Funny

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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Are You Led By A Nose Hook To Death? Or By God To Life? One Way Is Better!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a cow laying down in the grass next to a tree

I was an older teenager, finishing up a college degree and looking around me 360 degrees to figure out what direction to travel next.

I felt a spiritual pull to learn more and delve deeper into divine mysteries.

But I also wanted to travel.

Suddenly, my brain figured out the answer of how to merge the following heart’s cries for:

– spiritual digging into the depths

– travel

– figuring out which direction to go next

“I know!” my brain thought. “I will go to the ends of the earth and tell people all about Jesus!”

I stopped for a moment to pray, seeking my blue ribbon and crowns (that I would throw to the ground in humility before God if I received – of course!). God said,

NO

A firm NO.

Instead, it seemed He was suggesting I go to a center of learning, learn a bit more about Him, get out my pen and paper and sort out my thoughts to eventually delete the thoughts that didn’t align with the character of Jesus.

“Sounds like a drag!” I thought.

But I searched online for something that would meet both my desires and the direction it seemed God was directing me (Aren’t I spiritual and obedient? Did you NOTICE my willingness to follow God where He leads? Subtle clue there that you have MUCH to learn from me!)

Anyway, I compromised with God and found a spiritual school that was:

– In Costa Rica (fun!)

– In Spanish (Why not learn a language on the side?)

– And yes.. the other stuff God wanted – a place to learn more about God, yada yada.

So I waved goodbye to Canada and flew to Costa Rica, where I began with a month of intensive language training, several hours each day, in a small room in downtown San Jose.

And I learned a lot about God that year.

It turned out God was right!

I did have a BIT (Slight – a SMALL amount) to learn about God before I opened my mouth and spewed my slightly wrong “wisdom” for all to see! (Good thing I got that out of the way way back then! That’s how you know that now you can trust me implicitly, by the way).

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

How is God leading you, friend? Do you have a hook in your nose and are following where it seems your desires are leading you, even if it’s to the death of your growth and joy or something else that should be important to you? If so, this isn’t the gentle guidance of God.

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful face on an empty head.

The Message

He is sitting next to you, head in His hands, his heart ripping every time you step in a direction opposite to His leading.

In the other direction, the one He is leading:

He bids you to learn to fly

silhouette of bird flying

Are you ready to take one step towards following His gentle leading, steering you towards increased fruit in your life and those around you?

the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness . . .

The Message

As the song below plays, and after a moment of thankfulness, consider asking God which direction He may be leading you. If it is the opposite direction to where you thought you were headed, can you speak with a trusted friend to help sort out the knots in your heart and life so that you are taking God’s best steps for you towards the life of abundant fruit He so longs to give to you?

Footnotes

*For example read more HERE

Photo credit: Cow with nose hook by Taliwang Mengaji on Unsplash, Bird soaring by Naveen Chandra on Unsplash

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Feeling Despair? The Most Important Mistake To Avoid When Overwhelmed

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Here is a real-life experiment to illustrate an important point: Husbands, (I recommend hockey gear first before you try this) the next time your wife gets annoyed, try asking your wife if PMS is real.

If you were unwise enough to ask, you will find out the answer to this question soon enough.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

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Hiding Pain? Open Some Of Your Authentic Heart Here (This Is What Happens When They HAVE To Love You!)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Previously, I talked about mourning with the group.

I also talked about coyotes, but let’s face it, we all know I just made that stuff up. You should never trust things you read on the internet, anyway! Except you should entirely and wholeheartedly trust everything in this newsletter – Of course!

Click HERE to continue reading.

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Drowning? Continue Homeschooling For This One Eye-Opening Reason

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Those cement factories overseas, where people labour in dust and despair, with no relief in sight by the power of unions, would be a hard place to work.

Homeschooling our kids is not as strenuous as working in one of those factories. But neither is homeschooling sitting next to the pool, a martini in hand, flipping through a magazine as we ring a small bell every hour to usher our kids onto their next subject. Homeschooling kids would eat you alive if you tried that.

Click HERE to continue reading.

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Advice: Go To The Gym For This One Eye-Opening Reason (NOT Just To Work Out)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
woman kneeling beside man

My mouth hung open. I stared at the woman walking past me. It was not polite to stare (I know, okay!), but I forgot that my mouth was still hanging open.

I had just worked out at the gym. My muscles were getting EVEN stronger! For example, this time, I didn’t have to go to the far edge of the gym to find lighter weights than the weights set out by our instructor for the group class.

I could use the lightest weights that were ALREADY placed there for the group class INSTEAD of locating even lighter ones!

My muscles were growing, and that’s why I was there! My ego was growing, too! “Look how strong I am getting!” I thought proudly, appreciating my thin little arms with increasing pride.

At the end of the class, as we were putting the weights away, I wiped my brow after picking up and putting away a hefty 10-pound weight.

And that’s when my mouth fell open.

I tried to keep it closed, but I would need both hands to do so, and I didn’t want to drop the weight I was carrying on my foot.

That older woman was carrying 50-pound weights in EACH arm as she helped re-stack the weights.

(!)

I instantly remembered the stories relatives told me of my strapping great-uncle. He was over 6 feet tall, built like a farmer (He was a farmer!) and threw 100-pound sacks of potatoes. “Wow!” I had thought, the day I heard this story.

That same day, I played another game of Candy Crush on my iPad while finishing my ice cream bowl, hoping I could be strong like that!

And so, this year, I joined a gym and began pumping 5-pound weights with full energy and gusto! “Wha-hooo!” I thought, imagining myself pumping 6-pound weights in another six months or so and maybe eventually moving up to 10 pounds in EACH ARM one day!

It turned out that my vision was too small.

Like in a lot of areas of life, during various seasons.

Like for many of us.

How is your vision for who you are becoming, friend?

And so, why should we go to the gym if it’s not solely to work out?

We place ourselves next to others who have a vision for themselves that is greater than the vision we have for ourselves. And seeing another get stronger helps me to have faith that one day, with patience and persistence, I can get a bit stronger, too. Stronger than I ever thought I could be, actually.

Am I willing to pay the price of a bit of sweat?

“One of the standards we ask of our male patients is that they can carry half their body weight in each hand (so full body weight in total) for at least one minute, and for our female patients, we push for 75 percent of that weight.”

Outlive by Peter Attia, MD (Chapter 12)

This goal is not only for the 0.00001% elite but is something that antiaging physicians like Peter Attia recommend that ALL of us who can (barring injuries and ill health) strive to work towards.

I didn’t even know this was possible for someone my age.

And on a not unrelated theme, who do you know, friend, who:

– Seeks to listen to the whispers from God,

– Obeys and is following Him on a journey of adventure,

– Is not (always) a jerk?

Are you willing to pay the price of their lunch? Can you meet with them to have your vision expanded as you listen to them for what is spiritually possible in your life, too?

bird on water falls
man standing in front of LED bulbs

May you become all that God intended for you, friend.

As the song below plays, consider asking God, can you please recall to my mind or introduce me to someone with an inspiring spiritual vision for their life? What nudges do you sense from God, friend?

You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.

The Message

Image Credits: Woman kneeling beside man by by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash, Bird soaring by by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash, Tough guy by Xenia Bogarova on Unsplash.

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There Is A New “About” Page Today

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
grayscale photo of boy in black button-up cardigan and shorts

It’s “combed hair and a clean outfit day” on Restoring Life!

I updated the Restoring Life “Description”, which is located HERE.

The fresh “About” page is located HERE.

The new “About” page is actually an old “About” page I am putting back in place after a time.

  • Summary of first “About” page = I have no idea what I’m writing about!
  • Summary of second “About” page = I know what I’m saying and why!

The first page, updated HERE, seems to “Fit” better, like a comfortable old shirt, instead of starched slacks.

(What IS starching anyway? And what exactly ARE slacks?) Whatever.

Here is a quote that seems to summarize the essence of Restoring Life’s new “About” page and “Description”:

By an act of faith, [he] said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place . . . When he left he had no idea where he was going.

The Message

I hope you have fun travelling your life adventure and that you have no idea where you’re going, too!

That’s the funnest way to travel!

And now you know something else about me!

(Or at least, you know more stuff about me that I don’t know, either. Whatever! Same thing!)

Please feel free to return the favour and share something fun about yourself or your journey related to this newsletter in the comments or notes section.

It’s an honor to fly with you, friend.

Thank you for liking me! I like you, too!

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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How To Remember You’re Lost So You Can Find The One Thing You Actually Need

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
woman sitting on land

Last time, we talked about offering to God those hints of angst that have no words.

For example, while floating in the hot springs pool and minding my own business, I randomly asked God the meaning of life.

“What did it all mean, God?” I found my soul exclaiming, revealing the angst within, if only to my thoughts and to God.

I got no answer.

So, I kept floating and enjoying my life and my family. I forgot I had even asked the question. But I received my answer later that night.

That night, when it was dark, I found myself floating on my back outside in that lonely hot springs pool. As I floated, my eyes gazed heavenward at the wondrous starry display above me. It was calm and quiet, and I was floating – Who knows where?

I found I was wondering if this floating feeling:

  • this slightly disembodied feeling of resting on the water,
  • this wandering feeling of the wind moving me somewhere (Where?),
  • this wondrous, expansive feeling of the starry night just above me . . .

. . . if this was – perhaps?- what it would feel like to be close to death, to be in that “not-quite-here” but “not-quite-there-yet” expanse?

I remembered feeling something like this once before when I had nearly finished my degree.

I had to decide WHERE to move to next, to begin my job. I felt like a fish in a directionless fishbowl. Where WOULD I go? And did it matter? Indeed, I could move to the same hometown I grew up in, to my parents, but that wasn’t a given, necessarily, nor even a necessary possibility given employment prospects.

I had no roots to tie me or to pull me.

“Which way do fish in fishbowls travel?” my heart frequently wondered in that season.

Luckily, I married and gravitated to his world, so I didn’t have to think too long of this angst, but that . . . unattached . . . feeling surfaced now and then.

Like all of us, I had been a fish in a fishbowl that generally gravitated toward people I loved. In this way, I was like a small magnet in a fishbowl that would gravitate to a magnet on the side of the bowl. But what if these people are torn from me, like a kid moving out or on, or another relative or friend suddenly moving on or passing on?

Then what?

And that’s when I realized that there is one who is holding me even now, helping me float on my back like my dad did when I was a child. He has always been holding me. Even in the waters of the womb, He held me.

. . you formed me in my mother’s womb . . . Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

The Message

And I suddenly understood what it means to be grounded, to have a foundation.

And the people we gravitate towards?

We are attracted to those we love and those who love us – that’s all.

We receive and give love where we can because we are held in the arms of love.

Love for and from others are magnets that we drift towards.

Your love, God, is the trunk that grounds us.

. . the younger son . . . undisciplined and dissipated . . . had gone through all his money . . . He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. . .”

When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. [His father’s] heart pounding, [his father] ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.

The Message

And your love, pursuing us, holding us as we float through life, is what grounds us like the roots of a great tree.

And so, I felt a little less lost as I dried off and exited the swimming pool that night.

Try it, friend!

I hope you feel lost sometimes, too.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

“How can we remember our ignorance, which our growth requires, when we are using our knowledge all the time?”

Henry David Thoreau

When the lyrics of this song whisper, “You’re the strength to carry on,” how do you feel? Can you express your thoughts to God? (He’s listening.)

Photo credit: Person lost by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

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