Monday, July 23, 2012

Sh*t Happens



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Shit happens. It happens to all of us at some point or another. If you dare say to me it doesn't or hasn't happened to you I will get in your face and scream "Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!"

Because it does happen.

It's a fact of life.

It happens to me.

A lot.

Sometimes I feel as if I will be buried alive under the heaping piles of steaming poo. No amount of shit shoveling can rescue me before another mound of crap comes crashing down. These are the times I almost hear Life's evil laugh as it hurls one turd after another at me as if I'm a walking, talking target with a big old bulls-eye planted right between my eyes.

And let me tell ya...that sucker has good aim.

And poo balls hurt.

So what do we do when the weight of stinky stuff is determined to snuff the life out of us? When we are so tired of dodging flying turds that we just want to throw in the towel and claim defeat?

I was pondering this one Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church. Yes, I sometimes consider ridiculous stuff like crap and turds and poo balls in the early a.m.

Even on Sundays.

As I most often do when I'm home alone, I had the TV on for company. Living singularly for so many years has left me hungry for the sound of human voices. One would think I would relish the silence after so many years of rowdy kids racing through the revolving doors of home. But I don't. I miss the chaos. So I use the TV to fill my need for human interaction.

This particular Sunday morning, I had no clue as to the channel or program playing. I was pretty caught up in my comparison of life's trials to poop and trying to see how many synonyms I could think of for crap. Then, as if on cue, the voice on the TV overrode the one-sided conversation taking place in my mind. This is what I heard:

"Things don't happen to you. They happen for you."

It was as if God stepped into my thoughts, interrupted my ridiculous ramblings and gave me this morsel of total awesomeness! It was as if He was reading my mind and knew, even before I did, what I needed to hear.

Of course, He is totally cool that way.

Now I won't dwell on the fact that when I realized how closely He was listening to my thoughts I was more than embarrassed. I mean, the fact that I was dwelling on shit and how often it fills my life was more than enough to make me want to hide in shame.

Isn't my focus suppose to be on the blessings? Not the junk?

But there I was.

Dwelling on the negative.

And cursing in the process.

All that aside, I discovered the beauty of what I had just heard.

Things happen for me.

For me!

Although I'm sure the remainder of the TV sermon elaborated on the statement, I had heard all I needed to hear. I then began to consider where I would be without life's challenges?

What would I be?

Who would I be?

Empathy. Compassion. Strength. Humility. Gratitude.

All this and more comes from trudging through the muck of the mounds...even mountains... of life's crap! It is when we are buried beneath the smelly stuff that we learn to Let Go and Let God!

I know this.

Why do I so quickly forget?

Yet He is there to remind me.

In spite of my inability to keep my focus on the good stuff, knowing how quickly I can drown in the not-so-good, He comes to me and gently says

"Baby girl, I love you. I allow these trials to bring you closer to Me. I am with you. I have you. I won't let you fall. Trust Me. Through these things you will see My glory. My grace. My love for you. Believe in Me."

It is through the messiness and brokenness of life that my relationship with Him is strengthened. It is all for my good!

Shit will continue to happen. And I can't say I will be without moments of griping and complaining. I am still human...a human that will forever try to dodge those nasty poo balls. But when they hit their mark I will try to remember His soft words.

I will work to accept them and allow Him to use them.

For He is in control....

He is with me...

always...

9 comments:

  1. Well timed & well executed! Thanks for this Lisa!!

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  2. All I can say is WOW. So perfectly profound Lisa! Beautifully worded and oh so true. Thank you for this post. Hugs!

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  3. Wow Lisa!! This really made me think!! :)

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  4. LOL! Poo Balls HURT!!! You have no idea... I could have written the beginning of this post... thank you for writing the ending for me. Glad you stopped by and said hello, otherwise I might have missed this well timed post!! You rock!

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  5. Thanks for your wise words Lisa...I'm a week late checking them out, but after the day I've had today they really helped me put things in perspective! OXOXO :D

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  7. Absolutely, Hon! Very well said. I find myself in such a similar frame of mind sometimes---and it's interesting how he can take what we're thinking and flip it so we SEE. Really does blow my mind sometimes and I am SO thankful it does! Bless you and keep doing what you're doing, Girl!

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