We are sooooo deceived!

I absolutely hate politics. And I'm half afraid to write this for fear it will sound political and incorrect, but.......

I was listening to "The View" this morning while getting ready. They talked about Sarah Palin and her son, Tryg, and how she chose to keep him even though she knew he had downs syndrom. They went on to say that 9 out of 10 women who find out that their baby has downs, abort them!!! Whoopie Goldberg later commented that "No one has the right to judge you when you have to make those tough decisions. They haven't walked in your shoes, so they don't know how tough that decision is." WHAT?

No one has the right to judge? I felt sooooooo sad that we are so blind to the fact that there is a God. He is loving. He is patient. He is kind.... and holy and JUST! God has the right to judge us! And we are horribly deceived if we think other wise.

The thing that took me back next was that they went to commercial break and there was a sweet little Santa Claus commercial with a little girl taking her letter to Santa at a Macy's store. Then the words like, "What kind of world would it be if there was no Santa?" WHAT?

We HOPE there's a Santa because it makes us feel happy and dillusional! But we ignore that there is an awesome God that DOES give HOPE! Real hope. I'm fully aware that this blog may sound like "fire and brimstone" talk. I truly believe in the grace of God!!! One, because the bible teaches it as truth. And two, because I've received and experienced it for myself.

I do know for sure that I definitely don't have the right to judge anyone! Whether it's a woman having an abortion, or a man stealing from a bank. But if we don't choose God to be our Lord, than we have chosen him to be judge, because we each will stand before him. Whether we choose to stand before calling him FATHER or JUDGE is up to us.

But to answer that question, Whoopie... Who has the "right" to judge? God. He alone.

"It is a terrifiying thing to fall into the hands of a living God." Hebrews 10:31 But, Amen to the fact that the bible also says, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." Psalm 32:1

(If anyone stumbles onto this blog and you've been someone who has had an abortion, please know that I am not playing judge toward you. That isn't what this is about. I don't feel mad at Whoopie for asking the question. I don't love to think about God being judge. Actually, I hate it. It makes me super sad. But I do know He forgives you and LOVES you more than anything! But, I'm so sorry that we are such a deceived people to think that there will not be a day when justice will come. Get freed from the guilt and forgiven on THIS side of eternity. If you only knew all the crap Jesus has forgiven of mine, you would know, without a doubt that there is no way I could ever play judge of anyone. I'm just so thankful to know that because of Jesus wiping away my sin with his payment, I don't have to be terrified of God. He is my heavenly Father... and I LOVE that!)

blah blah blah blah BLAH!

I am someone who has a tough time using FEW words. I can go on and on and on..... Just ask my teenage son who informed me while he was driving with his permit a couple months ago, "Mom, can we please not talk about this while I'm driving 'cuz you just keep going on and on about it." Now, if you know Tate, he said this with as much grace and patience as possible and was not disrespectful in the way he said it, but I could clearly understand his feelings since I, too, sometimes think, "Good grief, Candi, give it up already and shut up!!!"
The other day, my sister in law said something that felt very profound to me. She said, "God never lectures. He uses very few words to say stuff." True, true!
"Let there be light!"
"Be strong and courageous."
"Peace, be still."
"Follow me."
The times when God has spoken to my heart it usually IS just something right to the point, but VERY profound. One of my favorite quotes is, MORE ISN'T BETTER, SOMETIMES IT'S JUST MORE. Now, why can't I learn that about my words?!? I love this about God. He is a get-to-the-point kind of communicator. I love that he doesn't beat around the bush when he admonishes or encourages. He isn't the strong silent type that can't say, "I love you". He doesn't get on a tangent when we screw up for the 200th time that week. He doesn't expect us to read his mind. He just simple says it.
I hope the older I get, the less I talk and the better I listen. Blah, blah, blah, blah... how else can I ramble on about this? Okay, shutting up. (...sigh...)

Perfection

There is a war that is waged in me often. The war of wanting to be perfect versus getting things done to a respectable point. I came across a page in my journal that I wrote as I was thinking about this one day. It looks like this...



Perfection vs. "do something"

• clean the entire house in a day OR just pick up


• laundry perfectly done OR do a load or two whenever


• get ready for my marathon OR work out and feel good about it


• iron and hang all clothes OR do a few shirts


• make a gourmet meal from scratch or cook a Schwan's dinner :)


• get involved in "major" church ministry OR serve somewhere well


• get to ideal weight goal OR start getting healthy


• special "controlled" time with my kids OR enjoy a shared moment


• perfect art piece made OR experiment in art without expectation


• study to fully understand OR enjoy learning


• read an entire book series OR take in what you can bits at a time


• write everyone's Christmas card before sending OR get a few out

So, here's a quote by Winston Churchill I came across tonight. This is powerful!

The maxim "Nothing but perfection" may be spelled PARALYSIS

When I am trying so hard to be perfect, do perfect, expect perfect, it doesn't cause a spirit to thrive, but instead to become paralized. It keeps me from stepping out and trying things. Edith Schaeffer once said, "People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it."

Lately, whether with my art, my music, my house, my laundry, yes, my laundry... I have been trying not to focus on perfection. It's exhausting! I have been reminding myself that God alone is perfect. And there's a verse that says, "God knows I am but dust..." so I will choose to enjoy the beautiful world he has made and all the imperfect people in it. I am just starting to learn this. And I will never learn it PERFECTLY, and that's okay. It's a joy to begin the journey of freedom that comes with this new understanding.

New Pants or Three Donuts

This is such a girly post but... I've lost a fair amount of weight over the last months. Some from lifestyle changes and exercise, but also from a bad bout with the flu. My dilema? My pants don't fit anymore. I don't have the money right now to go out and buy a half dozen pairs of pants. What's a girl to do? I ate 3 donuts today! I KNOW! Three! When my husband asked about it, I told him, "It's cheaper to buy three donuts than new pants!"

A Shout Out to my Sister, Cathi!

I know that my sister will blush as soon as she reads this blog, but I think it's only right I get to brag on my younger sister atleast every once in a while. My sister, Cathi, is about nine years younger, but it has never really felt like that many years to me. Maybe we feel closer because she came to school with me as my show-and-tell once, or because we slept in the same bed until I moved out in college, or maybe because we read stories together and sang together and baked together. My sister is one of my favorite people in the world!

What makes her remarkable is her ability to inspire through her thoughts and conversation. She takes notice of the simplest of God's creations, and she has a kind Spirit....named Jesus, who lives through her, touching those around her. Cathi has the heart of a servant. She is the kind of girl who would make you a beautiful, hand-designed card with a sweet thought just for you, to encourage you. She's the kind of girl who would bake you homemade scones and serve them with a pretty tea cup filled with hot tea, all while relaxing music plays in the background. She's the kind of girl who would send you a letter enclosed by a homemade envelope with some romantic scenery on it. Okay, okay... at this point, she would be saying, "I'm not perfect though..." Ya, I know. Nobody is. But, there are so many things that makes her special. I know she is this kind of girl, because she has done all of these and much more for me.

Cathi has lavisheed me with unconditional love and grace and friendship. We've laughed so hard my sides have hurt the next day. She has been a partner in the journey of parenting. She's been the duet to my song. The flower in my garden... okay, that one was even to dorky for me! LOL! But, really... how do you put into words that someone is awesome?!

Cathi...your life inspires me! I love you for who you are, not just the things you do. Thank you for always being my friend. Your friendship is priceless. You're beautiful inside and out! I am blessed to call you my sister!!!

Clock...the ruler of time

Imagine...
...if there were no clocks in the world. Alarms wouldn't jolt us out of bed. School bells wouldn't announce that we were late. Work would be done when work was done instead of when the clock tells us "it's five ' o clock". Meetings would happen once everyone was there. We wouldn't be staring at the clock all the time fretting about what we need to get to next. I've decided I hate time. I know, I know, it's part of what keeps order in our "civilized" country. But isn't it awesome to think that in heaven, there is no time? I don't think it's a coincidence that we fight it. We weren't made to live within its confines. Our friends that live in Africa said that one of the toughest things to get used to at first was "African Time"... which meant... whenever it happens, it happens. I wonder if we have grown addicted to it here in America. We act like life would not work without a clock and yet... people lived without them for thousands of years. Hmm..... just thinkin'.

Why do we write?

"First, I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it...we do not write in order to be understood; but we write in order to understand." - C. Day Lewis in Poetic Image



I can't count how many times I've needed to write things on paper so I can try to understand my true feelings about something. Sometimes, I sit back after reading my own penned words and think, "Hmm... so that's how I really feel." Other times, I chat with Daryl about what I wrote and ask for his input. Then, there are those times, I grab a lighter and quickly burn the evidence of my verbal vomit. What is it about the written word that seems to help the mind think clearer? I don't know. But, it is a tested method in my life.



I came across this quote by Lewis and felt like it was worth posting. What do you think? Write it out... I'd love to understand.