accomplish just wasn’t worth being uncomfortable.  Because of this,

I’ve sometimes thrown a tantrum…

hoping the Lord will change His mind.

The Lord’s response?  “These things are good exercises for you LuAnn.  They will make you stronger in Me.  They will help you learn to rely on My strength and not your own.  They will help you keep from getting ‘dirty’ with the things of this world that can drag you down.”

I think just like it was for Ms. Pizzi, my efforts need to be at least 70% mental and 30% physical.  My mind needs to be more focused on Him than it is on me and my comfort.  Just as Becca didn’t use her current circumstances as an excuse not to run seven marathons, I can’t use my age, health or circumstances as an excuse not to follow His leading.  My eyes need to be on Him and He will give me the strength that is needed for whatever comes my way.

So I guess I’ll start working on being real comfortable being uncomfortable.  Oh, and not throwing a tantrum while I’m doing it!

“Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.”

Psalm 37:5

"For nothing will be impossible with God." 

Luke 1:37

Monday Morning Memo: Not Once!

I saw this graphic this past week 

and it made me stop for a moment.  

It made me think of all the times 

in my life that I have looked 

in the mirror and 

didn’t like what I saw.  

The times that I have wished I 

was like someone else.

Why can’t I be as pretty as her?

Why can’t I be as thin as her?

Why can’t I be as creative as her or him?

Why wasn’t I given the athletic ability with which she or he was blessed?

Why can’t I be as smart as she or he is?

Why can’t I write as well as she or he can?

I could go on and on with my list.  There have been many times when what I saw in the mirror, just didn’t measure up to what I thought was “perfection”.

So when I saw this graphic a few days ago it really hit home.  It is so hard for me to believe that not once had God looked at me and thought:

I sure wish LuAnn was as pretty as ___________.

I sure wish LuAnn was as thin as ___________.

I sure wish LuAnn had the same creative ability as ___________.

I sure wish LuAnn was as athletic as ___________.

I sure wish LuAnn was as smart as ___________.

I sure wish LuAnn could write as well as ___________.

Not once has He done this.  God created me to be me and I can waste so much time in my life trying to be someone else, that I miss out on who and what I am.  I am a child of God who was created in HIS image.  I am a child of God who is so dearly loved, that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for my sins.  I am a child of God who has accepted Him as my Lord and Savior and as a result, I have a home that is being prepared for me in heaven to spend eternity with my Father.

And the exciting news?  The same is true for you! Not once has He looked at you and wished you were more like ______________(insert the name of your choice).  Not once has God looked at you and thought He made a huge mistake.  NOT ONCE!  You were also created in His image and He loves you more than you can ever imagine.   And He loves you just the way you are…right now.

Yes, He loves you and me with all of our flaws and imperfections and nothing we have done or no inferior quality that we might have can diminish His love for us.  I don’t know about you…but that just blows my mind!

Does that mean that we should never strive to change those qualities that hinder us from looking like Jesus?  Of course not.  Striving to reflect His image should be our focus every day, by making choices that we know will please Him.  It is a continuous process in which He loves us where we are today…but wants even greater things for us tomorrow.  Why?  Because He loves us that much.

So today when you look in the mirror, don’t concentrate on what or who you aren’t.  Concentrate on Who created you and in Whose image you were created.  Remember…God never makes a mistake, so He didn’t make a mistake when He made you and He loves you right where you are TODAY!

So God created mankind in his own image,

    in the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Monday Morning Memo: Keeping My Mouth Shut!

For the past few years, I have read the Bible through using one of the Bible reading plans through Bible Gateway.  I like to mix it up and so one year I read it just as it is, from beginning to end.   Another year I read it using their “Historical” plan which allows you to read the books of the Bible as they were written historically, according to the estimated date of their writing.  The third way I have read the Bible through was Chronologically, where you read it in the chronological order in which its stories and events occurred.

This year I decided to read it chronologically again but change the version of Bible that I would use.  After much consideration, I finally decided to use The Message, which is a contemporary version that would hopefully bring the scripture more alive and possibly make some of the verses that are hard to understand…more understandable! 

Now please…before I get e-mails from some of you that strongly dislike The Message…I understand that not all of the verses have been translated in an exact way in this particular translation.  I still refer to my other versions for study…but I just felt I wanted a change of pace this year during my devotional time.

What I’m finding myself doing this year, is reading a verse and if the words are really contemporary, I then re-read it in one of my other translations to see how it compares.  This past week I came across a verse that first made me laugh out loud…and then sent me scrambling to see how other versions listed it.

The verse was in Exodus 14.  This chapter speaks of the time after Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go from Egypt.  After they left, God told Moses to have them turn around and make camp at Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea.  God told Moses that He would then make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn again and he and his soldiers would chase after them.  God said that He would use Pharaoh and his army to put His Glory on display and then the Egyptians would realize that He was God.

And that’s exactly what happened.  The problem was that when the Israelities saw the Egyptians coming after them…they freaked.  Scared out of their wits, they cried out to Moses and said, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’”

Whine…whine…whine.   They had so desperately wanted to leave Egypt, but when God provided a way for them to do just that, they lost their cool and began to panic.  I’m sure glad I’ve never done that (and if you believe that…I have some swamp land to sell you)!

Moses’ answer to them was so powerful and this is where his words, coming from The Message, just jumped off the page at me.  He said in Exodus 14:13, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.”  And then verse 14, which made me laugh read, “God will fight the battle for you.  And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

Granted, this isn’t how the verse is worded in the King James Version…but it sure got my attention!  How often do I act just like the Israelites?  Life gets a little harried and I see trouble coming my way and I freak, forgetting everything God has already done for me.  Instead of standing firm and allowing God to work in miraculous ways, I whine on and on and on and I have a feeling that God wants to say to me, “LuAnn…let Me handle this and you just keep your mouth shut!”

The New International Version states these verses in this way: “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”  Hmmmmm…I’ve read this before and always just thought about my body being still...but never thought about making sure my mouth was also still.

I’m currently going through a time in my life where I feel the stress rising.  I can see things on my horizon that are making me freak and panic, even though I know my God has never let me down and has never made me walk a journey alone.  Instead of trusting, it is easy for me to slip into whining about the circumstances that I’m in and then allow the “what-ifs” of life to overwhelm me. 

Once again, God has to remind me to be still…and keep my mouth shut. He knows what my tomorrow will bring and already has the details under control.  If I’m always whining and complaining…I just might miss hearing Him share His plans with me.  Let’s face it.  If He could split the Red Sea for the Israelites and provide manna each day for them to eat…I’m guessing He can handle whatever is in my today AND my tomorrow.  So today I’m going to practice standing firm, keeping my mouth shut and letting Him handle the battle for me.  I have a feeling He will do a much better job than I would!

 “Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.

Run to God! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health,

your very bones will vibrate with life!”

Proverbs 3:5-8 (The Message)