I'll never forget my oldest Son's face when I picked him up from 1st grade on that crisp, fall day. He ran over to my car, weaving in and out of moving vehicles like a game of frogger.... lighting up about 14 or so carpooling, mini-van driving moms who blared their horn at him in fear he would get struck down by a car. He didn't heed the warning horns, nor did he slow down...but continued at a break-neck pace, waving a bright pink piece of paper in his hands.
Out of breath, he flung the car door open and shouted "I'm going to be in a play!"
Once I realized that it was indeed my child, alive and well as opposed to the alternative pancake he almost turned into on the way to his car, I shook him fierce for not using the crosswalk and then took a look at the flyer.
Sure enough, a local church was putting on a holiday production of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and they were holding auditions the following week. As crazy as it sounded that my son actually had any interest in this, I thought the whole idea sounded great and what mom wouldn't want their child to stretch his wings? After all, my oldest pretty much came out of the womb in sweatpants and a baseball hat. He could make the "hook 'em horns" at 22 months and rattles off sports stats like an auctioneer at a cattle sale. Let's be honest, if the kid genuinely wants to try out for a drama, I was overjoyed for a little diversity!
The tryouts were gentle but busy. Of course my son wanted nothing to do with practicing, coaching or feedback while reading his lines. Hmmm...weird. Yet another acorn falling dead center to the tree.
When it was time to go in and read his lines, I was convinced that unless someone held a wet 9-volt to his tongue, he was going to read the script with about as much variation as a the infamous teacher, "Buehler? Buehler?"
A few weeks went by and we were updated with the cast selection. We were thrilled...our son had made it into the play! Our oldest son, source of joy, of whom we were so proud, was given a speaking role. Only he was hacked off. Not happy. Pouty, some would say.
My son was cast as "Pig Pen."
Son: "I don't want to do this anymore. I quit."
Me: "Oh no, no you don't. You took someone else's spot... its reserved for you... you are called to it! You asked for a part and you got it. The Turnley's are 'finishers."
Besides, Pig Pen has a purpose... he is the innkeeper in the play that Charlie Brown directs. If Pig Pen had not staffed the Inn, he wouldn't have been able to direct Mary & Joseph to the stable. Quite frankly, Mary might have birthed Jesus on the street corner...definitely not a great way to tell the "Birth of our Savior" story.
Now, if you have read my posts at all, you know that talking about my kids without a point would be as satisfying to me as updating their baby books. If you don't know me, let me clarify.... IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!
So what does Pig Pen have to do with your life?
Well... a lot of us try out for life but aren't happy with the role God assigns us. But you know what? When you ask God to use you (or quite frankly, when you BELIEVE in God) you have given him permission to place you where he desires. It's no accident. God's desire is deliberate and the BEST thing we can do is to stop wanting to be somewhere else.
Green grass over there? Sure. We are human. We all do it. The problem is when we spend more time looking across the street than working to fix up our own yard.
You see, the plan God has for your life is JUST AS IMPORTANT as the plans for the next person. Sure, it sounds sexy when people are off doing amazing things...traveling the world, working with rock stars, not eating their kids leftover mac n' cheese.... but just because you aren't cast as Charlie Brown or Lucy in this season's play doesn't mean your role isn't vital to what God wants to do through you.
It's like the demon-possessed guy who is in the cemetery and Jesus completely heals him with one simple prayer. The man is amazed and BEGS Jesus to let him become one of his disciples. But instead Jesus says, "No...go home to your family and tell them what has happened." DUDE. BUMMER. So close to Charlie Brown or Schroder but you got Pig Pen. JEEZ. THANKS. (Uh, you'll need to go look up Matthew 5:-18 to break apart the Bible parts from the Charlie Brown Christmas parts there... just so I am not responsible for TOTALLY messing up your theology.)
But wait.... there is nothing wrong with Pig Pen... like I said, the man saved Mary from birthing at the town square...there were no rooms left! Your role is vital to the world we live in, because we all play a part in God's divine plan... its just that we get glimpses while He above gets the "above the world 'Google" views.
I think that no matter what role we are assigned, its imperative that we give it our best. There is the most grace for us when we really press into the role we have been given. There are bigger roles for us as we steward the role we have been given in this season.
And that is exactly what happened that Christmas season in 2009. Pig Pen delivered his lines on time, with just the right amount of inflection and expression. A total of 26 words, divided into 3 different scenes... Pig Pen was forced into child labor by practicing his lines over and over in our living room before the play opened.... and gave God glory in that small little church.
OK...now back to work...go mow that green grass of yours and stop yearning for the yard across the way! You have a purpose, a plan, and a Father who loves you dearly!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Strategic friendships
"I feel a blog coming on."
I spoke these words as I came back from changing my 2 1/2 year old's diaper. His third..... in 30 minutes. Yes.... all number two's. Yes..... in a busy restaurant. No.... we did not have any extra diapers.
Between change number two and change number three...which took all of about 3 minutes, I was reminded by a good friend at the table that the exact same thing had happened the last time we got together for dinner which was over a year ago. (Oh my God, who would want to go out to dinner with us after that episode? Those are the stories you use in your "who has the worst friends' game!) Some things never change.
Like good friends. They are timeless. They are a pillar of salt. They are what is absolutely needed to get us through life.
By "good" friends I am not pointing direction to those who have deep friendships or ones that have spanned the decades. Good friends are the ones whose feathers do not get easily ruffled...they are slow to anger...quick to forgive and abound in love.
(Hey, that sounds a lot like Psalm 145:8!)
Well, no wonder...these are the friendships that God loves. He protects them fiercely for you and I because he too knows that we need them.
Our lives were filled with some of those friends last week and we hauled the entire family back to the Chicago area for our spring break vacation. We didn't really plan on visiting Chicago so quickly...in fact...I'll never forget being in the delivery room of a friend as she delivered her second son and when I hugged her goodbye, it was with the potential of "forever" as our moving truck was pulling out just 48 hours later. When we relocated back to the Seattle area, although I had made dear friends with so many wonderful people, my husband had been asked to cover the West Coast in his job and well, the thought of flying back to Chicago ranked under some other fabulous destinations; most of which included sun and low-humidity heat!
However, right after landing in Seattle... in God's quirky little sense of humor we had just gotten done unpacking (on the corporate dime, mind you) and my husband's company promoted him to cover the entire U.S. for an emerging division. Thank you Jesus for paying to move us back to Seattle and thank you again for giving us an easier ability to get back to Chicago. Let's be real, at $500 a pop, airfare to Chicago isn't exactly on the value menu! Add to the allure of a free hotel and my husband's plane ticket paid for was our less-than-stellar Seattle winter weather (can anyone say Groundhog day??) and learning that one of my oldest son's friends had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Throw all of that in your crockpot and we decided to make a last minute trip to Chicago.
It's fun to be a returning visitor to your old stomping ground- if you have done life right, you get to come back like a rock star. I mean, every invite was accepted! Even the ones that, quite frankly, I wouldn't want to come to! Lunch with me and all 3 boys in a busy restaurant? Yes! Playing at a park in the middle of a weekday when its only 43 degrees out? Yes! Play-date after school in the howling wind so my oldest boys can see all their school friends at once? Yes! We felt so blessed and loved that people could work us into their busy schedules to visit and catch up with us.
Alas, the romance of a rock-star reunion tour fades into the distance as we cue up the camera that holds the lens of reality. The day after we arrived my oldest got sick. Not just sniffly sick, we're talking "take me out to the back and just shoot me" sick. Curled up fetal on the bench at the arboretum with 5 layers on in 70 degree weather sick. And oh yeah, fever was so high he threw up all over the back of the passenger seat in our FRIEND'S SUV sick. (Probably should have had grammatical dashes in there but you get my point.) Imagine how fun that was to drive our friend's car home, with their own son about to sympathy gag in the back seat and pulling in their driveway to drop everyone off and tell our friends, "hey, we filled your gas tank up but puked all over your upholstery! Need to head to a detailer, be right back... you don't need your car, right?"
Good friends. Slow to anger...abounding in giggles and dispensing tylenol while finding a suitable puke bowl to place beside our son while he sleeps in their son's bed. That's love. Selling out their own sister to tell me how her nieces and nephews get sick almost every time they travel (as do ours) and have even broken bones on vacations (so have ours) and end up visiting emergency rooms almost everywhere they go. (Yep, we seem to do that too.) Hmmmm... so much for empathy...but you get my point?
Don't ever underestimate the relationships that God places in our lives... sometimes they are not of our own choosing, but rather, His choosing. Usually this spouting off is reserved for God's choice in who we marry...what kind of kids he brings us to raise up, etc. Well, if he's going to be involved in the biggies... we have to remember that surely he watches over our friendships as well!
You have all seen that poem that goes around, "Some friends are in your life for a season, blah, blah, blah (no disrespect to the author, just don't remember the rest of it." Well, disrespect aside, its true! Take for instance our "puke in car" friends... we only met because they were displaced from their home and the home they rented for a few months was across from ours. None of our children line up..she's an uber-athlete (enough said,) and we didn't run in the same circles. Yet...she became one of my most dearest treasures of a friend... even after we met.
Oh, friends, don't trivialize your friendships...God knows what he is doing... and he knows we weren't meant to do life alone. We need those friends who jump in to lend a hand when your son blows through those 3 diapers in 30 minutes and you're elbow deep in ....uh.... wet paper towels trying to clean up... uh.... well.... anyway, we NEED friends who will join you for lunch when you are chasing your kids around Panera like a cat rodeo. Friends who offer to take your kids for an hour so you can (for the love of the Lord) take a nice hot shower after a long day and night of 3 sick kids in a hotel room. Now THOSE, are pillars of salt...they flavor the earth with their heart-and-soul contributions into our lives.
Who welcomes you with that gigantic bear hug when you come around the corner? Who lights up when you walk into a room? Good friends. Who sets everything aside when the walls come crashing down? Good friends. I deeply cherish the friends who we have not seen in over a year, but are quick to offer dinner in their home; getting together with them reminds us of our grandmother's old patchwork quilt. Not the moth-ball infused one...but the one the just lets you exhale for the first time in a long while....who makes you sit back and remember what it is that we were created for...community.
Maybe this causes you to look up an old friend, rekindle a strained relationship or just prioritize the great ones you already have. Maybe you just laugh because if you know me, its yet another posting about how friggin sick my kids get when we travel. (And yes, I am happy to report we avoided a trip to the E.R. only because I was able to get in with our old pediatrician. Of course they might still think that I live in Chicago but that is entirely another story and I almost forgive you if you are reading this and judging me...)
So long.... so long of a story for a blog... maybe I'll just staple them all together and write a title page but if nothing else...go tell a friend how much you love them!
Just so I know if anyone reads this far... post and tell me one of your best friendship memories!
I spoke these words as I came back from changing my 2 1/2 year old's diaper. His third..... in 30 minutes. Yes.... all number two's. Yes..... in a busy restaurant. No.... we did not have any extra diapers.
Between change number two and change number three...which took all of about 3 minutes, I was reminded by a good friend at the table that the exact same thing had happened the last time we got together for dinner which was over a year ago. (Oh my God, who would want to go out to dinner with us after that episode? Those are the stories you use in your "who has the worst friends' game!) Some things never change.
Like good friends. They are timeless. They are a pillar of salt. They are what is absolutely needed to get us through life.
By "good" friends I am not pointing direction to those who have deep friendships or ones that have spanned the decades. Good friends are the ones whose feathers do not get easily ruffled...they are slow to anger...quick to forgive and abound in love.
(Hey, that sounds a lot like Psalm 145:8!)
Well, no wonder...these are the friendships that God loves. He protects them fiercely for you and I because he too knows that we need them.
Our lives were filled with some of those friends last week and we hauled the entire family back to the Chicago area for our spring break vacation. We didn't really plan on visiting Chicago so quickly...in fact...I'll never forget being in the delivery room of a friend as she delivered her second son and when I hugged her goodbye, it was with the potential of "forever" as our moving truck was pulling out just 48 hours later. When we relocated back to the Seattle area, although I had made dear friends with so many wonderful people, my husband had been asked to cover the West Coast in his job and well, the thought of flying back to Chicago ranked under some other fabulous destinations; most of which included sun and low-humidity heat!
However, right after landing in Seattle... in God's quirky little sense of humor we had just gotten done unpacking (on the corporate dime, mind you) and my husband's company promoted him to cover the entire U.S. for an emerging division. Thank you Jesus for paying to move us back to Seattle and thank you again for giving us an easier ability to get back to Chicago. Let's be real, at $500 a pop, airfare to Chicago isn't exactly on the value menu! Add to the allure of a free hotel and my husband's plane ticket paid for was our less-than-stellar Seattle winter weather (can anyone say Groundhog day??) and learning that one of my oldest son's friends had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Throw all of that in your crockpot and we decided to make a last minute trip to Chicago.
It's fun to be a returning visitor to your old stomping ground- if you have done life right, you get to come back like a rock star. I mean, every invite was accepted! Even the ones that, quite frankly, I wouldn't want to come to! Lunch with me and all 3 boys in a busy restaurant? Yes! Playing at a park in the middle of a weekday when its only 43 degrees out? Yes! Play-date after school in the howling wind so my oldest boys can see all their school friends at once? Yes! We felt so blessed and loved that people could work us into their busy schedules to visit and catch up with us.
Alas, the romance of a rock-star reunion tour fades into the distance as we cue up the camera that holds the lens of reality. The day after we arrived my oldest got sick. Not just sniffly sick, we're talking "take me out to the back and just shoot me" sick. Curled up fetal on the bench at the arboretum with 5 layers on in 70 degree weather sick. And oh yeah, fever was so high he threw up all over the back of the passenger seat in our FRIEND'S SUV sick. (Probably should have had grammatical dashes in there but you get my point.) Imagine how fun that was to drive our friend's car home, with their own son about to sympathy gag in the back seat and pulling in their driveway to drop everyone off and tell our friends, "hey, we filled your gas tank up but puked all over your upholstery! Need to head to a detailer, be right back... you don't need your car, right?"
Good friends. Slow to anger...abounding in giggles and dispensing tylenol while finding a suitable puke bowl to place beside our son while he sleeps in their son's bed. That's love. Selling out their own sister to tell me how her nieces and nephews get sick almost every time they travel (as do ours) and have even broken bones on vacations (so have ours) and end up visiting emergency rooms almost everywhere they go. (Yep, we seem to do that too.) Hmmmm... so much for empathy...but you get my point?
Don't ever underestimate the relationships that God places in our lives... sometimes they are not of our own choosing, but rather, His choosing. Usually this spouting off is reserved for God's choice in who we marry...what kind of kids he brings us to raise up, etc. Well, if he's going to be involved in the biggies... we have to remember that surely he watches over our friendships as well!
You have all seen that poem that goes around, "Some friends are in your life for a season, blah, blah, blah (no disrespect to the author, just don't remember the rest of it." Well, disrespect aside, its true! Take for instance our "puke in car" friends... we only met because they were displaced from their home and the home they rented for a few months was across from ours. None of our children line up..she's an uber-athlete (enough said,) and we didn't run in the same circles. Yet...she became one of my most dearest treasures of a friend... even after we met.
Oh, friends, don't trivialize your friendships...God knows what he is doing... and he knows we weren't meant to do life alone. We need those friends who jump in to lend a hand when your son blows through those 3 diapers in 30 minutes and you're elbow deep in ....uh.... wet paper towels trying to clean up... uh.... well.... anyway, we NEED friends who will join you for lunch when you are chasing your kids around Panera like a cat rodeo. Friends who offer to take your kids for an hour so you can (for the love of the Lord) take a nice hot shower after a long day and night of 3 sick kids in a hotel room. Now THOSE, are pillars of salt...they flavor the earth with their heart-and-soul contributions into our lives.
Who welcomes you with that gigantic bear hug when you come around the corner? Who lights up when you walk into a room? Good friends. Who sets everything aside when the walls come crashing down? Good friends. I deeply cherish the friends who we have not seen in over a year, but are quick to offer dinner in their home; getting together with them reminds us of our grandmother's old patchwork quilt. Not the moth-ball infused one...but the one the just lets you exhale for the first time in a long while....who makes you sit back and remember what it is that we were created for...community.
Maybe this causes you to look up an old friend, rekindle a strained relationship or just prioritize the great ones you already have. Maybe you just laugh because if you know me, its yet another posting about how friggin sick my kids get when we travel. (And yes, I am happy to report we avoided a trip to the E.R. only because I was able to get in with our old pediatrician. Of course they might still think that I live in Chicago but that is entirely another story and I almost forgive you if you are reading this and judging me...)
So long.... so long of a story for a blog... maybe I'll just staple them all together and write a title page but if nothing else...go tell a friend how much you love them!
Just so I know if anyone reads this far... post and tell me one of your best friendship memories!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Do you "BBD?"
It is funny what people actually read on Facebook. No doubt, I have seen its usage decline over the last year...and quite frankly...thank you Jesus because that application is simply a time vortex that sucks you in and before you know it, you've downed a glass of wine and been snooping through people's lives for over an hour....
Uh, I mean....that is what I have heard happens to people. Me? Oh no...never...just on to uh....wish people happy birthday and "like" their children's pictures.
OK, fine...you caught me... every now and then...I do. I get sucked in. Sure enough, I make a vow to get off and a few days go by. Inevitably, I will miss a neighbor's birthday, miss out some great groupon and not "like" someone's heartfelt post in a timely manner which will shun me from that person's life.
But, every now and then I will use Facebook to update my own status. Yes...its probably the only way people get to my Blog (which is just another testament that I really don't need my blog to hit skyrocketing numbers although I am secretly wishing Huffington Post would knock on my proverbial door and ask me to be a featured writer) but oh my goodness where was I....Yes...Facebook... occasionally I will post a status. Mostly sarcastic...shocking...but sometimes you just need a good outlet besides your husband who now knows better than to call during my afternoon "work time" because heaven forbid the afternoon isn't allowing me to get 432 things done in the 90 minutes that my toddler naps in the afternoon. Poor guy gets an earful...stupid iPod won't sync....stupid iPhone won't update my calendar.... stupid printer ran out of ink....
oh yeah, aren't I the Song of Solomon to my husband's ears?
Don't you want to just race home to me...who is probably ranting on the phone with my "can't see a thing without them" glasses, once-sweaty-but-now-dried-ponytail hair and quite-used workout wear. Sexy.
AnyHOO... I posted a rant about people who play the "BBD" game and how much it drives me nuts. Someone actually messaged me to say that I should blog about it. (Someone actually reads my blog... you love me, you really love me!) And so here we go...
Do you BBD? Not familiar with the analogy? Let's unpack it: Do you "Bigger Better Deal" people? You know.... not respond to an invite right away because you want to see if there is something better that you might get invited to? Oh...we had friends of ours a few years back who were infamous for it.... enough so that we would call them on it. The first to open up an evite but the last to respond. Social bugs that they were...they were always receiving multiple invitations and so quite often...they would have to choose. We learned to make our events sound so fabulous that they couldn't help BUT to say yes to ours. Then, we learned...they would just "no show" if some amazing rock-star opportunity arose at the last minute. And hey, when you work for a PR firm...sometimes they really did get rock star opportunities!
Rude you say? Sure. Forgivable? Sure. Drive you nuts? You bet.
But I believe the BBD'ing, so to speak, that I was referencing on my Facebook post was directed more towards the people who wait to see who else is attending before they commit to your event. As if having MY COMPANY on the ticket isn't enough??? Isn't it? ISN'T IT?????
(Chuckling to myself, by the way....)
And so, earlier this week, I was included on an Evite that had quite a few people on it. Before I go on, let me just say that I am absolutely guilty of what I am about to write about. (Disclaimer...the author has never pretended to be perfect and has been quoted in the past for her "I am NOT Jesus in the flesh... I am a work in progress!" And yes, now I have just gone 3rd person...how cheesy.) Okay, now that I have that out of the way... it was amazing to watch the social antics ensue. We have the immediate responses, the "maybes" because they have to check with someone and then, what I find fascinating..is the "viewed but not responded."
Ahhhhh....the "viewed but not responded." What is the deal? I know there is a "I need to check and see" attitude but seriously, you are on your iPhone/ipad/mac/pc and can see your calendar right then and there. I will, let all of the "let me check w/ the other half and get back to you" people off the hook.... you are free to leave.... America has voted...and you are safe.
Sadly, I fear (could it be that I know because I have done this myself???) that some people are hesitant to respond because they need to see what the rest of the guest list does? Will the event be popular? Will so-and-so be there? I don't like big crowds, is it going to be too big? I had a falling out with so-and-so, is she/he coming? Oh, he/she is coming and they are always the ham of the party, they make me feel insecure... do I still feel comfortable attending or will that cause me to stay home? I don't want to appear to eager, maybe I should hold back for a day or so? I'll only go if so-and-so goes. Well... here is what I think about all of that self-talk:
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" -Romans 8:31 NIV
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. -Proverbs 29:24-26
Why cut yourself short? Why let man (woman) dictate how you live life? If you want to be somewhere... go do something... go!....do!... don't let others influence you! YOU and YOU ALONE have a unique plan and purpose that God has already written onto your heart. Follow it!
I know, I know... I am making an entire mountain out of mole hill. But you have to look at the big picture. What I am talking about here is people limiting their own choices based on what other people are doing (or not doing.) No one else shares your walk. Don't let another person...mere person... hold you back. I know, its a simple stinkin Evite event, but I really hope you are able to chew on this and see that every time we let someone's presence dictate our next action...we've replaced God's plan for us with their plan. And its so easy.
So what's a girl to do? (Or guy to do..since I know their are some AWESOME DUDES out there who read my blog!!!) Just go with your heart...its where God lives... if you are unsure...pray about it- God says his path of righteousness is filled with peace (my version) but for goodness sakes...its just a stinkin' Evite!!!!!
So go if you want to go, decline if you can't make it or you aren't interested. Bless the hostess with your quick reply and you know what.... YOUR response may give just the right dose of courage to the next person to finally reply to their own invite!
Thoughts? I'd love thoughts on this.... do you ever find yourself in this situation? Why do you think we do this? Does my rant help? :)
Uh, I mean....that is what I have heard happens to people. Me? Oh no...never...just on to uh....wish people happy birthday and "like" their children's pictures.
OK, fine...you caught me... every now and then...I do. I get sucked in. Sure enough, I make a vow to get off and a few days go by. Inevitably, I will miss a neighbor's birthday, miss out some great groupon and not "like" someone's heartfelt post in a timely manner which will shun me from that person's life.
But, every now and then I will use Facebook to update my own status. Yes...its probably the only way people get to my Blog (which is just another testament that I really don't need my blog to hit skyrocketing numbers although I am secretly wishing Huffington Post would knock on my proverbial door and ask me to be a featured writer) but oh my goodness where was I....Yes...Facebook... occasionally I will post a status. Mostly sarcastic...shocking...but sometimes you just need a good outlet besides your husband who now knows better than to call during my afternoon "work time" because heaven forbid the afternoon isn't allowing me to get 432 things done in the 90 minutes that my toddler naps in the afternoon. Poor guy gets an earful...stupid iPod won't sync....stupid iPhone won't update my calendar.... stupid printer ran out of ink....
oh yeah, aren't I the Song of Solomon to my husband's ears?
Don't you want to just race home to me...who is probably ranting on the phone with my "can't see a thing without them" glasses, once-sweaty-but-now-dried-ponytail hair and quite-used workout wear. Sexy.
AnyHOO... I posted a rant about people who play the "BBD" game and how much it drives me nuts. Someone actually messaged me to say that I should blog about it. (Someone actually reads my blog... you love me, you really love me!) And so here we go...
Do you BBD? Not familiar with the analogy? Let's unpack it: Do you "Bigger Better Deal" people? You know.... not respond to an invite right away because you want to see if there is something better that you might get invited to? Oh...we had friends of ours a few years back who were infamous for it.... enough so that we would call them on it. The first to open up an evite but the last to respond. Social bugs that they were...they were always receiving multiple invitations and so quite often...they would have to choose. We learned to make our events sound so fabulous that they couldn't help BUT to say yes to ours. Then, we learned...they would just "no show" if some amazing rock-star opportunity arose at the last minute. And hey, when you work for a PR firm...sometimes they really did get rock star opportunities!
Rude you say? Sure. Forgivable? Sure. Drive you nuts? You bet.
But I believe the BBD'ing, so to speak, that I was referencing on my Facebook post was directed more towards the people who wait to see who else is attending before they commit to your event. As if having MY COMPANY on the ticket isn't enough??? Isn't it? ISN'T IT?????
(Chuckling to myself, by the way....)
And so, earlier this week, I was included on an Evite that had quite a few people on it. Before I go on, let me just say that I am absolutely guilty of what I am about to write about. (Disclaimer...the author has never pretended to be perfect and has been quoted in the past for her "I am NOT Jesus in the flesh... I am a work in progress!" And yes, now I have just gone 3rd person...how cheesy.) Okay, now that I have that out of the way... it was amazing to watch the social antics ensue. We have the immediate responses, the "maybes" because they have to check with someone and then, what I find fascinating..is the "viewed but not responded."
Ahhhhh....the "viewed but not responded." What is the deal? I know there is a "I need to check and see" attitude but seriously, you are on your iPhone/ipad/mac/pc and can see your calendar right then and there. I will, let all of the "let me check w/ the other half and get back to you" people off the hook.... you are free to leave.... America has voted...and you are safe.
Sadly, I fear (could it be that I know because I have done this myself???) that some people are hesitant to respond because they need to see what the rest of the guest list does? Will the event be popular? Will so-and-so be there? I don't like big crowds, is it going to be too big? I had a falling out with so-and-so, is she/he coming? Oh, he/she is coming and they are always the ham of the party, they make me feel insecure... do I still feel comfortable attending or will that cause me to stay home? I don't want to appear to eager, maybe I should hold back for a day or so? I'll only go if so-and-so goes. Well... here is what I think about all of that self-talk:
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" -Romans 8:31 NIV
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. -Proverbs 29:24-26
Why cut yourself short? Why let man (woman) dictate how you live life? If you want to be somewhere... go do something... go!....do!... don't let others influence you! YOU and YOU ALONE have a unique plan and purpose that God has already written onto your heart. Follow it!
I know, I know... I am making an entire mountain out of mole hill. But you have to look at the big picture. What I am talking about here is people limiting their own choices based on what other people are doing (or not doing.) No one else shares your walk. Don't let another person...mere person... hold you back. I know, its a simple stinkin Evite event, but I really hope you are able to chew on this and see that every time we let someone's presence dictate our next action...we've replaced God's plan for us with their plan. And its so easy.
So what's a girl to do? (Or guy to do..since I know their are some AWESOME DUDES out there who read my blog!!!) Just go with your heart...its where God lives... if you are unsure...pray about it- God says his path of righteousness is filled with peace (my version) but for goodness sakes...its just a stinkin' Evite!!!!!
So go if you want to go, decline if you can't make it or you aren't interested. Bless the hostess with your quick reply and you know what.... YOUR response may give just the right dose of courage to the next person to finally reply to their own invite!
Thoughts? I'd love thoughts on this.... do you ever find yourself in this situation? Why do you think we do this? Does my rant help? :)
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