Complaining is a sin...that's what I read last week in "Me and My Big Mouth". Wow. Ummm, are you SURE Joyce? I mean come on...really? So I decided I was up for the challenge, with God ALL things are possible, even me not complaining! So, off I went about my day and not only did I have to be positive in my speech BUT I couldn't complain either. No biggie!
LOLOLOLOL Okay, I started off GREAT! I had several customers come in and they all started talking about negative aspects of life. I tried turning it around, I found something positive to say. It stopped them in their tracks and they didn't quite know how to respond. That was great. I LOVED it. It energized me and I thought this is awesome, not only did I let their negativity bounce off me, I threw positive words back at them and they finally went with it. I was doing SO well that first day.
The next day I woke up itching ALL over... I had red bugs. YAY. I announced it to my husband but I wasn't negative about it and I didn't complain. I rubbed my itching, red, huge bumps down with Chiggarid and off I went to work. About mid morning the Chiggarid wore off and as I'm sitting there trying to deflect the negativity that's bouncing at me by a customer that honestly, I must say (in Christian love, of course) DRIVES ME CRAZY, I stayed true to the positive, the no complaining and tried to scratch in secret. He left after only 10 minutes! A true miracle!! He's normally here for at least 30 minutes. I'm thinking wow this stuff REALLY works :0
I got home that afternoon and my husband landed a bomb on me. We were given 4 free tickets to see Jars Of Clay at the House of Blues on Thursday night. He was so excited and I...wasn't. My fretting, worry wart mind started thinking of all the things that could go wrong. I wasn't focussed on the positive, I was definitely in the negative, in my mind. My mouth said, " OH that sounds awesome!" But my mind was thinking of the extremely crowded House of Blues I went to to see Keith Urban. I was thinking of the nowhere to sit with a 9 and 11 year old, the can't hardly get to bathroom due to the drunken crowds in your way, the LOUD music that makes your ears ring long after you leave, the fact that it was way after their bedtimes AND did I mention there would be NOWHERE for them to sit? How you can't even see the artist due to huge crowds in the way. I was thinking whiny, cling on tired little girl and irritable, don't look at me little boy. I never saw the "gift" in it, I saw the "oh but what about this...that could go wrong...what are we going to do about..." Have you noticed the crowds that are leaving, the way they talk, what they are yelling? Do you remember the long lines in the extreme heat? I have to work the next day ya know, we'll be home LATE!
I never voiced it but my mind was there. I kept hoping he'd change his mind, I was hoping that my daughter wouldn't want to go so I could stay home to keep her. I know it's sad but that's where I was. God revealed so much to me through that concert...
1. Sometimes my husbands blessings might be a widening of territory for me. Meaning to my husband it's a dream come true, to me it's a get out of your shell and trust the Lord to handle things.
2. Your mind needs to be as focussed as your mouth to receive the true blessing of positivity and no complaining. Give the Lord your fretfilled worries and KNOW He'll handle it!
3. Men with naked women tattoos on their forearms should NEVER be putting the arm tags on people in line at a Christian concert. I'm thinking of calling HOB about it, that was the most obscene and disgusting tattoo I've EVER seen and my kids were there!!
4. If you are going to eat at the HOB, save up your $ for a while before you go. This ole wallet ain't what she used to be.
5. Jars of Clay are awesome in concert!
6. Trust the Lord always! If He gives you a blessing realize that blessing. HOB wasn't that crowded, we actually got 2 barstools and took turns sitting on them. The crowd was mainly Christians and I didn't see even one person with an alchoholic beverage. It was very kidfriendly that night. We were able to get to the bathroom without any trouble and we had a GREAT view of the band. It wasn't too loud, it was perfect and my kids were amazing! They loved it and so did we!
7. This concert was the only Christian concert I've ever been to that they didn't mention the Lord, didn't pray, didn't give Him the glory...I wonder if that could be why they weren't sold out? I was a little bit disappointed in them for that. Their songs sang of Jesus but their mouths didn't speak of them. (Sorta like my mouth was positive but my mind wasn't...hmmm, food for thought)
8. I think I want the Jars of Clay cd now. They are very talented and high energy. It was a great night for the kids and us.
Lessons learned. I need to stop fretting and KNOW that the Lord is in control! I also need to be more open to new experiences...but that's another blog for another time. I need two hands doing the same thing. I need not only the mouth but the mind working as well. They need to work together and then that's when it'll look like a brand new day or a brand new me.
Have a wonderfully positive and no complaints day in the Lord,
LOLOLOLOL Okay, I started off GREAT! I had several customers come in and they all started talking about negative aspects of life. I tried turning it around, I found something positive to say. It stopped them in their tracks and they didn't quite know how to respond. That was great. I LOVED it. It energized me and I thought this is awesome, not only did I let their negativity bounce off me, I threw positive words back at them and they finally went with it. I was doing SO well that first day.
The next day I woke up itching ALL over... I had red bugs. YAY. I announced it to my husband but I wasn't negative about it and I didn't complain. I rubbed my itching, red, huge bumps down with Chiggarid and off I went to work. About mid morning the Chiggarid wore off and as I'm sitting there trying to deflect the negativity that's bouncing at me by a customer that honestly, I must say (in Christian love, of course) DRIVES ME CRAZY, I stayed true to the positive, the no complaining and tried to scratch in secret. He left after only 10 minutes! A true miracle!! He's normally here for at least 30 minutes. I'm thinking wow this stuff REALLY works :0
I got home that afternoon and my husband landed a bomb on me. We were given 4 free tickets to see Jars Of Clay at the House of Blues on Thursday night. He was so excited and I...wasn't. My fretting, worry wart mind started thinking of all the things that could go wrong. I wasn't focussed on the positive, I was definitely in the negative, in my mind. My mouth said, " OH that sounds awesome!" But my mind was thinking of the extremely crowded House of Blues I went to to see Keith Urban. I was thinking of the nowhere to sit with a 9 and 11 year old, the can't hardly get to bathroom due to the drunken crowds in your way, the LOUD music that makes your ears ring long after you leave, the fact that it was way after their bedtimes AND did I mention there would be NOWHERE for them to sit? How you can't even see the artist due to huge crowds in the way. I was thinking whiny, cling on tired little girl and irritable, don't look at me little boy. I never saw the "gift" in it, I saw the "oh but what about this...that could go wrong...what are we going to do about..." Have you noticed the crowds that are leaving, the way they talk, what they are yelling? Do you remember the long lines in the extreme heat? I have to work the next day ya know, we'll be home LATE!
I never voiced it but my mind was there. I kept hoping he'd change his mind, I was hoping that my daughter wouldn't want to go so I could stay home to keep her. I know it's sad but that's where I was. God revealed so much to me through that concert...
1. Sometimes my husbands blessings might be a widening of territory for me. Meaning to my husband it's a dream come true, to me it's a get out of your shell and trust the Lord to handle things.
2. Your mind needs to be as focussed as your mouth to receive the true blessing of positivity and no complaining. Give the Lord your fretfilled worries and KNOW He'll handle it!
3. Men with naked women tattoos on their forearms should NEVER be putting the arm tags on people in line at a Christian concert. I'm thinking of calling HOB about it, that was the most obscene and disgusting tattoo I've EVER seen and my kids were there!!
4. If you are going to eat at the HOB, save up your $ for a while before you go. This ole wallet ain't what she used to be.
5. Jars of Clay are awesome in concert!
6. Trust the Lord always! If He gives you a blessing realize that blessing. HOB wasn't that crowded, we actually got 2 barstools and took turns sitting on them. The crowd was mainly Christians and I didn't see even one person with an alchoholic beverage. It was very kidfriendly that night. We were able to get to the bathroom without any trouble and we had a GREAT view of the band. It wasn't too loud, it was perfect and my kids were amazing! They loved it and so did we!
7. This concert was the only Christian concert I've ever been to that they didn't mention the Lord, didn't pray, didn't give Him the glory...I wonder if that could be why they weren't sold out? I was a little bit disappointed in them for that. Their songs sang of Jesus but their mouths didn't speak of them. (Sorta like my mouth was positive but my mind wasn't...hmmm, food for thought)
8. I think I want the Jars of Clay cd now. They are very talented and high energy. It was a great night for the kids and us.
Lessons learned. I need to stop fretting and KNOW that the Lord is in control! I also need to be more open to new experiences...but that's another blog for another time. I need two hands doing the same thing. I need not only the mouth but the mind working as well. They need to work together and then that's when it'll look like a brand new day or a brand new me.
Have a wonderfully positive and no complaints day in the Lord,
Posts
You changed it again!! Looks good! I didn't know you went to a concert...where in the world have I been?! I am glad you saw the things you saw later! I would've told you some of those things and it would not have helped you! Haha! :)
ReplyDeleteThe truly sad thing is we didn't get the tickets in time but she had 10 and one of you could have gone and taken the boys :( It was a great concert though. We got the tickets on the way...what a shame, 6 went to waste.
ReplyDeleteGreat word, Ericka! No negative and no complaining. There's a challenge for all of us! Just think how our lives and the lives of those around us will change.
ReplyDeleteThank you Marci for the encouraging words :)And I agree what a better place this could be...
ReplyDelete