Thursday, February 21, 2008

Pain Again

Obviously I am working with a theme here. I had this idea about pain, again. What started me thinking about this was a documentary I saw about this woman who gave birth naturally, to twins, in her home, without pain meds and the second baby was breach! Needless to say, it was quite intense! But what she said was interesting. She said that she knew she did not have time to get to a hospital with the second baby and there was not a whole lot she could do, except she had to calm herself to keep her heart rate down so that the baby would not be in distress. She said she just went with the pain. Wow! This concept of embracing the pain is beautifully illustrated in labor. Women embrace the pain because they know the beauty that is theirs to hold at the end of their arduous ordeal. If the pain was ignored or prevented, there would be death to the mother and/or child. It is truly the most beautiful pain!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Pain & Joy

I have often thought that when one avoids pain, joy is avoided as well. Almost as if they were two sides of the same coin. How can you truly experience joy unless you have experienced pain? I don't see how the two can be divided.

When you do everything you can to numb yourself to pain, there is no other option than to numb yourself to the good things in life also. The problem is that numb-ers don't see what they are missing because they have lost sensation.

It is a paradox, joy equals pain and pain equals joy.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Struggle with Pain

I have always seen the world a little bit different than the average person. I struggle with this, because not many people can handle me (not sure if that is the right word or not). I see life as an experience not to be missed. Unfortunately, life includes the good as well as the bad. And here is where I differ with the average joe. I don't see pain (ie, conflict, struggle, doubt,whatever word you want to put on it) as a bad thing to be avoided. I see it as something to be embraced. Not to run toward. But when it comes my way, to gently embrace it. I see pain as a soft mist that must pass through me. And when it does it creates something in me that is beautiful.

So often our culture does everything we can to avoid any semblance of pain. I became completely aware of this when I had my first miscarriage two years ago. At my two week check up, I was a little tearful. Two people close to me had just had their babies and I was reminded of my empty womb at the doctors office. The doctor said "Here are some drugs, because I don't like to see my patients cry." This comment by the doctor struck me as odd. Why shouldn't I cry over the loss of my child? I wanted to experience this loss, because I new God was in the mist with me. And on the other side was something I needed. At this point I can say the pain was beautiful because I learned another thing about God, as well as myself (not to mention all the beautiful friends that surrounded me!)

The struggle I have is that there are not many people who understand this view of conflict. And so I am left to look like a raging pit bull at the sight of blood. I don't want to say I love conflict, because that sounds a little odd.

When iron sharpens iron, there will be sparks, but the iron will be better in the end.

Monday, February 11, 2008

How bad is that?

This is an actual comment from my child's mouth.

"Man, Chef Boyardee is a master chef!"

How sad is that?

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Not Mine, but I had to share.

You know you are Floridian if...

  • ..Socks are only for bowling.
  • ..You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.
  • ..A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.
  • ..Your winter coat is made of denim.
  • ..You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.
  • ..You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.
  • ..Anything under 70 is chilly.
  • ..You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.
  • ..You could swim before you could read.
  • ..You have to drive north to get to The South.
  • ..You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.
  • ..Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.
  • ..You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.
  • ..You dread love bug season.
  • ..You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne.
  • ..You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.
  • ..You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.
  • ..You were twelve before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.
  • ..'Down South' means Key West
  • ..You think New York drivers licenses should only be valid in New York .
  • ..Flip-flops are everyday wear.
  • ..Shoes are for business meetings and church...but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before
  • ..Sweet tea can be served at any meal.
  • ..An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.
  • ..You smirk when a game show's 'Grand Prize' is a trip or cruise to Florida
  • ..You measure distance in minutes.
  • ..You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.
  • ..You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.
  • ..A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.
  • ..You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.
  • ..You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season ,and summer
  • ..It's not soda, cola, or pop. it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor, 'What kinda coke you want?'
  • ..Anything under 95 is just warm.
  • ..You've hosted a hurricane party.
  • ..You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides. ( Space Mountain during the Electric Light Parade!)
  • ..You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.
  • ..You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee
  • ..You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.
  • ..Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, NASCAR, Go Gators, and a confederate flag.
  • ..You were 5 before you realized they made houses without pools.
  • ..You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.
  • ..You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.
  • ..You recognize Miami-Dade as ' Northern Cuba '

Monday, February 4, 2008

Too Serious

Man I have been way too serious lately. I am way in my head these past few weeks. Hopefully I can find some new material to lighten this up a bit.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Blessings

I have been intrigued by this idea of God's blessing lately. I started this year reading "The Prayer of Jabez". But something new caught my eye as I read again. In the verse it says "Bless me indeed". The word indeed in this verse is the same word for the word bless (barak in Hebrew). So Jabez is asking God to bless him twice. He is in essence begging God to bless him. What an interesting thought.

I don't think our current church culture understands this idea of being blessed by God. We tend to minimized it by associating blessing with being meek or weak in spirit or any of the Beattitudes. (Which, if you are interested, do a New Testament word study on the word blessed. You may surprised at what you find! I know I was!) Or we tend to associate it with greed and material blessings. Are we really that small minded or do we think God is? When in fact blessings are something God asks us to ask him. It is not a negative thing. It is a GOOD thing!

And here I go asking that same question again. Why are we limiting God in our lives? He is saying, 'Here take this good thing (whatever it may be) and do good with it.' The catch is, God is the ultimate gentleman, he won't force anything on us. We must ask him, and maybe even beg him. And then ask him to open your eyes to the blessings around you.