What's Your Sign?

What's your sign??  Am I talking about a cheesy pick up line?  No, I mean, if you had to wear around a sign that listed all your faults, what would it say?  I was thinking about this as the everyone was making judgments about what happened to Whitney Houston.  She battled a private issue very publicly.  How many of us have had millions of people know what our weaknesses and faults were?  What if you had to wear around a sign that listed those things?  How would you be treated?  How would you treat others as you read their signs?  What would your sign say?

• I lie, not all the time but, sometimes - you figure out when.
• I committed adultery
• I gossip (about you? Maybe)
• I hate someone
• I drink every night
• I can't forgive
• I had an abortion
• I have an eating disorder
• I have depression/anxiety
• I tried to kill myself
• I judge people (you? Probably)
• I committed a crime (shoplifting, stealing from work, rape, murder - you figure it out)
• I suffered abuse
• I'm promiscuous
• I have homosexual thoughts
• I think I'm better than some people (you? Maybe)

The list could go on and on.  But, you get the point.  Some of us have little secrets, some have big secrets.  Some have qualities in our personality that we try to hide from others.  But the fact is, we all have faults and weaknesses.  What if you had to wear them around for everyone to see?  Imagine for a moment that people would treat you according to your sign.  What would that look like?  You're probably glad this isn't a reality.  Well, it isn't for most of us.  But, there are those who must suffer this fate.  Everyone knows what they've done and they have to face the criticism and judgment of the masses.  If you're thinking "well, my faults and weaknesses aren't as bad as theirs", be careful.  It would probably depend on who you ask.  If you think lying a little and gossip isn't as bad as doing drugs - why don't you ask the person you lied to or gossiped about.  Think about it!

So, what's your sign?

It's all Downhill from Here...

Have you ever been downhill skiing?  I would venture to guess that most of you haven't.  So, I'm going to give you some insight as to what it's like.  My family and I finally went up north skiing this past weekend and here is what I discovered:

1. The conditions (weather and snow) make a HUGE difference in your skiing experience.

2. Your attitude and the attitude of those around you make a HUGE difference in your skiing experience.

3. Your expectations make a HUGE difference in your skiing experience.

Sound alot like life?  hmmmm

I've skiied in perfect and horrible conditions.  I prefer perfect.  Perfect was this Saturday with temperatures in the 30's and slopes groomed so well they looked like corduroy.  That's actually how they refer to it - corduroy.  Smooth.  It's so easy to ski on this, you just glide down the hill with very little effort. 
Then there was Sunday, we went to Boyne Mountain where they apprently thought it was not necessary to groom the slopes.  When snow is not groomed, it scrapes off in some areas to reveal ice.  Only to pile up in surrounding areas to make large mounds of snow that practically stop you in your tracks.  So, you're sliding on ice and getting stuck in the piles.  It really takes skill and effort to ski in these conditions.  It's hard.

Saturday I was in a great mood, healthy and happy.  And, everyone in my family was happy.  And, everyone who worked at the resort was friendly and accommodating.  The kids took lessons in the morning and loved their instructors.  All the people working the lifts said hello and asked how our day was going.  It was fun and enjoyable.
Sunday, I was sick.  I started feeling bad Saturday night and apparently kept everyone awake most of the night with my snoring.  My head felt like it was going to explode and I couldn't stop coughing and sneezing.  So, my family was tired.  The people at the resort didn't talk, I didn't talk, we all felt a bit "off".  It was work to make the most of the day and "pretend" we were having fun.

Saturday, I had no expectations.  We had no idea what the conditions would be when we arrived.  We just decided that, no matter what, we were going to make the most of our mini vacation.  If the snow was bad or non-existant, we were just going to "go with it" and have fun.  Well, the snow was great and we were pleasantly surprised.  It set the tone for the next day...
Sunday, I expected the conditions to be the same as the day before.  They weren't.  I was disappointed.

So, isn't that life?  If everything is perfect around you, life is easy and fun.  But, how often does that happen? Most of the time it takes "skill and effort" to navigate life's messy terrain.  And, if you're happy and the people around you are happy, life is good.  But, seriously, that's like all the planets aligning at once.  Most of the time, either you or those around you are a "bit off" and you have to put on that fake smile just to get thru the day.  What about your expectations?  Don't you find that when you either expect nothing or expect little, you are pleasantly surprised?  And, when your expectations exceed reality, it leads to disappointment.

What have I learned from my ski trip?  I am not in control of things around me, I am only in control of how I choose to react to those things.  I am equipped to handle difficult terrain, I am in control of my attitude and all I should expect is that which I know to be true everyday, everything else is subject to change!  I still prefer perfect but, I can handle horrible!

Remnants

How hard is it to rinse off your dish after you use it?  I'm not asking them to wash it or even put it in the dishwasher.  Just rinse off the ding dang things!  I spend way too much time scrubbing dried on food off  dishes.  Way more time than it would take to just rinse it off in the first place.  I've asked them, multiple times to PLEASE do this one simple thing for me.  It lasts a day, maybe two, and then they're back to their old ways.  Sitting dishes NEXT to the sink, instead of in it.  With cereal flakes clinging to the side of the bowl.  Remnants of last nights dinner on a fork.  A plate on top of another plate and now they're stuck together.  And so I scrub and scrub, trying to remove the mess.  Do you recognize this as your life?  Do you have things in your life that you just set off to the side?  Letting it pile up and dry on?  Is God constantly trying to scrub you clean but you insist on going back to your old ways?  Are you letting the remnants of your past build up until it seems too difficult to face?
I ask you, why?  Even if you have to ask *everyday* for forgiveness for the *same* thing, just keep doing it.  Just keep rinsing off your past sins and allow God to let you start over clean everyday.  Eventually it will become habit and you will see that you have let the past go while learning from it.  Your past is like a dirty dish sitting next to the sink.  Looking at it everyday and being ashamed isn't getting it clean.  Only God can scrub it clean - you just have to put it in the sink!!  Love to all!!