The truth is I was not nice on Sunday. I was not kind. I was grumpy and tetchy and everything got on my nerves. I was annoyed. Hmm, notice all the "I" statements? Yeah. It was all about me.
Typically, when it's all about you, it's not a good thing - for you or anyone else. I had cabin fever and wanted to get out of the house. It wasn't just a desire to get out of the house, but to go with my husband and family. The kids would have gone anywhere, but my husband had studying to do.
And the tv is blinking out again. The on/off button has developed inconsistent patterns. We've opted to not spend another dime on it, but to tolerate it's bad behavior and then freecycle it with full disclosure.
This post verifies that while there were many opportunities for me to practice kindness this past weekend, I didn't. In the process, I was grouchy and grumpy and no one had a good time. I willfully did not let the Spirit produce kindness in me. Giving myself to God in all situations is not simple.
Hopefully next weekend I'll do better with "love."
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Kindness - Day 4 - Bring It On
Question:
How do you know when you're on the right track? How do you know when you're doing so well following God's directions that you're under attack?
Answer:
When you end your day by stating with authority, "ENOUGH! You're done. My God is bigger than you and you will not win. Out! Angels who protect me and my family, guard us against all evil and keep us safe. Evil, you can bring it on. But. You. Won't. Win."
Curious what kind of day would inspire that kind of ending?
Let's back up to Wednesday when the TV blitzed out. *sigh* This TV was my grandmother's and was given to us when she passed in January. My Dad sounded a little, well, like it wasn't time to say goodbye to the TV, yet, when I called to ask it's age. So, the hubby and I needed to get it fixed. The repairman was here on Wednesday, but wasn't able to fix the TV completely because he didn't have a necessary part. He came back yesterday and wasn't able to finish fixing the TV. Ouch. Things were beginning to look expensive. Excuse me, more expensive.
Another confirmed expense yesterday? Our roof. Over a month ago we had a major hailstorm that flung baseball and softball sized hail at our neighborhood. Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea a roof could be "totaled." They can. Ours is. The insurance check came yesterday and the roofer came to discuss details on when and how much we would be out of pocket. We're out less than our deductible, but more than expected. Ouch. Again.
One intriguing (God thing?) about yesterday was a conversation about God... with the roofer. Turns out he's a physics student who has spent a considerable amount of time focusing on dimensions. He said science has proven multiple dimensions, but our eyes can only see three. His point was that the closer we get to God, the more we are attacked. The principalities of darkness are interested in keeping us as far from God as possible and they *are* around us. We just can't see them because our eyes are limited to 3-D.
Of course, at this point in the day I felt utterly deflated because the roofing cost was draining funds from our dreamt-of anniversary trip. The TV still wasn't working and the repairman had yet to arrive for what would be yet another fruitless attempt at fixing the TV.
By the time the kids were in bed, the repairman was gone, the money was spent, the kitchen still needed cleaning (again), I felt poor of cash and spirit, and I was drained. I slumped in the recliner and hung my head.
Then, slowly, I raised my chin and whispered the statement above, reprinted here for the sheer delight of doing it:
"ENOUGH! You're done. My God is bigger than you and you will not win. Out! Angels who protect me and my family, guard us against all evil and keep us safe. Evil, you can bring it on. But. You. Won't. Win."
And it stopped.
So what happened next? Well, that's another post.
How do you know when you're on the right track? How do you know when you're doing so well following God's directions that you're under attack?
Answer:
When you end your day by stating with authority, "ENOUGH! You're done. My God is bigger than you and you will not win. Out! Angels who protect me and my family, guard us against all evil and keep us safe. Evil, you can bring it on. But. You. Won't. Win."
Curious what kind of day would inspire that kind of ending?
Let's back up to Wednesday when the TV blitzed out. *sigh* This TV was my grandmother's and was given to us when she passed in January. My Dad sounded a little, well, like it wasn't time to say goodbye to the TV, yet, when I called to ask it's age. So, the hubby and I needed to get it fixed. The repairman was here on Wednesday, but wasn't able to fix the TV completely because he didn't have a necessary part. He came back yesterday and wasn't able to finish fixing the TV. Ouch. Things were beginning to look expensive. Excuse me, more expensive.
Another confirmed expense yesterday? Our roof. Over a month ago we had a major hailstorm that flung baseball and softball sized hail at our neighborhood. Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea a roof could be "totaled." They can. Ours is. The insurance check came yesterday and the roofer came to discuss details on when and how much we would be out of pocket. We're out less than our deductible, but more than expected. Ouch. Again.
One intriguing (God thing?) about yesterday was a conversation about God... with the roofer. Turns out he's a physics student who has spent a considerable amount of time focusing on dimensions. He said science has proven multiple dimensions, but our eyes can only see three. His point was that the closer we get to God, the more we are attacked. The principalities of darkness are interested in keeping us as far from God as possible and they *are* around us. We just can't see them because our eyes are limited to 3-D.
Of course, at this point in the day I felt utterly deflated because the roofing cost was draining funds from our dreamt-of anniversary trip. The TV still wasn't working and the repairman had yet to arrive for what would be yet another fruitless attempt at fixing the TV.
By the time the kids were in bed, the repairman was gone, the money was spent, the kitchen still needed cleaning (again), I felt poor of cash and spirit, and I was drained. I slumped in the recliner and hung my head.
Then, slowly, I raised my chin and whispered the statement above, reprinted here for the sheer delight of doing it:
"ENOUGH! You're done. My God is bigger than you and you will not win. Out! Angels who protect me and my family, guard us against all evil and keep us safe. Evil, you can bring it on. But. You. Won't. Win."
And it stopped.
So what happened next? Well, that's another post.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Kindness - Day 3 - God's Laughing
Okay. Here's the deal. When you tell God you're going on a journey with Him, be prepared. Did you hear me? Be. Prepared. The nice little week you'd planned for yourself will not - will not- ease on down the road as you'd expected. No. What will happen is you will find yourself being tested. God will smile. And God will laugh.
I'm okay with that.
I'm a mom. I understand laughing with love at the foibles of my child.
What has happened in my world you ask?
(Deep breath) Here we go: Last week our fancy kitchen faucet (by fancy I mean slight improvement over builder's grade) stopped swiveling. That's bad. It's supposed to swivel 150+-degrees. No more swiveling. Then it was challenging to pull out the sprayer head. That's bad, too. Monday, I called our dandy warranty company and they arranged for the plumber to come out yesterday. This was where my exercise in kindness began.
The plumber was to arrive between 8-12. (You're already laughing. That's okay. Save some energy, though. It gets better.) He wasn't here at 2:00. I called the company and asked if he still planned on coming. Apparently he had a big job that was bigger than expected, he'd be here in an hour or so. Lovely. I called again at 4:00 to verify. Yes, he was on his way. The plumber called at 4:30 to tell me he would be here by 5:30. I was fine. I was pleasant. I was kind. Very kind.
"Sure," I said. He arrived at 5:30. Reeking of smoke. Wearing his dirty boots on my carpet. Came into my kitchen. Tried to move the faucet. And then... asked me what was wrong.
Seriously? You can't tell?
Deep breath.
He looked under the sink and then asked for my deductible. I wrote the check. He then said he needed to call my warranty company because ... he may not be able to fix it.
You're kidding me, right? So, he headed out to his truck. A few minutes later, the warranty company calls to explain to me that the plumber is concerned that if he takes it apart, he won't be able to fix it tonight and I'd be without a faucet for awhile - as in days. Ha ha ha.
I was kind. I was firm, but pleasant. The plumber came back in, talked to me for a few minutes, then left. When he left I had two options. I could get a new faucet from the warranty company that would be a downgrade (no, thank you) or I could buy a new faucet out-of-pocket and then pay the plumber out-of-pocket to install it (no, thank you).
Over the next 30 minutes I worked the phone and called the warranty company and Delta Faucets. Delta (excellent company, highly recommend them) is sending out a replacement, newer version of my faucet and the warranty company will pay the plumber to install it. All I'm out is my deductible, which the plumber so charmingly procured earlier. Now I need to wait until the new faucet arrives to finish the process.
For the record, in all my dealings with the representatives of the several companies, I was KIND. I wasn't sweet or anything, but I was kind. Although, I did feel as if I had just finished a marathon. And God laughed and nodded.
So this morning... ha ha ha
I turn on the tv and it has red shadows over everything. Woo-hoo! (That was sarcasm.) I'll spare you the details on this one, but long story short, the repairman is coming this evening to fix it.
Those have been the challenges. Let me tell you about the blessings of the past few days - the sheer, no silver-lining-searching blessings.
This morning my second son had a Muffins with Moms at his preschool. The kids had written books about their moms and shared them. My son likes it when I bake cakes, when we play puzzles, and he thinks I'm pretty when I come pick him up. *grin* Then I picked up my daughter who was at a friend's house. She had a good time there, no crying, no fussing. *grin* We left there to go to my oldest son's school to have lunch with him. He was thrilled to see us. His face could barely contain his smile. *grin* After lunch, little girl and I headed home. She was tired and worn out. She wanted to go to sleep, but would not stay in her bed without... having her teeth brushed. *grin*
I'm okay with that.
I'm a mom. I understand laughing with love at the foibles of my child.
What has happened in my world you ask?
(Deep breath) Here we go: Last week our fancy kitchen faucet (by fancy I mean slight improvement over builder's grade) stopped swiveling. That's bad. It's supposed to swivel 150+-degrees. No more swiveling. Then it was challenging to pull out the sprayer head. That's bad, too. Monday, I called our dandy warranty company and they arranged for the plumber to come out yesterday. This was where my exercise in kindness began.
The plumber was to arrive between 8-12. (You're already laughing. That's okay. Save some energy, though. It gets better.) He wasn't here at 2:00. I called the company and asked if he still planned on coming. Apparently he had a big job that was bigger than expected, he'd be here in an hour or so. Lovely. I called again at 4:00 to verify. Yes, he was on his way. The plumber called at 4:30 to tell me he would be here by 5:30. I was fine. I was pleasant. I was kind. Very kind.
"Sure," I said. He arrived at 5:30. Reeking of smoke. Wearing his dirty boots on my carpet. Came into my kitchen. Tried to move the faucet. And then... asked me what was wrong.
Seriously? You can't tell?
Deep breath.
He looked under the sink and then asked for my deductible. I wrote the check. He then said he needed to call my warranty company because ... he may not be able to fix it.
You're kidding me, right? So, he headed out to his truck. A few minutes later, the warranty company calls to explain to me that the plumber is concerned that if he takes it apart, he won't be able to fix it tonight and I'd be without a faucet for awhile - as in days. Ha ha ha.
I was kind. I was firm, but pleasant. The plumber came back in, talked to me for a few minutes, then left. When he left I had two options. I could get a new faucet from the warranty company that would be a downgrade (no, thank you) or I could buy a new faucet out-of-pocket and then pay the plumber out-of-pocket to install it (no, thank you).
Over the next 30 minutes I worked the phone and called the warranty company and Delta Faucets. Delta (excellent company, highly recommend them) is sending out a replacement, newer version of my faucet and the warranty company will pay the plumber to install it. All I'm out is my deductible, which the plumber so charmingly procured earlier. Now I need to wait until the new faucet arrives to finish the process.
For the record, in all my dealings with the representatives of the several companies, I was KIND. I wasn't sweet or anything, but I was kind. Although, I did feel as if I had just finished a marathon. And God laughed and nodded.
So this morning... ha ha ha
I turn on the tv and it has red shadows over everything. Woo-hoo! (That was sarcasm.) I'll spare you the details on this one, but long story short, the repairman is coming this evening to fix it.
Those have been the challenges. Let me tell you about the blessings of the past few days - the sheer, no silver-lining-searching blessings.
This morning my second son had a Muffins with Moms at his preschool. The kids had written books about their moms and shared them. My son likes it when I bake cakes, when we play puzzles, and he thinks I'm pretty when I come pick him up. *grin* Then I picked up my daughter who was at a friend's house. She had a good time there, no crying, no fussing. *grin* We left there to go to my oldest son's school to have lunch with him. He was thrilled to see us. His face could barely contain his smile. *grin* After lunch, little girl and I headed home. She was tired and worn out. She wanted to go to sleep, but would not stay in her bed without... having her teeth brushed. *grin*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
