Which was fluffy.
However, there were a few underlinable thoughts:
" Do you let anyone who knocks on your door enter your house? Don't let every thought that surfaces dwell in your mind." (Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Prov 4:23)
"Forgiveness doesn't come overnight. But you can take baby steps in the direction of grace. Forgive in phases. Start praying for him. Or her."
"You will never go where God is not."
"The Lord has assigned to each his task." (I Cor 3:5)
What is yours? What is your unique calling/assignment?
Questions to help:
In what direction has God taken you? Tally up the experiences unique to you. In what culture were you raised? Your past is a significant signpost to your future.... your past is no accident.
What about your burdens? What needs has God revealed to you? Not everyone weeps when you do... not everyone hurts like you do. Heed the hurts of your heart.
What abilities has God given you? What comes easy to you? You excel at something and do so with comparatively little effort. Something comes easy for you - identify it. "Make a careful exploration of who you are." Gal 6:4
Ask God to inject His passion in your day.
Stir spiritual dialogue. At the right time, with the right heart, ask your friends and family, "What do you think happens after we die?" What is your view of God?" Jesus asked "Who do you say I am?" Let's ask those types of questions too.
2. In the News:
There was a massacre in Norway.
And Amy Winehouse died.
My facebook newsfeed was filled with opinions on Amy's death. Very little chatter about the Norway tragedy.
Which, truth be told, I understand.
Amy was a person who sang songs. We knew her voice, listened to her music and allowed her life to intersect with ours. Music touches parts of our souls that normal words can't reach. So when she died, it was a little bit personal. We (those who listened to her music, or who read about her life in People magazine) felt a moment of sadness.
The Norway thing was almost too big and too awful to digest. Unless you knew someone directly affected, or had family in Norway - the awfulness of it didn't necessarily penetrate past our brains. We understood a terrible thing happened, but didn't completely FEEL it. It was a little bit impersonal.
So when I read this facebook status: "The saddest thing in the world right now is not that the massacre happened in Norway, but the fact the people are more concerned that some pop singer died, rather then the Norway massacre." I was discouraged. Who are we to judge what is 'the saddest thing'? Is it because Amy was a drug addict that made her life less worthy of our sadness?
Another facebook status that is all kinds of wrong: "Drum and bass has nothing to do with Amy Winehouse. Except for the fact that overdosing on DnB is much healthier than overdosing on some hardcore drug."LOLOLOL
Now that the surprise of her death has been realized, people are saying she deserved what she got. And are making fun of her...
There is nothing funny about drug addiction. It's a disease and it's heartbreaking. It's an illness that people struggle with daily. There is no cure. Good intentions to 'quit' don't work. No one chooses to become a crack addict.
Addicts need our prayers and support not our scorn or apathy.
If you don't personally know anyone struggling with addiction issues, pray for the folks on Hastings Street. Or pray for Lindsay Lohan...
3. I love the feeling of having every single strand of hair pulled off my face. I have alot of hair so it takes quite a few clips and a heavy duty elastic.
I hate the way I look with no hair framing my face.
I love the feeling of having a squeaky clean face, void of all make up.
I hate the way I look with no products hiding my facial imperfections.
I spent the day in my back yard, enjoying the sun. My hair was pulled back and face was naked.
At 9:30 pm, I went for a walk to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for Drew's lunch tomorrow. Before I left I put on make up. And did my hair. And changed into something clean and flattering. ALL to buy a loaf of bread and some ham.
Do I owe it to onlookers to look presentable? Do I need to maintain a certain level of decorativeness?
I loved what this blogger had to say on this very issue:
You Don't Have to Be Pretty. You don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don't owe it to your mother, you don't owe it to your children, you don't owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked "female".
Preach it sister.
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. Fans.... Best. Invention. Ever.
2. Videos like this one. Oh Crafty Ladies. I love you all.
3.Pics like this. These just make me happy:
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