OCD

Those Facebook Quizzes

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

image

If you have some down time, I recommend trying out one or two of those Facebook quizzes. Or if you’re a bit OCD like me, you’ll try them all.

Sometimes, they can be quite revealing. Some are spot-on. Some are not. But nearly all of them are entertaining.

I’ve taken more than my fair share of them. I even took one about who my Disney best friend would be (it was Abu, the little monkey critter from the movie Aladdin).

The most unexpected result was when I took the “Which Friends Character Are You?” quiz. I was expecting maybe I’d be most like Chandler or Ross, but it turns out I am most like Phoebe.

Some results weren’t as accurate. Apparently, the states I should live in are Wisconsin, Kansas, and New Hampshire. And yeah, I took that one three times. I was hoping for somewhere with a warmer climate (especially in winter).

I can’t remember all the results from all the quizzes I took but most were fairly accurate in describing my personality. And the best part is that they were all free.

It’s nice to have those family members and friends who really know you and can gently point out to you when you’re not acting like yourself. Sometimes, they can even tell you the hard truth in love. Even if you don’t exactly want to hear it.

I’ve said it before but the best thing you can do for the world around you is to be the best you that you can be. You have your own unique take on life, combination of skills and talents and passions, and personality traits. There will never again be another exactly like you. That makes you unique and special and valuable.

Now for me to find out what Simpsons character I’m most like.

A Slice of Blogging Life

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

Here I am, sitting at a table in the middle of a Connection Cafe at Brentwood Baptist Church that’s full of people and conversations and laughter and . . . well, life. While I was bashing my brains (not literally) trying to come up with a fresh blog topic, I thought, “Why not just describe where I am?” I mean, after all, if this blog fails spectacularly, it’s not like I don’t have 988 others to fall back on. The world won’t end.

I’m in a good position to witness a lot of the interaction going on around me and do what I love to do but don’t normally do unless I’m at the mall: people-watching.

I sometimes like to step outside of life for a bit and observe it. Not in an OCD, note-taking kind of way, but just in a general non-threatening, non-creepy kind of way. I love seeing families and married couples and throngs of teenagers and all the ways they mesh together.

It’s good to slow down and really appreciate this simple things in life. To appreciate family and friends, good health, freedom, the Church with all her beauty and faults, and life. There’s that life stuff again. I guess it boils down to being grateful for being alive. Life isn’t guaranteed. It’s a gift handed to us each day for which most of us– including me– taking for granted most of the time. But not today.

Today I am aware that I could very well not be here tomorrow. Neither could you. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow.

So if you get anything out of this rambling mess of a blog, take this. Take time to appreciate all the miracle and mystery and madness that is life. Take time to be thankful for the gift of being alive and being able to enjoy it.

That’s all. Now you can go back to watching re-runs of Swamp People.

Baggage Part I: Letting Go

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

Who doesn’t have baggage? I certainly know I do. I’m pretty sure anyone who is over the age of 5 and who still has a pulse has accumulated some kind of baggage over the years.

What is my baggage? Probably right now, I’m carrying around the constant need to be validated, affirmed, approved, and liked every single moment.

I find myself at the end of conversations thinking I’ve said or texted the absolute wrong thing and ruined the relationship. Things like, “Did I really just end the conversation with ‘Text me’? Is it even possible for there to be a lamer ending to a conversation?”

I think I let go of a little bit of my baggage tonight. I think I’ve finally come to the point where I may not trust myself to keep my relationships alive, but I know that God will keep the right people in my life for as long as they need to be there.

I’ve mentioned before that I am a work in progress. I’m 4o and my dating history reads like a black comedy or a tragedy (either one works, so take your pick). I haven’t had a real girlfriend since I was 5 (her name was Carrie, by the way).

I think I’m more comfortable with my own path and not trying to hijack God’s plan for someone else. I’m learning to enjoy the process and the journey and not be so OCD about the destination.

I think I’m learning that I don’t have to be clever or witty (or even overly coherent) for God to speak through me.

I’m finally learning to be patient with my own process and who I am becoming. I’m more patient with the shortcomings of others, because I’ve seen so much of my own and I’ve seen how very strong God can be in my weakness.

What is your baggage? You have a choice. You can either hold on to your shame and guilt and fear and anger or you can hold onto Jesus, but you can’t hold on to both. And yes, I borrowed that one from Mike Glenn.

You don’t have to carry that baggage forever. You don’t have to let it define you or be a pemanent part of your wardrobe. It all begins with saying, “I can’t do this anymore. I need you, Jesus, to take this and carry it for me.” It may be a process, but it’s so much fun to feel the weight fall off.

May you find that what you’ve carried all this time is one day no longer a part of you. May you find more and more freedom in Christ. May you hear and believe the words at this very moment that “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Amen.