Monday, April 28, 2008

Angels

This Tuesday, Liberty Bells will begin a new piece of our program - Angels. Angels is a program for special needs cheerleaders. I am so thankful for the volunteers and some of our Belles who have offered to come and be "coaches". I can't wait to meet this squad of girls and start preparing for our first performance in June!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

At this age

I recently celebrated my birthday. Not a milestone, just another year. Each year I feel a sense of relief as I move away from my twenties. Many blessings came from those years - namely, three amazing boys. During my twenties I made several catastrophic judgement errors (I don't like the word "mistake") that lead to much pain. So, as I march away from that decade I am always excited to see what new adventures lie in store for me.

I also heard an interview of Maria Shriver as she was marketing her new book. She said something that was interesting to me. DISCLAIMER: I have not read her book, nor do I know of Maria's stance on any political or social views. But she is a woman older than me who has gained some knowledge in her years and that is why I would listen to her. She remarked on her relationship with her mother as being good, but emotionally distant. Now as her mother is progressing in age and requires some "mothering" from Maria she said that she had the "opportunity AT THIS AGE to be something different than what her mom was to her".

I thought, "Wow, me too!" At this age, I can break free from the examples lead before me and choose to be something different if I want. It is an act of my will (although a very difficult venture at times) to change my behavior and thought patterns to be the person I want to be.

So I think at this age that I will choose to be positive (I will have to work HARD), healthy, happy, and prosperous. I will choose to have friendships with people who make me better. I will choose to let people be themselves and let loose of my desire to control (ouch again). What will you choose to be AT THIS AGE?

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Poison of "-er"

While folding laundry the other day I overheard a portion of a talk show. I do not know the topic of the day, but I was struck by a young woman being interviewed. She was not famous, had not written a book, nor do I know her name. However, her insight slapped me upside the head and has had me pondering it over the last couple of weeks.

She shared that she had struggled with her weight her entire life. She said that one day it occurred to her that when she had successfully rid herself of the extra weight it was motivated by comparison - trying to be thinner or prettier than some else. Once she realized this and embraced the folly of it, she has not struggled with her weight since. The last sentence she spoke was the most poignant, "I realized that I don't have to be "er" than anyone else." Prettier, smarter, thinner, faster, better, richer... The poison of comparison holds us all at times.

Later that same day I sat in a mid-week church service and heard my pastor teach on the book of Galatians. Specifically, Gal 1:15 Paul mentions that from birth God had called him, even before Paul chose to serve God. It was if Heaven opened just then and God leaned down and gave me that father wink, "Did you get that honey, it was for you."

GOD CALLED ME to do certain things with my strengths and weaknesses. What the person next to me has or does is irrelevant because GOD CALLED ME from birth to be a wife, mom, cheerleading coach, Sunday School teacher and friend. Who I am must be different because I have a specific purpose. I need to excel in the areas that help me to accomplish my calling and not my husband's, sister's or friends. I don't need to be as thin as her or as smart as him or as patient as her or as -er to anybody. I just need to run my own race, right?

WOO HOO! What freedom there is in that. Comparison trips up the young women in our country. Eating disorders, cutting, suicide, drugs, etc. all motivated because we wish we were more like "her". BUT GOD, "who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace" Gal 1:15b, has ordained a purpose for you that has nothing to do with "her". Meditate on that and make yourself believe it!