cussing

Some 4th of July Thoughts

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

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I did my patriotic duty and witnessed a good fireworks display, courtesy of the town of Nolensville. That part was great. The drive home in the ridiculous traffic was not. Fortunately, I had some old-school Rod Stewart to keep me motivated.

I had some thoughts while I was staring at the taillights from the car in front of me that had little or nothing to do with being stuck in traffic (except for the abundance of time provided):

It doesn’t matter that you’re making really good time if you’re headed in the wrong direction. There’s no prize for getting to the wrong place early.

If you’re climbing that proverbial ladder of success, make sure it’s leaning against the right building. True failure is succeeding at things that don’t really matter while neglecting those that do matter. Like neglecting your family for the almighty dollar.

Cherish the moments you’re given, knowing that there will be more moments later, but none will be exactly like this one. Ditto for cherishing relationships.

I think that covers the extent of my enlightenment. Mostly, I was wondering how long it would take me to drive the distance that normally takes 15 minutes. And trying not to cuss. Just keeping it real, folks.

I’m thinking next year I may camp out at the fireworks site and drive home in the morning. Who’s with me?

One Day at a Time, One Thing at a Time: My Takeaway from Kairos

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

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I can be very judgmental at times. I can be all smiling on the outside while inwardly I am silently judging and (sometimes) condemning.

Like for instance I see a guy wearing his hat backwards and I’m all, “Dude, if you’re not in a frat on your way to a party, turn your hat around.” I know. It’s juvenile of me to think that way. It’s also juvenile to wear your hat backwards if you’re over 25. Had to get in one last zinger.

The point is this: would I be so quick to judge a person if I knew how far he or she had come? Maybe instead I’d be quicker to be astonished at the progress that person has made. Would I have done as well in similar circumstances?

It’s one day at a time, one thing at a time. You may be a recovering addict who cusses like a sailor. First, you get clean, then you work on cleaning up your language.

The life of faith is a lot like that. There will always be something to work on, something you could always do better, bad habits to break. Just focus on one thing for one day.

I don’t have the whole faith thing figured out. Some days, I suck at it. Most days, I do okay. Every day I need more grace. So do you.

The point isn’t perfection, but a yearning to be better and do better than you did yesterday. It’s believing that I can’t, but that God CAN. That’s faith.

Ohhhhhhhh, Fudge– Yet Another Monday Morning in Perspective

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

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This was one of those kind of Monday mornings that make you want to say, “Ohhhh, fudge.” At least it did for me. And yes, I mean the kind of fudge like in the movie A Christmas Story.

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I was happily rolling along. . . well, at 5:30 am, it was more like sleepily rolling along to work. Then I looked up. It was either an 18-wheeler or large bus coming toward me, hugging the yellow lines. So I did what any red-blooded male would do.

I panicked.

I went to give the behemoth vehicle a wide berth and went too wide. My tires hit the edge of the pavement. It sounded like the whole side of my car was being shredded.

I managed to get to the side of the road. I was expecting to see gory car wreck carnage. Thankfully, all I saw was one fatally punctured tire.

I called AAA because I am mechanically challenged even when it comes to changing a tire. In my defense, those lug-nuts were on that wheel tight.

What was supposed to take 45 minutes or less took almost 1 1/2 hours. So I was late to work.

But after that, it got better. And I have to keep a few things in mind:

I’m sooo glad I had my AAA road service paid up.

I’m thankful I have a car to almost (but thankfully not) wreck.

I’m blessed to have a job to go to even if it occasionally starts at 6 am.

I’m grateful for a very understanding boss.

Most of all, I’m thankful every day that I don’t get what I deserve. I get grace instead.

PS  don’t suppose cussing in your head merits having to wash your mouth out with soap, right?

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