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Holidays Don’t All Stack Up Equally, Do They?

Not all holidays are equal; we all know that. Some are just a day long, while others are celebrated for an extended time. 

holidays don't all stack up equally do they

Easter is kind of an odd holiday. Today I was wondering why it is not like the other holidays we have during the year. We don’t do all the normal holiday things at Easter. 

No one strings little lights on the outside of their houses. You don’t see little white lights in the shape of crosses adorning eavestroughs.

There are no inflatable tombs with attached inflatable big, round stones on people’s front lawns. … At Halloween some people put tombstones on their lawns, but that’s a completely different thing.

At Easter no one cuts down a tree, takes it into their shop, planes the logs and cuts them into big beams. No one sets up a big, wooden cross in their living room. 

There are no presents under that cross for weeks before Easter. No one anticipates opening those presents when the holiday arrives. 

There is no big lead up to Easter, like there is something to look forward to. Every year Easter seems to come upon us suddenly. It’s not usually something that is on our minds. 

Easter really is an odd holiday when you think about it. We don’t give it the high profile some other holidays get.

There isn’t a special meal that’s associated with Easter. The obvious choice should be lamb, but lamb has never really caught on like turkey or chicken or steak. Sure, sales of lamb are up around Easter, but you are probably more likely to find families gathering around a meal featuring ham or turkey. 

Lamb is expensive and if not cooked just right … well, I’m not a big fan of it. 

Ham at Easter is a strange choice though, especially since the holiday originates from Israel. Ham is not exactly kosher!

Easter just doesn’t match up to the other holidays of the year. 

Maybe it’s because we have to look up the date every year on a calendar. With other holidays we know when they are, we’ve memorized the dates in our heads. But Easter, is it in March this year, or is it in April? Is it early or late? We have to get out the calendar to find out. Two months out we don’t know when Easter will fall. 

At least we know that it’s always a Friday and a Sunday. But that also makes it a different kind of holiday. There is a sad part of Easter and a happy part. What other holiday has us crying and laughing during the same time?

Easter really is an odd holiday … but, for Christians, it’s the most holy and important holiday of the year. 

I just don’t know why it doesn’t get more attention and love.

Here’s the thing: At Christmas we celebrate Christ’s birth, His coming into the world. That’s amazing and it should be something we celebrate. It shows us that God is thinking about us. But Easter, that’s when God really shows He loves us. Christmas would mean nothing to us without Easter. At Easter we celebrate that God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place to pay for our sins. Easter really is the greatest and most joyous holiday of our year, every year. I hope you make it yours.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you do to make Easter special? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My First Turkey Dinner Was Amazing

I had my first turkey dinner the other day.

My first turkey dinner was amazing

I mean, there has to be a first for everything, doesn’t there? 

There was the first time you tied your shoe laces. Maybe you even remember that time. 

I still have a faint memory of me sitting on the steps by the back door of our house when I shouted, “I did it!” And my mom came running to look.  

That had to be about sixty years ago that I tied my shoes laces for the first time. 

I’ve had many firsts since then. We all have.

One really memorable first for me was skating on an outdoor rink at a school yard. 

I was alone; it was probably about 9:30 pm. There were no lights, only the light of the moon reflecting off the ice.

It wasn’t the first time I had skated, but it was the first time I had skated after having surgery to repair an artery in my leg. 

I had injured it playing hockey and was now carrying a six inch, eighteen stitch scar at the top of my leg. I wondered if I would be able to skate again so I headed to a school rink late at night to test it out. 

I remember skating around that rink in the dark, being so thankful that I was alright and that I could skate with no pain or restriction. 

I remember just thanking God over and over and over as I buzzed around the rink taking slaps against the boards.

I guess in the same way that skate was my first, yesterday my turkey dinner was also the first of a kind. 

You see, it was the first time that our daughter cooked turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. 

And she did really well – delicious, I might add!

There had to be a first time, and the situation presented itself this year. This was it. 

Over dinner we talked about the first time Lily had made a turkey dinner. She and I had been married just a couple of months. She thought she would do it all from scratch … except for raising and feeding the turkey herself. 

She even made pumpkin pie from scratch. After making the pie and commenting on how hard it was to cut up the pumpkin, and how time consuming it was to cook and prepare it, a friend informed Lily, “You know you can buy cooked pumpkin in a can for the pie filling.” 

Lily responded, “Wait. What?!”

She’s never made it from scratch since. 

Well, Karlie had her mom’s experience to guide her in making her pumpkin pie and first turkey dinner. 

A “Griswold Christmas Vacation” it was not. No exploding turkey. 

Everyone raved at how good everything was … even the stuffing – an old secret family recipe that some say Karlie made better than her mom. 

I guess this means that we will be eating turkey dinners for years to come.

Here’s the thing: Often our prayer time ends rather abruptly. We get to the end of what we want to say to God and we wrap it up quickly with an “amen”. Let me challenge you to try something for the first time: Linger after you’ve finished your list to God. Ask Him a question and just wait. Listen for what He might bring to your mind. Your first time might turn into many more times to come.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What “first” have you experienced in the last year? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Underwhelmed Is All I Can Say About It

We were a little underwhelmed, to say the least, with our most recent meal.

underwhelmed is all I can say about it

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny Sunday afternoon near the end of September and my wife, Lily, and I were considering what we were going to eat for lunch. 

We thought we would pick something up on our way home from church.  

We didn’t know what we wanted to eat but found ourselves headed in the direction of an old standby. I’m not really sure how or why we were going in that direction. “It must have been the wind that pushed us that way” to quote a line from an old song I’ve heard.

We were kind of resigned to getting a familiar – maybe too familiar – meal when I suggested a close by alternative.

We had not had Chinese food for quite some time. 

There is a little Chinese restaurant at Sauble Beach where we vacation. We usually eat there a few times each summer, but this year it stayed closed for the season. 

… Maybe we felt like we needed a treat that we’d missed out on over the last few months.

The one problem with this idea (that was growing on us minute by minute) was that Chinese takeout food is not the quickest … and we were already pretty hungry. 

Thankfully, the problem never arose as we were informed our order would only take fifteen minutes. 

This meal was building some serious anticipation.

I remember when I was a youth pastor and we would plan a retreat. As we got closer to that weekend, the junior high girls especially would count down the days. With smiles and giggles they would announce, “Just five more sleeps!” They could hardly wait.

I remember listening to my kids scheme and plan with excitement what they would do on our upcoming vacations. 

Oh, and the anticipation I have every year before my birthday as I await diving into my special birthday cake that Lily makes fo me.

As we collected our takeout package of Chinese food we were full of anticipation. 

The short drive home seemed to take longer than usual … probably because the aroma of the food wafting through the bag was like the sound of Pavlov ringing a bell in our heads.

We got right to work when we arrived home. We had the plates out and the containers opened in a matter of seconds.

But that is when we were underwhelmed.  

Almost from the first bite there was a lack of taste. With every dish it was the same blandness that greeted our tongues.

It wasn’t a matter of building this meal up to an expectation that it could never meet. We both agreed that this meal was an utter disappointment. 

This food would have underwhelmed anyone. We should have gone with our old standby.

Here’s the thing: In our lifetime, there are many things that come along that grab our attention and spark interest and anticipation. However, few of those things in life will live up to the anticipation. Once we have that thing or experience, we look for the next thing, something better. We want to repeat it. We will eventually be underwhelmed but it. However, God satisfies. He doesn’t leave you underwhelmed. He surprises you with blessings, takes you down new adventures, promises a future that is amazing and everlasting. Let God grab your attention and anticipation. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has underwhelmed you recently? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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Dinner Out Is Getting More And More Complicated

Going out for dinner is more complicated these days, but it’s always complicated for my wife and I.

dinner out is getting more and more complicated

With COVID, some restaurants have decided to keep their doors shut. Some only have take out or patio service available … which was okay until now when the temperatures have started to drop in the evenings. Having dinner on a patio might be rather chilly. 

Some restaurants have a limited menu so you might go there with a hankering and end up being disappointed because the chef wasn’t feel’n your favourite dish.

I even read somewhere that those who eat in restaurants have a higher risk of contracting COVID. I have no idea if that is true or not, but I heard it. 

So these days there’s lots to consider when going out for dinner. You have to weigh all the options … or lack thereof. 

You might think it would be nice to eat out, and even get kind of psyched to go out. But by the time you have looked at where you can go and what is available, you are almost ready to break out the peanut butter and jelly and call Yogi over.

I haven’t even mentioned that at most restaurants seating is a little more limited. Even if you could make a decision, you might not be able to get in or the wait time might be prohibitive.

If right about now you are thinking, “You’re right, Paul; it is a lot of effort to go out for dinner,” well, let me tell you, that is nothing. 

On top of all these barriers to going out for dinner during this current season, my wife and I have a whole other series of complications we need to hurdle over to get that meal out at a restaurant.

You see, Lily is allergic to seafood and fish. And I’m not just talking about getting a runny nose and sneezing from eating it. All that would do is alarm people, thinking she had COVID. 

No, Lily’s allergic reaction is anaphylactic … I know, you got hypnotized trying to sound that word out, didn’t you?

The bottom line with her allergy is that her throat closes up and she can’t breathe. She does always carry an epipen with epinephrine with her to counteract an allergic reaction, but it is an injection so it’s not something you are going to take just in case. … If she ever had to use it, we could add an extra hundred dollars to the food bill, so the food would have to be worth it. 

With this fish allergy, she has to be careful of cross contamination. She can’t have the fries if they cook fish in the same oil. It also seems that more and more restaurants serve a fair bit of fish, and they cook it using the same grills, pans or fryers.

So going out for dinner, for most of you at this time, is a breeze compared to what we have to contend with. 

Oh wait … I think we found a restaurant we can go to tonight.

Here’s the thing: You will make all kinds of considerations for someone you love to find a way to do something you really want to do. Because of what Christ did for you on the cross, you should know how much God loves you. So when God shows us something He wants us to do or stop doing, we should do all we can to make it happen. We should be willing to make the adjustments because we love Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What recent adjustment did you make for someone? Leave your comments and questions below.

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We Fit More People In Than I Thought We Could

You can always fit more people in than you think you can. This has been proven over and over, but we just proved it once again. 

We Fit More People In

I remember in the 70’s – before seat belts were a must – we would, at times, pile insane amounts of people into cars.

Sometime we would do it for fun, but mostly it was out of necessity. We frequently needed to transport more people than there were available seats in the vehicles. It was routine that we would go somewhere with friends, often sitting in the back seat, squished between two guys, with two or three girls sitting on our laps. 

It was similar to a gang tackle in football, only we were under the pile a lot longer. 

Sometimes we would shoehorn so many friends into a car that we had to ask someone to move a bit so we could shift gears. For long trips that wasn’t bad, but for city driving it meant for a lot of moving parts.

Well, for the first time in 24 years, we hosted the Christmas meal at our home. We really should have done it the first year we moved back to Ontario – we would have had a few less people. But having the whole family for Christmas dinner at our place this year, as apposed to 24 years ago, created an even bigger space issue. 

In 1996, 6 of the 14 family members at the meal were 7 and under. Not now – everyone is an adult – no little people anymore. 

We have a dining table that seats 8. With some creativity and ingenuity from my wife, we were able to up that to 12 people. That left 6 people eating standing up, so we brought in a folding table that extended into the living room.

It was going to work we could fit everyone in. But when everyone started to arrive and the tables were set up, it didn’t leave a lot of room for people to mingle. 

There were people sitting in the living room but then a whole lot of others standing around the perimeter of the room … much like a bunch of junior highers at a school dance.

 Fortunately we soon saddled up to the tables and got down to some serious eating. 

And when dinner was over, we pushed the extra table against a railing in the living room and shortened the dining room table. People spread out to other parts of the house; some went downstairs to the family room. Before too long the family was fitting in the space.  

I’ve been to parties where there was a crowd in every room you entered, wall-to-wall people. It was not nearly that bad … certainly not too crowded for a day.

The day after I was talking with a friend and told him about the 18 people we had over to our little home and he just smiled at me. Then he said, “We have 16 people living in our house all the time.” 

… Maybe we should have the whole family over every weekend.

Here’s the thing: People have joined God’s family for over 2000 years, putting their faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t know when Christ will come back, but one thing we know is that there will always be room to fit more in. So if you have not joined God’s family by claiming Christ as your Saviour, the time to do that is now.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How can you strengthen you family ties? Leave your questions and comments below.

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When The Conversation Is Out Of Your Control

Conversations usually flow from one topic to another at a gathering, but when the party is heavy on the testosterone you lose all control of the dialogue.

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That would be how I would describe our Easter dinner this year.

In my last post (read it here), I wrote about our plans for Easter dinner and said that in this post I would write about how it turned out.

Lily was sort of forced to buy a thirty pound turkey because that was the only size she could find at the grocery store. To save me from having to eat turkey for the next six months, she came up with a plan to invite some people who knew how to finish off a ton of food.

We invited two players from the Kingston Frontenacs hockey team, and two of our son Mike’s friends.

That gave us five guys 25 and under, myself, Lily and our daughter, Karlie. When it came to the food, Lily and Karlie didn’t stand a chance. And when it came to the conversation, the guys monopolized that too.

Easter is a time when our focus is on the resurrection of Christ, the price He paid for our sins and the amazing gift of a relationship with God that Christ offers us.

However, some of our company had just come back from an afternoon of riding quads on muddy trails, so naturally the boys needed to spend some time rehashing all the ups and downs of the episode.

Some of our conversation around the dinner table focussed on the more spectacular antics on the quads, getting stuck, who almost died on the outing and who made the biggest fool of themselves.

I’m not much into that sport; in fact, I’ve never ridden a quad before. I have, however, ridden my mountain bike on some pretty muddy trails, so I was all ears as we listened to the exchange among the guys. Voices and laughter seemed to get louder as the stories turned to the personal shortcomings of one and all.

At Easter dinner there is nothing wrong with diverting from the main theme of the day, but hey, we also had some hockey players with us who are right in the middle of the OHL playoffs.

Everyone wanted to know how they were feeling about the series and how they thought it would turn out. We analyzed the team and talked about old hockey stories that related.

Of course, on any hockey team there are some characters that stand out. And just like with the boys who went quading, there were moments in the conversation that focussed on some of the crazy antics that happen within a hockey club.

By the time dinner was over, there was a table full of stuffed people who barely had room for dessert.

Though we didn’t really talk about the Easter message – other than a quick explanation and saying grace – most of the guys felt like they’d been verbally crucified by the others over the course of the meal … not typical for an Easter dinner, but typical when you gather five young men around the same table and bring food into the mix.

Here’s the thing: When guys get talking the stories can become bigger and better. The biggest story in the history of the world, however, is the love God has shown us in sending His only Son to die on a cross so that you and I can have a relationship with Him. There is no bigger story!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you relate to the biggest story in history? Leave your comment below.

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The Turkey Was Meant To Be

Some things are meant to be. You don’t always know why at the time, but it makes sense later.

Turkey-1024x669

For Easter dinner this year Lily decided to cook a turkey. She went out and bought a thirty pounder.

Some farmers try to plump up their turkeys before they get to market. I think Lily’s trying to plump up the family, but I’m not sure for what!

Thirty pounds of turkey split four ways … well, you do the math. I’d have to play a lot of hockey AND be on my rowing machine for a couple of weeks to get rid of all that extra weight that would be showing up on my scale each morning.

To be fair to Lily, she didn’t look for a thirty pound turkey; it’s all she could find in the store. She was forced into it.

Nevertheless, we needed to do something to cut down on that total turkey intake we were looking at on Easter Sunday.

We knew Karlie was coming home and would participate in the feast but probably to a minimal degree. Mike would also be home for Easter dinner, and that would mean lots of potatoes and gravy, too.

That left Lily and I to clean up the rest and I wasn’t looking forward to eating leftovers for the next month. I like turkey leftovers, but there is a limit to how long I really want to be eating them.

Lil also has this volunteer position as a chef for a major frozen food company that helps with leftovers. I believe it’s called “Lil’s kitchen creations.”

She’s been doing this for a year now. She cooks a large meal, more than we can eat, and then makes up single serving containers of the meal which she freezes and delivers to her mother, and sometimes Karlie and Mike.

Well, with a thirty pound turkey, that’s a lot of frozen meals, even if they are spread around to others.

Lil needed a plan for this meal and so she started thinking of who else she could invite. She did the smartest thing: she invited some young guys over.

There were a couple of Kingston Frontenac hockey players on the list. Young guys in their late teens are much like chocolate Easter bunnies: they are hollow inside, perfect for hiding a lot of turkey and stuffing.

… I remember the days when I could hide a lot of food. But those days are long gone. I need to get on my stationary bike for twenty minutes after a turkey dinner or else I’m looking at buying a new belt!

Lil figured that if she also invited Mike’s roommate and another of his friends, they would be able to do damage to the turkey. Guys in their mid twenties have had lots of practice putting away large volumes of food; they know where to put that stuff.

So we were all set. The distribution of thirty pounds of turkey was accounted for. … I’ll let you know in my next post how it all turned out (read it here).

Here’s the thing: You have to make the best of what you have. And when you have plenty, you need to spread it around. At Easter we have the greatest message there is: Jesus died for our sins so that we can be forgiven, and because He rose from the grave, we can have a relationship with God and heaven waiting for us. That’s a large meal that needs to be shared with others.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who can you share the message of Easter with? Leave your comment below.

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Preparation Should Be Our Focus 

Have you noticed how much time goes into preparation as opposed to the actual event?

dinner setting1

It’s usually double, triple or more time than the event itself!

The other night we had some guests over for dinner. It was a great time and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

But the time it took to prepare for the dinner was exorbitantly more than the dinner itself.

I’m not a cook but I noticed how long Lil spent in preparation for the meal … it’s no wonder people eat at restaurants so frequently.

You can leave home for a fast food joint, be fed and return home in the same or less time than it takes to prepare a meal yourself. And you don’t have the clean up either!

You just have to remember what the symbols for bottles, paper and food look like so you can put your trash and recycling in the right place.

But this discrepancy of time between preparation and an event happens in all aspects of life.

I remember my kids would spend hours setting up their hot wheel track all over the basement.  They would test it out to make sure they had the power chargers in the right places so that the cars would have enough speed to make it through to the end.

When it was all set up and ready to go, it took about 10 seconds for a car to go from start to finish.

I know that for me to preach a sermon takes about 30 -35 minutes – at least that’s what I aim for.  But to prepare for that thirty minute sermon takes a good 15 hours or so.

Back when I was in high school, I waited outside A&A record store on Yonge St., in downtown Toronto, all night to get tickets to an Elton John concert.

The concert was about 3 hours in total, but I had invested way more time!

What I noticed is we spend all kinds of time preparing for things that we are looking forward to. It’s like we do the work to reap the pleasure – only the pleasure lasts for such a short time in comparison.

What we really need to do is switch what we find our pleasure in. We should really be taking pleasure in the preparation to get the full enjoyment of the event or activity.

How much better would it be at the end of the night, washing up the dishes after a dinner party, to have taken pleasure in the preparation of the whole event?

We wouldn’t make comments like, “That was nice, but a lot of work”.

Instead, we would have savoured the time spent wrapping the cutlery in the napkins, or peeling the carrots, or cleaning the bathrooms (well, maybe not that one).

When it was all done we would be excited to do it all over again really soon. But who am I kidding? I’m just trying to figure out a way to convince Lily to put our china dishes in the dishwasher instead of washing them by hand!

Here’s the thing: We like outcomes, the main event; we try to reduce preparation. But it is in the preparation that the outcome, the main event, is as enjoyable as it is. To become more Christlike in our attitude and actions takes preparation. Time spent with God and His word is where He works on getting you all ready and presentable to emulate His Son.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you found to be the biggest time discrepancy between preparation and outcome? Leave your comment below.

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New Year’s Eve Plans

Wow, the end of another year! It came up quickly and we had no plans as usual.

dickclark2014

Well, I guess we did have plans; they were the same plans we have most years on New Year’s Eve: we hang out, snack a little, and watch some New Year’s Eve countdown show on TV.

That’s pretty much it. There have been a few years where we’ve varied our pattern but this is the regular “no plan” plan for the end of the year.

But I was leaning away from that plan this year, and it was all because of a TV advertisement for a New Year’s Eve show this year.

I saw an ad for this year’s New Year’s Eve show on ABC called, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”.

The problem with this show is that Dick Clark is no longer with us. In fact, he’s been gone for over two years now. What kind of a New Year’s show is it when the host of the show is not really ringing in the new year with you?

How great a new year can it be if the host isn’t joining you in the celebration?

There is just something wrong about it, that almost says there’s nothing worth looking forward to in the new year.

Maybe the executives at ABC are getting older and don’t have the same optimism as they used to, so why not have a deceased person’s name on the advertising? Nothing spells excitement like that!

I had in mind we should change things up this year. It was kind of late to be making plans with only three days to the big day, but I thought we needed to make the night a little more interesting and add a little hope to the evening.

The problem with putting more effort into NYE is that it happens so often that you blink and it’s here again. And you start to think, “Didn’t we just have New Year’s not that long ago?”

That’s what age does though; it speeds up time for you. A year for someone in their 50’s is like a year and a half for someone in their 20’s.

When you’re in your 20’s you can barely remember the last new year’s, and so it’s a big deal every time it comes around.

But when you get a little older, you feel like you just booked your dinner reservations for last December 31, and now you have to do it again already.

When you’re young, a new year offers all kinds of new opportunities and hopes, but when you’re older you just hope things will hold their own in the new year and there won’t be any surprises.

When you think of it, New Year’s Eve is really for the young, or the young at heart.

After some thought, we changed up our plans and went out … but still made it home in time to watch “Dick Clark’s postmortem New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

Here’s the thing: If the sound of giving in to getting older doesn’t seem all that good to you, then fight to stay young at heart. Get out of your rut and breathe some hope and excitement into your routines like New Year’s Eve. And while you’re at it, take a look at your relationship with God – have you gotten safe, comfortable, boring with God? Look at this new year as an opportunity to enhance your relationship with God. Consider how you can engage with God in more hope and opportunity.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What did you do on New Year’s Eve this year? Leave your comments below.

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A Plea for Understanding

This blog is for my wife, Lily.  I don’t mind if you all get in on it, but it’s really just for her. You see, we’ve been married for over 28 years and she still doesn’t understand some things about me.

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I know there are some men and women out there thinking, “My husband or my wife doesn’t understand things about me, either”.  I’m sure there is some kind of name for this, something like “misunderstandinitis”.

The other day, I heard of a condition called “affluenza” — meaning someone’s wealth can cause them to dissociate their bad actions from consequences. This condition was used to successfully keep a 16 year old out of jail after driving drunk and killing four pedestrians. Some misunderstanding!

I have a condition that causes all kinds of misunderstanding; it’s called hypoglycaemia. It’s a big word but basically it means I get low blood sugar. There is not enough glucose getting to my brain so my body craves more sugar to replace the low supply.

What my wife doesn’t understand is that this happens really fast, and I often get it around dinner time. She hasn’t figure out why I can’t wait to have dinner at 6 or 7; it doesn’t matter to her, she could go forever without eating.

I can almost hear some of you right now asking, “Well Paul, why don’t you make dinner and have it ready when you need to eat?” If I made dinner, I’d be bringing home hot wings three nights a week, pizza the other nights and for variety maybe Five Guys burgers every once in a while.

It would get a little hard on the wallet and would not be the healthiest for us … and I am concerned for my wife’s health, so she has to do the cooking. Okay, enough on that.

Back to her inability to understand me after so many years … At dinner time, I need to eat. She doesn’t understand that my body really reacts. I get all weak, like you would feel if you just ran a marathon, only without being out of breath. I also start to sweat – “perspire” may be a nicer way to say that – and I feel very hot.

I get shaky on the inside – my hands don’t actually shake but they feel like they are – and I crave something to take that feeling away. So I hunt for food, anything, chips, cookies, crackers, peanuts, ANYTHING!

All this happens in an instant. I can be fine one minute and the next, well, it comes over me like turning from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. I get all surly and cranky.

I think that if I lived with a person like that, I would want to keep Mr. Hyde hidden as much as I could. But not my wife! She is surprised every time Mr. Hyde shows up in the kitchen and dinner is 45 minutes to an hour away.

I love my wife; Mr. Hyde doesn’t like her as much as I do, but he still loves her. But man, can I get a little understanding around here?!

Here’s the thing: Often we want what we want from God but don’t think about understanding His perspective on what we want. If we are in an asking position before God, we should be seeking to understand His position … and there is no better way than to become more and more familiar with God’s Word.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you most often misunderstood about? Leave your comment below.