My Apartment

I always wanted a little apartment in the city. Well, I got it.. and it wasn't just little, it was tiny. With just a few paychecks under my belt, I moved to the city to inhabit a one room apt (what they call an efficiency) that measured to 485 square feet. Having never lived alone, I didn't really know what to expect, but it didn't take long for me to appreciate the space (no matter how small) that I could now call mine.

Three years later, I lay in bed in my tiny city dwelling, for the last night before moving. I listened to the swishing sound from outside my window as the cars drove by. With each car's passing the headlights produced a striped light from my blinds that quickly moved all across my ceiling. I hear people cheering over a game at the sports bar downstairs. Every fifteen minutes, like clockwork, the rattle of the Uptown Trolley begins... rumbling quietly first... then louder...and louder... then less... and less... until the trolley has passed completely. I smile as I remember how much this noise had bothered me when I had first moved in... I hardly notice it now as it rocks me to sleep.

I'm gonna miss this place. I am gonna miss the bruises on my shins from running into my cramped furniture. I am gonna miss the bag of shoes in my living room that I have to use because my closet won't hold them all. I am gonna miss having to travel down the hall to do my laundry. I am gonna miss waiting for 5-10 minutes on the elevator. I am gonna miss being able to see my fridge from my bed. I am gonna miss being able to walk to many fabulous restaurants and bars. I am gonna miss the skyscrapers watching over me. I am going to miss a convenient store downstairs. I am gonna miss walking and jogging down Katy trail. I am gonna miss my tiny apartment in the city and all that comes with it... this apartment is now a part of me that I will never forget.

Our Test

*Flashback* Jr. High. Test days were not good days. The room was silent other than the faint scraching sound of no. 2 pencils running down the pages to fill in bubble after bubble. There wasn't a set time that the test had to be finished in, it was up to the test taker... some took more time than others. Tests are never fun, but the goal was always the same... to do as well as you can followed with the relief of turning in your work. A finished work.

Our lives are tests. And our lives on Earth are test days. We spend our days scraching out what we hope is our best, trying to answer with the perfection of Christ. Some of us take a full life to finish the test, while others turn the test in early... having completed their work. What a relief it must be to turn in our earthly tests to the master teacher at the gates of heaven. I can only hope that he greets me with arm outstretched to take my test... "Well done, my precious student".

The Path

She walked along the rugged path,
In search of something real,
Never knowing what it was she’d need,
Never knowing what she’d feel.

The path it was a winding one,
With bumps and turns and curves,
She stumbled and she fell sometimes,
Never doubting the God she serves.

Her winding path did merge,
To find the perfect man,
Their match was of God’s timing,
They were obedient to his plan.

Now hand in hand they go,
Along the path of life,
Their dreams had now come true,
He asked her to be his wife.

Their love became complete,
One and one can now be two,
God blessed all they had found,
They’re some of the lucky few.

She used to walk the rugged path,
But now she’s found what’s real,
To never walk alone again,
Their forever love God seals.

*For my dear friends Ryan and Leah who are getting married this weekend. Congrats!

Telephone a Friend

Ring-Ring...Ring-Ring...Ring-Ring... She ignores the call, too busy to even see who it is. Ring-Ring... Ring-Ring... with an annoyed sigh, she walks over to the phone and picks it up.

Hello... Oh, Hi! I haven't talked to you in forever... Well, I'm doing ok, I guess. I been struggling with some stuff lately, but I won't bother you with it....Sure, I would love to hang out sometime, but I don't really think I am going to have time soon. I have been super busy. You know, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done, ha-ha.... What? Well, of course I still want to be your friend, I have known you for such a long time... Don't be silly, We can still be best friends, even if we don't talk or hang out very often... No, I am not trying to REPLACE you with new friends. I know I haven't really treated you like my best friend lately, but I promise you still are...Why are you being like this, I don't have to hang out with you all the time. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but to be totally honest, my new friends just don't like you that much. They say you hold me back, that I am more fun when you are not around. I mean, I'm the life of the party!... I don't care what you think.... I know you love me. What do you mean, how's my heart?... Stop being so overprotective, you're acting like my mom...Whatever, leave me alone!

SLAM... [DIAL TONE]

For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:5-6

Medicine

BOOM... BOOM... BOOM... I could feel my head pound louder with each heartbeat. I couldn't take it any longer... longing for relief of any sort, I reached into my medicine drawer and scrounged around for a bottle. Box after box, bottle after bottle, I searched through each specific drug trying to find which one would cure my aliment. For sinus and congestion, for backaches and muscle aches, for indigestion, I read through the labels... for headaches... yes! there it was! I popped two pills and waited, bottle in hand. MY HEAD STILL HURTS! With still pounding head, I went back to my desk to continue the day, hoping that the medicine would slowly kick in and lessen the intensity behind my forehead. Um, excuse me genie in a bottle, I took medicine, it's your turn to snap your fingers, or bob your head, or wiggle your nose....I don't care what you do, just do it! What is taking so long? Why haven't you healed me? I want to feel better NOW!

There are so many times in life when I am hurting that I just want to pray and have God heal me immediately. I want Him to hear my cry, and reply with answers. I want Him to soothe my burn with with the touch of His hand. I prayed... why don't I feel better? Is my desire for immediate gratification unrealistic? Well, it's human. I must have faith in God's perfect timing. It takes time, and patience to heal me when I am hurting. And it takes faith to know that my God is sovereign. Just like my medicine, God heals me... He is all the medicine I need.

The Merge

Behind the wheel. Driving. Down the speedway she flew. Where she was headed, she didn't know. With the windows down, she felt the wind blow through her long brown locks. The radio blared loud as she tried to tune out the world... focused on the things that she knew distracted her the most. Confidently cruising with only one hand on the wheel, she saw the sign notifying her of her upcoming exit. While hesitant, she put her blinker on and switched lanes, moving over to the far right. While cruising had been so easy, she found herself feeling a new feeling as she exited the speedway. The ramp carried her up and off the speedway as she barreled toward the service road. As she neared, she noticed a simple triangular sign. The sign was familiar but she realized that she had never really paid attention before. The sign was red and white, shaped like an upside down triangle with the tip pointing directly at the ground. She slowed as she neared, reading the lone word that was written in red lettering on the white and red sign. While she had always known what this word meant, it hadn't registered as to what was about to happen in her life. YIELD it read. With both hands now on the wheel, she put her foot on the brake, looking over her right shoulder she began to merge with a new way... a different way... a better way... it was His way. She was yielding to God's precious love, yielding to God's perfect peace, and yielding to God's endless joy... She had yielded to Him. Her now merged heart put her on a NEW path...a path that leads her on the road to eternal life.

Worry Beads

My parents returned from a trip to Greece on Monday and on their return they brought me a several little gifts. One of these gifts was a small chain, no longer than 6 inches or so, and along the small metal chain were colored beads that moved up and down on the chain. I was quickly informed that these Greek beads were called "worry beads" and that they were something that the Greeks played with in their hands or pockets. The worry beads came in all varieties colors and prices, everything from plastic to ivory. I have been fascinated with my small chain of beads ever since my parents gave it to me, clicking the beads together while watching TV, and spinning the chain around my finger like a tether ball wraping around a pole. I think worry beads were created just so fidgety people, like me, could keep themselves busy. So, if these beads were merely for fidgeting, why were they called worry beads? I wondered.

This morning while reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver, I read a chapter on worry and ran across the most appropriate passage. I am sure I would have found it interesting no matter what, but having just been given a string of worry beads, I was especially moved by this writing that seemed to have been written especially for my heart....

"... the use of Komboloi [worry beads] had declined significantly in Greece over the past three or four decades as young Greeks tried to adopt more modern ways. But now, it seems, these ancient stress reducers are making a big comeback. Even in cosmopolitan Athens, they're everywhere. You can pick up plastic worry beads cheaply at newsstands or fork out as much as thousands of dollars at a jewelry store for something more ornate. Executives in Armani suits flick their fingers over ivory beads and smooth black stones. Old men click wooden ones. Hip young Greeks twirl their strings of beads, comparing styles and price tags. It's a tradition that still brings a form of comfort.
I wonder how many of them know where the komboloi originated? I wonder if they would trade in their clicking and clacking for the original purpose these strings represented? Komboloi you see, were first used in other cultures for the sole purpose of counting prayers. Bead by bead, prayer by prayer, the komboloi were an outward expression of a Godward heart."

An "outward expression of a Godward heart", hum? I thought. How cool is that! I want a Godward heart! So, this morning I promptly hung my worry beads on the rearview mirror of my car. On the drive to work, playing with my worry beads not only kept my mind off of the morning's rush hour traffic, I am excited by this new reminder for prayer each morning. I am dedicating myself to 6 prayers each morning... one for each bead on my chain.

Why worry, when I can pray.

I live in America.

I live in America... Where brave men fight so that others can have the freedom that many Americans take for granted.

I live in America... Where people can speak their minds without fear and protest without punishment.

I live in America... Where courage means standing up and standing out, not sitting down.

I live in America... Where religion can be a matter of the heart, not the law of the land.

I live in America... Where diversity is promoted and equality is expected.

I live in America... Where the stars and stripes can bond strangers together as one.

I live in America... The land of the free and the home of the brave.

Happy Birthday America!!!

Two Peas in a Pod

Side by side,
Wrapped up in green,
Most perfect pair you’ve ever seen,
Two peas in a pod.

From His garden,
Grown with love,
Most perfect pair from up above,
Two peas in a pod.

One now two,
Round and sweet,
Most perfect pair that’ll ever meet,
Two peas in a pod.

So similar,
But still unique,
A perfect life together they seek,
Two peas in a pod.

Sunday Scribblings Topic : Two Peas in a Pod