What a week! The book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" has been followed up with the sequel "Anna and the Disastrous, Lousy, Calamity-filled, Very Expensive WEEK!" Here's the run down. Saturday our toilet flooded ruining the carpet in 4 rooms and leading to 11 industrial fans and a humidifier running until Wednesday. My boys ended up sleeping in my closet to escape the noise and disarray! I never want to hear another fan!!! Monday we had to have our garage door opener fixed and my appointments for MD Anderson, that were scheduled for the week of November 12, got moved up to next week (YIKES--that's another blog post) requiring new travel arrangements (AKA higher costs) and calendar upheaval. Tuesday I was whipping into a parking place as I rushed into a meeting and I clipped a car in the parking lot. Wednesday my dog had to go to the vet to have her stitches removed from surgery and Thursday the school nurse called to say that my son was sick---AGAIN! It was just one of those weeks. If I had a dollar for every time I said "Dang it!" and "Oh CRAP" this week, I would be rich. (And yes, a few other choice words popped into my head, but to my credit they didn't pop out of my mouth so they don't count!)
So here comes the epiphany part. Friday I was rushing to work--late. I heard the train blow its whistle as I pulled from my garage. Now in the little town I live in, the train can hold us prisoner as it blocks the only direct exits out of town. I decided I knew which direction the train was headed and I zipped out the back way certain that I would miss it, and in the long run, make up some time. Off I go speeding down the back roads and feeling pretty proud of myself-- until I approached my turn onto the highway and heard that whistle blow. I had misjudged the direction and was STILL going to be cut off by the train. I should have just waited! "DANG IT!!" And that's when it happened---the epiphany. It hit me smack in the face. When something bad happens (and I had a lot of experience this week) I (we?) tend to respond with things like dang it, darn it, crap, and other colorful language as an impulsive reaction. The long and the short of it is that we are cursing the bad situation, but what hit me was shouldn't we be blessing it? Shouldn't we be asking that whatever bad thing that is happening be blessed, not cursed. I mean after all, it already seems cursed. Wouldn't it be better if we asked for something good to be done to it? The thoughts were almost audible as they popped into my mind. It seemed like more than a suggestion, so I tried it. The train whistle blew again and I said, "Bless it!" and you know what? The train kept right on coming, but suddenly my frustration drained. In fact, I felt a little joy creep back into my day. That may sound really strange, but it is true. Somehow uttering those words re-framed things for me. I pulled into the parking lot safe and sound and (only 3 minutes late) with a new outlook and a new challenge. Each time I am in an "Oh Crap" situation, I am going to say, "Bless me". I want you to hold me accountable. When I slip, call me on it. I am wearing a little silver beaded bracelet on my wrist. If I mess up, make me move it to the other hand. Changing habits is hard and it is a gentle reminder of what I am working on. I want a life filled with blessing even when things are going wrong, don't you? Maybe you should join me in my little challenge. Who knows how our lives will change.
In Psalm 109:17 David is talking about an enemy and he says, "He loved to pronounce a curse—may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing—may it be far from him." What if all the little curses we casually mutter under our breath really came back on us? YIKES! I want to find pleasure in blessing!!
So today I am going to be doing some packing so that painters and carpet layers can come fix my disaster zone. Bless it! My Saturday has a to-do list a mile long so I can be ready to go to MD Anderson. Bless me! I will have a lot of tests run this week to see what the Nuisance is up to. Bless me! May it be said of me that she found pleasure in blessing!!
Happy Saturday, y'all! Be blessed!
Hello Anna!
ReplyDeleteI found you! This is Leslie Kelly, from www.hisgardenofgrace.com. I love your blog! It is so real and so much truth. I haven't had time to read much, but I will make the time.
I wanted to say AMEN to the above post. It is great. I too have been taken to school on this. I too have had to unlearn those bad habits of cursing instead of blessing. I remember the night I was washing dishes in my brand new kitchen (brand new dishes, too) muttering to myself about the kids never helping and my husband- well, blah, blah, blah- when it hit me: I am playing the wrong tape, over and over again (I say tape because I am that old- feel free to substitute CD). I am muttering and complaining. God clearly spoke to me and said: What are you washing? I said, rather sheepishly: my new dishes. He said: and where are you? I said: in my new kitchen. This went on for several minutes and I got it. I have so much to be thankful for. What in the world was I whining and complaining about? And that began the journey to healing. I started listening to what was coming out of my mouth, and really started thinking about why people pull out in front of me in traffic, and then slow down to 12 mph in a 45 zone. Maybe they just got the call that their husband has cancer. Maybe they don't know how they are going to pay their bill for the car they are driving. Maybe they are just distracted. But which one of us hasn't made the same error? Wow! And in your situation, who knows what God saved you from by making you wait? I know for sure at least one time that our waiting kept us from a huge accident. Thank you so much for sharing that. It is just going to be another weapon in my arsenal against whining and complaining and I know that pleases God.
Hi Leslie! I have been so behind on my blogging! Thank you so much for your comment! I love your Thoughts!!! Life is so much better when we can reframe the way we look at the world! Thankfully God can give us new lenses when ours are fogged over!!!
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