I listened to Focus on the Family today and heard Trish Berg who wrote Rattled talk about what she calls the Ministry of Mediocrity. What she said rang so true to my heart. In her voice I heard my own. And I remembered having talked with women about his time and time again.
My question: What impression do you leave on someone when they enter your house or meet you?
Is it one that makes the person feel like they don't measure up or do you present an image that is real?
What do you feel like when you walk into a spotless house?
Do you feel "less than" in some way?
When walk into a house with toys on the floor, laundry spinning in the laundry room and the morning's dishes in the sink do you breathe a sigh of relief thinking, "Ah, someone who's life is like mine?"
When you run into a friend at the grocery store who's hair is in a sloppy pony tail do you feel relieved because you look about the same way?
What does the way we act say to others?
The image we present to the world and especially to other women?
"You must be perfect too."
or "Hey, there is no perfect, there's just me. Let's grab a coke!"
We have a very good friend who lives here:
Isn't her house beautiful?
And she has this beautifulgorgeous stunning thing in her yard:
Come to mama!!
And lots of these this time of year:
We're blessed to be able to enjoy her yard during the summer.
There are lots of these around:
And these:
And her yard has cool things you just don't have when four children run around all the time:
(I often go there to remember what it's like to be an adult)
The day before yesterday we had a sudden severe storm sweep through our neighborhood/community and lightening struck a tree in her front yard. This is what lightening looks like when it runs down a BIG tree.....
Here's the hole the lightening bolt made beside the tree where all the shards are in the above photo: Freaky huh??
Here's another angle of the way the lightening bolt ripped the bark from the tree:
One of the scariest things about all of this was that the tree is only this far away from the house:
And sent these all over the yard:
Today a tree guy took the tree out for her saying that it would certainly die, nothing much can survive a strike like that I guess.
I stood in awe yesterday of God's power, his might and his protection over this sweet couple's house.
Before getting married and having kids perfection meant something entirely different than it does now. Once upon a time it meant that everything was done just so, looked just so and worked just so.
Now it means that someone, something is exactly as they are.....just as God made them. Photos aren't perfect, people aren't perfect, things aren't perfect.....well, not in the everyday sense of the word. But things, people and circumstances are perfectly okay.
Take this strand of hair for example.....
I pondered this photo for a long time wondering if I wanted to put the effort into removing it. Finally I decided I'd rather adjust my idea of perfect and remember the warm windy day, my baby girl's bed head and PJ's just as they were yesterday... perfectly designed. So here's my baby girl.....in a perfectly imperfect photo!
(If you want to view my Freaky Friday Foto I posted it yesterday. Just keep scrolling down)
The Deeper Still Conference was wonderful! Click on the aforementioned link and check out the last photo of the arena! Wow is that a lot of women or what??? Boo Mama was there, although I didn't see her. Beth Moore blogs about the conference here. There were over 19,000 people there. More women than I've ever seen in one place. It was just a little overwhelming for an introvert like me. The Word was fresh and timely and just overall awesome!! I was so emotionally spent by the end of the conference, wow!
We stayed in the Hilton downtown and learned that valet parking is 24.00 per night. GULP. We stayed two nights.
We also learned that big suitcases with rollers is the way to go. Not the shoulder bags we carried.
We had a great time. It was awesome and as we were praising I wondered what Atlanta looked like to God ... was there a huge shiney spot right in the middle?
God is unpredictable but consistent. You may not be able to tell what he is doing or why but you can always trust in WHO HE IS. He has your very best interests at heart. He is good. He is God.
Freaky huh??
