LOOKIN GOOD

Last Sunday, a very nice gentleman, told me, “You are lookin good.” 

I replied, “Well I don’t know about that but I look like me.”

And you know what?  That is exactly how I should look.  But I have not always felt that way.  Most women do not.  Now, I am not male bashing (although that is fun to do), but women are held to a whole different level of “lookin good” than men.

·        Women, who no longer have a high school body, have let themselves go.

·        Women are supposed to look like a famous fashion model.

·        Women are expected to return to their previous measurements, after giving birth.

·        Women are supposed to apply makeup and fix their hair and then take care of the house, the children, etc. without getting a hair out of place and heaven forbid their mascara might run.

·        Women are to go through the “life change” with no mood swings, no hot flashes nor weight gain.

The problem is women can never live up to these standards. 

·        Life happened.  My high school body disappeared soon after high school.

·        I do not look like a model.  Heck, I came out of the womb bigger than some of them.  And, where their legs go all the way to their butt, my butt goes all the way to my legs.  I will never look like that.

·        I loved being pregnant!  The afternoon sickness (Yup.  Not morning.) soon passed and the rest was amazing.  But neither child came out dragging those extra pounds with them. 

·        I do put on makeup.  And I fix my hair.  But the color is gray and the cow lick passed down from my mother creates a unique hair arrangement that just will not always lie down. 

·        I once had a woman say that women should not let themselves go.  Then she hit that inevitable life change and blossomed.  I chuckled and said, “Thank you God.”  Weight gain?  Take a few pounds left behind by two children, add a surgery that changed my metabolism, throw in the “life change” and top that off with a pill to control RLS but which will not allow weight loss and you have my body.  It might not make it down a fashion runway and those high school clothes no longer fit, but it is mine!

·        I wear glasses.  I had surgery on my feet and they do not always want to work right.  And, after years of using an adding machine, a typewriter and a computer, my hands are demanding I fix the carpel tunnel.

The problem is women can never live up to the standards set by certain parts of society.  And we should not feel guilty.  And we should not feel less.  And we should not apologize. 

Lookin good?  YES!  Because I look like me.  The me God created.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.

Psalm 139:14

Yet you, LORD, are my Father.

I am the clay, you are the potter; I am the work of your hand.

Isaiah 64:8 (made personal)

No one – female or male – should ever feel less than “lookin good.”  God created each of us.  When you look in the mirror, say, “I look like me.  Thank you LORD for creating the unique and special person I am.”

BUT HOW

At our ladies discussion group, the question was:  How do we make 2018 better than 2017?  Of course the immediate answers were to be more thankful, be more compassionate, and be more…..

Those were the easy answers.  The quick replies.  Then I asked the question again, “How do we make 2018 better?”  The conversation stopped.  We each knew what would make it better.  It was the “how” that was causing the problem.

Usually there are six of us but last night there were only four.  One of the ladies had no problem looking forward to 2018 and knowing it would be better than 2017.  She had a rough 2017.  Two of the ladies had no major problems in 2017.  And my 2017 was so much more than I had expected.  The question remained:  How do we make 2018 better? 

More thankful – but how?  More compassionate – but how?  Manage our work schedule – but how?  Relax and enjoy life – but how?

And the elephant in the room?  Of course we each knew the answer.  We did not want to use the word.  We did not want to hear the word.  A six letter word that puts fear into our very soul. 

CHANGE

Take a deep breath.  It will be ok.  The word is out there now. 

Why do we so fear change?  To be honest, we change every day.  No two days are the same.  The weather changes.  The news – not going there!  Those we love change.  Our children grow up.  We grow older.  The shows on TV are different.  The music is different.  The cars we drive.  The food we eat.  The clothes we wear.  Our lives change every day.  So why are we so reluctant to answer the simple question:  How do we make 2018 better?

Why do we not want to answer?  Because the answer is I must change.  Not you.  Not the music industry.  Not our children or spouse or parents.  I must change.  AND I DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE! 

I want everything to stay the way I want it.  I want everything to be the way it has always been.  I can be more thankful, more compassionate, more … without changing.  I can.  I can. 

I cannot.  If I do not change, I do not grow.  I do not gain wisdom.  I just stay where I was yesterday.  Ten years ago.  Twenty years ago.  And, oh, how I would hate to be the person I was twenty years ago.  Ten years ago.  Or even yesterday. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a FUTURE.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Change is good!  The LORD has a FUTURE for me – for you.  He does not want us stuck in yesterday.  Nor ten years ago.  Nor twenty years ago.

A FUTURE!  Quit holding onto the past.  Use the word change as an adventure instead of something to fear. 

A FUTURE!  GO FOR IT WITH ENTHUSIASM AND JOY!

COLD

I don’t know about you, but, often when I try to pray, my prayer goes like this:

Good morning God, I am excited to see what you have planned for me today (have to put a load of laundry in).  Where will you take me (there is a prescription to pick up at CVS) and what will I find (and do not forget a bag of DOVE chocolate)?

Today I will read the chapter that goes with the Sunday School lesson so I am (read – I wonder if the new Lee Child book is in at the library) ready for class. 

I lift up my family and friends and ask you to watch over them.  I lift up your church and ask that you guide us to do your work.  I lift up all that are not in warm homes and those that are on the street.  It is so cold.  (funny how I got through that part with no mental interruptions)

(now what should I say -- think that about covers it -- time for lunch so – oh, right) Thank you for all the blessings you have given me (I better charge my iPad before it runs out of juice) and open my eyes to the unseen blessings (better call the eye doctor and change my appointment).

Amen

My mind works in a strange way.  Family and friends will agree.  They are never exactly sure how it works.  When I try to pray, in my head, even I am not sure how to control my thoughts.  They will jump from one thing to another and even talking to God fails.

BUT, when I journal, when my hand holds a pen, my conversations with God are focused.  My fears and joys and dreams and questions and praises flow onto a page, with no thought of laundry or chocolate.  When my hand holds a pen, time does not matter and the whole world is silent. 

How do you pray?  Do you sit quietly, head bowed and feel God listening to you?  Do you pray the minute your eyes open and before they close in sleep?  Do you look up?  Do you get on your knees?  Do you pray with your voice or silently?

PRAYER

It does not matter if you stand or sit.  Nor if your hands are in your lap or raised toward heaven.  What matters is what is in your heart. 

You should pray humbly:

• with confidence that God hears
• with trust in God’s promises
• with the understanding that God answers prayers with “yes” and “no” and “wait until the correct time”
• with a thankful, open and honest heart

COLD

Are you wondering why this is entitled Cold?  When I started this, I was going to pull from my January 9th journal entry, but my mind took a leap to why I write in the journal which moved onto prayer and now back to the intended purpose.  (Hey, I told you my mind is a bit different but do not worry.  It is not a new or age thing.  It has always been this way.)

Lord, please watch over all those that have the flu and it is spreading so quickly. 

And watch over people who are cold – inside their souls, in their homes and the homeless.  Cold – a scary word.  Do warm the bodies of those on the street.  Warm the homes of those lacking heat.  Mainly, Lord, warm our frozen, cold hearts and souls.  Soften our hearts with your LOVE!  Expand our hearts to include those we do not love and the ones we do not even see.  Thaw our frozen hearts so they will empty of hate, resentment and fear and become full of love, compassion, hope, forgiveness, and sincerity. 

Amen

Sometimes what I write surprises me.  When I asked God to watch over people who are cold, I meant a physical cold because of the weather.  Somehow, inside their souls appeared on the paper.  That really made cold a scary word.  If our bodies become too cold – frozen – we will die.  If our souls become too cold – frozen – we die but without the guarantee of eternal life.

My prayer for each that reads this is that your body stays warm during this winter and that your soul stays warm for eternity.

A CHOICE

A New Year.  New opportunities.  Resolutions.

This is going to be very, very short.

It will take you less time to read this than it did to break your resolutions.

Just something I heard.

Something for you to think about.

Something for you to tell those that do not believe.

 

YOU ARE ALREADY HIS.

Sadly, you do have the choice to tell God, “No.”

What choice will you make?