My socks are knocked off; so barefoot I go!

One thing or another keeps beating the baggibees out of me and my body. It's coming from every angle and keeps catching me by surprise. It hurts. It's hard. It's humiliating. Both physically and mentally. I keep getting my socks knocked off. Time and time and time again. And I'm just talking about this summer!

........biopsy. Argument. Migraine. Misunderstanding. Severe rash. Air conditioning broken. Lost mobility. Broken house rules. Rotator cuff injury. Cyst on my dog. Bone scan for me. Raccoon poop in attic. Stomach explosion. Disrespect in the house and on and on and on and on and on it goes.....

I've become inhumanly stubborn. In a good way. I make that impossible, "one more step," absolutely mandatory for myself. I can do it. It's hard. But I can do it. It's hard. It hurts. It's hard. But what did I preach to my kids for 24 years; "Hard doesn't mean you can't do it!" Now it's my turn to prove it. I've spend a lot of my life saying, "I can't!" Turns out.....Oh yes I can baby! Watch me!

So now my soliloquy goes more like this....

My socks are knocked off; so barefoot I go! Another biopsy; I get to compliment the nurse! Altercation with a family member; now we're even closer! Migraine; good time to pray for specific people! Misunderstanding; an opportunity to problem solve! Severe rash; much needed solitary time (no one will touch me!) Air conditioning broken; great time to appreciate cool air! Lost mobility; still have mobility! Broken house rules; get to ramp up the chore list! (More done around here!) Rotator cuff injury; reminder to appreciate what I have when I have it! Cyst on dog; get to meet upper management of Banfield! Bone scan; forced to face and defeat a fear (claustrophobia)! Raccoon poop in attic; feelin' good that it's not anaconda poop! Stomach explosions; opportunity to get creative! Disrespect in house; I get to take away phones, TV and computers! (Which is fine by me!)

It took me quite some time to soak in the fact that when God said, "There will be trouble." 

What he actually meant was...THERE WILL BE TROUBLE. 

"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." John 16:33 NIV

Trouble doesn't come as a shock or surprise to me anymore. Instead it's become somewhat of a game for me... 

LEAST sought after game!
Available in any and all locations!

RESPONSE!?TM
A clever and unique game of conjuring up different 

strategies on how to respond to daily trials.

To think outside of the box is the intent. 

Object: To glorify the Lord.

How to Win: The winner is the one who's 

heart is in the right place. 

Equipment: Any location, any amount of people, 

any time of day.

Level of difficulty: Really simple to very complicated. 

Cost: Oppression and persecution

WARNING: This game might result in the loss of self-centeredness and pride. 

A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,

But a fool’s heart at his left. Ecclesiastes 10:2 NKJV

I have 2 of my own personal game jars in my mind. The WELL DONE jar is crystal blue with shimmering fairy dust glistening from rays of sunshine. The KINDA MESSED THAT ONE UP jar is a flat dark blue.

Here's a tangent... I can find trouble myself and without even lookin' very hard. HHHMMMNnnnn.... Something to think about. I run that through my mind again...I can find trouble myself and without even lookin very hard. HHHMMMNnnnn.... Something to think hard about.

Gee, now it gets intense. I think to myself, "Which trouble was just going to happen and which trouble did I egg on myself?" HHHHHMMMNNNN.... Intense. And did I really say that out loud? HHHHMMMNNN.  Shoot, secret out. I tried to hide it but sometimes, yes people, sometimes I even create my own trouble. Embarrassing. But brutally honest. And why do you ask, would I do that? (Fool!)

Well, as a matter of fact, darn-it Chaos is a familiar crowd of friends. Whoa is Me, heck, he's been a friend for years! I Can't? She gave me an excuse to be lazy. I Suck! Wow. I never did like him. But no matter how many times I told him that we can not be friends anymore, he pops up when I least expect it and with lovely flowers. I chose this gang. They were my true friends. Oh, the memories! They were right there by my side when I needed them.  Well, except that one time, when I Suck made me fail math. Dang, I had to take algebra ll three times. It's Not Fair. Just because I doodled in my notebook during all the classes with I Suck by my side. Then It's Not Fair kept convincing me to break rules. He convinced me into staying for one more round of Monopoly with the gang at my friend's house. My unfair parents took my keys away for being late. And stupid You're Not Worth It,  I thought she was my friend. She wooed me into dating a guy who treated me badly over and over again. Then You're Not Worth It left me in a dark hole alone when he abused me verbally.  She kept telling me the flowers and nice gifts were worth it. You're Not Worth It convinced me that I was lucky to be wanted at all by anyone. It's Not Fair shows up yet again. He liked to ride on my back. He whispered in my ear to skip a college class and use my grandpa's hard earned money to buy a cat. I adore cats. He whispered how that would be so fun. He told me it was the world's fault when the cat pooped on my carpets, always filled up the litter box and was demanding physically and monetarily. The world would understand . IT'S NOT FAIR that I had to sink all my money into the kitty then beg my dad for more of his hard earned money because college cost a lot. It's Not Fair just wasn't being fair. Sometimes, Whoa is Me, I Can't, I Suck, You're Not Worth It, and It's Not Fair got together and had a party in my head without inviting me. That's when I got date raped. Then molested another time. I'll stop while I'm ahead.

My path grew progressively muddled with crazy making from the Chaos Gang. (Crazy making is stuff that I did over and over and over again despite the fact that it always resulted in the same dismal results.) I started yearning more....what I didn't know at the time was that God was doing a work in me. He had already gone way ahead of me and designed something more beautiful and glorious than I could even imagine. He did it way before my simple mind thunk it up. He's so cool like that.

Off I proceeded to customize a new story board for myself and it included a new set of friends.

I have to warn you, as one would weed any garden, I came to the realization that now I had fewer and (sorry guys) but perhaps, "less popular," pals. There's a warning here, they don't always wear the coolest clothes either! Sometimes they stand out in a crowd. The world doesn't know what to make of them. Often the world goes as far as to mock and harass them. Often my friend Faithful, she shows up at my bedside when I'm in writhing pain. No one called her. She always forgets to tell me that it was her free day to do a little something for herself. She cleans my kitchen on the way into my bedroom, because, well, it needed cleaning. She holds my hand and tells me that God has a great plan for me. Then there's Mr. Be There. Suddenly I focus and 18 years slipped by. I rushidly flip through my memories and realize that he's been in our house playing the piano most every year for all 7 of us during our birthdays'. Why didn't I see that one coming? So often I am as blind as a bat. Hold your horses because here comes; New Friend. She's polar opposite of me. I'm very light, she's very dark. She's tall, I'm short.  We grew up very differently yet we can't stop talking and laughing together. Where on earth did she come from? It's almost like... almost like.....God snuck her into my life. Then there's The Pop-in Blessings'. They are so kind! I really don't even know them at all. They come in every color, all walks of life and all backgrounds. Seems like they are quite the large family. I usually meet them once and not for long. They show up in the oddest places. One showed up in a nasty gas station in the mountains late at night. I had to immediately relieve myself during a road trip. She let me go in front of her in the line. She even held the door for me. Then she complimented me. One showed up in the parking lot. She took my cart and walked it to my car. She was twice my age! She then climbed into her handicapped spot! For real!? I kid you not, sometimes it's a bird, singing the song that's called, "I love you unconditionally!" Sometimes it 's a goose crossing the road, "He's pretty silly though because he looks right at me and honks," Slow down and open your eyes!" A lot of times it's a sunset. It appears every evening. It always whispers gently, "It's gonna be OK." Group my new gang; Brothers' and Sisters' in Christ together and we might look odd to the world. To each other and to God we are beautiful. OUR HEARTS prevail. Suddenly the hair, clothes, titles, cars, accomplishments no longer matter. To me, it's their hearts that shimmer with thousands of golden yellow hues, hot vermillion's and brilliant blood orange hues. They glow with fairy dust spritzed just enough to add a twinkle and a warm fuzzy to our troubled lives.

Now I don't need to cancel our gathering because I have a nasty rash. I don't have to drink one extra because they're all doing it. I don't need to say, "I'm fine," when I'm actually not. I can cry if I need to. No worries about pleasing my new gang. None of us are perfect. None of us need to conform to this sick world. I found my home here on earth. What, I ask, took so long?!  "Why oh why," didn't I take the rose colored glasses off sooner? My sick rewards weren't NOT even worth it.

Have a fantastic day. That's my plan.

The Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And He knows those who trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7 NKJV

If you liked reading this, please comment. Good, bad or otherwise.