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Life on I75/40

Thanksgiving is over, but I wanted to add one more post about it to keep the spirit alive.  I am sure most of the turkey and pumpkin pies are long gone in your house, but the idea of being thankful needs to extend past that one weekend.

I was reminded of this yesterday on the long journey home.  The drive was fairly pleasant until I came down the on ramp merging into the traffic on I-75.  Then the fun started!  Lots of cars, lots of traffic.  I was continually happy and thankful however, as I would glance over into the northbound lane and see stopped vehicles while my southbound lane continued moving along at a good speed.

And then we got to Knoxville!

There is not much like sitting in 3 lanes of traffic and traveling 3 miles in 80 minutes.  It was during this time of stop and go and stop and go – and did I mention stop? – that my spirit of thankfulness was tested.

There I was, full, munching on peanut M&M and drinking a Coke, warm, with my family, in a working automobile with a 1/2 tank of fuel, listening to Christmas music on my iPod – and full of complaints.  Well not really full of complaints, because every time I thought about complaining, I reminded myself that I could be in a much difference place.  I could be in the car that they were pulling from the woods – or worse. And I attempted to keep looking at the great things right in front of me.

So, although I was slightly agitated, and very disappointed about the long delay in our travel plans ( it’s hard to be happy with an 8 hour trip becomes 10!), I constantly reminded myself about the spirit of thanksgiving, and how fortunate and blessed I really am.  How about you?  As you deal with the various agitations that this season brings, remember you blesses as well and keep that thankful spirit moving.

 

20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 New Living Translation (NLT)

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Power Up

I just have one thought on my mind today – go do stuff.  And with that I just needed a little admonish from the book of Ephesians – especially chapters 4, 5 and 6 that are really practical about how to go out and do stuff.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power  Eph 6:10

Be strong as you do whatever you are to do today.

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Gotta Feed The Dog

This past Saturday I left the solace of paradise ( ie – beach vacation).  Early in the morning we packed up the chairs, bathing suits, ice cream maker and the other beach necessities and headed home.  On our way out of town we pulled in the drive thru at the local McDonald’s – which was, of course, quite busy.

As I whipped around to the drive thru lane, a pickup truck just beat me to the back of the line.  I really didn’t think much about it until a few minutes later.  After placing my order, I was sitting in the bend at the corner of the building.  Each window had a car in front of it, and the aforementioned truck was still in front of me, not yet to the window.  And there we waited.  In terms of a McDonald’s drive thru it really wasn’t that long.  I actually hadn’t even noticed the delay at this point, until I heard an obvious “c’mon’ shouted from a man near by.

My interest peaked, I tried to find the source of this hollering.  A little while later, while we still waited for the line to move I heard another exoneration, from the same voice. I think it was “Let’s Go!” this time.  And I realized it was the man in the truck in front of me letting his irrational with the delay be known throughout the parking lot.

About this time the line started moving, and as the man in his truck approached the window, I could hear something like this coming from his window.

“Hey, hey, hey” he shouted to the woman in the first window as he was still on approach.   He continued ” I need to add another Sausage biscuit!, I gotta feed the dog”.  I cannot express the urgency and frustration in his words.

“I gotta feed to the dog” he repeated.

Sure enough in the passenger seat of his F150, going back and forth was his apparently hungry companion.  All of my companions had a hearty laugh.

It was an odd display, but one that stuck with we the rest of the day.  You all have experienced long periods of interstate travel, and you know that some times there are  traffic situations, slow cars, tailgating drivers, or some other patience testing opportunities waiting to be discovered.  Well, on this day,  each time I realized that I was becoming impatience, I would holler out.

“C’mon driver, I gotta feed the dog!”

And immediately, I would remember how ridiculous my impatience really was, and that a patience approach to the situation is so much better.

All of us find us in places where we are anxious, and stressed and impatience with others.  Our times may not be as telling or out in the open as my drive thru partner, but each one usually ends the same way.  His yelling and aggression did nothing to move the line any faster.  Our impatience probably wont change the situation we are stressing over in any way.

Today, as you interact with others, if you feel yourself growing weary, remember that you have a dog to feed!

 

14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.1 Thessalonians 5:14 New International Version (NIV)
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love Ephesians 4:2 New Living Translation (©2007)

 

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Lessons From a Door

Earlier this week, I decided I would hang a mirror on the back on my eldest son’s door.  The one he has wanted me to hang up since last August.  However, before I could hang up this mirror, I thought it would be a good idea to paint the door.  You see marks and scratches cover the the door.  Some of those from the innocent days of playing on the floor.  Some of those the reminder of a frustrated student or a frustrated parent entering or leaving the room.

So, I finally found some time when he was not occupying the room where I could paint the door. I mentioned yesterday that the idea of forgiveness and what that looks like when lived out in our lives has circled around in my mind.  As I placed that bright white paint on my brush and then on the door, covering those marks, many of them small reminders of pain,  I was reminded of how forgiveness, when properly received and graciously given, does the same in our lives.  It ‘erases’ the past, cleans the slate, and allows us to be presented again white, clean and new, just like that nice white door with the mirror on the back.

That’s a great thing for him!  And forgiveness can be a great thing for you!

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 New International Version (NIV)

Oh, I must tell you.  I was awoken last night to what I thought were robbers in the house.  Turns out, the mirror tape was not strong enough, and that mirror decided to free itself from the back of the door and make an awful noise at it hit the floor!  The door is still white however!

 

 

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Splattered

The garbage truck runs on Friday mornings at my house. Sometimes early on Fridays, like while I am still in the shower early.  Anyway, when I drive in to work, I usually pass by the truck as it goes down my street.  Sometimes there will be a trail of liquid going down the road, thicker at each stop of the truck as it drips out from some one’s garbage.

Last Friday morning, I didn’t even think about the long trail of toxicity as I passed by the garbage truck.  At lunch, I drove out to meet some friends, which is unusual, and I noticed that my tires looked like that had mud on them.  That’s was odd, as I hadn’t recalled being off-road.  Later Monday night, as I was leaving work, I approached my truck from the front and noticed that my front tire had a big paint spot on the tread.  Hm.  I wondered where that had happened.  I thought maybe, when I was at the recycling center after lunch, I drove in a little bit of paint on the road.  Since it was light brown, I still had not realized that the ‘mud’ on the side on my truck was not mud at all.

Nope, it was not until I drove up my street and noticed the long 1/2 mile trail of light brown tires marks in the lane coming the opposite direction.  That wasn’t just water dripping from the garbage truck.  It was a toxic, staining, damaging mixture, left for those who followed to step right in.

That’s right.  Paint!  nice light brown mud-looking paint, splattered all over my wheel wells and down the side of my truck.

Yuck.

Another day is in store for me cleaning up someone’s mess they left to splatter all over me!

Poor truck!  And sometimes poor us!

When you leave people how do they feel?  Do they feel like they just ran through the stuff that leaked off the garbage truck?  Or do they feel uplifted and refreshed.

Don’t drip toxins – but instead,  as Micheal from the Handwritten says,

Drip Jesus.

 

 29When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.  Ephesians 4:29 New Century Version (NCV)