They definitely weren't waving at me...

Have you ever excitedly saw someone waving at you and you wave back?

And then you look behind you and quickly realize they weren't actually waving at you???

Have you ever REALLY liked a song....like that one song you just HAVE to sing anytime it comes on? And then you look up the lyrics later and realize you were singing the lyrics wrong EVERY TIME....

Getting new clothes is also an awesome thing! You go to the store, pick out a new shirt or new pants and you just can't wait to wear them that first time. So the next day you put on your new shirt and head out to take on the world. The first person who sees you does not notice your shirt, but instead the sticker that says LARGE on it.

Humbling moments for sure!

All of us have been there. Maybe it was a silly moment like this that you could laugh off or maybe there was a time where you were really embarrassed. It seems like these moments can hit us when we feel we are at the peak of our performance or our self-confidence is at an all-time high and then BOOM, we are sent crashing back to earth.

In all honesty, I feel these moments are important to all of us! Now, I don't rejoice in other people's embarrassments, but I certainly do the best to laugh at my own. We live in a world now that gets completely tailored to us! If you have done any online shopping lately, you know what I am talking about. If you go shopping for a new baseball hat, all of a sudden the ads on the side of different websites you visit all include baseball hats. It's a little creepy, but it's definitely personally tailored to you.

Being such a target to these companies is the opposite of humbling. It makes us feel important even though they REALLY aren't after us, they are after the money that is in our pockets.

If you don't believe this rationale, go into a restaurant and just sit down. Don't order anything. Just say you want to rest for a little bit. I would guess, unfortunately, MOST places wouldn't enjoy your company. If you aren't going to buy anything- why are you there? They may even throw out the term- LOITERING! OH NO!

It's NOT about us...it really isn't, and being humbled and being embarrassed is always going to be a part of our lives. The reality is IT'S OK TO FALL sometimes! It's ok to sing the wrong lyrics or wave to the wrong person, it's ok to keep the tags on.

Why?

Because all of us are flawed just like the person next to us is. We aren't perfect, and sometimes we get TOO caught up in ourselves and forget WE make mistakes. And we have a God who forgives our imperfections and it's OK when we get humbled from time to time. In first Peter 5:6 it says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." Sometimes when we fall, God will help us up. Sometimes when we put OTHERS first, God will move us forward in the line.

So this week don't forget every once in awhile you need to laugh at yourself. Take your humble pie from time to time and remember that it's just a small part of life. We have a God that's bigger than any embarrassment or wrong song lyric. And hey...at least you were nice enough to wave to someone in the first place right?!?

Compacity

Have you ever heard of the word compacity? If you have been around me enough, you probably have. But you know what? Compacity...ISN'T a word! I try using this word when I think I'm saying the word capacity. You know the word that means FILLED to the brim or the amount something can hold? That's the word I'm trying to say. I even had a mini-message at church that focused on the word- capacity. Did I say the word correctly? NOPE! I kept using the wrong word....over....and over....and OVER again.

Compacity isn't a WORD!!!!

As much as I try to make the change, I keep saying it wrong. What's the deal? Do I want to add the word compassion to the word capacity, or do I need to go back to middle school English class?

All of us have mistakes we make-not once, not twice, but OVER and OVER and OVER again. That's life. I pride myself on word usage, and I write my own blog, but I say the word capacity wrong every time I use it.

So what's your repeatable mistake? What thing do you keep doing even though you know it's wrong? Maybe it's something you are aware of when you are doing it OR maybe it's just something that comes so natural to you now that you don't even notice it.

My message for today is this- don't get discouraged- you CAN change! You can fix the wrong and replace it with right. You have the capacity in you to change. (see what I did there?..haha).

A great Biblical example of this was the woman at the well. (Full Story from John 4- HERE) This was a Samaritan woman. She had made may mistakes in her life. She had 5 husbands and was already on to the next. She was SO embarrassed to what she had become she would go to the well to get water in the middle of the day. Why is this a big deal? Well, she lived in a desert where it's REALLY hot, and she would only go when no one else was around. On one particular day though, her life changed. She ran into this guy named Jesus at the well. Jesus knew the woman's history- He even mentioned it to her!  The woman though MADE the change in her life with the help of God. She went and told other people about Jesus! About her Savior. Look at this Scripture from John 4:39- ³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

Even though this woman had been through so much in her past and had made mistakes, she didn't miss her opportunity to make a change. 

And we can do it to! That mistake you keep making...make the next time you do it THE LAST. 

Sure there will always be mistakes in the future, that's the reality of a sinful world. But don't forget Jesus words from John 16:33-  ³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We have it in us to change because we have God in each one of us. And the word capacity doesn't really exist to God because God is without limits....there is nothing TOO big for God. Maybe that's what compacity really should mean....

  

Getting Rid of the Bad Taste

Hard boiled eggs are SOOO good! Every year at Easter, I eat 10-12 hard boiled eggs and reflect upon how much I like to eat them. Then for whatever reason, I NEVER make them the rest of the year until next Easter rolls around.

Since I only eat hard-boiled eggs once a year, I seem to forget the only thing I REALLY don't like about hard-boiled eggs.....the after taste. You know that horrible odor that becomes associated with your mouth after eating an egg?? YEAH...that one. And the worst thing is, no matter what you do, you can't get rid of that odor. Brush your teeth and chew gum? Minty for a minute, but then it's all ruined with just one burp....

YES this may sound a little disgusting BUT if you have EVER had a hard-boiled egg, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The taste the egg leaves behind sticks with you WELL after eating it.

Life can sometimes be very much like a hard boiled egg.

Sometimes we get in an argument or disagreement with someone. Instead of moving past the conflict, we continue to stew in. The yelling or word exchange may be over, but our negative feelings towards what happened linger on. Eventually the conflict becomes bigger than the relationship we have with that person.

While trying to figure out what our best future course of action is, I look to the Scriptures for guidance. One of the best stories I can think of is Jacob and Esau. The short of the story is they are twin brothers. Esau by general rule or law of the time because he is the oldest, would receive the entire inheritance from his parents. Well that idea didn't work out too well for Jacob. So Jacob tricked Esau and stole his entire inheritance. Esau would receive nothing. In fear for his life, Jacob fled. Imagine the bad taste left in Esau's mouth?!? His own brother betraying him to such a DEEP extent. One day, Jacob decides to return home. This means seeing Esau again. Here is the Bible verses from Genesis 33 with Esau's reaction- ⁴ But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 

Imagine all the different ways that story COULD have ended. Esau had every right to be angry or vengeful towards Jacob. He could have punched him square in the nose and no one would have probably blamed him. BUT, instead Esau chose love and forgiveness.

This is the challenge that all of us face. We know for sure that bad things will happen to us in this world. Relationships with people will become strained and broken. But ultimately we don't have any control over how other people act. We can't stop people from being anger or spiteful. What we DO have control over is how WE respond to them. Esau had a choice, and he choice forgiveness and love. 

So this year, whether you like hard-boiled eggs or NOT, get that bad taste of past hurt out of your mouth. Easter is a week where we celebrate Christ forgiving ALL our sins...not just some of them. Let's try doing our best to forgive others too- even if the forgiveness is more important for us than them! 

Better Together

When I was going through college, one aspect that I always struggled with was the dreaded "group projects." The problem with group projects wasn't the project itself, but working with the other people in my group. No matter the class, the assignment, or project, the group always seemed to be made up of the same people.

First, you had the "know everything guy." This person would have the best idea for anything! Even if you made a comment, they would make a better comment. They had the perfect way of doing everything, their only problem was you getting in their way.

(NOTE- pictures in this blog has been used from google images, these are my hilarious best guess at putting a visual to some of these descriptions I am giving) 

"Let's do the project my way...I mean it's obviously the best!"

Second, there was always the "I'm too busy, I can't help person." This individual would only be able to work with the group on the project at 2:35am on Tuesday morning, but only for 30 minutes because then they had to go to sleep because they worked at 8:00am. This person would gladly take a portion of the project on their own because they could work on that during class or while they were working on something else.

"My next open time slot is April 29th at 7:36pm. I can give you 20 minutes then."

And then finally, you always had the "I don't want to do that person." This person would shoot down any idea the group has. While delegating duties, this person also would not want to take any portion of the project. It would be too tough, or not something they liked, or just something they didn't find important enough to do. They are sometimes also labeled the "lazy person", but in all reality they just don't want to do anything you are suggesting.

"I agree spaghetti is good, but I don't want to do that part of the project."

Then of course their is yourself. The person in the group trying to be the glue person and hold it all together.

Group projects!?!? Gotta love them. HAHA.

Group projects make you work as a team, and you know what? That's what life ends up looking like when you get older too. There is always things that you collaborate on with others whether it be at  job, or with your family, or in a church.

And you know what?

That's GREAT!

As much of a struggle working with others can be, we all bring unique gifts and abilities to the table.Even though group projects in high school or college weren't easy, I was always amazed at the end product. It always came together and was WAY greater than any of us could have done on our own.

This idea of a group being greater than one isn't a new one, and it's even Biblical. These selected verses from 1 Corinthians 12 really state it well.
¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

The last line especially rings true, when one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 

Think about sharing in that joy with others? How exciting is that? And what can be accomplished is so much greater with others than what we can do on our own. 

So don't discount those other people around you in your life. God might have a greater plan for you working with them than you ever imagined. That is the possibility of God!