Trying Something New!

Ok, I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I'm going to to try something new on here. I'm going to do a series of blog entries. Usually I write about one thing, then move on to something different. But, this particular series has been in the back of my head for awhile now. So... What is it? It's called, "What is Better?"

In this set of posts, I'm going to to talk about the string of AT&T commercials that have been released over the last few months. They all feature a man sitting with a group of kids that are probably 5 or 6 years old. In each one, they are talking about what is better: fast or slow, bigger or smaller, more or less, doing one thing or doing more than one thing.

I know that the commercials are cute. I know that they are funny. I know that technically they are trying to grab the attention of the adults that AT&T wants to have as customers. But, I think the audience they actually speak to is much younger. The kids in the commercials get kids not just watching them, but also quoting them. Kids aren't going to run out and buy a cell phone or a plan with AT&T, but they are listening to those commercials, and I just don't like what the commercials are teaching them. I think our kids are getting a set of completely wrong ideas and values from these commercials. And, I think a lot of adults don't really take the time to see past the cute kids with the witty answers to the real message that's being conveyed.

So, I guess you could say that I'm about to get on a small soapbox for a few posts. But, I do think it's worth writing! And, I definitely think it's worth reading! Look for the first one early next week!

In the meantime, I am SO thankful for all this glorious rain we're getting! We need it SO badly! But, it is making it hard for me to get out from under this blanket and off my couch...

Steal My Show!

I used to have the hardest time accepting compliments. No matter what the compliment was, I would very quickly respond with some reason why it was wrong. If someone said my hair looked nice, I would point out the part that was out of place. If someone said my outfit was cute, I would point out that I had nothing to wear and it was all I could find. But, the compliments about things I had done were the ones I would discount more than anything else. Anytime someone said, "You did such a good job on (fill in the blank)," I would very quickly make sure they knew the mistakes I made while doing it, the parts that didn't work, or why I just didn't really do a good job in general.

Why in the world did I do this? Who knows! Maybe I was just fishing for more compliments, especially since that's what usually followed my negative responses. Maybe I really didn't believe the compliments, and I was really, honestly discounting them. Maybe I just didn't believe that I was deserving of the compliment. I could probably spend three days psychoanalyzing all the reasons why, but that's not really the important thing here! So, I'll spare you the details on that one!

The good thing is, I'm not that way anymore. Now, when someone gives me a compliment, I'm able to accept it. It might be a simple, "Thank you." I might thank the person and take it a step farther by agreeing with them. Or, sometimes I even go so far as to point out things that I see as being really good! My responses are just completely different now! But, that's not even the important thing here. The important thing is WHY I respond differently!

 

There's actually a song by TobyMac that explains this really well. (If you been with me for any length of time, it's no surprise to you that there's a music connection here!) The song is called "Steal My Show." It's all about how he's about to go on stage for a concert, and he's asking God to steal his show and use him to say what He wants to say to the people in the crowd. I love the song, but there's one part of it that really makes it apply to anyone:
No matter who we are,
No matter what we do,
Every day we can choose to say
If You wanna steal my show,
I'll sit back and watch you go.
If You've got something to say,
Go on and take it away.
 This is the difference: Every time I'm doing anything, this song pops into my head, and very quickly turns into a prayer. I can be writing a Sunday school lesson, getting ready for a meeting, writing a blog entry, making a wreath, or planning a major event, my prayer is still the same. "God, this is Yours. Use me to make this great!" And, you know... He usually does!

Giving God control of things also gives Him control of the outcome. I've been able to do things I never thought I could do, better than I thought I could do them, simply because I constantly ask God to take them over while I'm doing them. And this is what makes it so easy to accept compliments so graciously. When I ask God to steal my show, I know the show is going to be good! It's NOT me that's doing it!! It's all Him!! So, of course compliments will come! I get excited when I get complimented, because I know it's not really me that's being complimented. It's the work God did through me. And, I love to be able to point out to people that whatever it is that I've done was actually a "God thing!"

So, what show can you let God steal?

All things are from Him and through Him and for Him. May the glory be to Him forever. Amen. ~Romans 11:36

So, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, you should do it all for God's glory. ~1 Corinthians 10:31