U-Turns Allowed

Not long after we moved to this area, I joined our church softball team. They played in a league in the next town over. The first few weeks were challenging for me to figure out the best way to get there. I have always had a tendency to just keep driving thinking I will accidentally come upon the road I need to be on. Amazingly enough, that does happen a lot. The only time it becomes an issue is when I have a specific time I have to be somewhere, like a softball game.
On my way to the first game, I was on the highway for awhile when I realized I should have been going west, but I was going east. I needed to turn around. It seemed as though I had driven for miles without seeing an exit. I then saw a turn-around on the highway with a sign that said, “Authorized Personnel Only.” It looked like my only chance for miles to turn around, so I made a u-turn.
I had my two girls in the car with me. They were 4 and 7 at the time. My seven year old could read the sign. She asked me if I was “authorized.” What was I going to say? So, of course, I lied. I told her that all moms are “authorized personnel.” Well, she decided to call me on it. She said that she believed that only policemen were considered “authorized.”
My four year old had just learned in pre-school about confessing your sins and that you need to do that not only to God, but to someone who has authority over you like your parents, or…a policeman.
She started yelling at me and telling me that I was not authorized and I broke the law and she needed to tell someone for me. It was her duty for my sake. I thought for sure that if we didn’t discuss it any longer she would forget about it and maybe we could discuss it later.
Many of the women on the softball team had kids. All the older kids would watch the younger ones and they had a blast hanging out with each other while their moms played softball. Just as I was up to bat, I looked over to see where the girls were and my four year old was talking to the security guard. I took my turn batting and popped out to centerfield.
As I was walking off of the field, the security guard called my name and motioned for me to come over to him. He explained to me that my daughter told him about my indiscretion and he scolded me for setting a bad example for my children. I promised him, and my daughters, that I would never make an illegal u-turn again.
Fortunately, God encourages u-turns. I need that opportunity, sometimes daily, to turn back to Him when I am being willfully disobedient. Most of the time it is my attitude that causes me to act more like me and less like Him. God tells us in Isaiah 45:22, “Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other.”
Sometimes it is really difficult to know when you have taken a u-turn in the wrong direction. God will put people in our lives that can help us get back on the right path. Sometimes it is our job to gently let our friends and loved ones know they have strayed from the path. James encourages us in James 5:19-20, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.”
It’s okay to make u-turns in life, as long as the arrow points back to God!

It is amazing how well baked-goods would go at the coffeehouse after people would ask, “Is that made from scratch?” and the answer was “yes.” Most of my recipes came from my mother-in-law, her sister-in-law and my Granny.
When I was in kindergarten through second grade, I lived with my Granny and she made my clothes “from scratch.” Unfortunately, she would use whatever material she had laying around the house and sometimes my underwear was made out of flour sacks. I’m not sure if you have ever felt the fabric of flour sacks, but it is very scratchy.
I had to take a school bus to school each day and there were two little boys that were cousins on the bus. Each day they would try to pull the curl out of those banana curls. They would make fun of me mercilessly until I socked one of them in the nose one day. They stopped making fun of me.
First grade came along and we had school all day. That was hard because I liked hanging out with my Granny in the afternoons. She always let me help her roll out the dough for the pies she made daily from scratch and pick the stems off of the green beans she grew in the backyard. But, first grade was interesting.
About a month after school started, a new girl came into our class. By then, everyone had established friendships and had their cliques started. I never was a fan of cliques, even back then. This little girl always wore a headband with a big flower on it and ruffled dresses. I always had dresses on, but sometimes they had a picture of a flower on them advertising baking flour.
I already had quite a few friends in class because of kindergarten and riding the bus with the same kids for the second year. The new girl didn’t ride the bus, her mother dropped her off each day.
I introduced myself to the new girl and showed her where to put her lunch box and coat. I made a point to have her sit with me and my friends at lunch time so she did not have to eat alone. The other girls made fun of her huge headband and ruffled dress. That really made me mad because I remembered what it was like to be made fun of so I let my old friends know that this was my new friend and it was not very nice to make fun of people.
This went along for several weeks until the other girls accepted the new girl and invited her to join them at lunch and at recess. Before I knew it, the new girl was quite popular and started making fun of my “made from scratch” dresses.
I told my Granny about the situation and what had been going on and she told me that my dresses were made from scratch with her two very own hands and with much love. The new girl didn’t even know who made her dresses. Somehow, that made me feel better.
Granny also reminded me that I was “made from scratch” with God’s two very own hands.
David fully understood this concept when he wrote, “You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” Psalm 139:13-16
How special is it to know that you were made very uniquely? Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowds because you have the same beliefs as David. I’m proud to be “made from scratch!”

Got GPS?

Those who know me, especially my husband and daughters, know that I am geographically challenged. That’s a really nice way of saying that I don’t know my left from my north!
Years ago, I worked in real estate and decided that I was the worst real estate agent that ever existed. Not only did I talk people out of buying houses if they could not afford them, I would have to have them drive themselves so I could follow them.
Oh, I always printed off maps from Mapquest or Google maps, but they had different names for roads than what was on the signs sometimes. So, that confused me even more.
My poor husband bought me many gadgets to tell me where I was going. This was before GPS was affordable and available.
One time he bought me a thing that fit on my dash and I had to plug it into the accessory outlet. It showed north, south, east and west, but one day it said 120 degrees. I was so sure that this thing was junk that I called my husband and told him there was no way it could be 120 degrees outside, it was only 72! He asked me if I had ever heard of longitude and latitude! Of course, I had. What did that have to with anything?
My daughter gets so annoyed with me every time we go to St. Louis to the airport because I still can not remember if we take 170 north or 170 south. I am never sure what I am north or south of.
Part of the reason I have no memory of direction is because if I am driving, I always have someone in the car who pays attention. If I am the passenger, the driver is there to always pay attention. I am enjoying the scenery or the conversation. Besides, I always get to where I am going. It may not be in the direction or time frame my loved ones would choose, but I always get there!
The irony of this is that I love to take vacations across the country and I am usually the primary driver. But, if I am not the driver, I am the navigator and I really can read a map. If you are on a driving vacation you can take your time and enjoy the scenery.
If you are one of those people that take vacations by car and have a specific itinerary and time frames for the things you want to do, then you should not go on vacation with me. God put me on this earth to randomly stop and smell the roses. God also gave me a husband that needs to be reminded to smell the roses. But, my husband does know his left from his north. That’s why God put us together!
I have spent almost 54 years trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I seem to forget that God already has a path laid out for me. I just wish that there was a billboard on Hwy. 64 somewhere telling me what that is.
David reminds us of God’s promise in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Sometimes, I think we all get in our own way. I know that I can be my own worst enemy at sabotaging my path. I either put unnecessary obstacles in my own way or I perceive there are obstacles that don’t exist.
It is very comforting to know that God has the most updated GPS for us, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
So, the next time you are feeling a little lost, let your Bible open up to you a whole new world of GPS. You could learn your left from your north!

Got GPS?

Those who know me, especially my husband and daughters, know that I am geographically challenged. That’s a really nice way of saying that I don’t know my left from my north!
Years ago, I worked in real estate and decided that I was the worst real estate agent that ever existed. Not only did I talk people out of buying houses if they could not afford them, I would have to have them drive themselves so I could follow them.
Oh, I always printed off maps from Mapquest or Google maps, but they had different names for roads than what was on the signs sometimes. So, that confused me even more.
My poor husband bought me many gadgets to tell me where I was going. This was before GPS was affordable and available.
One time he bought me a thing that fit on my dash and I had to plug it into the accessory outlet. It showed north, south, east and west, but one day it said 120 degrees. I was so sure that this thing was junk that I called my husband and told him there was no way it could be 120 degrees outside, it was only 72! He asked me if I had ever heard of longitude and latitude! Of course, I had. What did that have to with anything?
My daughter gets so annoyed with me every time we go to St. Louis to the airport because I still can not remember if we take 170 north or 170 south. I am never sure what I am north or south of.
Part of the reason I have no memory of direction is because if I am driving, I always have someone in the car who pays attention. If I am the passenger, the driver is there to always pay attention. I am enjoying the scenery or the conversation. Besides, I always get to where I am going. It may not be in the direction or time frame my loved ones would choose, but I always get there!
The irony of this is that I love to take vacations across the country and I am usually the primary driver. But, if I am not the driver, I am the navigator and I really can read a map. If you are on a driving vacation you can take your time and enjoy the scenery.
If you are one of those people that take vacations by car and have a specific itinerary and time frames for the things you want to do, then you should not go on vacation with me. God put me on this earth to randomly stop and smell the roses. God also gave me a husband that needs to be reminded to smell the roses. But, my husband does know his left from his north. That’s why God put us together!
I have spent almost 54 years trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I seem to forget that God already has a path laid out for me. I just wish that there was a billboard on Hwy. 64 somewhere telling me what that is.
David reminds us of God’s promise in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Sometimes, I think we all get in our own way. I know that I can be my own worst enemy at sabotaging my path. I either put unnecessary obstacles in my own way or I perceive there are obstacles that don’t exist.
It is very comforting to know that God has the most updated GPS for us, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
So, the next time you are feeling a little lost, let your Bible open up to you a whole new world of GPS. You could learn your left from your north!

Customer Service…Oxymoron?

I went to the grocery store on Monday and had one of the most annoying hours of my life. I was looking for almond milk and frustrated that it was not in any of the aisles I thought it would be. So, after wandering around aimlessly looking for someone employed there (notice I didn’t say “work” there) I found a young man stocking shelves and asked him if he knew where the almond milk was. He commented that he didn’t know you could milk almonds! I have to admit that as annoyed as I was, I had to laugh because I think he was serious.
I passed 4 more employees on my way to the alleged aisle that had the almond milk. Not one person smiled, made eye contact or acknowledged my existence.
Finally, I find the almond milk and go to check out. There were 2 checkers and about a hundred customers standing in those two lanes. After reading half of the magazines in the checkout aisle and ignoring the headlines of the other half, I am next to check out. I took out that little bar thing to separate my groceries from the groceries that belonged to the lady in front of me and she wanted to know if I was worried about her groceries touching my groceries. I tried to explain to her that bar thingy was to let the checker know when her order ended and mine began. She still looked insulted.
Then, I have a twenty-something young lady that had her tongue pierced and I could not understand one word she said to me. I got to the point where I just smiled and nodded. Next thing I knew, I have donated $5 to (I think) the humane society.
This checker never smiled, never made eye contact and grunted when I asked her how she was doing. By the time I was done with her, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to adopt her or ground her. I did tell her that I thought that she obviously did not like her job. She wholeheartedly agreed.
After being in several customer service type businesses, I am very aware of the customer service I receive when I am out. If I receive good service at a restaurant, I tip very well. If I receive good service in other venues like the grocery store, a department store, my insurance agent or any service that does not require tipping, I make a point to let those people know they have treated me well and I really appreciate it and I will tell everyone I know. However, if I receive poor service, I will tell everyone I know.
If I lost a customer, in whatever career I was in, it would make me crazy if I did not know why. That’s a “be careful for what you wish for” kind of thing, but maybe I would have had a chance to remedy whatever the problem was.
With the way that the economy is, everyone should appreciate having a job because there are those who do not. And, I can not understand people who do not desire to do a good job at what they do.
If we all did our job as if God were our boss, wouldn’t we be much more conscientious about doing a good job? We are told in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Not only does God want us to do a good job at what we do, He wants us to “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Philippians 2:14
Doing a good job for God may be easier than the
“without grumbling” part, but, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. That includes keeping a smile on my face the next time I walk through the grocery store!