Down Dooby-Doo Down Down

in the DUMPS! That's where I was on Saturday. Grumpy. Mumbly. With a large black cloud over my head following me around all day.

Why? you ask.

Because I heard good news from a friend.

HUH????? That's messed up, Chris.

Yup. It's like all the years of us trying to grow our family came crashing down.On.Me.

I heard the good news and rather than rejoicing with them, I said to myself, "Self, why are we STILL waiting? This sucks." And I was angry. And frustrated. And feeling jilted. It was like over the years when I would lose a baby, and another friend or person at church or everysinglewomanintheflippin'grocerystore was pregnant. It was like when we were in the 7th or 8th month of the trying to get pregnant roller coaster ride with no luck and someone would say, "Oh woe is me, I can't believe I am pregnant again! When did that happen? I am so uncomfortable/tired/bloated/feeling fat/constipated/sick." Or "Oh I am so tired with alllllllllllllllll my children running around." Wah wah wah.

So the good news pulled all of my old "stuff" out of me. And I did not handle it well.

I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father loves me in the middle of my bad attitude.

He loves me SO much, that occasionally he takes the Good Book out and whacks me over the head with it.

I call that God giving me a Shot Of Perspective. He does it a LOT. (That's how I know he's paying attention.)

So grumpy-girl attitude on Saturday, and fast-forward to church Sunday morning.

WHACK!

The new sermon series at our church is "I have a friend WHO...." ~ talking about God's voice in the dark places people struggle with. This week's sermon was about Attitude. Ha ha. Things Pastor Rick talked about:

• Most things we have no control over.
• Your circumstances don't make or break you. They reveal you.
• What comes out of us is what's already in us.
• Your attitude reveals what is flowing out of your heart.
• We choose our attitude.

He gave an example of a jar full of water. He shook it, and some water came out. On top of the people in the front row (another good example of why we should sit farther back in church :-). He asked why the water came out. People said the lid doesn't fit, there is a crack in the jar, the jar is leaking. Pastor Rick said, "Because there is water in it." What is in our heart comes out.

Pastor Rick used God's voice in Philippians 2 to show us where we should be.

Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

BLAM!  I am listening.

Be like Jesus. He humbled himself to come alongside us. He loves unconditionally and fully. He thinks of others first, valuing others over himself. No. Matter. What. Even when life wasn't "fair". And He had a whole lotta that.

Our attitude is our choice. Someone said life is 10% what happens, and 90% how we respond. So I need to recognize that yes my hurt is a part of me, but it is only 10%. I need to choose how the other 90% of my attitude will be.

And if I choose to have a joyful, loving attitude No Matter What, then I will make God happy too.

So we're still waiting for our Travel Approval.

And Happy Chris is back. Thank you, Lord.


Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.