Hope

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Facing old enemies

Perfectionism really is the enemy. 

Everything you’ve heard about perfectionism is true. 

You will never win and nothing will be enough when you’re a perfectionist. 

I am a recovering perfectionist. 

  And today I experienced a major relapse. 

Normally, as I learn sign language, making mistakes does not bother me. 

Today, though, I froze while voice interpreting and I did not recover well from the stumble either. 

I allowed my mistake to throw me off. A few tears were shed…

My old fiend, Perfection, mocked me and I listened. He’s close friends with Satan, so he’s really good at his job. 

Thankfully, my friend and mentor refused to let me stew over the mishap for too long. 

I’m glad she stopped me from hanging out in that ditch. 

If you find yourself in a ditch today, I want to help you get out too. Don’t allow perfectionism to steal your joy and happiness. 

Do your best and move on!

Keep trying!

And know that I–and all the other encouragers in your life–will not let you stay in the ditch. 

Get back on the road where you belong. 

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Go to Hell, Michigan

I’m sure you’re familiar with the expression “There must be a special kind of hell for ________.”

It’s a saying that we use when people are so mean, so evil that we think there’s no hope of redemption for them.

Did you know that hell is a part of our vernacular?

  • I’d go to hell and back for him/her.
  • Our world’s going to hell in a hand basket.
  • They’ve been through hell.
  • I’m trapped in a living hell.
  • Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.

The list goes on and on….

Seriously, I googled “colloquial expressions about hell” and found over 50! (Link below)

But my favorite use of hell is when we spell it out–for the children’s sake, of course.

“I told Bob he could go to h-e-double l.” 

Which leads me to wonder why the people of Hell, Michigan don’t use this phrase as a tourism tag line?

The forecast in Hell is...

The forecast in Hell is…

Go to Hell, Michigan today!

I find it ironic that a large majority of people claim to not believe in hell, and yet never question their vernacular.

This is a subject that needs to be discussed more.

As a Christian, I believe that hell is a real place.

I knew a boy years ago that joked around about partying in hell with the demons.

Trust me. There will be no party there. That’s one invitation you need to decline.

Why do we talk about hell so much?

I think it’s because, deep down, we all know sin is at the root of every evil committed.

Everyone’s looking for hope, for a reason to live beyond themselves.

Our early heritage of faith might be outlawed in courtrooms and classrooms, but it’s present in our vernacular.

It’s time to talk about the final destination.

For your investigation:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/hell

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Celebrating a great teacher

Yesterday was bittersweet for me.

Rose Sunday is one of my favorite traditions, but another event followed it: Dr. Hokanson’s memorial.

Saying goodbye is hard–even if you know someone’s a Christian.

ChrisHokansonDr. H’s memorial, though, was the best one I have ever attended. I know that’s a weird statement to make, but it’s true.

We focused on the lessons Dr. H left us, lessons that are very much alive and well.

Dr. Hokanson’s brother, Charles, gave the greatest eulogy I have ever heard.

We learned more about Dr. H by listening to his brother share precious memories with us. 

I walked away from the memorial with two thoughts:

  1. Am I using the gifts God’s given me?
  2. Am I encouraging others to do the same?

Because Dr. Hokanson did both of these things quite well.

And that’s all we talked about, really.

These two themes that made up Dr. H’s every day life.

The memorial was brimming with hope, with life.

Yes, I’m still a little angry that cancer took away such a great man too early.

But I know Dr. H is in Heaven, hanging out with Jesus. The pain is softened when I think about how much fun he’s having.

Plus, if Jane Austen’s there (I’m sure she is) he’s probably having tea with her right now.

His scones were the best too!

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A hope worth celebrating

It’s been quite the weekend! 

I had the privilege of serving as a counselor at the Greater Birmingham Festival of Hope. 

Franklin Graham shared about the remedy for the pain and emptiness in our lives: accepting the finished work of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus lived and died to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. Without His sacrifice, His blood, we would have no hope at all. 

Hope is an awesome thing. 

It’s the fuel of our sanctified imaginations. 
It’s the reason we can endure hardships with joy. 

Jesus came to give us hope!

A life without hope is no life at all. 

So, I want to end this wonderful weekend by giving thanks to Jesus Christ. 

He’s the author and finisher of our faith. 

He’s the giver of hope. 

And now hundreds of people have hope for a brighter future. 

All I want to do is celebrate!

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Relational poker and icebergs

I would be a terrible professional poker player because my ability to bluff is nonexistent.

Within two hands I would be slap broke.

But emotionally? Now that’s a different story.

You will probably find it hard to believe, but I am a very private person. Yes, me, the girl who is posting a blog every day for an entire year. But, really and truly, it’s only about 300 words a day. That’s not a lot when you think about it.

If you’re familiar with the writings of Ernest Hemingway, you know about the Iceberg theory.

icebergtheoryHe only shows readers the tip of the iceberg while the rest is submerged underwater.

And maybe, if you’re like me, your first thought goes to the Titanic.

It’s dangerous to think that there’s this whole other level to relationships, a part that you can’t see by only hanging out with someone at work or church or school.

Relationships take a lot of time to build. It’s really not that far fetched to think that you have to navigate relationships like the Titanic should have navigated the waters–with caution.

You can’t stay surface level and expect to have deep, meaningful relationships.

I can’t play games of relational poker, always bluffing and keeping my cards close, and expect to find myself surrounded by a community of relationally minded people.

And you can’t either.

At some point we all need to share our stories–the good times and the bad times–because that’s where hope lives, the places where darkness turned to light.

Not everyone is like the person(s) who hurt you so deeply. Give others a chance to prove that to you.

No more poker face, okay?

You and I can’t exist outside of a community, so let people in.

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Must Read: Who You Are

 Who You Are by John Croyle is one of my favorite books.
I bought it in February and I have read it three times this year!
If you are not familiar with John Croyle, he used to play football for the University of Alabama (UA).  His son, Brodie, also played at UA and then played six years of professional football.
But, most people don’t know John Croyle from his football years. They know him as the director of the Big Oak Ranch, which is a home for abandoned, abused, and neglected children.

I’ll put a link to their website at the bottom of this post. 

Who You Are is a book about not letting your past define you. Mr. John draws from his 40 years of experience with at-risk kids who have defied the odds and found hope because of Big Oak Ranch.

I highly recommend this book to those who need a fresh reminder that a bright future is available to anyone who wants one. No one is beyond hope.

This book has encouraged me to keep walking down the road toward my own bright future.  I think it can help you on your journey as well.

Big Oak Ranch website:

http://www.bigoak.org

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Why I Choose Hope

If you’ve been alive for more than 5 minutes, you’ve been disappointed.  That’s just reality.

I’ve always considered myself an optimist. Well, that was until a few years ago. Everything was going wrong (or at least I thought so) and I wasn’t at a good place emotionally.

It was the first time I was struck by how many times I practice calculated disappointment.

Let me define what I mean: Whenever I’m thinking something through, I automatically add in a measure of disappointment–sometimes more, sometimes less.

Like I said earlier, disappointment is a normal part of life. I don’t want to have a plastic, everything’s perfect life. Nobody–and I mean nobody–likes those kind of people.
But as Christians, we are called and encouraged to hope. The God kind of hope never disappoints. That’s a guarantee.

This guarantee is also why I am allowing my mindset to be changed.

When hard times come, when people fail, that’s a bummer. But guess what? Those times go away. A stinky attitude and a bad worldview doesn’t.

Here’s my advice: Don’t let past circumstances dictate your standard of living or your standard of thinking. Life is already messy enough. 
Find a way to hope for the best. I promise you won’t be sorry.

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A Different Path

Ms. Carol was an elderly woman who lived in a local nursing home. Every month or so, my me-maw would fix her hair and sometimes I would tag along. One day, I remember asking me-maw why Ms. Carol’s children never visited her. You couldn’t be around Ms. Carol long without noticing how sad she was. Even as a ten year old kid I knew something wasn’t right.

Unfortunately, Ms. Carol was not the best parent. Me-maw had known Ms. Carol for years and said she used to be a mean, hateful, and spiteful person. This news broke my heart. I didn’t like that Ms. Carol was alone or the fact that it was her own fault.

That’s the tricky part about consequences. Sometimes they are devastating. Left standing in the ruins of your own making, it’s hard to believe you allowed things to get this bad.

I found myself in this situation several years ago. Bitterness and unforgiveness had taken over my heart. I was sad, lonely, and angry. It took me a while to realize that the path I was on would produce nothing but more brokenness. Everything came down to one decision. No one else could make it for me.

Was I going to remain on the road to nowhere? Or would I choose to take a different path?

I chose a different path and so can you. Is holding on to pain and regret really worth being miserable? Ms. Carol made some bad choices, but she came to grips with her past faults and moved on.

No matter what you’ve done, there’s still hope. The only time change is unachievable is when you’re dead.

Ask some friends to help you through this process. Find a good counselor, if necessary, or visit with a local pastor. Help is out there.

You don’t have to walk alone anymore. 

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Proverbs and Potato Chips

The book of Proverbs is awesome.

When I start reading through Proverbs it’s like eating a bowl of chips. I want to keep reading and reading.

I would be in big trouble if I was  trying to read Proverbs and eat a bowl of chips, but I digress…

My dad wrote in the Scofield Study Bible he gave me back in June. He concluded his note with the Scripture reference for Proverbs 4:20-23.

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

In this passage the Bible is considered to be life and health to those who choose to study it.

Maybe I shouldn’t compare Proverbs to a bowl of chips.

Maybe I should compare it to apples and peanut butter or carrots and broccoli because the Bible is called life and health.

Reading the Bible, infusing its words into the core of my being, actually improves my health.

How cool!

Forget the chips! Pass me my Bible!

Sometimes, on bad days, I get really discouraged. It’s hard to read the Bible. I start thinking, “What’s it matter anyway? I’m just going to mess up. I can’t get this right. Why try?” However, that’s exactly when I need God’s word the most.

The Bible offers hope by telling us that we’re not alone. We have instructions from our Father on how to live. God has left us guidance and the Holy Spirit to teach us how to live.

But that’s not all!

God also places us in families, in churches, in jobs where we can be surrounded by godly men and women to help us along the way.

I find comfort in these facts because God is guiding me to the right people, to the right places, and to the right Scriptures to help me through.