I took a "sick day" today, although I'm not sure it qualifies as a "sick day" when I didn't have anything on the schedule anyway... at least not until this evening.
That sounds even more pathetic now that I think about it, given the fact that it is Friday.
I use to look forward to Friday evenings. That was the night my friends and I would all go out to dinner together after work, and then hit our local (brace yourself now) "Wal-Mart". (Did you really think I might say local "bar"??)
During the last few years Friday's haven't been quite as exciting as they were even less than a decade ago. Now days Friday evenings normally consist of driving the boy to the movies and dropping him off, then either waiting on him by hanging out at the outlet mall for two hours (which ultimately ends up costing me more money than I have to spend) or driving back home and twiddling my thumbs for an hour and a half before turning around and going back to retrieve my son.
Yes, it's true. My fourteen year old offspring has a more exciting life than I. That's just wrong!
For once, Adam didn't have plans for his Friday evening this week and I did! Our church is holding it's annual "girls night out" tonight ... pizza, popcorn and chick flicks at the church. I was really looking forward to it. Just me and 300 of my closest girl-friends hanging out for a few hours. What fun! No men, no kids, no curfew! (Well, technically the evening is scheduled to end at 10:00 p.m. but I could stop somewhere else on my way home if I wanted to!)
When I woke up with a severe headache this morning, it never occurred to me that I would actually be missing my "girls night out" because of it. Silly me! I believed I could sleep it off and go about my merry way. With a little luck, the extra couple hours of rest would enable me to actually stay awake until the movie ended.
By around 4:00 this afternoon I was beginning to accept the sad reality. Tonight was going to be like most other Friday nights, minus the trip to the theater to drop my son off.
No, even worse. It was going to be a regular Friday evening, minus the trip to the theater PLUS a horrible, sickening headache!
And so I accepted my fate, called the girl who was planning to ride with me to the event and canceled, then snuggled down under my blanket on the family room sofa. I figure by now, the girls down at the church have polished off the pizza and are lining up for popcorn and a soft drink, giggling as they find seats in the auditorium and wait for the movie to start rolling.
I, on the other hand, am sitting here with the t.v. blaring and the boy fussing away because we have no white bread in the house and he is starving! Mr. Taylor changed into his pajamas and retreated to the media room nearly an hour ago. Our three cats and one dog have all nestled in nearby enjoying the heat of the fireplace.
What has my life come to? A trip to "Wal-Mart" is sounding pretty exciting to me right now.
Or at least it would be if I felt halfway like getting dressed and driving all the way there ... which of course I don't, since that is the reason I am home tonight in the first place!
I do hope my 300 closest friends are having fun.
I'm also hoping they're missing me half as much as I'm missing all of them right now. I know, I know ... fat chance that that's really happening, but it's Friday night after all. I figure I at least deserve to dream a little!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Amazing Grace and Haters
This post will be a bit of a personal rant, so I apologize in advance.
That said, I shall now continue!
Our family attends what we consider to be the most wonderful church on earth (that's how it should be, right?) We are part of a large congregation thus earning a spot in the "mega church" category (if you must categorize) Never the less, it doesn't "feel" like a mega church. People there, as a whole, are friendly and easy to get to know. I like to refer to it as a "big church with a store front atmosphere."
Oddly enough, I don't care much for crowds and avoid them in most situations. By the grace of God, we normally sit up front which makes it possible for me to remain fairly oblivious to the activity of the masses behind me.
On occasion though, we are bumped to seats further back in the crowd. The last three times this has happened have proven to be disturbing and eye opening experiences.
Let me back up a little. Before each service I actually pray about our seats before we enter the sanctuary. I believe that even something as trivial as where we sit is important. Nothing happens by coincidence! In the past I have met some wonderful people who have become close friends simply because we ended up sitting next to each other during church. Those sorts of "God-incidences" are wonderful!
Now, back to the disturbing, eye opening stuff!
A couple months ago on a Sunday morning, my family was seated in a different area, still close to the front but to the right of where we normally sit. I smiled and nodded as I lowered myself into the seat beside a middle aged lady and two other females who appeared to be her daughter and grand-daughter. All three of them, including the grand-daughter who looked to be about eight years old, returned my smile with icy stares.
"O.K.! This should be interesting." I thought and reminded myself that nothing happens by accident.
We had a few minutes before service started, so I introduced myself to the middle aged lady. She obliged my offer of a handshake with all the enthusiasm of a stone statue.
I felt like I was sitting by three big blocks of ice!
My intuition often picks up on the emotions of others. I think that's part of the reason I don't like to be in crowds. I feel bombarded and overwhelmed by it sometimes. That morning was definitely no exception.
Sometimes people come to church with a lot on their minds. Maybe they've just lost a loved one, or have gotten bad news about their health. They may be carrying a burden that seems too heavy to bear, and that causes them to appear withdrawn or cold toward others. People who are in those kinds of situations rarely realize they are giving that impression and will usually respond favorably when approached in a friendly manner.
The longer I sat by that woman, the clearer it got that she was not one of them. She (and the other two) obviously had some kind of "hate" issue going on and that issue was potentially affecting everyone around her.
I ended up praying for them, especially the grand-daughter throughout the remainder of the service.
Two weeks later, we ended up sitting behind the same trio. Again, they were all cold and hateful acting. A lady I know was seated to the left of the ice people. As the service ended, I tapped my acquaintance on the shoulder and asked her to retrieve something from under the seat for me. She happily leaned over to get it but as she did so, "ice lady's" daughter interjected and barked at me for asking.
I was shocked. I'll admit I almost "lost my religion" at that moment. I'd done nothing to evoke such a response from the woman. I wasn't even talking to her! I decided instead, to take the "high road" and ignored her comment. Meanwhile, the lady I knew (who happened to look as shocked as I felt) handed me the article I'd asked for along with an apologetic smile.
Now, fast forward to last night's service. It was one of our "renewal" services celebrating the approaching end of our annual fast. We had "special" seating, which ironically meant we had to sit further back in the auditorium than usual. Go figure!
The crowd was bustling around, as is usual for a week night service. People tend to come in later because most work during the day and have to rush to get there.
Walt and I stood in the aisle by our assigned seats and visited with several of our friends while we waited for service to start. Two women I've never met before sat down in the seats beside ours.
The five minute countdown appeared on the screen, indicating it was time for everyone to settle in. As the lights lowered and the praise band struck up their first chords, a young lady I recognized appeared at the end of our row with her four year old daughter perched on her hip. She scanned the row searching for two empty seats and decided to settle for a single seat instead, since that was all that was available. Her little girl would have to sit on her lap.
Like I said, I recognized the young woman, but I don't really know her. I've watched her since she started coming to the church and have to say I admire her dedication. She is faithful and enthusiastic, and never misses a service. I've noticed that she shows up on Wednesday nights in a uniform, obviously having rushed straight to service from work. This has been going on for nearly five years now. Even though we've never really even talked, she has been a blessing to me.
The empty seat she'd spotted was directly on the other side of the two women seated by me. As she entered our row and attempted to pass the women, they made no attempt to move out of the way for her. This meant she was stopped between me and the seat in front of me ... and quite literally standing on the toes of my left foot!
"I am so sorry!" She apologized, then leaned over and asked the woman next to me if she could please let her through to the one available seat.
I was totally shocked when I heard the woman respond to her with a harsh scolding! She said, "Well that's why you're supposed to get here ON TIME, honey!"
And she refused to budge, forcing the girl to crawl across both her and her companion in order to be seated.
At that point I wanted to apply the "five fold ministry" to the stubborn woman's face (if you know what I mean) ! I don't know if that woman was a visitor or a regular and I guess it doesn't really matter. My question was, how could she treat one of God's children like that and still call herself a Christian?
Visitor or church member, she had no regard whatsoever for whatever circumstances precluded the young woman's late arrival. She was instead, only concerned about the horrid inconvenience the girl had caused her by asking politely to be let past.
On one hand, I feel a bit guilty for allowing myself to be ruffled by such incidents, but on the other I believe there is such a thing as "righteous indignation". Didn't Jesus Himself say, "Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me .." when his "followers" tried to snub the little ones? Didn't he become angry when unacceptable things were happening in the temple?
I know our Heavenly Father loves us all, "haters" included, but I'm also pretty certain He does not approve of the haters actions ... especially when the haters are supposedly Christians and should be representing HIM to the rest of the world.
If we can't be nice to each other while we're sitting in the church, how are we going to behave ourselves while we're out in the community?
Ah! But back to the whole "All things happen for a reason" theory. I understand there must be some purpose for even these experiences, and I've learned that it's likely I'll continue to be exposed to similar things until I figure out just what He wants me to do about it.
So far so good ... so help me Lord! I've come to understand that I shouldn't follow my first impulse which is to smack the hater or give them a piece of my mind. To be honest I am praying now against any possibility of becoming a "hater" of the "haters" myself. That would be just plain wrong.
No, love must ... and WILL prevail! As one of my former pastor use to say, "Hurt people" hurt people." So maybe the haters I've come in contact with recently have been hurt at some point and need a good old fashioned healing.
Or a good old fashioned "come to Jesus" talk!
Either way, I am praying God reveals the answer to me soon, so I can act accordingly and pass this test ... and get back to the "happy" Christians who sit in our usual section of the sanctuary.
That said, I shall now continue!
Our family attends what we consider to be the most wonderful church on earth (that's how it should be, right?) We are part of a large congregation thus earning a spot in the "mega church" category (if you must categorize) Never the less, it doesn't "feel" like a mega church. People there, as a whole, are friendly and easy to get to know. I like to refer to it as a "big church with a store front atmosphere."
Oddly enough, I don't care much for crowds and avoid them in most situations. By the grace of God, we normally sit up front which makes it possible for me to remain fairly oblivious to the activity of the masses behind me.
On occasion though, we are bumped to seats further back in the crowd. The last three times this has happened have proven to be disturbing and eye opening experiences.
Let me back up a little. Before each service I actually pray about our seats before we enter the sanctuary. I believe that even something as trivial as where we sit is important. Nothing happens by coincidence! In the past I have met some wonderful people who have become close friends simply because we ended up sitting next to each other during church. Those sorts of "God-incidences" are wonderful!
Now, back to the disturbing, eye opening stuff!
A couple months ago on a Sunday morning, my family was seated in a different area, still close to the front but to the right of where we normally sit. I smiled and nodded as I lowered myself into the seat beside a middle aged lady and two other females who appeared to be her daughter and grand-daughter. All three of them, including the grand-daughter who looked to be about eight years old, returned my smile with icy stares.
"O.K.! This should be interesting." I thought and reminded myself that nothing happens by accident.
We had a few minutes before service started, so I introduced myself to the middle aged lady. She obliged my offer of a handshake with all the enthusiasm of a stone statue.
I felt like I was sitting by three big blocks of ice!
My intuition often picks up on the emotions of others. I think that's part of the reason I don't like to be in crowds. I feel bombarded and overwhelmed by it sometimes. That morning was definitely no exception.
Sometimes people come to church with a lot on their minds. Maybe they've just lost a loved one, or have gotten bad news about their health. They may be carrying a burden that seems too heavy to bear, and that causes them to appear withdrawn or cold toward others. People who are in those kinds of situations rarely realize they are giving that impression and will usually respond favorably when approached in a friendly manner.
The longer I sat by that woman, the clearer it got that she was not one of them. She (and the other two) obviously had some kind of "hate" issue going on and that issue was potentially affecting everyone around her.
I ended up praying for them, especially the grand-daughter throughout the remainder of the service.
Two weeks later, we ended up sitting behind the same trio. Again, they were all cold and hateful acting. A lady I know was seated to the left of the ice people. As the service ended, I tapped my acquaintance on the shoulder and asked her to retrieve something from under the seat for me. She happily leaned over to get it but as she did so, "ice lady's" daughter interjected and barked at me for asking.
I was shocked. I'll admit I almost "lost my religion" at that moment. I'd done nothing to evoke such a response from the woman. I wasn't even talking to her! I decided instead, to take the "high road" and ignored her comment. Meanwhile, the lady I knew (who happened to look as shocked as I felt) handed me the article I'd asked for along with an apologetic smile.
Now, fast forward to last night's service. It was one of our "renewal" services celebrating the approaching end of our annual fast. We had "special" seating, which ironically meant we had to sit further back in the auditorium than usual. Go figure!
The crowd was bustling around, as is usual for a week night service. People tend to come in later because most work during the day and have to rush to get there.
Walt and I stood in the aisle by our assigned seats and visited with several of our friends while we waited for service to start. Two women I've never met before sat down in the seats beside ours.
The five minute countdown appeared on the screen, indicating it was time for everyone to settle in. As the lights lowered and the praise band struck up their first chords, a young lady I recognized appeared at the end of our row with her four year old daughter perched on her hip. She scanned the row searching for two empty seats and decided to settle for a single seat instead, since that was all that was available. Her little girl would have to sit on her lap.
Like I said, I recognized the young woman, but I don't really know her. I've watched her since she started coming to the church and have to say I admire her dedication. She is faithful and enthusiastic, and never misses a service. I've noticed that she shows up on Wednesday nights in a uniform, obviously having rushed straight to service from work. This has been going on for nearly five years now. Even though we've never really even talked, she has been a blessing to me.
The empty seat she'd spotted was directly on the other side of the two women seated by me. As she entered our row and attempted to pass the women, they made no attempt to move out of the way for her. This meant she was stopped between me and the seat in front of me ... and quite literally standing on the toes of my left foot!
"I am so sorry!" She apologized, then leaned over and asked the woman next to me if she could please let her through to the one available seat.
I was totally shocked when I heard the woman respond to her with a harsh scolding! She said, "Well that's why you're supposed to get here ON TIME, honey!"
And she refused to budge, forcing the girl to crawl across both her and her companion in order to be seated.
At that point I wanted to apply the "five fold ministry" to the stubborn woman's face (if you know what I mean) ! I don't know if that woman was a visitor or a regular and I guess it doesn't really matter. My question was, how could she treat one of God's children like that and still call herself a Christian?
Visitor or church member, she had no regard whatsoever for whatever circumstances precluded the young woman's late arrival. She was instead, only concerned about the horrid inconvenience the girl had caused her by asking politely to be let past.
On one hand, I feel a bit guilty for allowing myself to be ruffled by such incidents, but on the other I believe there is such a thing as "righteous indignation". Didn't Jesus Himself say, "Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me .." when his "followers" tried to snub the little ones? Didn't he become angry when unacceptable things were happening in the temple?
I know our Heavenly Father loves us all, "haters" included, but I'm also pretty certain He does not approve of the haters actions ... especially when the haters are supposedly Christians and should be representing HIM to the rest of the world.
If we can't be nice to each other while we're sitting in the church, how are we going to behave ourselves while we're out in the community?
Ah! But back to the whole "All things happen for a reason" theory. I understand there must be some purpose for even these experiences, and I've learned that it's likely I'll continue to be exposed to similar things until I figure out just what He wants me to do about it.
So far so good ... so help me Lord! I've come to understand that I shouldn't follow my first impulse which is to smack the hater or give them a piece of my mind. To be honest I am praying now against any possibility of becoming a "hater" of the "haters" myself. That would be just plain wrong.
No, love must ... and WILL prevail! As one of my former pastor use to say, "Hurt people" hurt people." So maybe the haters I've come in contact with recently have been hurt at some point and need a good old fashioned healing.
Or a good old fashioned "come to Jesus" talk!
Either way, I am praying God reveals the answer to me soon, so I can act accordingly and pass this test ... and get back to the "happy" Christians who sit in our usual section of the sanctuary.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Casual Friday
I woke up this morning with a skull crushing headache. The feeling might be compared to that of a freight train sitting on top of my head with it's whistle stuck at full blast. It hurts!
I had every intention of going back to bed after the boy left for school, but of course I rarely follow through with that sort of plan. Instead, I ended up taking some extra strength pain reliever and attempting to go about my business.
I did allow myself to forego any attempt to get out of my pajamas and into real clothes. Neither did I bother with any application of makeup or fixing of my hair. My business is run from the comfort of my home and since I am not seeing any face to face clients today, I figured "Why not?"
Around ten o'clock I started to feel a bit guilty about still being in my pjs and looking like a rumpled mess. Sure, I'd managed to get a few things accomplished despite my state of dis-array, but thoughts of unexpected visitors ringing my doorbell began to haunt me. Maybe my decision not to get dressed for the day wasn't such a good one after all.
Then I had a "second thought" about the matter!
By golly, it's FRIDAY! Is it not still a common practice of many businesses to observe "Casual Friday" where the employees are encouraged to show up at the office "dressed down" a bit?
So, it stands to reason that since my usual work day attire (if I don't have any face to face meetings) is jeans and a sweater, then my "Casual Friday" attire would be a step down from that.
And a step down from jeans and sweaters would naturally be ......
PAJAMAS and house slippers!
What a liberating moment that was for me!
I am proud to announce the premier of "Casual Fridays" here at the "offices" of "Bold New Day, LLC"/ "World Ventures"/ "Rovia Travel" / "Taylor Electric Service". In an attempt to boost the morale of our office CEO / Life Coach / Secretary / Housekeeper (all of which would be ME) The practice of changing out of one's pj's, applying makeup, brushing hair or any other similar task, on Fridays will be purely optional and done so only at MY discretion!
(Just be sure and call ahead if you're planning on stopping by, OK?)
I had every intention of going back to bed after the boy left for school, but of course I rarely follow through with that sort of plan. Instead, I ended up taking some extra strength pain reliever and attempting to go about my business.
I did allow myself to forego any attempt to get out of my pajamas and into real clothes. Neither did I bother with any application of makeup or fixing of my hair. My business is run from the comfort of my home and since I am not seeing any face to face clients today, I figured "Why not?"
Around ten o'clock I started to feel a bit guilty about still being in my pjs and looking like a rumpled mess. Sure, I'd managed to get a few things accomplished despite my state of dis-array, but thoughts of unexpected visitors ringing my doorbell began to haunt me. Maybe my decision not to get dressed for the day wasn't such a good one after all.
Then I had a "second thought" about the matter!
By golly, it's FRIDAY! Is it not still a common practice of many businesses to observe "Casual Friday" where the employees are encouraged to show up at the office "dressed down" a bit?
So, it stands to reason that since my usual work day attire (if I don't have any face to face meetings) is jeans and a sweater, then my "Casual Friday" attire would be a step down from that.
And a step down from jeans and sweaters would naturally be ......
PAJAMAS and house slippers!
What a liberating moment that was for me!
I am proud to announce the premier of "Casual Fridays" here at the "offices" of "Bold New Day, LLC"/ "World Ventures"/ "Rovia Travel" / "Taylor Electric Service". In an attempt to boost the morale of our office CEO / Life Coach / Secretary / Housekeeper (all of which would be ME) The practice of changing out of one's pj's, applying makeup, brushing hair or any other similar task, on Fridays will be purely optional and done so only at MY discretion!
(Just be sure and call ahead if you're planning on stopping by, OK?)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Things That Go BOOM In The Night!
There has to be a logical explanation. I'm sure of it.
A few weeks ago in the middle of our Friday night slumber, my husband woke me up and asked if I would go upstairs and have Adam turn his music down. I roused myself from a deep sleep and slid off the side of the bed into my slippers. Sure enough, there was a distinct "boom bah boom bah boom boom" in full surround sound rocking our entire house. The effect was much like that of sitting beside a car with it's stereo on full blast at a stop light.
And yes, the origin of the "boom bah boom bah boom boom" was the upper story of our house, where the boy's bedroom is located.
Teenagers!
"Why is he even up at this hour, much less listening to music that loudly?" I grumbled as I pulled myself up the stairs.
About half way up, I realized the sound was actually coming from the media room.
"Adam!" I barked (have I mentioned that I'm not really at my "best" when my sleep is interrupted?) "Why are you watching a movie at this hour? Turn it down! You're waking up the neighborhood, for pete's sake!"
Grrr!
Adam's bedroom door sprang open and he appeared, looking a little disheveled and very perplexed.
"I didn't turn it on Mom, it woke me up too." he explained.
That was weird. I couldn't help but notice a discomforting eerie glow spilling into the hallway from the media room. With a measure of caution, I approached the DVD player (which is actually operated by remote from the upstairs office) and investigated, then pressed the "off" button. The noise stopped and the eerie glow disappeared.
I assured my son that it was just a fluke and went back downstairs where my husband, snuggled down deep inside the warmth of his blankets, had already fallen back to sleep.
"Walt! Walt!" I shook him until he popped his head from under the covers and opened his eyes.
"The DVD player just turned itself on." I explained. "It woke Adam up too, he hadn't even been in there!"
"Oh." my groggy spouse responded, "That's strange" ... and went right back to sleep.
I shrugged it off and crawled back into bed myself.
A few days passed and I hadn't thought any more of the incident.
Then it happened again. We came home from a holiday party and sure enough, there was a movie showing in full surround sound in our media room. The only problem was, no one was home when the show started.
This time, Mr. Taylor went upstairs and looked into it. Just as I'd done before, all he could think of to remedy the problem was simply to turn the DVD player off.
Once more, time passed and the self-starting movie situation became a distant memory for the three of us.
Until last night. Third verse, same as the first ... and second. It was the middle of the night again and everyone was sound asleep. I was awakened by two of our cats fighting in our bedroom. I got up and shooed Skippyjon, the younger cat, toward the vicinity of the foyer. He normally sleeps with Adam, but on occasion will manage to be outside his room when the door closes for the night. Skippyjon’s attempts to get into our bed instead always invites a brutal attack from the older Siamese.
Once a safe distance from the older, hissing, snarling cat, I scooped Skippyjon into my arms and began my trek to Adam's bedroom.
I paused at the foot of the stairs. There was that noise again. My first thought was that Adam was still awake at 2:45 a.m. on a school night and he was in big trouble. When I got to his door, Skippyjon in tow, however, I saw that his bedroom was dark. The boy was snoozing away.
Sighing, I dropped Skippyjon inside the bedroom door and closed it before he could run back out, then went to the DVD player and hit the "off" button.
By then, the whole ordeal was starting to get a little old! I went back to bed and woke Walt up, explaining that we really did need to figure out why the DVD player has suddenly acquired a mind of it's own and put this nonsense to an end. He assured me he would look into it.
Thank goodness.
This morning Walt left for work and I (because I wasn't able to get back to sleep easily last night) slept in. Once up for the day, I went through my usual morning routine, then sat down to work at the computer.
Within a few minutes, the whole house began dancing to the now all too familiar sound of "boom bah boom bah boom boom". Obviously, that DVD player is not planning to go down without a fight!
I've been tolerating the noise for a while now. For some reason I feel no sense of urgency in climbing up those stairs and turning it off this time. Maybe I'll just wait and see how long it lasts. Could be the dastardly DVD player is plotting against me, trying to see how many times I'll actually come up there and hit the "off" button before I finally rip the evil device out of the wall altogether. I can almost hear it mocking me now. Perhaps it plans to make me it's human slave.
Nah. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for the DVD player taking on a life of it’s own. I’m also fairly certain that it isn’t actually plotting my demise. It is, after all, only a shiny box with a bunch of wires stuffed inside. Surely it poses no threat to a human being such as myself.
Never the less, in case you’re “listening” my little electronic friend. You’d better watch out! The next thing that goes "boom" in the night around here just could be your shiny metal case hitting the floor. Don’t mess with me, you will NOT win!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Why Do They Call It A Fast (When It Goes So SLOW?)
Our church family is currently finishing up day two of our annual twenty-one day fast. Several of us have opted to begin by doing a three day "water only" fast, then switch to the "Daniel" fast which allows fruits and vegetables, and a few other basic "real" food items.
My husband is going to go even longer than the three days on water only. Personally, I'm drinking water every day until sundown, then eating some of the actual "Daniel" fast foods in order to take my medications. Otherwise, the meds would upset my stomach terribly and trust me, we don't want that to happen.
This fasting stuff is an interesting experience. I'd like to say I'm so "super-spiritual" that I find it enjoyable, but I'd be lying. Although I didn't read anything in the "fasting guidelines" specifically addressing the subject of telling lies while fasting, I'm pretty sure it would have adverse effects on the desired outcome.
So, can you handle the truth? I'll tell you the stinkin' truth! I dread this thing every year. It's the only time I actually contemplate the possibility of finding a different church to attend, at least for a few weeks during the month of January!
Gasp! Of course I don't mean that.
I believe with all my heart that God Himself, has placed me in my particular church family. That is where I'm suppose to be and I wouldn't change it for the world. After all, I want nothing more than to be in the center of HIS will for my life. If my Pastor calls a fast every January, then that's what I know I should be doing.
But, do I have to LIKE it? I hope not, because if that's the case, I am in some deep trouble!
Fasting can be compared to labor and delivery. I've had three babies in my lifetime, and can honestly say I always enjoyed being pregnant. Even more so, I excitedly looked forward to finally holding each of my precious newborn babies in my arms!
The labor and delivery part though? I can't say I looked forward to THAT aspect of the whole "having a baby" process in the least. Even though all my labors and deliveries were relatively easy (for lack of a better word), there was nothing enjoyable about it! Not once during any of my pregnancies did I ever say, "Oh! I just can't wait to spend hours in writhing pain! Bring it on!"
I did, however, happily anticipate bringing my babies into this world and have been known to comment, "I wish I would hurry up and go into labor!"
Did I just contradict myself?
No!
I knew that labor and delivery were very necessary in order to get my babies here. That was my reward for enduring the pain.
Talk about the "end justifying the means"!
The same goes for fasting. Every year I dread it.
And every year I also know it's something I MUST do, because at the end of the fast there is always a great reward. Just like giving birth, there's something about what happens as a result of fasting that makes it seem "not so bad" after all. It makes me say that I would definitely do it all over again.
(Just not immediately, of course!)
That's what I focus on while I busy chewing on raw broccoli and washing it down with water when I'd much rather be gulping down a pizza with a side of Diet Pepsi! Eventually, the painful part WILL end!
Right now, with two fasting days behind me and nineteen left to go, that "end" seems like a million miles away.
I can do this! With God's help, I know I can.
But boy! Will I ever be happy when it's all over and done, and I can go back to eating "real" food for the other forty-nine weeks of the 2009!
Becky Taylor 1/5/09
My husband is going to go even longer than the three days on water only. Personally, I'm drinking water every day until sundown, then eating some of the actual "Daniel" fast foods in order to take my medications. Otherwise, the meds would upset my stomach terribly and trust me, we don't want that to happen.
This fasting stuff is an interesting experience. I'd like to say I'm so "super-spiritual" that I find it enjoyable, but I'd be lying. Although I didn't read anything in the "fasting guidelines" specifically addressing the subject of telling lies while fasting, I'm pretty sure it would have adverse effects on the desired outcome.
So, can you handle the truth? I'll tell you the stinkin' truth! I dread this thing every year. It's the only time I actually contemplate the possibility of finding a different church to attend, at least for a few weeks during the month of January!
Gasp! Of course I don't mean that.
I believe with all my heart that God Himself, has placed me in my particular church family. That is where I'm suppose to be and I wouldn't change it for the world. After all, I want nothing more than to be in the center of HIS will for my life. If my Pastor calls a fast every January, then that's what I know I should be doing.
But, do I have to LIKE it? I hope not, because if that's the case, I am in some deep trouble!
Fasting can be compared to labor and delivery. I've had three babies in my lifetime, and can honestly say I always enjoyed being pregnant. Even more so, I excitedly looked forward to finally holding each of my precious newborn babies in my arms!
The labor and delivery part though? I can't say I looked forward to THAT aspect of the whole "having a baby" process in the least. Even though all my labors and deliveries were relatively easy (for lack of a better word), there was nothing enjoyable about it! Not once during any of my pregnancies did I ever say, "Oh! I just can't wait to spend hours in writhing pain! Bring it on!"
I did, however, happily anticipate bringing my babies into this world and have been known to comment, "I wish I would hurry up and go into labor!"
Did I just contradict myself?
No!
I knew that labor and delivery were very necessary in order to get my babies here. That was my reward for enduring the pain.
Talk about the "end justifying the means"!
The same goes for fasting. Every year I dread it.
And every year I also know it's something I MUST do, because at the end of the fast there is always a great reward. Just like giving birth, there's something about what happens as a result of fasting that makes it seem "not so bad" after all. It makes me say that I would definitely do it all over again.
(Just not immediately, of course!)
That's what I focus on while I busy chewing on raw broccoli and washing it down with water when I'd much rather be gulping down a pizza with a side of Diet Pepsi! Eventually, the painful part WILL end!
Right now, with two fasting days behind me and nineteen left to go, that "end" seems like a million miles away.
I can do this! With God's help, I know I can.
But boy! Will I ever be happy when it's all over and done, and I can go back to eating "real" food for the other forty-nine weeks of the 2009!
Becky Taylor 1/5/09
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