Lessons Life Has Taught Me

So I like blogging... especially to an empty audience so here goes.

These are the things I've been learning in the past few years:
I've learned these things through being a nanny, through a discipleship program, and through just life.
Some are practical and some are theological.  Thank God for both.
1) Never force a door closed.   No, this is not a life metaphor.  (Though I'm sure someone clever can make it into one.)  This is real talk. If it takes putting your hip into it to get it shut, it will take the same applied effort to get it open later.  It's just not worth it.
2) God loves me. No, really, I mean it.  God REALLY loves me.  You see, (it's about to get theological) Christ covered me with His blood.  He did in on the cross.  Do you believe that God loves Christ?  You best believe it.  God said "This is my BELOVED Son, in whom I am WELL PLEASED."  He loves Him and He is pleased with Him.  He is even claiming Him in public.   And this is good news for us.  As Christians, we are covered by the blood of Christ.  I am all covered up in Christ.  God looks at me and sees Christ, in me and through my life.  God sees the righteousness of Christ when He sees me.  And He loves me.  He loves me like He loves Jesus.  Wow.
3) Preach #2 to yourself every dang day of your life.  Seriously.  Wake up and make sure you know "God loves me.  He delights in me.  He chose me, even when I did not choose Him."  Do it every day.  I'm not kidding.  You best live for Him, when you are living out of him. (Does that make sense?)
4)Never, ever leave your keys inside when you are taking your body outside, ESPECIALLY when babysitting.  I promise.  Every house knows when you leave the keys inside and it will set the locks to automatic as soon as you step out the door.  Even if you are making a 10 second trip.
5)Learn how to be alone.  Alone time is important.  I repeat, alone time es muy importante.  Kapeesh?  Spend time basking in the Word.  Spend time doing what God created you to love to do.  Spend time thanking God for the opportunity to be alone.  A night in watching netflix alone does not mean you are unloved.
6) This heavily relates to #5 but make a commitment to learning to love to be single.  It is SO, SO hard, I know.  (If you are wedded or engaged then feel free to skip to #7 and Congrats on your love!)  But you have to view it as a good thing if you are going to stand even the smallest chance of not having a mental breakdown the next time someone asks you, "So when are you going to settle down?" or "Tell me, will it be your turn next?" or never mind, you know the questions as well as I do.  So, all in all, you have to be able to face those questions.  Well intentioned people ask them everyday and it's just not going to stop.  So stop writing blogs telling people to stop asking questions about your love life (cause lets be real, if you had one you'd be dying for someone to ask you about it).  Learn how to be okay with where God has you.  Better yet, learn how to be thankful for where God has you.  It's a process but it's also a choice you make everyday.  How you look at your life is a choice.  Own up to it and enjoy the seasons of life as they happen.

7) Future & Current Parents:  Never, ever buy anything but a black carseat for your children.  No matter how cute that car seat is with the pink and yellow daises.  Those daises will turn brown and you will be full of regret.
8)Teach and enforce first time obedience.   How your children obey you and other authority figures in their life is how they will obey God.
9) Simply do not teach little boys to pee outside before they are adequately potty-trained.  They will will pee whenever, wherever, anytime, anywhere.
10)  Kids are capable of way more than you think.  Do not underestimate the tiny ones.  The goal of parenting (and also nannying) is to prepare the little beings to be independent big beings with an unwavering faith in God.  Push them to be do more for themselves than your natural "mommy instincts" tell you.  Ever heard of a "mama's boy"?  Yeah,  you don't want that for your young adult children... or middle-aged ones for that matter.
11) The hardest and best thing to do is to hold your tongue.  Now don't take me to the extremes that lead to self deprivation and self harm.  I'm talking the holding your tongue when your tongue leads to pride, self-righteousness, and the harm of others (which is 98% of the time).  True maturity comes in speaking less and forgiving more.  That is the mark of Christ.  No 90 minute rant was inspired by the Spirit.  So hold your tongue and learn what loving others really looks like.

Hope this brings some insight to someone out there!  Or at least made you laugh!

The Inbetween

The Inbetween

As the philosopher, the artist, the poet, Dave Barnes once said, "Save me from the inbetween."

And I think he was on to something.

What is the inbetween?

I think it varies from one situation to the next.

But this I know for certain, the inbetween is a scary scary place to be.

Let's take a look.

One side you have the relationship,

the couple, if you will.

This side has many pros. Sure it has its ups and downs

but who doesn't love the "couple" state.

We shall call this side, purple.

Not the yucky pastel-y shade. Not the hyped-up neon shade either.

Just purple.

Its warm. Its rich.

It's actually one of my favorite colors.

Purple: it's the color of kings and queens. It's lavish.

Yes, we shall call this state "purple."

On the flip side of the coin, you have singleness.

Yes, it has its seemingly depressingly lonely conotations

but it's not all bad. Ask anyone who just got out of horrible relationship.

There is the free time. The "me time". The friend time.

The time to focus on God.

Singleness: we shall call this side, green.

Green, another one of my favorite colors.

I actually look excellent in green.

It symbols money, and regrowth, and spring.

Green is fresh. You can almost smell how fresh.

Yes, we will call this state, "green."

So there you have it folks, the two sides of the coin.

"But then," you ask, "what happens when the two combine?"

"Well! Good question!" I tell you.

See, then there are the times that try to mix the two.

The folks who unsuspectingly try to take one quality from the purple...

And then! They take a quality from the green!

"Who would do such a thing?" You might ask.

Well, I know not who! I am still answering the "what"!

You see folks (who apparently skipped that elementary art class)

When you take purple and then take some green,

and then you mix the two together...

you get BROWN.*

Yes, brown. And brown is never good.

The color brown is symbolic of poop. It's correlated with death.

Brown is bleh. And sometimes blah. It's both bleh and blah.

Now you people want to know the point,

so I shall make it.

The inbetween is brown. It isn't good.

I made a page out of what ol' Dave said better in only four lines,

so that is what I'll leave you with.

"Love ain't got to be something complicated

It can be as easy as it seems

So tell me if we're hot or cold baby

Just save me from the inbetween"

*Disclaimer: I have nothing against the color brown per say, only what it represents.

where do you keep your heart?

Hearts, everyone has one.

Some are ice cold, yet some burn like the sun.

Some seem to be a million miles away,

yet some seem to be close by as if they plan to stay.

Some hearts long and yearn for days long past and gone by,

while some hearts ache for whats to come or on the other side.

There are a few hearts that seem to have a hold of something tanglible--

something real,

while the rest just want something that just for a moment becomes understandable

and minutely clear

Some hearts are stuck searching for the words its mouth can't say

while the lucky hearts have expressible impressions of the heart to tell of for days

Some hearts can be found on ones sleeve or in the expressions on ones face

other hearts can't be found anywhere, like its kept hidden away.

Where do I keep my heart, you ask?

My heart is much like the first, it is protected by walls of glass.

I can't seem to help but keep it in the open, as if it and all the passions it brings are set on a stage.

Yours, on the other hand, I can't seem to find--i don't understand your ways!

I wear my heart on my sleeve for all to see.

While yours is buried in the sand, kept far away from me.

While a heart living in the public may suffer much injury,

a heart kept shut up will die out and is merely adrift out in the sea.

Not all hearts receive love, and even fewer open up to give it.

Hearts who never risk giving that love are the very ones sacrificing the ability to ever receive it.

You see me.

El-roi

God, You see me.

You see every smile that crosses my face.

You see every leap of excitement.

You rejoice with me when bliss comes my way.

You laugh with me at my silliness.

You see me.

El-roi.

You see every tear that falls,

You hold them in Your hands.

You know every time I frown.

You weep when I am far from You.

You see me every time I am down.

You watch me sin against You time and time again.

And yet, You pick me up every time I fall.

You see me.

Who am I that You would see me?

Who am I?

I am the one You loved enough to die for,

that's who.

God, You see me.

You see me and still You love me.

You are my El-roi!

arise

They will know us by our love.

Come church, ARISE.

Do you see hurting?

That means we aren't doing our job.

They will know us by our love.

little girl with the crumbling iron wall

Here I am.

I tried so hard to protect myself,

to keep my heart safe,

to be a good little girl,

to put up that wall and keep it there.

I tried so hard.

I thought I needed that wall for protection.

I thought I needed to guard myself from hurting.

I thought I needed to prevent myself from getting broken.

I thought I needed to stop feeling so vulnerable and uncomfortable.

or so I thought.

There I was with my iron wall,

which I trusted to protect me,

not knowing it was only made of straw.

There I was thinking I was made of steel or something,

like nothing could penetrate this girl.

But there I was, being completely wrong.

My wall did not keep out the hurt,

It kept out You.

YOU protect me.

YOU are the solace for my heart.

YOU are my iron wall.

It is in You, and You alone, I place my trust.

Unchanging

Here I am
In a river of questions
Can I pour my heart out to a listening ear?
I see this life
Its valleys and mountains
And I think of all the roads that brought me here
I’ve questioned my reasons
The life I’m living
I’ve questioned my ability
To judge wrong from right
I’ve questioned all the things that I’ve ever called certain
My race, my religion, my country, my mind

I’ve questioned significance
Meaning and relevance
Does the work I’m doing really matter at all?
Well I’ve questioned my friendships
Alliance, dependence
Who will still be here when I fall?

Only one thing doesn’t change
Only one thing stays the same
All I know at the end of the day is your love remains

But the one thing I don’t question is you
You really love me like you say you do
You really love me like you say you do
Hold me
Hold me