This morning, it got me thinking- why not?
Why not make today unbelievably, out-of-this-world, radically, ridiculously amazing!? Come on, let’s do this. Let’s make today incredible! Let’s not let our struggles, our shortcomings, our defeats, our sin, or anything else in this world get the best of us today!
Let’s punch our deepest, most crippling fears square in the face, and declare that today we are going to live life to the fullest in-spite of them. Let’s be defiant!
You know the fears I’m talking about, right?
The ones that say untrue things like, “You’re going to fail!” Or, “Your kids really won’t need you today,” or, “Your husband, your wife, would be happier with someone else!” Or even, “The rest of this world has everything figured out and life is perfect, except yours. You are never going to get it!” How about this one: “There’s someone else who could parent your children better than you! So, just give up. Life’s never gonna get better than it is now!”
Absolutely, positively the farthest thing from the truth! All of it. A bunch of garbage, if you ask me. Don’t ever believe those things about yourself, your marriage, or your parenting.
Know how I know it’s all a bunch of garbage? I have to fight (to the death sometimes) to not give into these fears and many more like them. Nearly every morning, when I wake up, I hear that voice telling me about all the ways I’m going to screw up, and how not-good I am at this, that, or the other.
It freaks me out! And then I remember- I’m called to a higher purpose in this life. I have a family who loves me, a wife who has given her whole life to be with me, and a community of friends who would give their life for me or anyone else. By-golly, this higher purpose is what I’m going to live for!
I know what you’re thinking right now- “Easy for you to say! Everything must be just perfect and in order in your world.” Wrong! Just two days ago all living hell broke loose in my house. There were tears, angry words spoken, and a few slamming doors to boot! Seriously.
Just a little more than a week ago we were ready to give up on this parenting gig altogether, feeling as though we had failed and could never recover with our kids. We looked at this spinning world around us and felt like we just couldn’t measure up, and that everyone else had a grip on parenthood but us.
Doesn’t exactly sound like the stereotypical family pastor’s home, does it? But maybe it should be. Maybe sharing our wounds will help someone else’s heal?
Yep, things are far from perfect (and sometimes, far from peaceful) in our home. But the one thing I’m learning about life is that everyday we live, we have a choice- we can choose to be defeated or we can choose to overcome. We can choose to give in to the sadness of this world, or we can choose joy. By the way- joy is not happiness. Did you know this? It’s bigger than happiness. Happiness is an emotion. Joy, on the other hand, is a confidence in the midst of the storm of life. It is not contingent on circumstances. In fact, it’s a constant peace in-spite of them!
You see, we can’t choose what the world around us does, or says, or how much hate the haters spew at us, but we can choose what we do, what we say, which choices we make, and how much we love in-spite of the haters!
Whether or not today is ridiculously amazing is a choice you and I can make.
So go on, make this day with your children, your husband, your wife, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors ridiculously amazing…
It’s your choice. I double-triple-dog dare you to!
What’s stopping you?
