God Can Take It

I often think about what my children will remember about me long after I am gone.  Not so much what they will recall about me personally, but what life lessons I will have been able to impart.  One of my main goals as a mom is to teach them that it’s okay on occasion to be angry with God.   Just as we sometimes get angry with people that we love, it doesn’t mean we stop loving them; and God is no different.  I never want my children to be afraid of God, as if He is sitting up there, watching their every move, just waiting for them to make a mistake so He can outpour His wrath.  That is such a misconception.  I want my kids to know that God is a Father, and like most fathers, He wants the very best for His children.  He wants them to love Him and trust Him and talk to Him.  He wants them to know that He’ll never leave them, nor forsake them… He’ll never turn His back when they’ve made a poor choice.  I want my kids to know that God forgives them each and every time they blow it; and not only forgives them, but helps them dust themselves off and scramble back to their feet when they fall down. 

Life isn’t fair…but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good.  Bad things can and do happen to very good people and it is natural, in those circumstances, to question why God allowed it to occur.  I’ve had my share of broken moments, where I have been screaming at the Lord, like an angry child… His angry child.  Through it all, He’s never stopped loving me and I’ve never stopped loving Him.  I trust Him because I believe in Him and He’s only ever shown Himself faithful and loving, even in my darkest hours.  I can’t explain why terrible things happen, but I know that when they happen, I am never alone.

It’s okay to be angry with God, He can take it.  It’s okay to question what is written in the Bible and what others say about Him.  In fact, it’s good to question.  Questioning is a form of seeking and seeking will bring understanding of the truth.  I want my children to never render themselves spoon-fed without researching and studying the Word of God for themselves.  I want them to know that God’s love is not conditional…that they can do nothing to earn it and nothing to lose it.  He is eternal and so is His love for us.

Life is a mystery and everything can change in the blink of an eye; but it isn’t a mystery to God and He doesn’t blink or miss a thing so there is no reason to live in fear.  I want my kids to realize that God is bigger than everything and He’s a good one to have on their side.  We will endure hardship but He causes all things to work together for good for those that love Him (Romans 8:28)… that’s a promise to which I cling and I hope my children will as well.  ~

Fast Lane Confessions

During a recent interview I was asked an interesting question:  “If someone were to write a book about your life, what would it be titled?”  The answer instantly popped into my head.   It would be called, Fast Lane.

 

It all started when I was a child.  I would run everywhere.  I would dash down the hallways so fast I’d run into people and hurt them.  My mom often winced in pain, hollering at me to slow down, after I had inadvertently crashed into her.   I ate fast, danced fast, played fast, ran fast, prayed fast, drove fast and grew up way too fast. 

I was always in a hurry, always rushing toward the next adventure, antsy for excitement and wanting to experience everything life had to offer; no matter the risk. Danger was less scary than boredom.  I was never a sit-in-front-of-the-television-all-night type of girl.  I wanted to party.  I wanted to smoke it, snort it, toke it, foil it, bong it, bang it, crack it, taunt it, tease it, tempt it, taste it, make it and ultimately squeeze every last juice out of life.

Looking back at my youth, I did just that.  I wrapped my arms around life and squeezed it as hard as I could.  My zeal certainly led me down some unsavory paths; but damn, did I have fun!  I made mistakes and there are skeletons in my closet I wish I hadn’t put there; but the good memories far outweigh the bad. 

Whether I was driving across the country all by myself in the middle of the night, bungee jumping at the VP Fair, flashing my tits in New Orleans to earn some beads, snorting lines at a Hall & Oates concert, going to a nudist colony in Malibu, kissing another woman, dancing erotically in Hong Kong, having sex in a bull dozer or on the big M in the middle of Faurot Field…. I was living in the fast lane, with the crisp, cool wind in my hair and the moonlight reflecting wildly in my eyes.  I was alive.

Now, as I learn to embrace my forties, I often fight my body’s urge to enter the slow lane; but not my spirit.  I still want to party like a rock star, jump from a plane, dance wildly, have a lot of sex and every so often, go a little crazy.  I want to laugh harder, act sillier, love deeper, be less afraid, be more open, more willing, sweeter, kinder, more passionate and embrace life in a way I’ve yet to imagine. 

 

The way I see it, my youth was simply a training ground and life in the Fast Lane is just beginning.  ~

Lessons Life Taught Me by Regina Brett

 

This is advice written by Regina Brett, 90 years young, who wrote a column for the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. She said, "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written." 

Thank you Regina, for these wonderful words of wisdom.  :)

 

 

 

"1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

"2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

"3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

"4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Some of your friends and all of your family will.

"5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

"6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

"7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

"8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

"9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

"10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

"11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

"12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

"13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

"14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

"15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry, God never blinks.

"16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

"17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

"18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

"19. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

"20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

"21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

"22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

"23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

"24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

"25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

"26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

"27. Always choose life.

"28. Forgive but don’t forget.

"29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

"30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

"31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

"32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

"33. Believe in miracles.

"34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

"35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

"36. Growing old beats the alternative --- dying young.

"37. Your children get only one childhood.

"38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

"39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

"40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

"41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you think you need.

"42. The best is yet to come.

"43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."