Look out Pharisee! He’s about to bop you in the eye!
Oh, friends. What a difficult time we’re living in. So much disagreement. So much tension. And admittedly, I’m adding to that tension. I am not sorry.
I recently told my sister about a snarky reply I gave a former college professor who had a political disagreement with me online. On the surface, it was benign. But below, I knew it delivered a painful blow. And then I lied to her about it. I said I didn’t meant to hurt his feelings, but…
“Yes, you did.”
*Pause, deep gasp* Yes, I DID mean to hurt his feelings. That truth bomb stung, but in a good way. I am a writer. I use words professionally. I knew exactly what I was doing, and my sister called me out. I’m …
Yes, she’s beautiful on the outside, but not as beautiful as she is on the inside. (image from .lucillezimmerman.com)
Oh…she’s gorgeous. My heart sank a little as I saw Ann Voskamp’s words, so inspiring and life-changing on the pages of her book, come to life in her small group study DVD. Her book, One Thousand Gifts, has been life changing for me. But her voice, decidedly sultry, didn’t match the one I heard in my head as I’d turned those pages late at night. Her hair, a beautiful chestnut color, sat atop her head perfectly coiffed, not a strand out of place. And I’m ashamed to admit, I grew a bit jealous.
I had a hard time really hearing her words, as the video artfully moved through images of her hand crafting scratch loaves of bread, children …
(image from careermomentum.com)
Job searching. Let me just say this process is no fun. Scanning online ads, reaching out to friends and family for leads, spending hours on one cover letter, and I feel like this search has become a part-time job in and of itself. And while I’ve only been at it for a couple of weeks now, I’m worried. Worried that the money will run out before the job comes in. Worried that potential employers will see the small gap on my resume (when I chose to stay home with my girls), and think I must not be cut out for full-time work. Worried that I’m walking into the unknown and might make the wrong decision. Worry. Worry. Worry.
And all this while, I’ve lost sight of Him. I’m somehow built this bubble around …
Raise your white flag. See what happens. (image from: http://kevinmartineau.ca)
How do you know, Cat? How do you know that God has heard you and answered you? How do you know to accept his answer if it’s not how you’ve envisioned the answer or what you actually wanted the answer to be? How?
What an excellent question, asked on a recent post I made about deciding whether or not it’s time for me to go back to work. It’s one I asked myself MANY times before finally jumping off the fence, and onto the unfamiliar turf of full-time at-home parenting. For several years, that’s right, years I’d been sitting on the fence, only to jump back off and run in the opposite direction. But something, always something, would put me back on.
Is this really God? Or my …
Keep yourself on a leash. (At least most of the time.) image from snapphase.com
“Doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.”
This is perhaps the simplest definition of discipline, but it’s often not a simple thing to do. (We’re talking self control, not discipline for children.) Until recently, I considered discipline to be a “dirty” word. People who followed a routine, stuck to the basics, put one foot in front of the other, seemed, well, boring. These are the Ned Flanders of the world. Always neat and tidy, never disorganized, often cheery. And that’s the thing. The most disciplined people I know seem…happy. They may lead super busy lives, just like the rest of us, but they seem calm. They rarely lose their keys and …
Dear mystery woman, I’m sorry. (Image from dailyshame.co.uk)
Friends, something has been bothering me for awhile. Nagging at my conscience, my gut. It’s about a picture I posted on my Facebook page. A picture of a young woman at Starbucks who appeared to be wearing only her underwear (or very, very short shorts). To be honest, I wasn’t making fun of her. I was simply amazed and confused. We just don’t see things like that very often around here. So then, I wrote a blog post, about how she was probably a good mom because her young daughter was dressed appropriately and she was treating her to a yummy breakfast. Still, something felt off. I don’t know this woman. I don’t know her story. So, I’ve removed both the photo and the post. Perhaps that …