faith

We Travel For This One Hidden, Self-Deceived Reason

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

I’m feeling sad because today is the last day of our holidays.

I’m surprised because I’m going home to an awesome life! I mean, I take great pains to portray an image of having a fantastic life for you! (Why else would you read this stuff?)

I tenderly opened the depths of my heart to my empathetic husband, and he said something along the lines of, “Well, of course, you’re not happy to be going home! You’re a nutcase there!”

Actually, on reflection, he phrased it closer to, “You’re more stressed out trying to get a million things done at home.”

After I yelled at him and sulked for a while, I had coffee with Jesus, and that’s when I realized my husband was right.

(Don’t you hate it when that happens? I still haven’t admitted it to him, though. He is living under my condemnation, which increases the power balance in my favor for a while. I’ll be less mad at him the next time I do something stupid, and the power shifts in his favor. There’s some more free marriage advice! You’re welcome! Good luck!)

But we’re not done talking about this end-of-the-vacation-sadness thing.

The insight I had today is that the reason why we travel is . . .

. . . to get away from OURSELVES.

I mean, away from that feeling of wanting to be Jesus, get everything done, help everyone around you, and learn how to live a better life and stuff like that.

Wait. We’re not supposed to want to BE Jesus. It’s hard to keep all of that theology straight!

I left my To-Do list at home for just a week while we were on holiday. I left my neurotic rambling to try to figure out how to live a purposeful life closed up in my journal. Instead of powering through these lists and creating more lists, I simply enjoyed drinking fresh coconut water by the beach and laughing with the people I love.

And so it’s not that we need to get away from a particular PLACE to relax.

I’ve realized with startling insight and uncharacteristic blindness to my motivations that what I need to get away from is actually just ME.

Do you have any Type B  friends? Type B people seem to be more relaxed and don’t seem to wind themselves up so tightly about whether their life has meaning and unimportant stuff like that. I don’t happen to hang around any Type B people.

We don’t get along.

But perhaps the point of this trip is that shifting ever so slightly into that place where we put the responsibility for the meaningfulness of our lives onto the broad shoulders of Jesus is one of the ways that the weights can fall off of our lives so we can rise and soar like we’re meant to.

worms eye view photography of eagle flying across the sky

He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles

The Message

So no, I am not saying that Type B people have something we can learn from because I’m definitely not humble enough to admit that yet!

However, admitting that I’m not God is a good start!

And we all start somewhere!

I hope this helps you!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

As the lyrics of the song below sing, “It’s all I can do to get up in the morning . . . But where else can I go . . . but to you?” do you see Jesus holding out his arms to you like a father, bidding his small child to rest in his arms? As you quietly rest in his arms and take some deep breaths there, what do you sense him saying to you as the rest of the song plays?

God, we carry burdens and responsibilities that are too big for us. We finally, reluctantly, hand them over to you, and we receive the peace of knowing that holding your hand as we live our lives allows you to carry the responsibility for a life well-lived. Wake us up to how we try to carry what only you have strong enough shoulders to bear.

Photo credits – Dog in car window by Avi Richards on Unsplash, Eagle soaring by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Let’s journey together!

For A More Authentic Travel Experience, Embrace Your Inner Idiot!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we, as a culture, travel lately. Our family is travelling this week in a middle-income country. I was amazed at the most popular tourist tour, which allows travellers to:  

(1) Be terrified tubing down a river with rapids and canyons,

(2) Horseback ride in the nearby wilderness, 

(3) Zip-line through a canyon inclusive of rock climbing and Tarzan swings 250 feet above the ground, and

(4) Experience mud baths in about 10 different pools of varying temperatures.

And this is all done in one day.

It got me thinking, “Really? Do we need to do that many things in one day to keep our high-revving ‘I’m bored’ switch turned off? Is there another way?”

I think there is another healthier way – To be willing to look like an idiot!

For example, we hired a guy to point out the types of birds lurking in the sidelines everywhere we travelled but that we didn’t have eyes to see.

Check out this bird!

We saw this greater-than-full-size likeness painted on a restaurant wall later that day, which I also wouldn’t have given more than a passing glimpse a few days prior. 

“That’s a Turquoise-Browed Motmot!” I exclaimed in delight, my neck twitching. I recently learned that this is a common side effect of birding. Here below is the bird in real life.

Can you imagine how incredible it would be to see this bird in real life, aided only by a telescope or binoculars?

It was thrilling.

And wasn’t even the bird tour itself that was the most thrilling – It was more the effect it had on waking us all up to an unseen reality. “What is that?” our 16-year-old daughter exclaimed two days after the bird tour, stopping mid-step on a mundane walk, her ears alert to an unusual bird call, one none of us would have noticed a few days before. Her ears became more sensitive.

When we slow down and notice the stuff around us that we can’t usually see because of the comfort we rely on of all our distractions to avoid thinking or feeling the thoughts that matter, life gets a little more fun.

Sometimes, Holy Spirit even breathes on the wind as we’re going about our day, and if our ears aren’t filled with noise, with luck, we may have picked our ears up off the floor and attached them to our heads long enough to maybe catch a word or two God utters to our hearts.

Got time to find your ears, friend, and attach them for a few minutes?

“You hear [the wind] rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”

Jesus, the guy one-third of the world claims to follow (He’s cool!)

And then we don’t need quite as many amphetamines or adrenaline or even indulging in the types of activities that go against the best versions of the very souls we were created to be.

“If you’re not going into the ocean, or you’re not going to the top of a mountain, or you’re not going into the woods or the rain forest, the only alternative is [an] assault on the senses.”

Paul Schulick, New Chapter*

It’s just you and a bird and nature and a little bit of humility to realize that you may also not know the difference between the call of a Pygmy owl and a White-Winged dove (True story- Don’t judge me!).

But there are also no hangovers, ego promotion or moments of regret.

Being a loser definitely has its advantages!

Try being an idiot, too, the next time you travel!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

When the lyrics sing, “I don’t want to miss it”, consider asking God, “Would you heal my ears so I won’t miss the melody You are singing over my life?”

God, thank you that You delight in reattaching our ears that so quickly fall off in the distractions of life. Show us how to keep our ears near, that we can hear the sound that propels us into a life of adventure, with You, we pray.

Footnotes

*I actually read this quote in the book Ageless by Suzanne Somers, but I’m too embarrassed to admit to reading that book. (No offence, Suzanne – You are intelligent even if the TV personality you portrayed was not!) And besides, why would I be reading an anti-aging book? No reason! Of course I’m PERFECTLY accepting of the natural aging process – Thank you very much! 

Photo credits: Slow penguin crossing by Casey Horner on Unsplash, Turquoise- Browed Motmots by Bernal Fallas on Unsplash.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Let’s journey together!

How To Break Through Travel Barriers – (Listen For Love)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Do you ever travel to a new country and feel as if somehow you have travelled inside a large glass box, with carefully placed posters on every wall so that you can’t see outside?

How can I see the actual “them” – the people who live in the place I am visiting as a tourist?

We travelled to a lower-income nation recently, and glass walls abounded. We were visibly the tourists. Despite long looks from a passerby – despite seeing a glimpse of a local’s hand through the glass walls laden with posters – even so, culture and financial inequalities ultimately separated our shared humanity.

It was love that broke through the impenetrable travel barriers.

Brochures distributed to tourists in this country clearly warned: “Do not leave valuables unattended.” And the pictures were those of children. A warning to keep kids close. Common sense anywhere. 

So as we drove to church that Sunday, I prepped the kids ahead of time so they would stay with us in the service, regardless of whether there was a children’s program.

They nodded and looked out the glass windows of the car.

But as children often do, through a look, a smile, and then holding hands and a hug, our 8-year-old quickly made a new friend a few minutes before church started.

“Oh, Mommy, can I go too?” my daughter’s shrill voice echoed loudly down the church hall as her new friend paraded to the children’s program ten minutes later.

I smiled, nodded, and followed my daughter, changing my plans and sacrificing my attendance at church so I could sit with her in her program. Seeing the huge smile on her face, it was not much of a sacrifice. I felt the claws of my mother bear hands protruding from my paws at the thought of leaving my child with these people.

“They would have to kill me first,” was my knee-jerk reaction to my inner question of whether I would leave this child with these people.

Who were these people anyway? What did they value? I had noticed the ten-foot-high iron gate at one location. Who were they keeping out or in? What were the relative risks?

I didn’t know.

I would be content to sit and watch my child play in her Sunday school program.

But what I wasn’t prepared for, what I didn’t have any defence against, was the love of God poured into my heart. What would I do with this water, this love for the people around me, pooling at my feet? “Where do I put this water?” I called out to God.

Leave the water here and come with me, He seemed to nudge my heart.

Back to the church service?

Yes, He assured me.

And so I left.

And His peace came with me. And His peace sat with me, calmed me when I remembered the folly of my actions, leaving my child with – who are these people? Panic would rise in my chest, and God would reassure and calm me again.

For some reason, it seemed important that I trust my child to these people –

To His people.

And as I knelt to receive communion at the front, tears poured down my cheeks. Again, I was reminded that I am somehow part of a family, even of a family of people of whom I don’t even know their names. We are united in love, somehow. And I am not alone, no, never truly alone. How am I truly alone when love surrounds me?

When the service ended, I went outside, past the church, to the children’s building, collecting the piece of my heart that had been ripped away from me for a short while by our Savior Himself. 

I was astonished at the responses I received.

Six or more women, strangers, saw me and then spontaneously threw their arms around me, one after another, as I walked by them.

We didn’t say a word to each other. But these women knew what I gave them. Trust. The ultimate symbol of love. And they loved me because I loved them. And I loved them because I knew that they first loved her.

And so, the walls separating our cultures were entirely demolished that day.

God, from the wounds of your cross flow the waters of your love. May the waters of love pour from our tiny sacrifices, too, as we obey You, prompting our hearts. Continue to heal our hearts with your love for us, and with our love for each other, we pray.

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus Christ

Photo credit – Divided coffee cups by Alex Padurariu on Unsplash

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My Homeschooled Kid Was The Most Exciting Thing The Librarian Found In A Long Time

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
boy in black hoodie sitting beside black dslr camera

It started as an ordinary day.

We were visiting the largest city in our region and decided to stop at the library to borrow some books for our youngest daughter’s summer reading cache. We walked in awe, looking up in wonder at the size of the magnificent building. There are so many books inside!

Click HERE to continue reading.

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Fix Your Broken Shopping Cart (And Life)! 3 Helpful Reasons Why

/ Lori Lawe / 1 Comment
a black and white photo of a shopping cart

I was pushing my shopping cart in the grocery store. I was in a hurry (Of course!) and pushing more on one side because the thing kept veering off to one side as I walked, trying to smash into every aisle. “I. Only. Have. To. Get. A. Few. More. Items,” I grunted begrudgingly, pushing hard with both hands on one side of the cart.

I don’t want you to go through life like this. I thought I sensed God whispering in my heart.

“Huh? What now?”

I hadn’t been praying or thinking of God, yet He gently nudged me, pushing on one side of my heart as I pushed on one side of the cart.

Let’s get that fixed, He seemed to encourage me gently. And I knew He was talking about my heart, not the shopping cart. Symbolically, I dropped off the old cart at customer service for repair and chose a new one.

I had been at counselling earlier that morning.

As I did my groceries, I was feeling broken by the depths we had plumbed and the neuroses we found way down deep there. Incorrect ways of thinking had been removed, like surgery on a mass of tree roots that were foundational to how I had always lived my life and symbolic of my thinking.

I felt a bit broken.

“Couldn’t I limp through life without the pain this counselling session had exposed?” I had wondered. And God didn’t answer me. But the question lingered in my heart as I shopped that day. Couldn’t I have pushed a bit harder (Yes, maybe on ONE side of the cart of my life at times) to get through?

Did I have to linger, allowing this brokenness to surface, which always seemed to be a precursor to healing?

Wasn’t it easier to push harder on one side of the cart of my life instead?

And God answered me when He perhaps compared me to a lopsided shopping cart that didn’t REALLY need to be fixed. (Did it?)

And when I was at the coffee shop later that morning, my eyes briefly held the gaze of a person who could sense something wasn’t quite right. This stranger’s gentle smile offered to another stranger encouraged my heart. She also had experience with being broken, her compassionate look revealed.

And I felt a bit better.

I drank my coffee and felt a bit more human, a bit more vulnerable, a bit more connected.

Maybe admitting we are broken and then having coffee with a friend is counterintuitively one of the ways that we can eventually learn to soar.

I was ready to bring my shopping cart in for realignment.

How about you?

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

The Message

As the song above plays, and after a moment of thankfulness for the good things you notice around you as you read, consider asking God, “What broken areas of my life am I tolerating that You long to heal?” What do you sense He longs for you to take off, put down, or bring in for realignment, friend? Are you brave enough to put down the weights that hold us down so that you are finally light enough to learn to soar?

two white-and-gray birds on mountain cliff

And as I drink my coffee and reflect, why bother to fix our shopping carts (and lives)?

  • Growth is the very definition of life. We all know people (NOT US (!) of course!) who stay stuck in unhealthy patterns (i.e. The cousin who still smacks you upside the head* when you disagree with him). Let’s be the very definition of life and be willing to set aside a few more of these deadly habits. Why not?
  • There are many opportunities for healing, including free ones. Why not?
  • It is easier to get the shopping done. Who couldn’t use a bit more time to sit poolside instead of yelling at (insert name) when we sometimes don’t even understand the real issues driving us?

People become reinforced in the paradigm that they are determined, and they produce evidence to support their belief. They feel increasingly victimized and out of control, not in charge of their life or their destiny.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Yeah, I don’t understand that quote either, but I’m willing to be the kind of person who is learning! How about you? Why not?

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Footnotes

*No. EVERYONE is not related to Trump. Why do you ask?

Photo Credits: Shopping cart and cracks by ethan on Unsplash, Soaring bird by Jose Murillo on Unsplash

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Ashamed Of The News? Surprise! Look Down! Peace Is Right Here Waiting To Be Found!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
person hands with black liquids

I felt shame when I read in the news that the Christian organization that I love had allegations of “sexual misconduct” splattered across their building.

I felt shame when I read in the news that the country that we are associated with, that is our friend, has allegations of “extortion” splattered across that beautiful landscape.

Why did I feel shame?

  • I am standing a bit close and am splattered a little by the mess.
  • “Sexual misconduct,” “extortion” and other stuff like that is wrong.

Similarly, I read Lord of the Flies this week, and when Jack stole Piggy’s glasses and purposely smashed them, that was wrong.

Jack stole Piggy’s glasses just before he and his cronies felt justified to do worse stuff.

And so, if we wonder where some parts of Christian culture and some parts of American culture are headed, check out Lord of the Flies to find out.

Thankfully, Jesus is seated on his throne, far, far above those who define themselves by His name. Thankfully, He sits far enough above us that the splatters of dirt and messes we make on Earth don’t reach His robe. His identity is not affected by what we do in His name.

HE defines US, instead.

And this is the good news.

Jesus, when He walked on Earth for thirty-three years didn’t intentionally pick up the banners to support the various political or religious quarrels of His day, and so neither will I.

Instead, I will continue to receive the love the Father so generously pours out when I stop to listen to His whispers.

And I will give away some of the overflow of the love I receive to others.

Jesus’ kingdom of love is the only powerful kingdom still standing thousands of years after Jesus roamed a tiny piece of Earth for thirty-three years. This kingdom of love is the only powerful kingdom guaranteed to stand indefinitely in the future. (For example, a dozen uneducated followers in a remote unknown town have turned into almost one third of the planet who claim to follow Him.*)

Thankfully, I’ve found a leader I am always proud to serve.

And so, I can curl up next to Him, feel the comfort of His presence, and know that since I’m His child, bearing His name, I can soar on the wind of His presence into whatever turbulence I encounter in the world.

Who defines you, friend?

When the lyrics of the song below sing, “You are the peace that settles around us,” are you ready to reach down in humility and pick up this peace, friend, carrying it close to your heart? God, we pray that everyone reading these smudged, messy, and grimy words will be surprised to find a handful more of peace they can carry today.

Footnotes

*Have you carefully examined some of the evidence for why?

Photo Credit: Dirty hands by Stormseeker on Unsplash

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Why Americans Should WANT To Be Losers Sometimes

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
yellow and white trophy

I said the one thing that no one thought I would say.

These five words, said quietly, into a rare moment of stillness at the boisterous party quieted every heart in the room.

The silence lasted for a minute, which felt like an eternity in that boisterous room full of shouting and laughter only a second earlier.

Here’s what happened.

They were loudly recounting the tale of the guy* who was poised to win a gold Olympic medal in the sailing competition at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

Instead of sailing to glory and sitting atop an Olympic podium with his medal, the guy changed course to help fellow COMPETITORS, who were in an overturned boat for 16 hours and were in imminent danger of dying at sea.

“[Insert name] won that race,” the storyteller at my party continued, taking another swig of beer.

“Yeah, and what was the name of the guy who abandoned first place to help the other guy?”

“Who knows?”

The crowd exploded in laughter.

When it was silent again for that millisecond after the guffaws, I spoke up quietly, “God knows who it was.”

Then, there was silence, continued stillness, and awkward shuffling of feet.

Who speaks next, they wondered?

One person sidled up to me after this party, seeking me out for friendship. I had reminded her of something important, something she knew inherently but had forgotten for a while. Something her soul knew, deep down, it would be important to remember in future.

And that’s how I made a new friend that day.

And it’s good to have another friend who will sail over to help you get out of a bind when you are in a sailing race, for example, so you don’t perish at sea.

And there was the time when I was 8 years old, the 12-year-old said, “Give me all your candy!” And I gave it to him, of course. He was ABLE to win, but SHOULD he still do it? All of us know the answer to this question.

And then this week, in the news he said, “Let’s destroy our friend’s economy, an economy built on the pillar of trust in friendship because if we do it, we can win.” And yes, they CAN do it. And, yes, they CAN win.

But having another friend who will come and find you when you are overturned in a boat and imminent danger of perishing has some sort of value, too.

I hope you aren’t caught feeling ashamed on the day when our souls leave our bodies, and we meet God face to face, stripped of all the earthy medals we’ve won.

I’ve been pondering the trade war, started this week between our friends, The Americans, and us Canadians.

Yup, you CAN win.

But what SHOULD you do?

Is it RIGHT?

Thankfully, I don’t need to know the answer to that question.

(That’s between you and God.)

If you are considering exchanging a trophy or two for the kind that last a bit longer consider pondering this statement:

you let [your goods] go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure

The Message

What is your “real treasure”?

Maybe being an (unconventional) loser sometimes has its perks.

For detailed advice on winning the races that matter and thus learning to grow into an even bigger loser, click HERE, HERE and HERE.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Footnotes

*Canadian Larry Lemieux

Photo credit: Trophy by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

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Everyone Can Learn From Snails – 3 Lessons

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
yellow snail on purple flower
Photo by Dustin Humes on Unsplash

There was a snail on the inside of her forearm.

She was our waitress and the sight of the snail was jolting.

But luckily, I FULLY “get” modern fashion trends, including tattoos of snails!

(The snail on her forearm was a tattoo, not a real snail, if you haven’t figured that out yet. Don’t you like my artistic writing? Sometimes, you are completely confused when you read this, but that’s called “art,” not “bad writing.” I’m surprised you don’t know the difference!)

As proven here, I FULLY understand all contemporary styles, including tattoo trends, of course! It’s not like I don’t! But I still thought, “REALLY? – A SNAIL?”

Anyway, I tried to shake off the vision of the weird snail tattoo and order my lunch like regular people who don’t care about that stuff.

That’s when I noticed it.

On the wall of this restaurant, next to the beautiful, artistic photos of the “regular” animals – foxes, bears, salmon, killer whales, eagles, there was a painting of . . . you guessed it – a snail.

(There was also a prominent human smiling skull above all these photos, but OF COURSE, we expect that! See here for a CLEAR explanation of this type of fashion trend. You’re welcome!)

“What the deal with the snails?” my mind pondered, against its will.

I researched snails on Wikipedia – or I mean – I used my innate fashion wisdom to begin to unravel this enigma for you. Fertility symbol from ancient Egypt? Greek symbol of hard work?

“Why the heck do you have a SNAIL tattoo of all animals!” I accidentally blurted as she distractedly approached to take our order. Her eyes were fixed on me, not unlike when we turn a camera lens dial, trying to get it to focus. She was assessing whether she should bare her heart or smack me upside the head.

I suddenly and regrettably remembered the last time I asked a person, “WHY did he have THAT tattoo!” He very firmly told me to (equivalent of) stick my head up my rear end (what a WEIRD saying!) and not to ask such personal questions. “But the tattoo is THERE – for all to see!” I wanted to protest. He was bigger than me, so I nodded, took my coffee from him, and looked down submissively.

But a SNAIL!? Really! WHO can keep their curiosity at bay!

Luckily, this stranger opened her heart to me after sizing me up.

I’m not sure why. She did HAPPEN to be smaller than me. Perhaps I intimidated her with my ( – what it that Trump has? – ) POWER LOOK.

Photo: Regular look
Photo: POWER look

Or maybe she could inherently sense that I was lost on this journey of life, too, and could use some direction.

“Well,” she gushed, “I feel that a snail fits because I am always rushing around and want to slow…”

Rest. God reminded me as she spoke. My word for the year was Rest.

And our hearts melded into one – this stranger and I. It wasn’t the first time this had happened.

two white-and-black birds flying
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

I excitedly told her about last month when our church was celebrating its fifteenth-year anniversary. The year Fifteen, God highlighted somehow in my Spirit. I was to research this.

Two ancient feasts that symbolize Rest occurred on the 15th of the month. Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb on the 15th, symbolizing Rest. However, this is not a rest as in doing nothing, but a rest that comes as a bulb in the spring gathers water and warmth from the soil before it does what it must – produce a bloom, creating life from death.

It’s a rest that comes from sitting close to the One we love, listening to His whispers, picking up our shovels in response, and then doing some gardening.

Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

The Message

(Everyone can learn to slow down to listen to our hearts.)

And so, what are the lessons we can learn from snail tattoos, if we are listening?

  1. We are all sailing together on this crazy journey of life and encounter the same storms, though we may not have the language to talk about our travails to each other. (Do you also need a snail tattoo?)
  2. There is more, there is more, there is more . . . (Do you also need to slow down a little, friend?)
  3. Jesus is sipping coffee even now and waiting for you to join Him. (Do you have time to exit this reality for a few minutes to find the water your soul needs to grow its blossoms?)

As the song below plays, consider taking a few deep breaths and then asking God, “How do I need to slow down a little, like a snail?”

Jesus is handing you a sandwich. Got time to take a bite? (May you, too, find your inner or outer snail.)

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LIKE Yourself By Receiving Champagne Poured On Something New – You!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
A man in a bathtub drinking from a bottle
Photo by Antonio Araujo on Unsplash

Yes! I pressed the “like” button on my previous post to “like” my post! Now, before you throw rotten tomatoes at me and throw me off the internet, watching me spiral away like a free-floating astronaut, hear me out! We agree that we are ALL (sort of – not REALLY me*, but I have to say it for humility’s sake) losers, right? (If not, see HERE).

But being a loser, if displayed with enough gusto, can ACTUALLY become part of our superpower! Let me explain. That loser-ness contributes to our awesomeness because we know who we are so that we can relax!

We no longer have to spew boasts describing ever so covertly our successes in attempts to impress people.

And this is freedom.

Maybe we didn’t find gold stars all over ourselves when we dressed this morning. Or perhaps our stars have rusted and fallen off. (Does NO ONE care anymore that they voted ME one of the best dressed in my red-necked high school? It was a BIG THING back then. I’m just saying.)

silhoeutte of woman making a jump shot
Photo by Mesh on Unsplash

I guess no one cares anymore.

But that proves my point!

We can, in our best redneck attire, STILL pat others on the shoulder with love to encourage them, even though we sometimes (in theory, and I speak of OTHERS MOSTLY here), have a big “L” on our forehead for “loser”.

And we can “like” ourselves too because we are just little bundles of love dressed up in whatever old rags we could find as we wandered through life.

And love is enough!

So, if you don’t have any gold stars that our culture handed out, or if you were late for the lineup for these accolades, don’t worry!

The stars wouldn’t stick to our old rags anyway.

If we find we have stars, tearing them off is still the way to true freedom. Because in the dark of night, just before we fall asleep, more often than you’d like to admit, friend, your esoteric anxiety startles you for a moment with, “What AM I doing on planet Earth??” (It happens to the best of us! Even the wisest of us are SOMETIMES confused!) In those moments, our gold stars earned in high school or passed out to us last week don’t satisfy us. We know this stuff, but saying it aloud helps us understand who we are. You’re welcome.

And now that you know your true state (You can take the “L” off your forehead now), we can all stand together and hold hands.

And what’s next?

Let’s stand here in a circle and … sing. Yes, sing.

We praise the one who IS the standard of the world’s excellence. We wonder at Jesus (He’s the guy 1/3 of the people on the planet claim to follow – Know him?) and find that as we gaze at the One who is genuinely excellent, he gives us new clothing, too. We can throw away our old torn redneck outfits and other cultural achievements because he has new clothes for us – the stuff princes and princesses wear when we become children of the King, his dad – God.

The point is that He is pleased with us.

And so you should be, too.

So you can “like” yourself!

You can even “like” your own posts.

Whenever, though, [we] turn to face God . . . we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

The Message

God, help us to see ourselves the way You see us, both in our true brokenness before we turn to You and in our glorious attire as we fix our eyes on Your beauty. Help us to “like” who we are becoming by Your grace, we pray. As the song below plays, take some deep breaths and then ask God in the quiet of your soul: How do You see me?

If you knew who God made you to be, you’d never want to be anyone else.

Pastor Bill Johnson

Footnotes

*(My editor said I should write that part about me being a loser, too, so that you feel there is someone you can relate to.)

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

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Social Media Consuming Your Joy? (May You See Breakthrough)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
person holding clear drinking glass
Photo by Anastasiia Voitenko on Unsplash

I was flying, soaring like a bird, arms outstretched.

Not paying attention, and then AH! – What is that there in the sky? – And a sharp turn that spun me in circles as I nosedived. I was spinning and spinning, the hard ground beckoning closer.

And life sometimes feels like that, with the highs, lows, and pitfalls to avoid and crashing out of control.

One second, a youth raising my hand with all my effort, in fervent desperation to be picked for that promotion or opportunity.

And then, decades later, I’m too, sitting by the side of the road, homeless and friendless, holding my donation cup and wondering if I can find a few coins or some hope to get me through today’s dark night.

(Actually, I’ve never even been close to being homeless, but sometimes my interior life feels just as jumbled as their exterior life appears visibly.)

What do you do when life spins out of control and takes you with it?

Social media is good at depicting the moments in life when we are soaring in the sky like an eagle, enjoying the ocean view. And we’ve all had a few moments like these. But where do we go when the rain comes, we get kicked out of our nest, and our wounds and brokenness keep us stranded, exposing us to the weather as we sit and wait and wonder what to do next?

And as we hold out our cup seeking donations and hope like the other homeless people, as we look through the busy people rushing by us, we finally have the eyes to see that Jesus is crouched beside us, holding a blanket and a snack and offering his arms for a hug.

Got time for some comfort?

After writing the above, I went for a walk with her, the new friend.

She said this:

“Like everyone else, I was enjoying my life and had many good times.”

I imagined her Facebook and Instagram pages as she spoke.

“But then I suddenly crashed, realizing that my social drinks after work couldn’t easily be set aside, though I tried everything I could using my own strength. When I finally turned to Jesus and asked for help, things suddenly didn’t get easy, but He gave me the strength to put that dark chapter behind me. I am six years alcohol-free,” she continued.

“And people say I have fantastic strength to do that alone, but I know it wasn’t on my own – God gave me the strength.”

Her story fits here, that’s all.

What do your social media pages say, friend?

How are you really doing?

If you’ve recently crashed too, got time for a drink?

Jesus . . . cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 

The Message

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