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Christian, Christianity, God, Hope, Humor, Inspirational, Life, Patience, Spirituality

Perfect Imperfections

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Stone Faced

I have a little confession to make…I’m a left-handed, Appalachian, perfectionist.  And while you might have mental images of a barefoot southpaw, the last confession item has been a real pain in my life for most of my life.  I want everything right in its place; symmetrical—perfect.  But then reality hits; we are not perfect—not even close in thought, word or deed.

I am quite aware of my own imperfections.  Some mornings, I stagger into the bathroom, gaze into the honesty mirror and utter a silent “Oh Lord, what are we going to do with”that” today?”  I am way too aware that I resemble more of a peach pit than Brad Pitt.  The years have successfully tap danced a fast paced number across my body.  Nature has a nasty sense of humor and it seems she is currently laughing hysterically.  How else can I explain having both gray hair AND acne at the same time?  My teeth have shifted around as if they are aligned on some active fault line.  My joints are starting to crack so much that when I stand up our dog jumps and scampers away…

I have tried to remedy some of these physical imperfections in the past.  One year, a day before our trip to Disney World, I decided to go with a more youthful look and had my hair and goatee dyed.  The stylist made a drastic mistake with the hair color and I walked out looking like Juan Valdez!  I was more than embarrassed as we walked through the Magic Kingdom donning my new black pelt; even the Hispanics were pointing and laughing…could it have been because my light brown Andy Rooney brows were sticking out like a sore thumb?  I have since embraced the gray—at least I still have hair…and as another side benefit, I occasionally get an accidental senior discount!

As the old adage states, “Nobody’s perfect” and what a true statement that is! However, sometimes we use that very statement as an excuse to not do the very thing God is urging us to do.  The Bible is chock full of examples where imperfect people were being used by God for His purpose.  Moses had a speech impediment, David had a thing for bathing beauties, and even Saul/Paul had a self-righteous indignation toward Christians to the point of persecution.  2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB) reads–And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Another words, we need to accept our frailties, our imperfections, our weaknesses and allow God to use these fallible traits for His purpose and glory.  But as a caveat, just know that when you decide to say “yes” and follow whatever God would have you do, you will never be the same.  For God does not want to leave us “Just As I Am” , rather He wants us to be more Christ-like.  Philippians 1:6 (NASB) reads, For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 

So tell me, isn’t it time you took a good look in your own internal honesty mirror?  What personal imperfections or weaknesses has God wanted to use of yours that would be perfect for His purpose?  Truth be told, God wants your entire package of perfect imperfections…and mine.  And as for my perfectionism, God and I are still working on it.  I have not mastered it completely which my wife can attest as I follow behind her during cleaning and straighten up all the pictures on the walls…

Christian, Christianity, Forgiveness, God, Hope, Humor, Inspirational, Life, Spirituality

Living the Trashy Life

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dumpster

There is an unofficial sport known worldwide but yet goes pretty much completely unnoticed. These pseudo athletes do not appear on cereal boxes nor do they get pricey endorsements. You can normally see these “thrill seekers” meandering around neighborhoods near college campuses in late summer to early fall but they can be found anywhere at any time. Who is this elite group of daring individuals you might ask? Dumpster divers…

For some of you, this term brings on a snicker and an involuntary head shake but for others, well, they are feeling their face grow warm as the emotion of embarrassment overtakes them. These “divers” cross over socioeconomic lines and you may be surprised who around you has taken “the plunge” one time or another.

Ok, and now for the true confession….been there, done that. It was circa 1980 and my wife and I were about as poor as our government leader’s morals. We were living in Franklin House apartments just around the building from our complex’ dumpster. One day coming home from work, I spied an exercise bike sitting beside of the grime laden dumpster. I debated for a while and decided to investigate further, eyeing the primitive pedaling apparatus up and down with a critical eye. Not finding anything wrong with the piece of equipment, I looked all around me for prying eyes, picked up the bike, and cantered off to our apartment like a dog with a new bone in its’ mouth.

I beamed with pride as I showed my new bride the find of the decade. She returned my look with a suspicious glare. I mounted my mechanical steed and started pedaling, my upper body lunging back and forth in rhythmic procession. Suddenly my rhythm was disrupted by a crack of metal and my body being hurled toward the now exposed post of the defunct exercise bike; I narrowly missed impaling my at the time, slight, terrified frame on the “pedals of death”. My thrill was replaced with humiliation as I sheepishly picked up the now evident piece of garbage and retraced my steps back to its’ rightful owner, the lowly dumpster.

There is another type of dumpster diving that is far more destructive which I dare say is one of an unforgiving heart.   I think at times, we all have been guilty of holding a grudge or carrying a hurt left by another. And how many times have we heard the name of the person who committed the offense only to trigger something inside that entices us to dive into the deepest recesses of our minds to the dumpster of unforgiveness. Once there, you plunge in to the deep bin of bitterness laden with the stench of resentment, scrambling to find that one rotting memory so you can once again experience the painful sting of the event. Once relived, you carefully place the decaying memory exactly where you found it so you can easily retrieve it later; feeling justified in your righteous indignation and condemnation of the offender, you once again snap back into reality. When will we realize that we cannot inflict harm upon the ghosts of the past; we are only hemorrhaging our souls. Only our forgiveness of others can neutralize the pain of those excruciating memories and only Jesus can sterilize our hearts and place our hurts in the proper perspective of being healed memories and lessons learned.

And unlike my botched attempt at turning trash to treasure, there are many who have successfully found the unwanted, underappreciated waste of humanity and have turned the items into something beautiful and useful again. Hhhmmm…sounds just like Jesus; He’s in the restoration business, turning our sinful lives into bright, beacons of hope and grace.

So what about you? Isn’t it time to shed those rags of self-pity and breathe in the pristine, life changing air of forgiveness? For life is too short to allow bitterness and unforgiveness to rob us of our joy and zest for life that God so freely gives…

 

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV

Christian, Christianity, God, Humor, Inspirational, Life, Spirituality

Lookie What I Did!

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In hopes of one day selling our house, my wife and I continued our routine of “depersonalizing” our abode which basically involves removing anything that would be misconstrued as either reflecting the homeowner’s image, personal tastes, or anything being used on a regular basis by said occupant. Our latest attempt consisted of replacing any pictures of loved ones in an eight picture collage frame with photos of nature we had taken over the course of the past few years. As we poured over literally hundreds of pictures to select the top contenders, we were pleasantly surprised at how good most of the photographs actually were. We even exclaimed something to the effect of “BOY, we did a great job taking these, huh?”

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Almost instantly, I was dragged through Humbletown by a still small voice that echoed loud and clear in my ears. “Yes, you did a good job hitting that small, round button on the camera but Who gave you that moment in time? Who planted that seed or allowed the rain to fall or provided the nourishment in the earth to make the flower grow? Who gently blew on that blossom to make it open for all to see? Who put breathe in your body or eyes in your head to see and proclaim the majesty of God in all its’ vast and varied forms?” Yep, it was a “lookie what I did!!” smack down; a moment of clarity to put everything into proper perspective. A reminder to self that we are indeed the created and here only by the grace of God, our creator, to proclaim His magnificence.

Which begs the question, why this reminder? Maybe it’s nothing more than to remind us to fully enjoy everything God has created for us; to make it always about Him and not so much about us. Hhhmmmm less about self and more about Him? What a novel thought but it brings forth images of salmon fighting with all their strength to navigate upstream, against the current to their intended destination; for as Christians, we are constantly swimming against the current of this world’s absurdities. You see, we now live in the world of the “selfie” which unfortunately is a perfectly coined phrase for the bigger picture of self-indulgence.

My wife and I tried a selfie once…we were in the UK at Windsor Castle, standing in front of St. George’s Chapel, trying to “capture” this moment in time. Unfortunately due to my short Welsh arms, all of our selfies look more like two large insects attacking the camera lens. What we ended up with were two middle aged heads blocking St. George’s Chapel…

S and J selfie

If you have ever been on any social network, I know you are familiar with the term selfie. Sometimes as I peruse Facebook, I wonder about the motivation behind these images. Is it really just mere fun or more about a sense of significance and self-worth i.e. “Look what I did!” or “Look where I am!!” I think many times we wear ourselves out trying to impress each other or gain approval from other people who really don’t matter when at the same time, we neglect the loved ones who really DO matter. And if you have a hard time figuring out who that is just ask yourself, who would I want hanging around my deathbed?

So with that being said, I have a challenge for everyone. What would happen if we replaced our “selfies” with images of selfless acts? What would Facebook look like if we posted entries about how you helped your neighbor or friend or, dare we say it, a stranger? Do we really need to see another gluttonous image of someone seated behind a mound of overpriced incredible edibles? I can only answer that for myself; no…

The next time you pick up your camera or phone to capture that special event, please take a split second to think about your motivation, your intent. Are you about to embark on a self-indulgent moment that will fade as quickly as your Facebook post or are you investing that time to share something special with your loved ones or to proclaim that glorious sunset you are about to try and capture is truly a gift from God to us? Which one do YOU think would impress our Heavenly Father more?

Christianity, Inspirational, Life, Love, new life

Little Hands and Tiny Feet

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On January 31st of this year, I added another hat to life’s hat rack; that of being a new grandfather. And as I ponder on what has transpired this past month, it has been nothing short of amazing how one small life can change the lives of so many others.

As this new twig has formed on our gJust chillinenerational family tree and as this beautiful fragile bloom has blossomed in the dead of winter of our ordinary lives, so blossoms the hopes and prayers we all have for little Crystal Nicole. For in the miracle of birth, all things are new, a blank slate presents itself to be scribed by the hilarity of life’s experiences. And as a side benefit, we adult humans get to relive our childhood through the eyes of the child, to be rejuvenated by a simple giggle or an innocent goo.

The following lyrics were inspired by this beautiful imp who has completely imprinted upon my heart.

Photograph by Joy Davis Photography

 

Little Hands and Tiny Feet

Written by Stephen R. Wilson

 

You came a little early but just in time for you

With reddish brown hair — eyes of deep blue,

From your small safe world to one filled with love

In your mama’s warm embrace and your daddy’s gentle hugs.

  Chorus:

Little hands and tiny feet

What will your future be,

For God has so much for you

His promises He brings,

For your journey has just begun

And your life is full of hope,

This one thing is crystal clear

You are loved.

Verse:

Maybe you will follow your mommy

And try to fill her big shoes,

Influencing young lives and growing minds too

A teacher with grace and so much love to give,

Knowing we only have one life to live.

Perhaps like your daddy you will be

Inquisitive about life and all that it brings,

Embracing the riches of life’s simple things

Whether it is fishing, shooting or digging for treasure

His devotion to you cannot be measured.

Chorus:

Little hands and tiny feet

What will your future be,

For God has so much for you

His promises He brings,

For your journey has just begun

And your life is full of hope,

This one thing is crystal clear

You are loved.

Verse:

You see it really does not matter who you turn out to be

As long as you follow in the steps of the One,

For He will direct your paths and lead the way

To make you the woman you are destined to become.

So enjoy your little life with all its’ pleasures

Run and play, giggle and laugh, be a kid inside forever,

Love with all your heart, your loved ones around you

For with wrinkle-wrapped eyes we are watching you too,

With broad smiles, love-filled hearts and high hopes for your future

It has become crystal clear—you are loved!

Chorus:

Little hands and tiny feet

What will your future be,

For God has so much for you

His promises He brings,

For your journey has just begun

And your life is full of hope,

This one thing is crystal clear

You are loved.

Christianity, Humor, Inspirational

Squirrel!!

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squirrelsmallSeveral weeks ago, my wife and I were slowly maneuvering the disintegrating red brick streets of Athens Ohio, home of Ohio University. Up ahead, I noticed a chubby gray squirrel scampering about, running from one side of the street to the other as if touching imaginary bases on either side of the street. As we approached his invisible playground and slowed a little, the furry rodent got a little skittish and darted toward the closest sidewalk, making a few circles on the concrete squares. Having simply disappeared from our view, I cautiously proceeded down the street. All of a sudden, I heard and felt a little B-bump…B-bump. I looked in my rearview mirror in time to see the lifeless, chubby-no-more suicidal squirrel; my heart sank as I didn’t even see so much as an involuntary flip of the tail.

In life we are often times like that squirrel. For whatever reason, we are so unfocused or preoccupied with the unimportant that when a situation or problem presents itself, we just don’t want to deal with it or we are indecisive; we would rather procrastinate and either put off the inevitable or not make a decision at all (“which side of the street do I want to be on…”). In fact, not making a decision is actually making a not so smart one. And like the demise of that little gray rodent, sometimes if we don’t make a decision, the choice is made for us and the outcome is less than desirable.

For example, what would happen if for whatever reason, you decided not to file your taxes? Not a lot would happen for a while until you received the notice in the mail along with the mention of penalties. Left a little longer, you would be face to face with the word and phrase that work perfectly together in this situation; “convicted” and “tax evasion”.

There is so much in this life that distracts us from what we should be doing in our lives. But we have to fight these distractions and focus in on what is important. When life throws a curve ball at you, stop and listen to what God would have you do in that particular situation. Prayerfully weigh the options available and trust that God is faithful to help you through the circumstances. Many times, hidden blessings are wrapped tightly in the folds of what seems to be an impossible situation. And sometimes our hesitancy in resolving a problem results in lost opportunities or blessings.

And remember to learn from whatever problem, mistake, missed opportunity, or just plain bad luck comes your way. For instance, you probably wouldn’t keep running over the same pot hole time after time when your car went out of alignment the first time you hit it. And I bet you would think twice about being late on that credit card bill after being charged a fifty dollar late fee…at least for a while. And you surely wouldn’t deliberately neglect your spouse or family to the point of emotional pain and separation, right?

Sometimes the hard situations in life are the ones worth fighting for the most. And sometimes, the greater the pain and effort, the greater the reward. But just make sure these efforts are in line with God’s will for your life. For Proverbs 16:25 reads, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. Follow God’s leading and His word daily and perhaps you will find life’s “tire tracks” on your back less often.

Christianity, Humor, Inspirational

Staged

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The Merriam-Webster definition of the word TRANSITION is: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another: change. Transition is an important part of life and can be both exciting and scary simultaneously. If we are fortunate enough to live for any length of time, we will go through many “transitions” through our lifetime; from childhood to adulthood, from student to teacher, and if we are truly blessed, from child to parent to grandparent. As for my wife and me, we are soon transitioning into the grandparent mode.

What makes this transition even more “fun” is the fact we decided to make a physical move to another state which involves my finding other employment. Since we both have felt a great sense of urgency for some time to make this move, the Saturday after Christmas was a complete tear down, inside and out, of anything that screamed Christmas and/or wasn’t necessary to keep around for the “staging” of the house to prepare it for market. The word stage seems so innocent but packs a punch as anything that makes a house a home disappears as every room is “staged” to highlight the positive attributes and accentuate the room size as well as to minimize any negative or problem areas. What was once our safe refuge, our haven of rest has quickly become a sterile model home.

At the same time, my resume has been updated and polished so as to gain the “WOW” factor. I guess you could say I’ve also been “staged” as I look for employment.

We all try to stage ourselves from time to time, to mask the “real” us from the prying eyes of the public or the hearts of those we love, or even God. Just ask how someone is doing and you’ll probably have a four letter “F” word flung at you so quick, you’d think a fast ball was thrown at your head. “FINE!” they would say while deep inside, they were far from it; for inside their hearts the rooms weren’t swept, the beds weren’t made and there was half eaten pizza tossed on the counter top. It is so easy for clutter to accumulate in the recesses of our soul; but instead of dirty floors it may be resentment, and instead of unmade beds it could be betrayal, and instead of that stone cold stiff piece of pizza it might just be unbridled anger eating away at the peace you so desperately need.

But fortunately for us, Jesus is in the renovation business and he loves fixer uppers. Jesus doesn’t want us to wait until we are perfect (which we’ll never be in this world) to come to Him, He wants us just as we are; a broken down shack full of cracked walls, leaky pipes, uneven floors and drafty windows. God wants to make our hearts His home but we have to give Him the permit to do a remodel on us. And don’t think this will be a painless process; there will definitely be some pain involved as our “stuff” is thrown in the trash bin and walls are blown out to make room for perhaps more love and compassion.

While we allow God to change our hearts and minds, He knows we are a work in progress and it takes time. Only God knows how much change we can actually take at one time but one thing is certain. God isn’t “staging” us to impress anyone else. He IS changing us into what we were meant to be in the first place…an object of His affection.

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ    Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

Christianity, Humor, Inspirational

Flamingos in the Midst—And Other Christmas Surprises

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Wilson_Flock_12-06 2

Christmas has always been a time of surprises and thus was the case at our house one Christmas season.

One morning we awoke to find a fuchsia flock of three dozen plastic flamingos meandering around on our front lawn.  My wife has always prided herself in presenting tasteful decorations both inside and out so the sight of a potential Griswald Christmas palace sent her into a state of shock.

You see our church youth group had developed a pretty successful scheme to raise money during the holiday season.  The idea was to “flock” a family with the colorful trailer trash version of the more popular tropical birds and hold that family captive until a “ransom” of a predetermined amount was paid to the youth group.  Once the ransom was paid, the embarrassed family could then designate the next “lucky” household to be flocked.  A full two weeks after the stationary stilt legged wonders appeared, they disappeared just as mysteriously.  Our daughter sheepishly admitted to honoring us with their presence; fortunately, my wife has a great memory and we have all the time in the world for the eventual “turnabout is fair play”…

But God has always been in the surprise business, even before the first Christmas was celebrated.  For example, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was “chosen” and was going to have a child even though she was still a virgin.  Talk about a scripted dialogue as she announced to Joseph what was about to come to pass.  And of course Joseph got all bent out of shape and thought of divorcing her before “SURPRISE!”, an angel came to him in a dream and basically told him to put his big boy pants on; this was of God…straighten up and do the right thing!  And then there were the shepherds, just minding their own business as well as their sheep when “SURPRISE!”, an angel came to announce the Christ child’s birth…along with a multitude of heavenly hosts.  Talk about a “Depends” moment!

Thinking back though, it should not have been a surprise to anyone since Christ’s birth was prophesied in Isaiah about seven hundred years before the event.  John 3:16-17 NKJV says,16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  What an ultimate gift, humans!! And yet, we go through our lives many times as if nothing had ever happened over two thousand years ago or that in our oh so near future a bigger event WILL take place.  James 5:7-9 NIV states, 7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! This doesn’t mean we need to cower down in a corner somewhere, afraid to live out the life that God has mapped out for us.  It just means, like making all the preparations for Christmas Day that we make preparations for Christ’s second and final arrival.

Are you ready? December 25th comes around once every year and still folks scramble about as if it is a grand surprise on their calendar.  And while we keep an extra gift card tucked away just in case we have an unexpected guest, a $25.00 Big Lots gift card just isn’t going to cut it when it comes to Jesus’ triumphant return.  Just sayin…So as you gather this Christmas with your own “flock” of family and friends, just remember that it is better to be surprised by the ugly sweater from aunt Betty than to be unprepared for eternity.