No Dumping

I don't know about you, but sometimes I can have this dumping problem. No, not like #2. I'm talking about those days when something bad happens and then you spend all day poo-pooing about it. Either maybe you did an "open mouth insert foot" or got an attitude with your spouse or let a bad word out in front of your kid. Am I exposing too much here? Or maybe it's just one of those days where things just ain't goin' your way and instead of choosing to look at the glass half full, you choose to look at it half empty.

I am pretty sure that I have been guilty of all of the above at some point or another. And, well, being the dramatic soul that I am, I can tend to do over-kill on myself for a mistake. I now am realizing that I have choices. I can choose to stay in my poo-poo mood, or I can choose to walk out of it. I can choose to apologize, to ask for forgiveness, to forgive myself and then move on OR I can choose not to. If you're anything like me though, it's easy to be dumped on by someone else (then play the "I'm a victim" game for a few days), forgive them and go ahead with life. But if you've accidentally dumped on someone else, then it's a few MORE days worth of sulking before you actually forgive yourself (or stuff it down until it's forced to peak its ugly head at some awkward moment later). Ladies, you know what I'm talkin' bout...

Most of us have heard this verse before:

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Easier said than done sometimes, right? But I don't think it would have be written had Solomon not realized it would be a fight. It's there specifically because it's the encouragement that we need in order to choose wisely. There are so many distractions that want to pull us away from doing this. Distractions that may sound like "I can't believe you did that" or "she's never gonna forgive you", or "way to be a jerk"...or on the other hand we have "things are just never gonna change," "life is gonna stay like this for-ev-er", or "this is just the way life is". Though we may have "been a jerk" at one moment or another, we don't have to sit and sulk in it (everyone has been a jerk at one moment or another). And though life may be hard in this moment, it doesn't mean that it won't change if we choose to grab ahold of some of that free Grace Jesus died to give us so we can look at our circumstances differently.

In fact, I think that many of us choose to go our own way and sit in a little algae filled pond looking at all bugs flying around instead of choosing to get on our free raft and adventure with the white water waves of Life. It's all about perspective. I am either the victim of my life who poo-poos around all day wondering why my pond is starting to look more like a swamp while watching the gators start to move in...or I am the victor in my life ridin' the waves through this cave and over that bump to my next thrill of a waterfall. I choose to guard my heart and live in the Wellspring of Life or sit in my own stank...if ya know what I mean.

All that to say, I think the River is callin' us (me included)...I have not yet been totally victorious in my efforts to jump in, but I'm not givin' up. And in order not to give up, God so sweetly sent me a reminder. This picture is from the gutter in my front yard. So freshly painted on it was this sweet love note from my Papa: "No Dumping. Drains to River."

So, here we go. In honor of my Grandpa Zip, I'm takin' his boat "Proud Mary" for a little ride today. Who's coming with me??!

(corresponding song: Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival)