RANT!

Being nice sucks.

Yeah, I said it. And it's 11:50pm and I can't sleep cuz I'm writing this stuff in my head and I've gotta get it out.

Being nice sucks. And I'm a Christ-follower. So what's a girl to do?

Sometimes I just wanna let loose and tell 'em what I really think. Call 'em on the mat and tell 'em they're stupid. They're blowing it. They've got everything they could hope for but they're headed toward the precipice at full speed and they just don't care. I hate it that they just don't care. And I wanna call 'em out for taking advantage of people and say that their excuses are bullshit.

There, I said it. Bullshit!

But how do I say that...nicely? How do I say that and still maintain that I love Jesus? Do I blow it all out of my heart by throwing snowballs at trees? Do I put on a sweet-girl smile and gently reveal bits of the truth, kindly, so that I don't offend?

What am I allowed to do Lord? You called the Pharisees dogs? Didn't You? But You didn't sin. And surely You were trying to win them to Yourself? Or is this where tough-love comes in? Where sometimes people don't hear us nice Christians because we don't get in their faces and hold up a mirror. What were "swear words" back in Your day? How did You shock people off the cliff-edge?

I know You loved 'em off. Maybe it hurts tonight cuz I know that some folks just don't care. And maybe never will. But what's my role? Where does love keep her mouth shut and when does she let loose and tell 'em they're full of...

Can calling it for what it is glorify You? Sigh.

Maybe now I can sleep. Anyone out there? Somewhere in the dark? Barely morning.

Sticky Fingers of Sin

Mary Kay's "Satin Hands"? Forget about it. If you want soft, supple skin, pick up a tube of Crazy Glue. Enclose your fist around it and feel it ooze between the base of your fingers. But quick!, open your hand, before you end up in Emerg. Over the next hour, run your hand under warm tap water, lifting it out occasionally to scrape off the glue with a steak knife. The result is shiny red newness. Soft, if not stiff, finger creases--probably due more to the triple-layer removal of epidermis than the actual hand-softening properties of Crazy Glue.

Oh, and the results take longer than an hour to achieve. That first hour produced some nice glue-free patches, but 24 hours later I'm still picking away at the remnants of my stupidity.

Yeah, not fun. So I mess with the glue, and I wonder why the next days are filled with picking off the unwanted after-effects of my dumb choice to grab it.

Do we spend chunks of our lives scraping away the crap we spill on ourselves? Cleaning up the after-effects of our poor--even sinful--choices?

Trying to win back our husband's trust, after he finds out we've been facebooking an old flame. It was innocent, really.

Wondering how long our dear friend will find excuses for not visiting us, knowing full well she overheard us slam her skills when we were in that circle of gal-pals.

Goodness, it can be as subtle as trying to shed the pounds my cavalier I'm-gonna-eat-ice-cream-anytime-I-feel-like-it attitude piled on last winter.

We choose stupid. Better call it what it is. Sin. And wonder why we face consequences.

How about this? We stop. Think. Imagine the consequences. And ask God to give us the courage to hit "sign out" before we give into the temptation to type that flame's name. Ask Him to be in control of our mouths, and keep them shut when we wanna say something mean. And walk away from that blasted freezer. Or better yet, walk by the freezer in the grocery store.

I'm thankful for a God who forgives the stupid. The sin. That's why He died--even for the seemingly insignificant things. Cuz in my day-to-day life, there are no insignificant choices. Even a tiny Crazy Glue tube can wreak havoc.