We are all Leash Babies!

I have come to the realization that we are all leash babies.  I legit… was.  I would run away and hide in clothing racks as a child, you know… good ol' department store hide-n-seek.   My mom did not think this game was as fun as I did and said they had to keep me on a leash so as not to lose me, but i turned out fine… 

Regardless… this weekend has really opened my eyes to a lot of things about myself and how I have been inadvertently viewing my identity in Christ.  I had this thought in prayer at church that we are all like leash babies… we all have a harness that attaches to our lives and a leash that can be used to pull and direct us.  Some people give that control to money, others their jobs, some to addictions, or alcohol, etc.  Some give it over to their anger or a need for revenge, some people keep it for themselves and wander aimlessly. With any of these things as our "leader" (the thing controlling us), there will never be enough.  It will pull you places you never wanted to go, you will never be satisfied, and always longing for more.  You think more will fill you but it won't and it will drag you at an unrelenting pace- it doesn't care if you get hurt or who you hurt along the way.  And sometimes it will leave you out to dry, tie you up and walk away…  its not dependable.

The only way to truly live is to give our leashes to Christ so that he can guide us.  He knows each of us and desires a deep and intimate relationship.  He doesn't take our leash and drag us, but he gently pulls and directs us to the places that he knows will be best for us.  He turns back, calls us by name and encourages us when it gets tough… and when it gets really bad he will pick us up and carry us.  He knows all the things we will get distracted by on this walk called life because he has been here too and was tempted by the same things, and if we let him he will show us how we too can live without giving into them, for in Hebrews 4:15 it says:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

How comforting to know that when he is in control he loves us and is the best leader we can ask for because he has been there and he has overcome anything we will face.  He isn't going to drag us over other people but will lead us to walk beside them, and he will never leave us abandoned. 

This is what I want and I realized that instead of giving my leash to Jesus, I looked at how he lived and tried to mimic that myself.  It was like I attached myself to a pulley and tried to keep up with Jesus.  It is impossible, and the more and more I tried, the more I fell short and failed- and the worse I would feel.  Instead of asking him to guide me, I was just trying to be him…. but the only way to be able to live like he did is to follow him and be guided by him.  To give control of our lives up every day.  I wasn't giving him control, I was still in control.  Long story short- I have realized what I was doing and am now putting that leash in his hands because he is the only one who can lead me on that path and the only one I want to have control of my life.  

Dunkin donuts has BOTH pumpkin coffee AND donuts!!!!  :)  i am SOOO happy!

Just thought everyone should know...

Vinegar Devil

So we are redoing the hallway/foyer/stair area of my house and I have been given the task of painting and all that jazz…  yesterday I was going in for the first big part of the journey- painting the front door.  I've seen many hideously painted front doors and was a little nervous- I didn't wanna be the newest addition to awfully painted doors club.  So after calling mom three times to make sure I had everything straight i embarked on the journey… the only problem is that i thought we had two cans of paint- oil primer and latex.  We had three…. oil primer, latex primer, and latex.  In my limited knowledge I therefore went to use the latex we had already used upstairs.  Mom kept saying "latex primer" and I know that wasn't oil primer so it MUST be the latex one upstairs.  I washed everything down, let it dry, got out my brush and roller and went to town.  After one coat it still looked splotchy and see-through so I added another to the door and outside trim and goodness, I was impressed!  It was looking good… I was happy and took a shower and went off to dinner with my friend.  When I came home and talked to mom she said it looked good, and that I needed to pick up the latex-semi glass paint (good looking paint) and finish… 

Well then I thought I already latexed it today… and told her what I had used- you should have seen her eyes- WHAT?!  Oh man… I made a huge mistake.  I have now learned the lesson…  the reason the latex PRIMER is so important is because it provides a surface the latex paint can stick to… it won't stick to the metal door permanently.   So that meant today, in addition to painting the steps, I decided to find a way to take off the old paint and start over.  If I am going to do a job I want to do it right.  I looked online for some ideas how to remove latex from metal and found a remedy that suggested using vinegar.  So today I spent hours with a washcloth, vinegar, and an incorrectly painted door.  Peeling, peeling, peeling away….

The real lesson that began to form in my head is the importance of our foundation.  Although my door looked REALLY nice on the outside, underneath it had a poor foundation and when a storm came along or we stuck a wreath on the door, etc… the paint would start to peel because it had nothing to stick to.  It looked good but wasn't going to stand up to most of the challenges it would face.  It is like us-  without a solid foundation in God, we will crumble when hard situations come our way.  Its like Jesus says in Luke 6:49:

"But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Unfortunately my door was like that mans house.  It had no foundation and the storms and everyday issues the door dealt with would peel the paint.  Additionally, when i added the vinegar the beautiful looking' paint came off in such huge pieces.  The vinegar reminded me of the devil… how he knows exactly what will tear us down (in this case vinegar, but it could be anything in our own lives) and uses it to break us down, and how easy it is when we don't have a foundation.  And let me tell you… the devil stinks!  My hands still smell!  Oh yea… and I'm only halfway done, but so many lessons learned and I am thankful that through my mistakes God can reveal his truths!  And when I am done the door will look lovely and have a good foundation-  Colossians 3:23.