I've got a perception problem. One thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of other women share.
No matter what I weigh, no matter my BMI or percentage of body fat, I never feel thin, skinny, or slender for more than a few seconds at a time.

Chalk it up to those formative years spent in ballet classes, or media pressure in magazines, TV, and movies. Blame my fear of becoming morbidly obese like several of my family members. Call it a brain dysfunction or whatever you will ... it is a point of perpetual suffering and torment. (Note: 6 years ago, I lost 25+ pounds through a combination of calorie restriction and exercise.)

This used to be sexy.

Since my grandson was born at the end of April, I've packed on somewhere between 5-8 pounds. My weight is still well within the healthy/normal range, but I'm struggling. I'm tired of starving myself and  tired of battling jealousy and envy when my co-workers eat pizza and I see friends' posts about cupcakes and treats and going out to eat.

And yet, when I go to get dressed and my pants feel tight, I experience momentary panic. NOOOOO.... I can't go back there! 

Isn't there a balance? A place of peace when it comes to one's weight and shape and size? I understand how people end up tens, even hundreds of pounds, over their ideal weight. At the same time, I fully comprehend how people can starve themselves down to 70 or 80 pounds, because no matter what you weigh, there's a lower weight to strive for. Crazy? Yep.


Anybody have any suggestions? Is there a magical cure? A lens I can put on that will make me see things as they are?

Friday night I was outside trimming some bushes and cut my finger. (Yes, I was cutting them using the motion-sensor floodlights, and I was using my kitchen shears.)

The lights flicked off just as I snipped an out-of-control sprout, and the blades got my left middle finger by mistake. It took a divot right out of my fingertip that bled like crazy. Once the bleeding finally stopped I doused it in antibiotic ointment and wrapped it up in some kind of heavy-duty band-aid.
Apparently, I left the band-aid on too long, because now I have ZOMBIE FINGER.


Ew.
Typing without that finger is a challenge.

I've been typing and driving and exercising and everything else without hindrance ... with the bandage. I'm reminded that when I'm spiritually or emotionally injured, and I wrap up that wound and hide it away to avoid further pain, it's not going to heal properly. It's going to get really, really nasty. Even if I can use the wrappings to disguise the injury and keep working, the injury is still there, under the wrapper.

When we're emotionally hurt or offended or betrayed, there's a time to dress those wounds, until the bleeding stops, and there's a time to expose those emotional and spiritual wounds to the light and love of God, hopefully before the affected part goes into zombie mode like my finger!

We had a wonderful time of praise and prayer tonight at church, and God started unwrapping some of those old bandages... some I didn't even know I had. It hurts. But I know it's only through trusting Him with those wounds that they will be properly treated and able, at last, to heal.

Have you let any wounds sit under a bandage for too long?


.

Ha ha! Thanks to the magic of the Internet, I can be here, at Inkwell Inspirations,


and at The Pastor's Wife Speaks all at the same time today! How cool is that?


Now, if I could just figure out how to clone myself, leave my clone here to do the housework, and take off for the beach...

Today at Inkwell Inspirations, I'm addressing a serious, and scary topic: Is there a way to deal with the food safety issues we hear about in the news like the recent outbreak of E. coli contamination in Europe? What recourse do we have beyond refusing to eat? (We all know that's not gonna work!)

And at The Pastor's Wife Speaks, I'm sharing something about marriage that is applicable to every wife, not just pastor's wives. Are you guilty of reading your husband's heavenly mail?

I hope you'll click and visit at either (or both) places today. Leave a comment and let me know you've been by!

I'm posting early this week. Monday will be a busy day for me with work and a trip out of town to the hospital for another mash-o-gram.

Are you facing a physical threat? Symptoms, false or real, of illness? I'm taking my stand on the following promise from Psalm 103, knowing that ALL His promises are "yes" and "amen" to me in Christ Jesus. (2 Cor 1:20)

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Tears. They leak out when we cut onions or get dirt in our eyes. They fall profusely when we're sad and stricken by grief, moved with compassion and love, or angry and hurt.

photo by *TreMichLan*	via PhotoRee

All tears seem to be made of the same stuff, but I'm convinced that's not the case. I cried twice last week. Once over a traumatic scene in a book and once because I was angry and frustrated and severely premenstrual.

I'm convinced those angry, frustrated tears are toxic. Why? Because when I popped my contacts in the next day it was like looking through etched glass. I've worn contacts for almost 30 years, and I've experienced this phenomenon more than once. Tears shed in anger (during a fight with a spouse or child, for instance) are contact killers. I still haven't found out exactly what is in those tears that reacts with my lenses, but whatever it is, it's potent.

photo by TimOve	via PhotoRee

Of the three types of tears produced by our lacrimal glands, emotion-generated tears are believed to flush out excess hormones produced by stress, as well as releasing endorphin-type chemicals. Maybe that's why women are more prone to bouts of tears during certain times of the month... we need to dump some excess hormones from the system!

University of Minnesota biochemist and research scientist Dr. William Frey, PhD, has suggested resisting the urge to cry may result in a build-up of toxins that harm other organs instead of being rinsed harmlessly away. 

The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep. 
~Henry Maudsley, pioneering British psychiatrist (1835-1918)

"Having a good cry" may well be the healthiest way to respond to stress. Likewise, shutting down that natural reaction out of fear or shame could contribute to or exacerbate, other health problems. It makes me wonder if our distaste for the shedding of tears, especially in public, ("big girls/boys don't cry," "don't be a crybaby," etc.) is partially to blame for some of our modern health issues.  

My 32 oz. water bottle stares at me with its imaginary eyes. It accuses, mocks, dares me to drink it. Drain me, it cries. Drink me!

It's mocking me.

I hate to drink water. It's a lifelong issue that has even caused me to pass out from heat exhaustion twice. Two different birthdays at the amusement park. That's a fun way to celebrate, huh? NOT.

This month, a succession of odd aches and pains, insomnia, headaches, and fatigue had my chiropractor's words of advice (warning?) ringing in my head. He can apparently tell whether I'm properly hydrated or not during an adjustment. And whether an adjustment holds, he has said, depends greatly on the amount of H20 in my system. Get hydrated, he told me, "It's the best thing you can do for yourself."

Blech. I've heard it before. I've ignored it before. But I'm not good at feeling bad, and lying awake with muscle cramps in my legs and that weird twitchy feet thing is unacceptable. Finally, after a couple of sleepless nights (because I must be really stubborn), I asked for wisdom and almost instantly heard the Holy Spirit murmur, "You're dehydrated, dummy. Drink water." Ouch. Most of the time God is really nice to me when we chat. So when I get impressions like that one, I know I've been guilty of failing to hearken to His voice.


Drinking more water was actually on my list of New Year's resolutions. Since I haven't been doing very well and needed a bit of motivation, I got online and did some research.

• Humans are the only creatures on the planet that regularly drink substances besides water.
• The human body is 75% water. Yada-yada-yada. Everybody remembers that from biology class, right? What I didn't know is that the BRAIN is 85% water. That's right, your brain is only 15% gray matter and two-thirds plain old water. Maybe those old studies showing that we only use 10% of our brains would be different if we were fully hydrated.
• In a dehydrated state, the body "borrows" water from itself, whether from the blood, the brain, or the lungs. This internal debt load may cause temporary or chronic health problems. 
• At least 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
• "For every 1% of water weight that we lose, our capacity to do work or exercise goes down 10%.So, if we lose 3% of our water weight, our capacity goes down by about a third.Example: A person weighs 160 pounds and he is 75% water. So he has, or is, 120 pounds water. If he loses just 1.2 pounds of water his ability in whatever physical activity he's engaging in, gets 10% worse."1 (Maybe the Denver Broncos are dehydrated this year.) 
• Some studies show up to 80 percent of back and joint pain could be relieved simply by taking in enough water.
• People who drink just 5 glasses of water a day can reduce their risk of cancer by double-digits.
• Ailments thought to caused, or at least exacerbated by dehydration include: asthma, allergies, hypertension, fatigue, gout, depression, even diabetes.
• Maintaining the proper water intake reduces risk of heart attack by up to 45 percent.

There's a lot more, but I won't go into it all here. Books like You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty, The Water Prescription, and Your Body's Many Cries for Water share detailed case studies of people for whom the simple act of drinking plenty of water has been a miracle cure for life-threatening ailments. 

None of that, however, changes the fact that I hate to drink water. I'd rather have tea, or coffee, or diet soda. I've tried adding lemon. I've used Crystal Light. I've bought bottled water, a stainless steel water container, a plastic water bottle. I've tried drinking through a straw. You get the picture.

Water Your Body

But a recent post by my Inkwell Inspirations co-blogger Debra Marvin about using an app on her iPod to record her calorie intake inspired me to seek out a water-tracking app to go with my calorie-counting app.

I found one on sale for 99 cents called Water Your Body. That makes sense: I water my plants, and my yard, and my pet. Every responsible pet owner knows their critters must have access to clean, fresh water at all times. Even if they choose to make the toilet their source of water, we still provide a bowl of fresh water, right? We hydrate our dogs better than we hydrate ourselves!

Anyway, back to the app. It has cute graphics and, best of all, gives me a letter grade at the end of each day based on my water consumption. For someone who can't stand to get a "B," chugging toward that "A" is a great motivator! To get an "A", I can make myself drink my water.

Ha ha! All gone!

My point? Find your motivator for the thing you know you need to do or want to do, but just can't seem to DO - whether it's controlling your calorie intake or maintaining a daily time of prayer and fellowship with God or keeping your dishes from piling up in the sink. What will provide you with the internal satisfaction you need to keep up the good work? For me, it's having my phone tell me I got an "A" in water-drinking yesterday. What will it be for you?










1 http://www.healthy-water-best-filters.com/symptoms-dehydration.html

Have you ever seen this prayer?

That's me. I start out so well, with such great intentions for the day. I usually wake up on the right side of the bed. I'm spiritually, physically, and mentally awake (at least after the coffee is made). I'm ready to pray, to spend time with God, to make grand plans for the hours I've been given. But around 4 or 5 p.m., (sometimes earlier, depending on the day's hormone balance) something happens to me. It's like Jekyll and Hyde.



Do you ever overeat late at night? Or pick stupid fights with your spouse after 10 p.m.? Do you have trouble saying "no" to things you're trying to quit, or "yes" to the things you really want to accomplish in the late afternoon or evening hours? Does it get worse as the day erodes into darkness?

We are a driven people. Amercians have devalued sleep, rest, and vacations to the point we are literally running on fumes. We applaud every effort to push ourselves to the limits of our physicality, our psyche, our spirits, and our emotions. At every turn in the day we are bombarded with temptation, with opportunity, with distractions -- good and bad.


Did you know that a lack of sleep/rest triggers your body to secrete hormones that cause the "munchies"? Or that when you're tired, your body tells your brain you need to eat in a desperate attempt to find fuel to stay awake?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coriehowell

A person who is physically tired is more susceptible to accidents (almost as bad or worse than a person who has been drinking), more likely to catch colds and flu because the immune system is compromised, and may suffer a myriad of physical symptoms ranging from chest pain to fever to digestive disorders. Emotional and mental fatigue can cause depression, memory loss (we're not old, we're just tired!), anger issues, and lapses in judgment. (http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/fatigue.html#_1_3)

These are all well-documented results of exhaustion as it affects us physically and mentally. But what about spiritually? The prevailing thought among believers is that when an individual struggles with temptation and deception, it's strictly a spiritual problem, to be addressed with prayer and scripture and confession and repentance. Those things are good and necessary, but if we stop there we've only addressed one-third of the whole being.

http://blog-blond.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

It's just a thought, but what if part of the cure for our recurrent "personal" problems was as simple as going to bed on time, or taking an afternoon nap? What if the application of Jesus' words, "if your right hand offends you, cut it off," involved tucking yourself up in bed before you fall in the pit of gossip during those free nighttime minutes on your cell phone, clicking on the link that takes you to the porn site, or overindulging your flesh with extra dessert, midnight snacks, another drink, or two more hours lying on the sofa watching brain- and bank account-sucking infomercials? Maybe cutting off your right hand, or plucking out your eye is as simple as switching off the light...

What makes us think that a lack of sleep and pushing ourselves to the brink of exhaustion is a good thing?

As the gears grind toward my 40th birthday this summer I've developed a sudden interest in wrinkle reduction, age spot lighteners, and I'm having a personal debate over letting my hair turn gray or continuing to dump color on it every six weeks. I've been coloring (not because I needed to) since I was sixteen. I'm kind of bored with the process. And these freaky Dr. Seuss-style gray hairs are not very receptive to brown. Besides, I've earned them. I'm leaning toward the natural look, a la Jamie Lee Curtis.

But when it comes to the wrinkles I'm not sure I'm okay with "natural."  I noticed the first one in my reflection in the rear view mirror and thought I'd drawn on my forehead with a pen. I reached up to rub the line away. Oh horror! The line was the shadow made by the indent in my skin: my reward for years of frowning and furrowing. (There's one more reason Jesus told us not to worry!)

So I entered the anti-wrinkle zone. Also known as the women's paint and putty department.

First observation: Everything in this section is ridiculously overpriced. Yes, I'm a cheapskate, but seriously, $14.95 for a 0.25 oz. tube of something I can't even prove is going to work?

Second observation: I need 36 different products just for my face. Morning, afternoon, and evening products. Eye products, lips products, cheek products. Wrinkle smoothers, wrinkle fillers, wrinkle preventers. Sun damage correctors, free radical removers, anti-sagging, anti-bagging, anti-puffing. Fine lines. Deep lines. Spots. And then, to combat the vile injustice of still having the occasional zit to accompany my creases, there's an entire selection of goodies for the "mature" woman with "blemishes."

My mind starts to drift. Maybe Botox? Oh, yeah, botulism for my face. No thank you, I'll pass. I start picking up little (and I mean tiny, itsy-bitsy) boxes and jars and tubes and bottles and flipping them over. What's in this stuff? Is it so expensive because someone has to breed captive Tinkerbells to milk them for pixie dust to put in the magic formula?

Here's what I discover during my eyewitness investigation:

• Caffeine is one of the latest ingredients touted to brighten and tighten the skin. That's nifty. But I'd much rather drink my caffeine than rub it on my face. It's cheaper, too. Even if I get a fancy coffee!

• Vitamin C (A.K.A. L-Ascorbic Acid or Ascorbyl Palmitate), Vitamin E, Vitamin K. These are all things in my multi-vitamin. And when I eat like I'm supposed to, things that are in my food. Again, I'd rather eat them than wear them.

• Hyaluronic acid is a substance produced naturally in the body that promotes water retention in the cells. Puffy cells look younger than saggy cells. Wanna know where it comes from? Rooster combs.  No joke, the comb of the rooster is the purest source of hyaluronic acid.

• Retinol, retinoic acid, retin-A, and tretinoin are all fancy names for... Vitamin A. Mothers out there, stop telling your girls to eat their carrots and spinach because it's good for their eyes. Tell them it will prevent wrinkles.

• Alpha-hydroxy acids include lactic acid (found in milk), citric acid (found in oranges), glycolic acid (extracted from sugar cane and beets). Part of Cleopatra's beauty regimen included goat's milk baths. Funny how our beauty treatments come from the most unattractive animals, isn't it?

• Beta-hydroxy acid comes from the bark of certain willow plants and is also known as salicyclic acid. Remember Stridex? Hello salicylic acid. Hey, that will take care of zits AND wrinkles? It's also found in aspirin, wart remover (the Wicked Witch just needed a Stridex pad!), and dandruff treatments.

Conclusion: I walked away empty-handed from the enticing displays that promised me a virtual fountain of youth and made my way through the rest of the store in a haze. I paused at the facial tissues. At least those were on my list. My eye caught the blurb on one box, promising that these tissues had the power to kill viruses. Awesome! I grabbed a box, noticing the inflated price compared to the dull store-brand tissues in their unattractive packages. With a shaky hand, I turned the magic tissue box upside down. There, on the bottom, in tiny letters. Active ingredient: ascorbic acid.

The tissues returned to the shelf and I wheeled my cart to the produce department for three oranges. One to eat, one to rub on my face, and one to stuff up my nose. Food, beauty, and health care in one attractive, simple package. I don't even need a bag, so I'm being eco-friendly. At 39 cents each, that's quite a bargain.

Have you ever paid extra for a box of tissues because the box was "cute"?

Did you ever buy a beauty product that didn't live up to its promises?




For more information:www.skincareresourcecenter.com

I'm really good at spotting fixer-uppers. Whether it's houses or people or projects. I can "see" the potential that person, place, or thing has for greatness in spite of the overgrown weeds and broken windows and rusty old gates that obscure its true form.

I hope you're looking at some kind of potential, somewhere in your life. The ability to see potential is the ability to hope and dream, and without that, human life is pretty empty and sad. 

If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of potential - for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints; possibility never. ~Soren Kierkegaard

Unfortunately, there's a vast expanse between what you see now  and that beautiful place called Potential View. At the edge of the void dangles a tattered sign that reads "Problem Valley." Ever been there?

Have you set out with zeal and hope, headed for Potential View, only to find yourself discouraged, disappointed, and distressed in Problem Valley?

Writing a novel, going on a diet, getting in shape, starting a business, getting a degree, raising kids, being married, training a dog, finishing school, buying a house, are all things that come with lovely visions of potential. The happy home, the 2.5 kids, the dog, and the white picket fence... Or whatever your dream entails.



Did they get tired on their way to California, or the Willamette Valley, or wherever they were going? Because surely this place where they stopped was not their promised land! Did they give up? Did they lose sight of "Pikes Peak or Bust" somewhere out on the eastern plains of Colorado because the going got too tough?

Are you tempted to quit? Tempted to settle for less than your vision? Tempted to throw in the towel (or the manuscript, or the marriage license, or the treadmill, or the nutrition bars) and just give up? Don't do it! You'll find yourself singing "I can't get no satisfaction" for the rest of your life!

It is very dangerous to go into eternity with possibilities which one has oneself prevented from becoming realities. A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it. ~Soren Kierkegaard

Set your face, grit your teeth, plant your "but" on that seat, and keep moving toward your desired destination. That vision of Potential View didn't come from you, it came from the One who created you, and He's right there with you, encouraging, prompting, and cheering you on toward the goal.




 

This was oft-heard medical advice when I was a kid, for everything from splinters in the finger to popcorn kernels stuck between tooth and gum. As a child, I wondered what it meant, besides my mother abandoning hope of rummaging a nearly invisible speck of wood from my hand with a needle while I wailed in hyper-sensitive terror.

To allow something to "fester" means you allow it to "suppurate," or fill with pus (there's your new word for the day). Pus is the by-product of an inflamed, possibly infected, bodily injury. In theory, if allowed to fester, the splinter would so aggravate the surrounding flesh, the body would produce pus - a nasty, yellowish-white goo - to force the offending object from the body. Yeah, gross.

Hey, our bodies are smart enough to work to get rid of an offense. Perhaps we should take a clue!

Becoming "offended" (please review yesterday's list of offense synonyms so you don't mistake an offense for something else, like hurt feelings, or righteous indignation) by someone's words, actions, opinions or choices is like ramming a nice, thick splinter right up underneath your fingernail.

As you ruminate on that offense - the unkind word from a spouse, the bill passed by the Senate committee, the foolish mistake of a child that costs you something valuable - and rehearse and rehash the incident to friends and family, you get a buildup of spiritual pus, an oozing, leaky flow of negative words and emotions that grows until the thing is sore and swollen and miserable. Injuries that swell and became hot, red and infected used to be called "proud flesh." Maybe they still should be. It's your pride that takes up the cause of an offense and clings to it. Just pride.
In pain (and wanting to justify your offense), you point out your boo-boo to anyone who will hold still long enough to look. You seek opportunities to discuss the source of your "owie," and then peel back the Band-aid of polite behavior to reveal the damage you've incurred. Naturally, you gain attention and sympathy from this, and that makes you a bit reluctant to let the thing heal. (Be honest, we all like a little sympathy and attention from time to time!)

An open, pus-filled sore is a breeding ground for all sorts of loathesome creatures, from staph infections to opportunistic fungi and parasites. Things you DO NOT WANT in your body. Leaving an offense untreated and waiting for it to clear up on its own, is the equivalent of rolling your wounded self around in the cat's litter box. You are going to end up with a bigger problem than a splinter. You may end up losing a leg. Or your life.  No nasty comment, no political agenda, no economic trouble, no misunderstanding, no personal opinion, is worth that kind of cost.

Tomorrow, we'll examine the early symptoms of offense, because the best way to deal with it is to rip those splinters out right away, no matter how bad it hurts at the moment! And we'll address what to do if you have some of those pus-filled abscesses in your life that need to be taken care of. If you aren't already a subscriber or a follower, sign up so you don't miss a post. Get the cure, so you can get over it! Fortunately, if you are willing to submit to the treatment, offense is treatable.

If you want to get this information all in one place at one time, it's in my book The Judas Trap available at Amazon.com. I'm giving away a free copy this week. (It's excellent preparation for the holidays... all that time with in-laws and family members provides plenty of opportunities to get offended.)

If you'd like to have your name included in the random drawing, leave me a comment and your e-mail address. (Click "comments" below. A window will pop up with a place to enter comments at the bottom.). Leave spaces between your name and the @ symbol, or type out the word "at" to avoid being picked up by those web spider things that steal e-mail addresses and add them to junk mail lists. Or something like that.

Image via Wikipedia

My car's fuel gauge stopped working several weeks ago. The "low fuel" idiot light is on all the time, and the needle stays below the E no matter how much gas is in the tank. The car runs fine, I just have to pay attention to how many miles I've driven between stops at the gas station.
Some of my other gauges need attention, too. Not in my car, but in my body, soul, and spirit.
We have lots of gauges that must be monitored. There's a sleep gauge, a nutrition gauge, and a hydration gauge in our bodies. For women, there's a hormonal gauge that requires careful monitoring throughout our lives. Most of those physical gauges come with built-in physical warnings that we can either ignore or attend to. Ignore a gauge long enough and systems will begin to shut down. Mess with a gauge and you might compulsively overeat, or have problems with your sleep cycle.
The "idiot lights" on our soul and spirit gauges are often ignored entirely, especially during busy seasons or times of crisis, because our bodies continue to go through the motions of living long after our souls and spirits are running on fumes. So how do I read those gauges? What are the warning signs that my soul (mind, will, and emotions) and spirit (my connection to God and the eternal realm) are dipping dangerously close to failure?

#1. Physical symptoms that don't go away after proper rest and nourishment.
- These could include fatigue, insomnia, or unresolved aches and pains. If you've gone to the doctor, and he or she can't come up with a clear-cut diagnosis, it's time to check some other systems!

#2. Over-, or under-reacting to situations.
-If you're blowing up over spilled milk, or can't remember the last time you smiled, your emotional gauge is letting you know you need a refill. What activities stir up your emotions? It might be free-writing in a journal, hiking in the mountains or on the beach, spending time in prayer, watching a silly movie, reading a fluffy novel, or getting a pedicure. Everyone is different. If you are under pressure, or in crisis, it may seem like the most inopportune moment to take time for yourself to do something frivolous, but that foolish activity might just save you from a breakdown.

#3. Feeling disconnected from your purpose for living.
That "floating" feeling we experience from time to time, the one where we ask questions like, "what if this is really all just a dream (or nightmare)?" and "is anything I believe really true?" Is an indicator that your spirit (the eternal part of you) is running on fumes. Spiritual feeding is simple -- spending time with your Creator satisfies your spirit. Making the time, and settling yourself down mentally and emotionally long enough to find your spirit and "plug in" through prayer, meditation, worship or whatever, is the real challenge!

#4. "I'm bored!"
- Boredom is an alarm that lets you know you are in need of mental stimulation. Learning something new, applying yourself to a project or hobby, will feed your brain. If all else fails, pick up the dictionary and learn some new words!

#5. Rebelliousness isn't limited to our teenage years.
- Your will (I think, I want, I feel) will flare up in ugly ways if you start to feel trapped in your circumstances. To maintain a healthy will, you need to remind yourself that while you may not be able to control every situation, you can control your reaction to situations. "I can be happy, even when I don't get my way." Just choosing your response is enough to reset, or jumpstart, your will onto the right path.

Check those gauges! Don't run out of gas on the side of the road of life!

Image by apesara via Flickr

I'm one of those oddballs who likes change. I like to rearrange furniture, repaint walls, try new hairstyles and switch my wardrobe around. I even like to move! (No, I do not want to come help you pack.)
But for some people even small changes are excruciating, and I'm finding that I have my limits as well. In the last five months my only daughter turned 18, graduated from high school, and is getting married in three days. My oldest son got his driver's license. My second son turned 15 and got his driver's permit. And my 11-year-old proudly announced his need for deodorant and notified the household of the arrival of a long-awaited armpit hair. Lots of changes.
Why do we resist change? Because it hurts.
The status quo, no matter how uncomfortable, is always easier than changing behaviors and attitudes. It's easier, for example, to continue eating junk food and skipping exercise, even though you despise the extra 20 or 30 pounds of flab you're packing around. It's easier to continue using the credit card for purchases you really don't need and battle anxiety attacks when the bill comes due than it is to tell yourself "no" and commit to a get-out-of-debt plan. It's easier to whine about your kids' bad behavior than it is to expend the energy to discipline them. It's easier to moan and groan about a lousy relationship than it is to do something to reconcile the situation.
Human nature always tends toward the path of least resistance. Change, whether good or bad, brings resistance, and resistance is a source of pain, or stress, on the body and mind.
Think of resistance as a fork in the road of life. What you choose to do with the pain of change determines where you will end up tomorrow, next week, next year, or a decade from now.
Choose to let pain overwhelm you with sorrow for time lost and relationships stolen, and you will become bitter and filled with regret. What a waste!
Or, choose to embrace the pain of change. Let it restructure and reshape you the way weights sculpt your muscles. I know, that sounds crazy, especially if you're facing some horribly difficult situation, like a divorce or a death, or serious illness. But to survive and thrive in life, we must learn to accept change and be proactive instead of reactive.
My Bible reading schedule for today put me in 2 Kings 7. It's a story that never fails to inspire me to get up and DO something! The Bible is always best read with your imagination engaged, so shift into imagination mode and picture the following scene...

The city was under siege. The enemy had cut off all supply lines. The markets were empty. The cisterns were dry. Inflation had reached an all-time high. The situation looked hopeless to everyone, even the king.
Sitting just outside the city gates were four men, victims of leprosy. They were outcasts -- unable to work, rejected by their society and doomed to a miserable, lonely existence.
I can almost see the cartoon light bulb go off over their heads just prior to the third verse.

"...They said to one another, 'Why stay here until we die? If we say, 'We'll go into the city'--the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over into the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.'"

Ever been there? Where every option looks like certain death?
I love these guys. They had the guts to do SOMETHING, even if it seemed completely crazy.
The four men got up at dusk (presumably hoping the low light would prevent the Arameans from noticing their diseased condition) and headed for the enemy's camp. To their surprise, the place was deserted. The Arameans had fled in terror when God made them hear the sound of a great army coming their way. Was God just waiting for someone to make a move, to step out and do something?
The lepers had a party. They ate and drank their fill and hauled off gold and silver and clothes for themselves. Satiated, their consciences pricked them, and they returned to the besieged city and shared the good news. The announcement created a stampede to outdo any Christmas clearance rush at Wal-Mart!
Here's your question. Take that painful change you're facing right now and ask yourself, "Why am I just sitting here? What are my options? What can I do?" Become proactive. Resist the temptation to take the easy way out by doing nothing. Instead, step out in faith and do something. Even little things that seem insignificant can have a tremendous impact on your future!
For myself, I can resist my children's growth and development by trying to hold them in the nest, tied tightly to my apron strings. But I will suffer misery, torment, and discomfort as they figure out ways to escape my grasp. I could sullenly sit back and pout, mourning the loss of my youth and making my children feel guilty for "abandoning" me to--gasp, how dare they?--live their own lives.
Or, I can view these changes not with dread, but with a sense of adventure. Every ending is a new beginning, an opportunity for growth and further sculpting of my soul and spirit into the person God created me to be. As a writer, I like this analogy: Every change opens a new chapter in the book of my life. And because God has all my days written in His book, I can trust that it will be a well-written story, penned by the author of faith Himself, and that He has a happy ending planned for me, something better than I could ever dream. And He has a story written for you, too! Just like those lepers, He might just be waiting for someone to stand up and make a move toward victory, toward success, toward a dream.
Will you be the one who says, "Let's roll!"?