Perfect Imperfections

Have you ever had one of those days when you thought to yourself, "Man, I'm lookin' pretty good today?" It's a good hair day. The makeup looks pretty youthful and natural all at the same time---which is increasingly harder the older I get! You think that the shirt you wore just a few weeks ago now seems to fit a bit more loosely. You're ready to walk out the door, ready to face the world with a smile on, excited about what the day ahead holds for you.

I had one of those yesterday!

I have had a wonderful few days. Took Friday off and enjoyed some basketball, some reading and listening to show tunes, had a great lunch with my pastor. Excited about some things to come. Saturday was a fantastic day...women's retreat with some ladies who have truly become "sister friends". (NOT to be confused with sister wives....they're all welcomed to their husbands....Mormons, we are not!)

Sunday morning started off great! Hair looking good, makeup in check, wearing a cool tan crocheted number with some smaller-sized jeans. You know? Just one of those good days where I was excited to head off to worship, then to the Theatre for a production that was "paying tribute" to the amazing Veterans of Cabarrus County. In for a great day....feeling pretty good about myself!

It was chillier than I had planned for, so I went back into the house and changed into the pink sparkly shirt from a tan number I had chosen. Put some more appropriate jewelry on with the outfit. Grabbed some hot pink lipstick...smashing!! Headed back out the door and on my way to church....again, feeling pretty good about myself!

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.". 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Well, I'm driving in, singing my lungs out, when all of a sudden, I notice them....my fingernails!! Now for those of you who know me well, you'll probably chuckle, because I rarely HAVE nice fingernails, but lately, I've been trying to let them grow out. They were ORANGE and, worse than that, CHIPPED...BADLY!! Please remember, I'm wearing a hot pink shirt. Talk about a serious clash issue!

What do you do when the details don't match up to the big picture? I could have turned around and gone home and painted over my nails, but that would have made me late. I could have gotten angry at my failure to pay attention to the details. I could have worried that the man of my dreams was going to be at church or the Theatre that day, and I wouldn't have been looking my best. I COULD have done those things, or I could choose the best thing.

So, I did. I laughed. Hard. Loud. 'Til I got tears in my eyes. I realized I was dealing with a perfect imperfection. Just that morning, my devotion was Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made all things beautiful in His time." Not just some things, but ALL things...even my poorly colored fingernails.

The next time you're confronted with one of life's little "perfect imperfections", take some time to think about how God can use the hardships, trials, imperfections and weaknesses in our lives to show us that we can get too caught up in the details and miss the big picture that He's trying to show us.

What did I learn from my encounter with a perfect imperfection? Well, I certainly don't need to take myself so seriously. I also don't need to put so much focus on the way I look (don't read this as my giving license to run around looking like John the Baptist). I also enjoyed the day yesterday, once I got over myself and thinking about all that was coming up. I stayed "present" in the day....worship at church was powerful. The Theatre presentation was humbling and inspiring at the same time. My Tar Heels won!! (Thanks John for ruining it for me...LOL) And God probably got a great chuckle out of one of His princesses!

The picture is of my long-time friend, Ali, from elementary school through until today. I hadn't seen her in many years, so it was wonderful to catch up. Her Dad was one of the Vets who had his story told during "Paying Tribute". I'm proud to be an American...and proud to say "THANK YOU" to all our Veterans!

Word of Prophecy for the Day

Hello Bloggies!

I have to say that this past week has been one of seeming setbacks and failures. Struggling in all the "whys" of a number of things....trying to dig in and settle in deeply in the Word.

I received this devotional this morning, and, while I didn't write it, I believe it spoke to me exactly where I am. My hope is that it may do the same for someone else out there:

"What you might see as the winds of adversity, are really spiritual opportunities to exercise your faith and to overcome. So, I say, rise up and take advantage of every situation to prove My existence and power in your life.

You do not belong to yourself; you belong to Me, says the Lord, and I have given authority to those who are Mine. I have already gained the victory over Satan's kingdom so that your victory is assured in all things."

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.

March is OUR Month!

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan delcared March to be Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month after years of advocacy efforts from The Arc www.arcofcabarrus.org and the intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) community. A lot has happened in the nearly quarter of a century since the proclamation. As a movement, we've taken major steps forward in terms of attitudes and opportunities. Landmark legislation has addressed issues in education, health care and civil rights. Just recently, President Obama signed Rosa's Law to remove hurtful terminology from federal legislation, demonstrating a shift toward greater respect for people with I/DD.

However, there is still much to be done. There are millions of people living wiht an intellectual or developmental disability (closer to 7 million now instead of the 4 million to which Reagan referred). And, their needs and wants have not changed dramatically since 1987, because they are the same basic needs and wants we all have. Opportunity. Respect. Self-determination. Simple things, really, but sometimes frustratingly elusive.

The Arc helps people with I/DD and thier families by creatig opportunities. We foster respect and protect the human rights of people with I/DD through the kind of advocacy that led to President Reagan's proclamation. But, we can accomplish more together with a strong collective voice. So, we invite you to join us during March to raise awareness for I/DD and the challenges ahead. Throughout the month, you'll find posts on our Facebook page with some simple suggestions as to what you can do to help raise awareness. And, we welcome your comments now and always about why protecting and promoting the rights of people with I/DD is important to you!