Jerk or Hero? You Decide!

The other day I was texting a friend of mine. I was meaning to say she was my hero. I don't know if my fingers were flying too fast or if my smart phone went dumb, but somehow my phone came up with the word jerk in place of the word hero. Can you imagine doing something nice for someone,  and instead of receiving a thanks, you get called a jerk?

Thankfully I caught and corrected the mistake,  but sometimes I am not that fortunate.  In a flash,  I can say or do something I regret. This is a lesson God has been really trying to teach me. Unfortunately,  I am a very slow learner.

Though there is no autocorrect on our lips, God did provide a tool to help us.  The Bible offers countless scriptures on taming the tongue. I read through a bunch and every single one resonated with me. I know I am not the only one who struggles with keeping my mouth shut. I think that's why God included so many scriptures on this topic. He knew we needed all the help we could get.

So the next time something inappropriate gets ready to fly out of your mouth,  stop and think. Do you want to be a jerk or a hero? Words matter, so choose them wisely.

     Let your conversation be always full of
    grace, seasoned with salt, so that you 
     will know how to answer everyone.
                                                  ~Colossians 4:6

Change of Plans: A Tribute to Melanie

Flashback to the early 90's and hang out with me there while I tell you a story. I was in high school, trapped at work on a Sunday afternoon. When you're 17, and your favorite Sunday evening tradition is going to Pizza Hut with your friends,  being at work is a drag. Sunday nights were a blast, and I looked forward to them every week.

This particular Sunday, my friend was working with me, which helped my mood a ton.  But when we found out our other friends left to go to Pizza Hut before we got off, we were absolutely furious! So what do teenagers do when they get left behind? They make new plans, of course! The two of us traded in the Pizza Hut tradition and treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at a seafood buffet.  That would show 'em! How dare they leave us!

In hindsight,  getting left behind was the very best thing that could have happened to us that night. You see, not too long after that, God decided He needed my friend to come live with Him in heaven. I was a senior in high school, and to date, that was one of the hardest times of my life. It is one of the only times I've ever really questioned my faith. At 18 years old, I could not understand why God would let something like this happen. I still don't understand why it happened, but over the years I've come to trust God. I know His ways are good.

As Isaiah 55:8 tells me, His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts.  I spent several of my teenage years being really angry at God for taking my friend away far too soon.

February is a month I always think about my friend more than usual, because it's the month she celebrates her birthday in heaven. What I didn't realize until the other day was this; God knows every single thing about me and about what will happen to me. He orchestrated everything so even though we felt left out, we were actually given the opportunity of a lifetime to celebrate our friendship.  I will forever remember the laughter we shared around the table that night. But I didn't realize the irony and the beauty of the evening until some 20 years later.

 So as my friend winds up her birthday month celebration in heaven, I will end the month grateful for this opportunity to travel down memory lane. I will think about our fancy dinner, and I will smile. I will tell others about my memory, because life is short. You never know when a sudden change of plans will wind up being your favorite memory.

Hurry Up and Croak

You know what fascinates me? Frogs. Yes, I said frogs. You know why they fascinate me? Because they always sound joyful, and it's really cool how they handle themselves in the winter.  I do not intend for this blog to be a science lesson,  so if don't know anything about frogs in winter,  you should Google it after you finish reading this post.

Here's the thing that really gets me about the frogs. Winters in Virginia are absolutely nuts. It can range from a frigid 12° with snow on the ground to a fabulous, sunny and 75° day all in the same week, and sometimes in a 24 hour period. So where does that leave the poor little frogs?  One day they are asleep, with a slowed heart rate, almost freezing to death. The next day they are croaking a happy song like spring is right around the corner. They must be worn out trying to figure out what to do next.

I don't know about you,  but I am very much like those frogs, worn out trying to complete whatever I should be doing next.  I believe we are living in a time where most people feel this way. Although I try to sing a happy song, by the time the sun sets,  I feel like I could croak, and not necessarily in a sing-songy way.

But that's when I must remember to rest like the frog on a cold, wintry day. God does not intend for us to stay busy every second. Instead we must live out Matthew 11:28, which says, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

So here's the lesson we can learn from a frog.  Sleep when you need to, relax when you're tired,  and the rest of the time, croak on, my friend!