Driving a Lesson Home

The most amazing thing happened to me on the way home tonight. I am not sure that I really have a complete picture of the events, but I will share them the best that I can with you.

My phone battery was dead today ... so I was driving down the road listening to the radio instead of catching up with one of my friends as I usually do. I was driving in the far right hand lane (so there were cars on only one side of me), I had both hands on the wheel (remember I had no phone), and there was a nice empty "who knows what it is for" lane to the right of me. Each of these 3 separate events is an amazing example of God's provision and grace ... for the 3 combined most surely saved me from a horrible accident. I am not sure that I am being totally accurate in my explanation, but here is what I remember happening in the 10 seconds that is took. It all began with this dark large shape coming into my car ... into the side of my car. It all happened so fast that I could not even tell that it was another car swerving into my lane at full speed. I don't ever remember consciously deciding to respond by swerving into that mystery lane ... but I did. Just a quickly the car jerked back into its original lane, and I returned to mine. Just as I got back into my lane, the car once again swerved into my lane ... missing me only because I once again swerved ... only this time into a deep turn lane that was in front of the gas station to the right. I stopped in the drive way and just sat there trying to process what had happened ... feeling totally disorientated ... although not shaky at all - my heart was not even beating fast. It all felt quite surreal. Anyway, I watched the lady driving down the road from the turn lane, and noticed that she turned into the gas station. I decided to turn in as well. I think I thought that I would just drive by and see who had just almost run me off the road .. twice. Maybe I thought that I would say something like, "Hey, you almost hit me. What the heck was that?" I really wasn't thinking through all the details. As I pulled up towards her car, she rolled her window down. I did the same. One look at her face instantly put to rest any thought of pointing out the obvious to her. Before I could speak, (another of God's provisions) she launched into an apology that would have made the hardest-hearted person forgive her. Turns out she turned into the gas station to "come back and check" on me and make sure that I was alright. She never saw my car and lost control of hers when she tried to avoid hitting me. I thought she was going to cry. I told her that accidents happen, that I had been in her shoes before, and that the most important thing was that we were both alright. We parted smiling at each other and wishing each other well.

As I drove the rest of the way home I cold not help but reflect on the whole situation. My first instinct was to go in and give her a piece of my mind. I could have rolled down my window and let her have it before she even began to speak. Instead, I hesitated and listened to her heart and, in doing so, was able to just give her grace and even more so compassion. It took a lot for her to turn around and face me. She had no idea just what kind of person she was going to face ... but she did it any way. She risked whatever consequences awaited her to make sure that I was alright and to apologize. That is where God really drove the lesson home ... and He did not spare me the impact of truth. I would like to tell you that I always "go back and check" when I do something that is wrong ... something that might have hurt someone ... but there are times that I wrong some one ... intentionally or accidentally, that I choose to just let it go. Times where I am not sure they know that I did something that might hurt them. Example ... A comment is made with out thinking first, I luck out and I don't think that the person heard me ... I let it go and never go back to check. I forget a promise, but the person I promise never seems to notice ... I let it go and never go back to check. I am grumpy and take it out on someone, but they never say anything ... I let it go and never go back and check. The list can go on I am sure, but the point is that when we do something that is wrong, we need to go back and check ... even if it means humbling ourselves.

I drove away from the gas station in total respect of the woman that I met tonight ... may we all be brave enough to "go back and check" when we make mistakes that effect others.

May your drive time today be safe ...

Lisa

Who Me?

The most far out there thing for some one with insecurities to do is to go out on a limb and tell the world that she does. It is risky. What might other people think? What might they say? I am not sure, but I would venture to say that most women ... if being totally truthful would say, "Me, too." Regardless, I am here to say that I battle with insecurities. I battle with looking in the mirror. Scars from breast cancer have forever transformed my body into something that make me avoid the mirror when at all possible. Then there is the extra weight that I carry around, in truth it is probably causes and a cause of quite a few insecurities. Looking back at many of the negative pivotal events of my life, there is a common root ... trying to fix insecurities on my own, which often only served to feed them. My insecurities and I are age old friends. We have known each other a long time, but we are going to re-evaluate our relationship. It might be time to lay them down ... for real ... forever ... for sure. It is not like I haven't tried. I have tried many a time to lay them down at God's feet and leave them there, but it just doesn't seem to work in the long run. So, I am beginning a nine week journey in the search of true security in a world that seems so insecure. Starting next week, I will be doing the Beth Moore online book study of "So Long, Insecurity." I am sure that it will be a bumpy ride at times, but it is time. Time to take control. Time to give up control. Time to learn. Will let you know how it goes. My prayer ... that they would fall as quickly as the pounds I plan on loosing along the way.

Lisa

PS ... if you too struggle with insecurity and would like to work through it with a community of women that would not be surprised to hear that you too struggle with feeling secure in all walks of life ... visit her blog to get the details.

In The Morning When We Rise

Many of you might not know this, but I am taking a class that makes my Friday 14 hours long and drags me out of bed on Saturday morning at 6:30. Tired and groggy, I drive right back into the inner city that I left less than 10 hours earlier. It is a class to help me teach the gifted kiddos that are in my classroom. It is a class that is making me a better teacher. It is a class that is challenging me to grow and change. Now please don't get me wrong, this class is important to me. I have sacrificed to be in it ... my weekends, time with my family, time with my friends, and even going to the Beth Moore Siesta Scripture Memorization Weekend ... so I do not begrudge going ... it is just so early in the morning on a day that my pillow calls to me so very sweetly that it is difficult to resist. Most days I lament leaving it behind, but not today. When I walked out of my front door I was greeted with the most amazing sunrise. Splashes of yellow and pink filled the cloud sprinkled morning sky, it was amazing to say the least. I could barely take my eyes off of the splendor of dawn as I was driving towards class - until I saw a large puddle on the side of the road. Quickly I parked my car and ran back to the puddle which was mirroring the sunrise in the most magnificent way. Wouldn't you know that I just happened to have my camera on me?

This is what I saw:






God must surely have an artist's heart ... or maybe he just really enjoys how much something as simple as a sunset can amaze and captivate ours.

Lisa

When Nature Calls

One thing that I love, is taking pictures ... so much so, that it is really pictures that take me. They take me down streets, around corners, on quick little jaunts ... or drawn out adventures. They call my soul, and I must answer. Today was such a day. I was driving home from school, and was summoned to witness and capture the beauty of nature's mirror ... water. Enjoy.













Lisa