Thumbs Up!

In 2007, a movie came out called “Wild Hogs.” It featured a cantankerous bunch of middle-aged fellas who liked to ride Harleys and wanted to take a road trip to get away from reality and the cares of this world.  These four fellas decided to go on a road trip and try to recapture a little of the glory days they once had.

One of them, Dudley Frank, was quite the lovable guy.  His sunny disposition and ability to look for the good when things weren’t always going great endeared himself to the audience.  For instance, Dudley often found himself in scrapes or had things happen to him that most of us would have cried over.  But not Dudley.  He’d call out “I’m okay,” rub his tender part that had been jabbed, smile, and just keep going.

There’s another fella I know that has this type of personality.  When life hits him, he doesn’t rant and rail in response.  Nope.  Instead, he calls out “I’m okay” before the words “Are you alright?!” can even be spoken.  He even takes it one step further.  He holds up the universal thumbs up finger to let all know that he is indeed fine.

Oh sure.  He hurts.  He has scrapes, scars, and quite a few bruises.  He probably in all honesty has landed on his rear more times than Dudley did (remember this quote from him:  “It’s okay.  I hit my butt!”).  He also has been attacked more times from his brothers (whether blood ones or spiritual ones, I’ll let you ponder on that one) but because he has grown up in this atmosphere, this type of behaviour is not unusual for him.  Rather, it’s the norm.  He is used to being battered about, pushed aside, knocked over when he’s in the way (even though he had no clue he was impeding another’s progress).  Because his exposure to the ways of the world often include physical pain and unfair treatment, he goes on.  With a smile.  With a thumbs up gesture to let us know he’s okay.  It’s what he knows and while that does not make it right, he doesn’t know differently--yet.  

His response is such a testimony to me.  He doesn’t realize how his acceptance of bad things happening to good people touches my soul.  He has no clue that his happy demeanor makes me look inwardly and question my own often poor choice of responses when I am getting walked on and stomped on and kicked around.  I’m more of a milker; more of one who cries and lets the whole world know I hurt, that I’ve been done wrong, and that this situation is unjust and unfair.  Hopefully I’ll get to tell him one day.

In conclusion, our attitude determines our outlook.  We can cry over spilt milk or clean it up and get some more.  We can misuse the Golden Rule and do unto others as they first did to us and seek retribution and tell ourselves it’s the right thing to do.  We can burrow in our self-pity and make others beg for forgiveness for the slightest slight.  Or...or we can go on.  We can accept their poor behaviours.  We can acknowledge the pain we feel with a muttered “Ouch!” in disgust as my muse for today’s blog does.  And then, with our thumbs proudly held high, we can go on, determined to not let this thing get us down, to show before being asked that we’re fine, that we’re not defeated, not going down over a little infraction.  We can.  Will we?

Let’s pray!

2 Corinthians 4:17 tells me “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”  Father?  Thank You for the reminders You send my way, the examples You show me through people that exhibit Your words.  Yes, life can hurt and some things are harder to get over than others.  Sometimes the hits just keep coming and it’s hard to stand, hard to not cry out, hard to not demand justice.  

Lord?  When those times come--especially out of nowhere!!--remind us that they are indeed temporary.  They won’t last.  They might leave their marks and yes, they might hurt for a while.  But just a while, Lord.  In the grand scheme of things, this life is a vapor.  May we Your children leave a sweet aroma behind rather than a stench of bitterness is my prayer for us all today.  In the sweet name of Jesus Christ I pray this.  Amen.

...even as I am fully known.

  

Sigh.  This just happened.  

A few moments ago I was looking through my latest pictures and adding them to the program I use, Picasa, for editing purposes.  Picasa has as one of its features an identifying tool, where it labels the people in each photograph.  Depending on if there has already been a name attached to that face, Picasa will ask you to confirm that identity, create a new one, or give it a label for someone it thinks is being depicted.  Sometimes it gets it right; other times it suggests someone closely related to that soul.  Other times it can be downright comical or plain out crazy when it thinks one looks like a certain so-and-so in a given picture.

This tool from Picasa is quite handy for keeping me organized.  Sometimes I need to make a special gift or use someone’s face for something I am working on.  Being able to go to my People Album and have all of these images to choose from in a timely manner is great!

However…

However, the downside to this tool is that it wants to give a name to each face that is recognized by it and when a name isn’t assigned, it can bog down my folder, leaving me with hundreds of unidentified folks that just happened to be randomly in my pictures, or occasional photo bombers that I will probably never know, strangers, or…

Gulp.

Or folks whom I no longer wish to associate with or be reminded of later.  Those perhaps who once were important to me but now only serve as distasteful reminders of happier times or times best left in the past.  

To combat this, I have assigned--collectively--a name to these that combines them all into a one-person folder so that they don’t clog up my collection.  The name I have given to it?  Unknown.  

For the most part, it’s true.  The ones who show up in my pictures where large crowds may be are unknown to me.  And the ones who often show up but I have no relationship to are also easier to be nameless, rather than having a repertoire of hundreds of folks that I really don’t wish to have a personal file on.  Does that make sense?

So, back to the premise of today’s blog. I was struck this morning by seeing several family members that I have relegated to my “Unknown” label.  Saddened, even.  I gazed at some of these faces Picasa was trying to give an identity to and just hurt in my soul that these cousins, siblings, and others were now unknown to me.  Whether we lost touch, weren’t that close after all, or...or...whatever.  To me, for my own sanity and well-being, I put them in the “Unknown” file and wondered:  is someone out there doing this same thing to me?  Am I now a stranger when once I was so much more?  What a sad, sad state of affairs.

I Corinthians 13:12 speaks of this.  Read it with me?  “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”  

Friends, have you been fully known to someone who now is no longer a part of your world?  Or have you been cast aside as unworthy, no longer a vital part--or even a partial part, for that matter--of someone’s life?  Hurts, doesn’t it?  

Sigh.

Thankfully, though, we do have hope.  We have a promise.  One day, reconciliation will happen for those who are a part of the family of God.  The clouds will disappear.  The assumed and presumed will be made known, as will we.  No longer encumbered by the devil’s lies, we will know the truth and it will set us free.  Yes, I agree:  it is sad--it is maddening!!--that some of us are too stubborn and hard-hearted to get to realize these things on this side of eternity.  Too many of us have listened to the lies and the whispers that the devil spouts off, as he wreaks havoc in the lives of God’s children.  Oh the pain he has caused and still continues to maim us with!  But one day...one day, friends, we will know.  Face to face.  All will be revealed.

Until then?  Until then, we still will face hurt and we will still grieve over relationships and loved ones that prick our hearts at the most unexpected moments.  There will still be times that the devil uses these memories and Facebook postings from previous days to steal our joys.  I wish I had an answer for you for how to deal with this but it’s just different for each of us, right, the way that we handle haunts?  All I can do now is remind you again that as God’s children, one day this won’t be so.  One day all wrongs will be made right.  And as the song proclaims, what a day that will be!

Let’s pray!

Ahh, Father.  The marvels of technology continue to progress and we, Your children?  What do we do with these new-fangled “helps”?  Allow them to prick us and gouge at our already-tender hearts as we unknowingly, innocently even, go about a random act that suddenly turns into a minefield of emotions that we weren’t even aware of still existed in us?  

Lord, we have got to do better!  The devil is getting smarter and more conniving in his ways of stealing our joy so we have to be stronger and more proactive in our defense of self.  Using a tool like I just described is one way of self-preservation for me and hopefully it just might help another soul out there with hers.  Ultimately though, Lord, we know we need You to defend us, to preserve us, to save us.  When these fiery darts come out of the blue, I pray our shields of faith will be nearby to block them.  But when they aren’t, Father, will You please balm our wounds?  Will You remind us to seek You, Your Word, and talk to You about our injuries and find solace in Your care until that day, Lord, that day when we are set free?  I’d be ever so grateful if You did!

Thank You for being here for me, for my readers, for Your children.  We don’t always know how to express our feelings, God, but we thank You for the Holy Spirit Who intercedes for our groanings that are often too deep for words, as promised in Romans 8:26.  Thank You for Your Word, Father, and for Your love.  I love You too!

In the precious name of Christ Jesus I pray.  Amen!