This week, the middle school our youngest goes to has different days to dress up. One day was "Character Day". Tuesday was "Camo Day". I think most of the kids love this week of school, but this week stresses me out. 
Forget the fact that you have to buy a few things or that you have to dig up that old camo jacket (hoping it will fit), dress up days create drama in our house and at school too. 

Monday the batman knee boots, emblem necklace and arm cuffs our daughter donned weren't "batman enough" in the eyes of a couple. 

Today was "Twin Day". (A gray hair just sprouted as a I typed those words). Someone asked Rylie to be her twin. Unfortunately, things happen sometimes. The girl changed her mind and said she didn't want to be twins anymore (but then ended up being twins with someone else). 

I get it. I really do. I'm sure there was no ill-will, with all girls, there's just a desire to be twins with the girl you're closest to or your favorite friend.  It's no travesty. 

 Never fear, Rylie asked another girl to be her twin and brought the twin items to school today for the other girl. The other girl wasn't able to make it to school. Rylie was a blue-haired "Thing 1" without a "Thing 2". As expected, she was a little discouraged. 

So I gave her golden words of wisdom that will forever positively influence the way she sees herself and others. 

(Well...I wish I'd done that). 

I told her some psychological mumbo jumbo that 

1. Didn't make her feel any better
2. She probably didn't even listen to
3. That (if taken to heart ) would make her think of herself as better than others. 

Here's what I told her. 

It was fitting that you didn't have a twin today. You're unique. You're extraordinary. No one could ever be like you

Those were flowery words and I partly meant them. The problem is my words weren't well thought out. 

If I'd really thought about it first I would have told her something entirely different. 

What we should really tell our daughters

• Life can be hard. People will intentionally and unintentionally do things that crush us sometimes. No one is exempt from difficulty. 
• You, yourself  (at the least unintentionally) will make someone's day difficult somewhere down the line. Be forgiving now, just as you'll want to be forgiven.
• I hate that you're hurt, but I understand that your hurt.  
• Know that people will make you feel a certain way, but don't let them influence the way you behave and certainly don't let them impact the way you feel about yourself. 
• You are uniquely special, just like everybody else. 
• This too shall pass.

My life just got sweeter. 
I'm not talking about those Granny Smith's I just brought in from the car. Nope. I finally tried the Walmart Grocery app. I'm telling you, it's a life changer. 

I despise grocery shopping. I've mentioned this before. We can be in dire need of food and I'll still put off going. 
Let me say that I LOVE Market Basket. Some of the nicest people to walk the planet work there. Market Basket will always have my business. Sometimes two or more times a week. 

I do, though, try to go to a bigger market once or twice a month. I've shopped at HEB and Walmart. Both frustrate me. I come home too tired to put my groceries up, much less cook.  

Not today. This grocery app not only made grocery shopping a cinch, it's ease left me with enough energy to unload AND put up the groceries. I even had enough enthusiasm leftover to rearrange my pantry shelves. Scouts honor. See? Look. 

Here's what the new grocery app will save me from:

• Impulse buys -I have a terrible problem with seeing things like a jar of maraschino cherries or a can of chipotle sauce thinking that I need them. I don't know when I need them or what I need them for, but I still buy them. There they are on my shelf. While shopping online, you're able to type in the items you're searching for without scrumptious distractions. 

• Ridiculous circling -It doesn't matter if I have a list, I'll still always forget something like hamburger buns when I'm back at the front of the store. I have no method, just madness.  Even when I've tried to compartmentalize my grocery list by sections of the store, I end up zizzing around like a fly with no sense of smell. Can't do it. I've tried. I'd probably get a good workout except that my motion is constantly being halted by the people I talk about in the next bullet. 

• Shoppers who don't follow supermarket traffic rules- I love people. I do not love it when people park their cart in the middle of the aisle while they're studying the mayonnaises. Further, I lose my patience when shoppers park their carts parallel to one another so that no one can get through while they're looking at their list or while they catch up with that friend they haven't seen in six months. Two carts parallel-y parked should be illegal. 

Besides hating grocery shopping, I rather dislike trying new things. I tried to grocery shop online a month ago but my plan was thwarted when Walmart showed that I already had an account with them (probably through the photo place there), but I couldn't remember my password. It took me until yesterday to find the gumption again to try. I created a different account and now my cupboard, my fridge and my heart are all full. 
Here's how you do it:

Download the Walmart Grocery app on your smart phone or mobile device. (Shown above)

Make your grocery list. (Most of you don't need this step listed. I included it for those of you who would get so excited that you would order half the ingredients for twenty meals. It happens with some of us.) 

Click on your app to create an account. You'll give them an email address and create a password. You'll then be asked to type in information like your name, address, and a phone number. You'll choose the Walmart location you choose to use. It will show the closest location according to your address. 

You can start shopping. There will be search bar where you can type in the item you want. You click on the brand name and size that you want. For example: 

After purchasing all of your items online. You will be asked to complete the transaction by giving your credit card information and choosing a time for pickup. When ordering a certain amount of hours ahead of time, your grocery pick up is free. 

You will receive a call from the store when your groceries are ready for pick up. 

Drive to your store. The pickup spots are located on the left side of Walmart when you are facing the store's front. They also have nice orange arrows saying "grocery pickup" that guide you. 

Pull into your spot. Call back the Walmart number that you received your call from. Tell them what grocery pick up spit you're parked in. They'll be out in within minutes with your groceries. They will load them for you. 

I didn't order easy stuff. I was satisfied with my order. I did order four avocados. One was green, but I'll be using that one later this week anyway. So thinking of those kinds of things would be helpful. I also ordered fresh meat and cheese from the deli. They were out of sharp cheddar, but substituted smoked cheddar. I was fine with that. 

You can tell them I sent you by using the promo code here. 

http://r.wmt.co/ex6Zm

You'll save me ten bucks and save your sanity. 

I don't have one iota of obsession or compulsion in me. I'm not a neat freak. I don't care how the eggs are lined up in the egg crate contrary to the Facebook quiz that gives egg line-up options. 

I have an affinity for Dr. Pepper but I wouldn't say I have an obsession. I can drink a Coke just as easy. Off-kilter pictures hanging on the wall or unstraightened rug fringe doesnt bother me either. I'm not even concerned that my ear holes aren't balanced. My right earring always hangs just a little lower than my left. 

I'm cool with that. 

But for some reason I'm compulsive about the bat boots I'm wearing.

It's "Drug Awareness" week. Today is Superhero day at Helena Park. Not wanting to buy a costume or even a new tshirt, I scavenged the girls' drawers for something to wear.

 Lucky for me, I found a crumpled-up batman shirt. I wish it fit better. Batman has no time for shirt tugging. 

To offset my ill-fitting shirt I borrowed the new bat "boot covers"  I bought our youngest for her Halloween costume.  They're a nice stretchy material and fit over my jeans. 

Still, they're not all that nice. They  don't cover my shoes like they're supposed to. They keep scootching up revealing my old non-batman sneakers underneath. 

I applied a large amount of doubled-up packing tape to my shoes in an attempt to hold the boot covers properly in place. It's not working and now I make a crinkling sound when I walk. 

I don't feel like Batman. 

I can't wait to take this stuff off. All the other teachers are wearing cute capes. Why didn't I wear a cape?

My bat boots aren't the only thing I feel uncomfortable in.

I'm uncomfortable with my inability to properly check off enough boxes on my to-do list. I'm not comfortable with my attitude when plans go awry. I still find myself battling vanity and the age-old sin of comparison. 

The closest thing I have to an obsession is my chronic focus on my inadequacy. 

I need a better covering. 

Too often (when I'm not Batman) I'm Eve. (You know, that other improperly covered character). Like Eve, I'm fully aware of my, so to speak, nakedness. And also like Eve, I either hide or try to fashion my own covering.  

Trying to be who I'm purposed to be in my own strength is about as ridiculous as trying to make clothes out of fig leaves. 

Why didn't she trust that she was  enough just as she was? Did she hear God say that what He'd made was very good?

Didn't she know she had everything she'd ever need at her disposal? Her life wasn't lacking in terms of what she needed. 

She really didn't need that forbidden fruit. (Yes I know. I would've accepted the serpent's offer too. In fact I have a problem of listening to his lies). 

Why did she hide? Didn't she know God knew? Why not just confess her mess-up to her maker? 

And when she realized she was still uncovered, hidden there amongst the brush , did she really think those crafty fig leaves would do the trick? 

I'm just as bad. 

I continually try to be who I think I should be in my own strength and in my own ingenuity disregarding the beauty that I'm made with a better and more easily-achieved purpose. 

I'm made to love my creator...and to be  loved by my creator. 

How about you? 

Can we just take the boots off?

Can we just take the gloves off and stop fighting the battle of inadequacy on our own? 

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit..

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long...

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin...

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance...

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you...

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

 Psalm 32

And God's people said...

I'm on to my kids. I may not be able to hear a question they ask me standing a foot away, but I can hear the fridge door open and close when someone's trying to sneak cookie dough. I usually know too when there's something they're not telling me. And thanks to the online Parent Portal, I can know my kids' grades with the click of a few buttons. 

It's so annoying. 

When Hayden was in high school I checked it like I check my kids when they have fever; over and over as if my tenacity would cause an instant and dramatic improvement.  There were always at least several bad grades between the three kids and they always had an explanation.  Constantly checking grades to try to avoid or remedy bad ones, stressed me out. So I stressed them out. 

Poor Hayden. Being the firstborn, he's been my parenting guinea pig. I call him Experiment 627 (He's named after the famous Disney alien character Stitch who was referred to as "Experiment 626"). I tried a variety of bad grade discipline measures on him. 

• The Guilting/Shame Technique (I can go for hours. Though I'm excellent at it,  it wears out the whole family and is ineffective 
• The Terrorizing Technique- This is an offshoot of the "I brought you into the world and I can take you out" brand of discipline. It's the "I'll make your life miserable" way of saying your grades better come up. 
• The Reward Technique- Only after we were desperate, did we join the ranks of parents who told their children that their education was their job. We offered to pay him for good grades. This was one of the more effective strategies, but still,... it didn't help that much. 
• The Punishment Technique- This is where we would ground him for bad grades. We'd take his phone away which probably would have worked except for two things-

1. I couldn't stalk him on the "Find your iPhone" app if he didn't have his phone. 

2. I've never been that good at sticking with long term punishment. 

I could have just grounded him to where he had to stay at home, but strangely, that guy likes to stay home. 

The kids grades haven't been that terrible really. I think about how my grief could have been better expended on disciplining them for episodes where they displayed a lack of character than for mediocre grades. 

I'll tell you (like most parents would)  that my kids are at least average in intelligence. Hallie is a sophomore this year. Like Hayden, she's no overachiever. "B's are great. Who needs an "A" when making a "B" is so much easier?" They have a tendency to be under-concerned about their grades. 

I'm trying something new. 

I'm turning my back on kids.

 (Kind of).  

With Hallie, and to a lesser extent with Rylie, I'm trying a new technique. I like to call it "The Blind-Eye Technique". It's a technique that has been born out of frustration and exhaustion by my bearing the undue burden of their grades.  This first six weeks I've rarely asked Hallie what grades she's making and I've only checked grades online maybe two or three times. 

If she knows she has a "C" in a certain class, she's been instructed to go to tutoring until the grade is brought up. That's it. I drop that hot cake in her lap. I've rarely asked about her grades this six weeks. It's up to her to know what her grade is. It's her responsibility to bring the grade up, not mine (by use of the unaffective, above mentioned techniques. It's on her to let me know when her grade has been brought up. 

In their defense, they've both taken  Pre-Ap classes that I never took. I made a handful of"C's" back in the day in classes that weren't advanced. So a little grace on my part is probably merited. 

It's just that with "Blind Eye" technique they learn that improving a bad grade is up to them. My kids can hopefully gain responsibility through knowing that the longer a bad grade goes unnoticed, the more effort that will be required to fix it.  

What about the days they're having to sit in tutoring because their bad grade was due to negligence and not a misunderstanding of a concept? (You know, when they have to sit in tutoring with nothing to do?) That's ok too. Sometimes silence and boredom are louder than my bad grade speeches. 

Six week report cards come out today. What grade will the "Blind Eye" technique make? 

One more thing. I'm thankful that Parent Portal is there when I want to know my kids grades (and when I want a reason to be crazy). 

I remember vividly a day during school recess when I was about seven. Someone had broken my paper-thin heart and I was in tears. Not wanting anyone to know, I curled myself up like a cat and hid inside a tractor tire that was partially buried on the playground. Thankfully, a friend a year older than myself talked me into coming out. 
Have you ever been good at hiding? 

I'm not just talking about when you were little. What about now?

Do you hide from your past? From responsibility? From perceived danger? Do you hide for fear of failure? 

Moses spent part of his life in hiding. It wasn't his fault to begin with. Because of an order given by Pharaoh to kill all born males, his mother hid him for three months at which point "she could hide him no longer" (Exodus 2:3). 

We know she then placed him in a basket where he was retrieved by attendants of Pharaoh's daughter. Moses, soon after, became her son. 

It's years later, when Moses is grown, that we find him hiding again. This happens on the tail of Moses seeing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. 

Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Ex. 2:12)

The next day Moses is found out and naturally he's fearful. Pharaoh has heard the news and wants Moses dead. Moses flees, seeking security, and ends up in Midian. 

You know this story. He marries Zipporah. They have a son which Moses names Gershom. He then comments "I have become an alien in a foreign land" (Ch 2:27). He intentionally geographically "settles in" where he says he doesn't belong. Kind of sounds like hiding doesn't it?

A long time passes. The Israelites are groaning in enslavement while Moses is still in Midian tending to his father-in-law's flock. One day as he and his flock approach Mt Horeb (the mountain of God), we recall that famous "burning bush". Within it was an angel who appeared to Moses in flames of fire. 

Moses, in curiosity it seems, approaches the bush so as to see why it isn't burning up. 

The Lord then calls him by name twice and Moses answers "Here I am" (By the way, this is the complete opposite of hiding). God tells him to stop where he is and take off his shoes. He tells Moses that he stands on holy ground and then proceeds to explain "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" (v. 6). 

Remember what Moses does next? 

He hides again covering his face. Only this time he doesn't escape to a covert place. He's simply too scared to look upon the glory of God. 

God explains the situation in Egypt and commissions Moses to bring the Israelites out. 

You would expect Moses to hide at this point, being that he's so good at it. But he doesn't. 

He DOES bring up his inadequacy in speaking and seems to argue with God for a spell. Even after God promises his presence, Moses begs "Please send someone else to do it" (Ch 4:13). 

But he doesn't hide. This is a turning point. 

Focusing on what we know about God, one might think Moses' "Yes! I'll do it" should have been uncomplicated. However, Moses in his humanity has a lot of "buts".

 "But I hate public speaking... But why do you want me to do this when Pharoah isn't going to listen anyway?" 

Moses knew beforehand that Pharaoh wouldn't respond accordingly to his "Let God's people go" speech. God told him that Pharaoh wasn't going to listen. He also hadn't forgotten the bad terms upon which he left Egypt years ago. 

Did Moses exemplify courage under fire?

No matter how afraid and opposed Moses was to the idea of this "free the people plan" (starring "inadequate him"), he obeyed. Moses may have covered his face in fear, but at the same time he faced God. 

He persistently and courageously obeyed. 

With "faltering lips" and Pharaoh's lack of cooperation, and ultimately Pharaoh's threat, Moses (along with Aaron)...
 "did just as the LORD commanded". 

(Upon reading Ch. 7 in Exodus, you'll find this phrase used four times! May we be so obedient.)

God, faithful to his promises, stayed with Moses. He lead his people out of bondage using fire at night to give them light. That same light that guides and protects is ours. His holy fire is our courage. 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

What enemy fire are you hiding from in fear? 

The name Moses comes from the Hebrew verb "to draw out". God is drawing us out of our hiding place for a greater rescue. What has God already rescued you from?

What is God calling you, to have courage to do now? Are you arguing with him?

Are you facing the fire that seeks to destroy you, with God's fire (a fire that refines you)? Moses approached the burning bush. How do you seek God's holy fire? 

Through obedience, a people was saved, Moses' character was refined, and God's due glory was given. 

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God and I will praise him... The Lord is a warrior. Exodus 15:2-3

God please help us to come out of hiding to obey. Help us to keep saying "yes" even when we're afraid. Help us to remember that you are our hiding place as we face the fiery darts of the enemy. May we trust you to strengthen us for the task. You desire to refine our character. May we give you glory before we see the results. May we never be forgetful of your work and your power to save us. Amen. 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

It's a beautiful morning. The weather is finally getting its act together and there were no major catastrophes at the Burden house this hump day. Even better, I watched as hundreds of kids gathered around the flag pole this morning at CO Wilson Middle School. 

Today is "See You at the Pole", a student-led event that began in 1990 with a small group of students burdened for their classmates and community. By 1998 over 3 million students were attending nationwide in collective prayer. 

Our youngest, Rylie, usually gets up at 5:00 in the morning. Today she was up at four-something. She lives for the social scene and she's yet to hide her light "under a bushel".  She gets her extroverted nature from me and her exuberance from her dad. I say I'm an awkward extrovert and Jason's a gregarious introvert. Rylie seemed to get the best of that combo. I hope the teenage years don't steal her style.  

There were a few years that my two older wouldn't have gone if I hadn't strongly encouraged them to go. I remember being frustrated. Honestly, I try to think how eager I would have been as a teenager to stand around a pole and sing worship songs. It probably would have depended on the eagerness of my friends.  For those  years that my kids weren't that excited, their obedience (with or without a smile) had to suffice. 

Rylie and I got to the school this morning a few minutes before seven. Fifty, or so, kids had already shown up, some with their parents, some alone. A few of them may have gotten up before the crack of dawn. Still others trickled in closer to 7:30. 

Some sang with their eyes closed. Others, I believe showed up because they saw a friend in the crowd or just to see what was going on. Some didn't sing. A few still looked half asleep. 

But here's the thing I'm still learning. 

Though this event was revealed through a small group of kids twenty six years ago , See You at the Pole was (and is) a God hatched plan. Thankfully there are a lot of faithful students showing up and even leading. There are countless adults behind the scene planning and inspiring (and can I be so bold to say a few are even coercing) their kids to be a part of something so important. But it's truly God that's at work. 

He's at work in the eager. He's at work in the hesitantly obedient. His plan includes the ones who were brought (willing or unwilling) by their parents this morning. His good plan involves the ones who instead slept in, as well as the professed nonbelievers. It extends to the disinterested adults who may have driven by in their cars this morning on their way to work. 

We've much to be excited about. The sun rose this morning with bright rays of hope. 

Regardless of what the news says, or who our choices are for president, regardless of the current lack of spiritual fervor that may exist in your teenager (or the same lack that exists in the general public), God is doing something that's very old. He's doing something new. 

OPEN your eyes. 

And pray. 

Rylie woke up the other morning with her tooth still under her pillow, no cash and lies coming from her parents. 

She'd lost a tooth the night before, about twelve minutes after bedtime. Exhausted, I went to bed the same time she did, texting the less-skilled toothfairy, who was still downstairs watching football, to fill in for me.  I was still awake when he slipped some cash under her pillow. 

He successfully put the money where it went, but couldn't find the tooth she'd placed in a ziplock baggy. I knew there would be questions at breakfast but I was too tired to do anything about it. 

Questions did come. She found her tooth, but didn't find the money. It had fallen behind her bed. One problem was solved, but we've still got problems. 

I was inwardly secretly hoping that she might figure out (or admit she already knows) the tooth fairy (and The Elf on the Shelf) isn't real and we can quit these shenanigans. She's 5'3. Believing in magic is getting a little weird. 

Enchanted beings aren't the only things I've lied to my kids about. Now that I think about it, fibs for fun are outnumbered by convenient fibs; the ones I tell my kids to try teach them important truths. 

Here are some other well-meaning fibs I've been known to tell. 

• It's not your grades that matter. 

I've said this to each of my kids. These very words are typically coming out of my mouth when they're getting a lecture about a low grade. "It's not the grade I care about, it's what the grade reveals about your lack of effort, preparation or understanding." (I thought that was pretty smart). But we all know that's hogwash. The grade is important. Bad grades matter just like good grades do. I hang Rylie's spelling paper on the fridge because I like the look of a one hundred written in red not just because she wrote ten words correct. Grades get you into (and keep you out of) organizations and, later, schools. They gain (and lose) you opportunities. Yes, what the grade tells us about mastering of concepts (or the lack thereof) is most important, but the grade is important too. 

• You're fine. 

I said this to my middle when she got some discouraging news this week. I looked her right in her tear-brimmed eyes and told her she was fine. Clearly she wasn't. She and I both knew that. What I was attempting to do was convince her to be fine. Sometimes, I'm not fine. I'm out of sorts, discouraged or angry. What I keep in mind for myself, and what I need to better remember to offer my kids (and others having a rough time) is a message that says, "I know you're not feeling ok now, but things will be ok. You WILL be ok."

This too shall pass.

• "Things" aren't important. 

I tell them this, but they know I'm lying when I start huffing because there are no Dr Peppers in the fridge and I lose my cool when they get a stain on my shirt that they borrowed. The whole "things aren't important" message is complicated. I try to teach them to take care of things they have. I guess it's when they assign too much value to a thing that I remind them "things aren't important".  Maybe this is it. 

Taking care of things is important. (That's how you learn responsibility). 

Appreciating what you have is important. (That's gratitude). 

But don't place too much value on things and NEVER value a thing over a person. 

• It doesn't matter what people think. 

This statement has been buried in numerous pep talks. Whether my kids were excluded from a group, made fun of for their weight, or stereotyped as a preacher's kid, I've reminded them that they're so much more than how a person (or few people) makes them feel. Truth is, it does matter to them what people think. My saying "it doesn't matter" is the height of hypocrisy. I live and breathe seeking approval. 

I guess one question should be, is what that person is thinking, helpful? I've had a few people tell me I walk too fast; to slow down. I thought about what they were saying. They were right. There's no telling how many people I pass without acknowledging because I'm too interested in quickly getting from point A to point C. I'm missing point B. Point B is important. What those people thought, and shared had value. 

If what a person says or thinks of us isn't helpful or true, our objective should be to make their unfair thoughts as insignificant as possible. This is achieved by focusing on what God has to say about us. 

• How you look isn't important 

I wish I cared less. Sometimes I wish my kids cared more like the times my middle schooler tries to wear a snug pink shirt and red shorts. Our closets wouldn't be so full if it didn't matter how we look. The Huffington Post reported that women spend $426 billion a year on beauty products. 

When I tell my kids how they look isn't important, I'm missing the true message. Dressing appropriately matters. Dressing up can be fun and can give us a confidence boost . Looking nice does influence another's opinion of you, especially initially. Maybe it's this.  How we look shouldn't be as important as it is. Character is what really matters. 

• Your dad and I always want what's best for you. 

Mostly true. We do want what's best for you, but sometimes we settle for less. I confess that sometimes we want what's easiest. We want you to watch a show upstairs and then watch another one without coming downstairs and making us listen to a synopsis of what the mean contestant did on that episode of "The Next Great Baker". 

We want peace, even if means not yet confronting some problem that's festering. Sometimes we want what's best for you, tomorrow. 

We want you to be happy. Too many times I've tried to fix things through retail therapy. Maybe being happy isn't always what's best for you. Just maybe there's a time to be broken. 

We mistakenly focus on what seems best for now because it's what's easiest. We ignore the bigger picture. 
I'm probably going to have to have the toothfairy talk at some point this week, even though she surely already knows. She knows the truth and I know the truth just like we both know, that regardless of what I say, her grades matter. Sunday, the tooth came out.  Maybe today, the truth comes out...help.  

The shortest road isn't always the best road. Neither is the easiest road the one we should always take. Often the long, hard road is the one from which we emerge different, better. 

My dad and brother have been notorious for taking the "scenic route" which translates as "the trip that takes two hours longer than if you had taken the direct route". 

This has especially been the case when we were in Colorado on vacation. I suspect their alternate path is chosen not because they enjoy making more miles, but because there are more mule deer and elk on the longer trip. Simply put, they believe the longer path is more beautiful...That it has more to offer. 

Too bad that on those trips I'd often get bored, or worse, carsick. The routes we took were also usually without a place to go to the bathroom. Might I also mention that their preferred routes also involved creepy one-car dirt paths that slithered up the mountain. As far as I could tell, on one side (six feet away) there was the side of a mountain. On the other side was a cliff; a death view. 

The reason the travels of my growing up have crossed my mind is because two curious verses caught my attention in Exodus last week. 

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. Exodus 13

How in the world have I missed this? 

So you're telling me that a large caravan of tired people on foot being chased by angry men with chariots (600 of the best chariots) were led intentionally on the long escape route? It's a little hard to understand. 

And on the desert road? That just sounds needlessly uncomfortable. 

Not only that, but was there a route that avoided the sea for a group of people without boat tickets? (...God led the people...toward the Red Sea). I wonder if they knew (or even if Moses knew) they were taking the long route? What were they thinking when they approached the sea. Humanly speaking, I can't think of a situation where someone was more "up creek without a paddle". 

Maybe I've always glossed over this part because I knew the short version via flannel graph where Moses leads the Israelites away from Egypt and to the Red Sea where he holds up his hand and the waters part killing the enemy. 

We're familiar with the Isrealites and their time in slavery and we know the climax where the divided waters allow them pass through, but I think there's something important to be gained in the part where we learn true escape isn't simple. 

It was hard to get out of Egypt in the first place. But then they had to take the long, terrifying route. 

Why would God plan that? (It was indeed his plan). 

Because he knew that if he didn't lead them on this particular path, they would return to the bondage that they had just gotten out of. 

He purposely didn't lead them through the Philistine country, remarking in verse 17 

"If (in Philistine country) they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt". 

God, in his omniscience, knew that the short escape might lead them right back to where the came from. 

Near the sea, the Israelites doubt  God and announce their preference of being in slavery versus the long, terrifying road leading away from it (Exodus 14: 10-12). 

Aren't we like that? Sometimes, in fear and fatigue, we prefer bondage. 

God responds with one of my favorite verses. 

The LORD will fight for you; you only need to be still. Exodus 14:14

What are you in bondage to?

Are you trusting God to lead you out of it even though the road seems long and hard? 

God isn't interested in the short escape; just getting away. (Think of all things we escape and then go right back to.) He's more interested in deliverance. 

Whatever long road you believe God has you journeying away from chains, trust him. It's not just about escape. God crushes the enemy. God delivers. 

I used the word "dumb" a lot yesterday. Like, a whole lot. I have a mental list of grievances that occurred. The list sounded something like "doctor's office..dumb...Pinterest..dumb...drivers..dummies...doctor's office hasn't called back..dumb..news...dumb"...

Today's revelation is that my attitude is in need of some reminders that come from my favorite chapter in the bible, Philippians 4.  

I once tried to memorize the whole chapter. It's seven paragraphs.  I've read them enough that all the words are familiar, but I wasn't successful. 

Then I attempted to memorize verse eight in my desire to be a more content "not dumb focused" person. 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

It isn't that long. I had it memorized at one time, but some other (probably useless) information slipped into its place. I had an acronym to help me remember  those things which I was to "think on"...things that are

True

Noble

Right

Pure

Lovely

Admirable

Excellent or Praiseworthy

I can easily come up with another acronym to help me hold tight to these eight words that provide proper perspective and give God his due glory. And I probably will. But today a new, a much shorter phrase in chapter 4 is being repeated like grace heartbeat. 

I have learned to be content. 

...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippians 4:11

This half a verse isn't necessarily full of beautiful language or a fiery pep talk, but it speaks a simple truth I needed to be reminded of. 

Contentment isn't an easily mastered way of life. It isn't achieved through simple memorization. We're a complaining people. Grumbling is our default. 

Yesterday I had to coach myself not to abuse my kids with my crankiness. So I stayed pretty quiet. To my shock and amazement, one of my own offspring bragged about how blessed her life is. On a Monday afternoon, mind you, she went straight to her room, did her homework, cleaned her closet (you'd have to see her closet), and bagged up her old clothes for donation. Another one of my kids followed her lead. And yet another kid, when offered a suggestion about how to be better about cleaning his space EVERY DAY, responded that my request "was totally reasonable". Somebody pinch me. 

One kid shared yesterday that they had been "spiritually enlightened" at church the day before and all three kids jumped in the car with me to take our clothes bags to the donation box. They even agreed to take a selfie with me (which didn't turn out that awesome, but I wasn't going to push my luck asking for multiple pictures). 

I found contentment yesterday, not in anything lovely or admirable I'd done, but in others who have so graciously been put in my life. They don't act that way everyday. Strike that. Yesterday their inspiration and cooperation was like something out of the twilight zone.  

But here's the thing worth reflecting on. 

Contentment is learned by practice. For some of us? Lots of practice. Contentment doesn't come natural, but through a concerted effort of focusing on better perspective. God works with slow learners. 

Contentment is found outside ourself; sometimes outside our circumstance. We find satisfaction and peace through some other soul(s) shining a light on God's goodness. Especially on "dumb" days. 
God's never short on goodness. His goodness surrounds us. He offers us his peace when we are faithful to give thanksgiving in everything through "prayer and petition". 

Paul tells us in Philippians 4 that "he has learned" to be content. I have learned to be content too.   I'm just still learning how to be good at it.