but sometimes the free things in life aren't always the best. (you saw that one coming, right?)
we're "basic cable" type people. to be honest, this is mostly because it's cheaper! but also because we don't feel the need to have 5 bagillion channels that will only serve to clutter our lives with even more unproductiveness. we do well enough with that on our own! all that being said, we now have digital cable (including on demand). why? because it was free. we've had multiple issues with our internet not working lately. i call every time and they fix the problem pretty quickly but it's still slightly inconvenient. last thursday, after spending about 15 minutes on the phone getting the issue resolved, the customer service lady offered to upgrade our cable. for free. as a courtesy. absolutely, no strings attached, free. so i said, "well, since it's free...sure." why? because we have to take advantage of the free things. life isn't always handed to us on a silver platter so we should take that platter every opportunity we get, right? and, of course, be grateful...right? (please not the sarcasm.)
well, needless to say, we've spent a lot more time with the "boob tube" (in the slang american or canadian sense of the phrase) on. i don't like it. i wish i had had the guts to say no to the marketing ploy i succumbed to. discipline is, unfortunately, not one of my strengths...i'll be the first to admit that. and so digital cable now gives me one more challenge in my attempts to celebrate discipline in my life! great. way to go me!
however, there are lots of times that i'm reminded that the best things in life really are free...in a good way. take tonight for instance. i was putting jonah, my almost 4 year old, to bed. he's had a fever since yesterday morning and has obviously not been feeling well. as we finished our bedtime story i said, "okay. it's time to say night night prayers". at this point, he usually says, "you do it". but tonight, he started right in with this: "dear jesus, thank you for this day. thank you that i had a really good day today"...something about it still being saturday because he's sick (he doesn't always make sense!)..."since i'm sick i have to go to the doctor tomorrow and i'm scared of the doctor."...long pause..."so, be with me so i won't be scared of the doctor. we love you, jesus. amen." i literally had to hold back the tears. what a simple, honest and humble prayer. sometimes i wonder if jonah is teaching me more about life than i'm teaching him. in any case, i got a free lesson tonight. and from a great teacher, too!
Sunday, May 16
Saturday, May 8
a broom's best friend
...is not a dustpan! i hate dustpans. it's not often enough that i have the time and energy to get out the ol' broom and sweep up the massive amounts of old food hiding under the legs of our table (if you have kids, you know what i mean). but when i do get in the cleaning mood, i use my broom to make neat little piles all over the kitchen floor, fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming cinderella (and yes, "a dream is a wish your heart makes" does get a little airtime!). and then it's time to get it all in the trash can...and that's when i'm ready to call it quits! i mean, seriously? this fancy contraption that i paid $3 for barely cuts it. it's so frustrating!
well, one day i was cleaning up some broken glass at church and couldn't find a dustpan anywhere, so i improvised and used a piece of paper. that little piece of paper was a champ! it picked up everything. that's right, i said EVERYTHING.
now i don't even know where my dustpan is and i don't care. i got a nice sturdy flyer in the mail the other day. total junk. but instead of throwing it in the recycling bin, it sits on the shelf in our laundry room.
cardstock: it's the new dustpan.
well, one day i was cleaning up some broken glass at church and couldn't find a dustpan anywhere, so i improvised and used a piece of paper. that little piece of paper was a champ! it picked up everything. that's right, i said EVERYTHING.
now i don't even know where my dustpan is and i don't care. i got a nice sturdy flyer in the mail the other day. total junk. but instead of throwing it in the recycling bin, it sits on the shelf in our laundry room.
cardstock: it's the new dustpan.
Tuesday, May 4
simplicity
the past couple of years i have been wrestling with this idea of living simply. i feel like i'm a pretty plain type of person...extravagance just isn't all that appealing to me. i've always been that way. and yet, when forced to think about my life, i've realized how extravagant i truly am. maybe it's not extravagance in the way i've always thought of it...indulgence, lavishness, ostentation...but more like excess, extra, nonessential.
i have been challenged by the life of jesus over these last few years. the everyday life of jesus: the things he did, the people he hung out with, the way he spent his time, the things he possessed, the way he loved and showed care for everyone. if i'm honest with myself (which i don't like to do too often because i realize how human i am), my life doesn't look too much like that. i do all the things "good christians" are supposed to do, but my life doesn't look like jesus' life. and looking like jesus is way more important, isn't it? jesus didn't even have a place to lay his head. who knows if he had much more than the clothes on his back. why do i have so much?
i worry a lot more than i'd like you to believe about "needing" a bigger vehicle for my family, a bigger house because of "this" and "that", more money to make all of that happen. and yet, i have a house to live in. i have a car that gets us where we need to go. i have money to make all of that happen.
this has really been on my mind the last few days because of the flooding in nashville. which then made me think about all of the other natural disasters that have taken place over the last few years. which then made me think about the people who don't even have a home to be destroyed because they have nothing. all of which leads me to this: why am i so selfish? why do i have this little creeping desire to have something better or something more? why is simplicity so difficult?
jesus lived a very simple life. notice i didn't say that jesus lived an easy life. i don't think his life was very easy at all. and i don't think he calls us to an easy life, but i do think he calls us to a life of simplicity. i think of the early church...that very first group of christ followers that we read about in acts. no one had more than they needed. and everyone had enough. and if someone had more than they needed, they gave it to someone that didn't have enough. what a simplistic life! in all honesty, i think i would worry WAY less if my life looked like that. i mean, it seems the more we have the more we worry about, right?
so even though i may not be over-the-top or outrageous, i absolutely have more than i need. this culture tells me there is nothing wrong with that, but jesus' life says something different. and so i strive to live a life of simplicity. i fail miserably most of the time but jesus just won't let me forget to keep trying.
i have been challenged by the life of jesus over these last few years. the everyday life of jesus: the things he did, the people he hung out with, the way he spent his time, the things he possessed, the way he loved and showed care for everyone. if i'm honest with myself (which i don't like to do too often because i realize how human i am), my life doesn't look too much like that. i do all the things "good christians" are supposed to do, but my life doesn't look like jesus' life. and looking like jesus is way more important, isn't it? jesus didn't even have a place to lay his head. who knows if he had much more than the clothes on his back. why do i have so much?
i worry a lot more than i'd like you to believe about "needing" a bigger vehicle for my family, a bigger house because of "this" and "that", more money to make all of that happen. and yet, i have a house to live in. i have a car that gets us where we need to go. i have money to make all of that happen.
this has really been on my mind the last few days because of the flooding in nashville. which then made me think about all of the other natural disasters that have taken place over the last few years. which then made me think about the people who don't even have a home to be destroyed because they have nothing. all of which leads me to this: why am i so selfish? why do i have this little creeping desire to have something better or something more? why is simplicity so difficult?
jesus lived a very simple life. notice i didn't say that jesus lived an easy life. i don't think his life was very easy at all. and i don't think he calls us to an easy life, but i do think he calls us to a life of simplicity. i think of the early church...that very first group of christ followers that we read about in acts. no one had more than they needed. and everyone had enough. and if someone had more than they needed, they gave it to someone that didn't have enough. what a simplistic life! in all honesty, i think i would worry WAY less if my life looked like that. i mean, it seems the more we have the more we worry about, right?
so even though i may not be over-the-top or outrageous, i absolutely have more than i need. this culture tells me there is nothing wrong with that, but jesus' life says something different. and so i strive to live a life of simplicity. i fail miserably most of the time but jesus just won't let me forget to keep trying.
shameless promotion
tony, my husband, preached a couple of weeks ago. he always does an amazing job, but this was definitely one of his best. it's weird to say that about a sermon, but it's true. so...you should all go check out his blog and have a listen. it's worth the 15 minutes!
Living The Resurrection: Be a Dorcus
Living The Resurrection: Be a Dorcus
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