Tag Archives: gods gilries

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You've heard it said, "I took the road less-traveled".   The bold traveler choosing it's path must be up for adventure.  The one on the road less-traveled seizes newness and finds opportunity for growth.  There's often glory found on the road less-traveled.

You don't hear so much about the road much-traveled.

Some would say that the road that's traveled everyday is a road with lined with ruts. It's a  path of drudgery. It might be said that the road much-traveled lacks luster in its old, familiar path.photo (7)

Maybe.

I say the road much-traveled, when well-traveled, is faithful.

It's surely a road you travel in prayer.

Maybe you've prayed for a devastated friend for weeks; "Lord, help her get up in the morning.  Help her rest.  Help her know you're near."  Your words, tired-sounding, come out nearly just the same on Friday as they did on Tuesday, but they're sincere.

A prayer may be long spoken for your children.  Just like yesterday, and years before, you pray that your children would grow in their love for God.  Your prayer firm, you ask again and again that he would draw them near.

Like an unrelenting child you pray for help, for those things with which you struggle, fear or a bad attitude.  You pray honestly that God would help you to be unselfish and that you're love for His word would grow.

Keep walking your prayer road.  Be thankful when its scenery is beautiful evidence of answered prayer. And be hopeful for those things which are yet to be seen.

Walk the road of prayer even when you don't feel faithful, for its destination is better than what we presently see.

Whether I run, or slow to a crawl, I will carry on down this well-traveled path knowing-

....your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. Psalm 26:3

 

 

 

 

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I steer clear of the self check-out aisles.  I think I tried them twice. I had to try and scan each item like fifty times because the bar code wasn't being recognized. Both times that I attempted to self check out, the "dummy light" came on alerting a sales clerk to come to my assistance.

The lyrics of a rap song, which I found on google, says "You better check yo self before you wreck yo self".  That's a good word Ice Cube.

check

This picture really has nothing to do with my post, but I've been dying to use it.

I... Cannot always check myself out.
I typically need assistance.

This doesn't only apply to my shopping at WalMart. As I pushed my cart toward the exit this morning thinking about the impossibility of self-checking, my mind reeled. I began to think about how we all need assistance when it comes to assessing situations and even life in general.

How am I doing?
How are things going?

My answer is so skewed by my emotions.

Most often, things are less difficult/tragic (life as we know it is over)/maddening....than I feel.

When you need to check yourself, proceed with assistance

Surround yourself with friends; especially the ones who will be honest with you. I appreciate friends who will tell me when they think I'm wrong, or that I'm overreacting.
(It's a bonus when we're eating cake while discussing my frustration, say, .....over swimsuit shopping with my preteen) My sisters, well really, my whole family falls into the friend category.

Husbands are good "keep yourself in-check" partners too. I talk to me husband Jason about everything.  He tells me how he sees things, thankfully gently.  That's why I tell him everything. I trust him.

Something to remember:
Once we were buying a hermit crab. Our oldest daughter Hallie chose one that was isolated in the corner of the aquarium. When Hallie picked it up, it pinched her most horribly. My point?  The crab probably needed to be alone (maybe for a bit). You may need to let your emotions fizzle a bit before your can talk constructively with anyone. Or else find a forgiving friend to pinch.

Your kids will tell you how it really is. My kids tell me when I'm "freaking out".  Hallie told me not long ago that I care too much about what I look like.  They call it to my attention when I'm not really listening to them. I can tell when they're right, which they usually are.

The Bible is the best check yo self checklist; Proverbs in particular. It constantly reminds me to "shut my mouth". It tells me not to despair, "for God is with you".  I'm reminded of the promise that comes in "raising my child up in the way he should go" even if he isn't listening now.

To quote Jason, again, using the same quote I've used before,

"There are no Lone Ranger Christians".

You can visit the self check out aisle, but don't forget those who are there for you BEFORE the dummy light comes on.

Aren't we thankful that God graces us with loved ones and loving words?

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And a thought on how to live a more fragrant life

I found a surprise in my purse today.  I was about do some training at one of our school campus libraries and I really didn't know anyone.  Out of sheer boredom I started searching my purse, unzipping each compartment taking inventory.  As I unzipped the front right pocket a pair of women's khaki socks peeked out.

I'd like to say they were fresh, new socks but that would be a lie. To fill you in on how the socks came to be there, we'd have to go back to the first week of March.

I had flown to Seattle to serve as a reinforcement to help my sweet sis-n-law who had been getting treatment for an illness.  I don't typically wear socks (I've mentioned before, I'm a flip-flop girl.)

But Ann had warned me that it would be cold.  So I packed the few pair of socks I owned. The first few days I was there I wore the khaki socks around Ann's house.

Saturday morning Ann's family had graciously offered to take me to see the sights.  As everyone was getting in the car I noticed my well-worn khaki socks were sliding down to my ankles beneath my boots. Unwilling to suffer sock discomfort I raced inside to get an extra pair of socks which I changed in the car.  Where else to place the down-sliding socks except for in my purse?

In addition to gently-used, slightly odorous socks which are still in my purse this very moment, I have other stink in my life.  There are those things, in all of our lives I suppose, which are malodorous, unprofitable and cumbersome, yet we carry those things around.Seems like craziness, but here are some reasons...

Why I Hold on to the Stink:

1. I forget about it. I hate it when my kids use this excuse, but sometimes I just forget.  I forgot the socks were in my purse.

2. I'm going to take care of it later.  I actually found the socks a couple of weeks ago in my purse.  I was probably somewhere public when I found them and told myself I would take them out later......  But they're still there.

3.I'm oblivious. I've had stink in my life that I've been completely unaware of.  Then my daughter tells me I need therapy to help me with my "freaking out".  That's stink that I didn't even smell.  No telling what stink I have in my life right now that I don't even know about.

4. We're Hoarders. Don't tell me you haven't seen the show. We probably all suffer from a degree of some type of accumulation syndrome; maybe it's stuff in your purse or maybe you hold on to worry.

5.Sometimes stink doesn't stink to me at all. Let me explain.  Socks pretty much always stink, but there's some kinds of stink that, strangely, we like.  I like having new things; I especially like new shirts.  I can't go into Target without looking in the clothes section.  Having a persistent desire for "things" and thinking those things fill me.... is stink.  But I like it.

I carry with me a lot of stuff;  unnecessary stuff, burdensome stuff. What if I took the time every day to do a little searching for that which I need to rid myself of?  -Maybe a little listening to those who love me or the one who knows me best? "You don't need that", they'd say.  I wonder if my daily offering might be a little more fragrant....without the stink.

(Attention Mom.  The khaki socks are yours.  I borrowed them at Christmas.  So I not only have a problem holding on to my things that I don't need.  I also have a problem holding on to other people's things.  But that's for another post...)