Do you know anyone who lives a life that seems like it can only be a movie script? I've known people like that before - those who have amazing breaks in their career, inspiring success despite obstacles, storybook romances, or comedic flair fit for a box office hit. I've never considered myself one of those people; that is, until today.
My movie script life is really just a role that could be in any movie - the person who experiences coincidences that absolutely CAN'T be coincidences...can they?
For instance, and this is just one of many. My mediocre date on Saturday = the nephew of one of the owner's of the company that I work at. Love that. I especially love that the date was less than stellar; if it was great, it might be "kismet". As it is, it's one of those coincidences. Also, getting hit by a deer...while running. Literally - ask me about it; I'll tell you about it some other time.
So anyway, this particular coincidence, and these coincidences in general, really, have me thinking. I'm not exactly a stranger to hard knocks or bad news, and because of this, or maybe in spite of this, I think that a life without laughter is a life that I'm not particularly interested in living. Despite the awkwardness of this revelation today, it was my greatest laugh all day. In part at the irony, and also, in part, because what other response could be fitting? Really, what else is there to do but laugh?
I hope that I can remember that as I go through my life, that I can take the joy I currently take from my nephew's baby giggles. Maybe I can even learn to giggle like him - with little reason but the sheer joy of it.
Laughing is food for the soul and I'm glad that my life (and I'm sure yours) certainly provides enough moments to partake in a balanced diet.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Mercy for Measuring Sticks
Today, I went on a date. It wasn't my first date. It wasn't my worst date. It also wasn't my best date. It just was. The date itself was somewhat uneventful, I admit, but it made me realize something kind of important. I do not want to spend my life using what I consider to have been a mistake (though a fun one) as a measuring stick for all other situations.
I've been on good dates. And some of those good dates have lead to bad relationships. I've known good men. And some of those good men have been bad boyfriends. Is it good or bad, then, to compare dates and men to ones that have turned out to be something less desirable? I'm think it's bad. And really, I'd rather not do it.
So as I berate myself for this driving home, I'm reminded, yet again, of my struggle with grace in my life. Perhaps my greatest struggle with grace is the inability to extend it to myself when I fail. Was today perfect? No. If my life goal is to make each person I meet feel a little more loved, cared for, and to show Christ to them as best I can, did I meet it today? Probably not. But is Christ's sacrifice for me big enough to cover that failure? Absolutely. Just as it's big enough to cover good dates and men and bad relationships and boyfriends. And really, if today showed me that the past isn't a good way to determine the future, I guess it wasn't all bad.
Today, I'm choosing to remember that the richer fruits are for me too.
I've been on good dates. And some of those good dates have lead to bad relationships. I've known good men. And some of those good men have been bad boyfriends. Is it good or bad, then, to compare dates and men to ones that have turned out to be something less desirable? I'm think it's bad. And really, I'd rather not do it.
So as I berate myself for this driving home, I'm reminded, yet again, of my struggle with grace in my life. Perhaps my greatest struggle with grace is the inability to extend it to myself when I fail. Was today perfect? No. If my life goal is to make each person I meet feel a little more loved, cared for, and to show Christ to them as best I can, did I meet it today? Probably not. But is Christ's sacrifice for me big enough to cover that failure? Absolutely. Just as it's big enough to cover good dates and men and bad relationships and boyfriends. And really, if today showed me that the past isn't a good way to determine the future, I guess it wasn't all bad.
Today, I'm choosing to remember that the richer fruits are for me too.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What makes a fruit rich anyway?
As humans, I think we're all prone to valuing our own opinions as more important than anyone else's, and in the technological age we live in, what better way to promote this idea than to give people a no-holds-barred way to share them? A blog. I guess I'm as self-important as the next person, really.
So what of these richer fruits, then? Well, it comes from Abraham Lincoln, who said in 1865, "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
When I think of what my life can mean, and what I'd like it to stand for at the end, I'd like it to bear those richer fruits. In fact, I'd like it to be marked by them. So, welcome to the journey as I struggle to find the balance between enjoying those richer fruits and my natural inclination of chucking the rotten ones as an outdated form of justice.
So what of these richer fruits, then? Well, it comes from Abraham Lincoln, who said in 1865, "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
When I think of what my life can mean, and what I'd like it to stand for at the end, I'd like it to bear those richer fruits. In fact, I'd like it to be marked by them. So, welcome to the journey as I struggle to find the balance between enjoying those richer fruits and my natural inclination of chucking the rotten ones as an outdated form of justice.
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