(Refer to the Quote)

So like most people, I have a Father-in-Law who can be kinda quirky at times.  Like the year he wore felt antlers at Christmas, stuck a flashlight up his nose, and sang "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."  You get the idea. 

Anyways, Mike has given us a laundry list of quotes that range from, "Oh Golly!"  to "The older I get...the higher price I place on familiarity."  Huh??

Well lately, one of his more profound quotes has been bouncing around in my little brain.  It always seems to pop up whenever I start to become discontent or whenever I start to blame other people for my problems.  Here it goes....  Fasten your seat belts....

"If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got."

Brilliant!!  This lil' nugget covers a multitude of problems!  Do you have problems with your finances?  (Refer to the quote)  Do you have problems with your kids?  (Refer to the quote)  Do you have problems with your relationships with other people?  (Refer to the quote)  Do you have problems at work?  (Refer to the quote)  Do you have health problems, but can't seem to find the time to get off of the couch?  (Refer to the quote)  Are you discontent with your life?  (Refer to the quote)  Are you getting the picture yet?

Here's what this simply boils down to... We have to Take Responsibility!!!

Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying.  I understand that sometimes, things happen to us that are completely out of our control.  But the way we react to those situations are completely up to us. 

Seriously people, I'm thinking about making this my motto for 2011.  Maybe I'll get it tattooed across my forehead.  That way I can remind myself every time I look in the mirror.  Or when people around me start to complain, I can just smile and point to the forehead.

Like I said before, this quote has been bouncing all around my head lately.  Meanwhile it has been Week 1 of "28 Days of Love".  Here's how the two relate to each other.  The Lord is showing me this week not only how to see people through His eyes, but He's also showing me what true love is all about.  People are hard to love sometimes.  Obviously its easier to love people who are lovable.  Often we confuse love with enabling...they're so not the same thing!

But that's not the person I believe God wants me to be.  I believe He wants me to be the kind of spouse that lovingly supports my husband even when its not convenient or easy for me.  He wants me to be the kind of parent that not only showers my children with hugs and kisses, but can also lovingly teach them how to submit to God's authority in their lives.  He wants me to be the kind of friend that I need to be, not the kind of friend that person wants me to be.  Jesus is the perfect balance of Grace & Truth.  I am not.  My good friend, Tonya, pointed out to me this week that God's love is so unlike anything else, that we really have nothing else to compare it to.  The only way to find out what true love is, is to find out more about God.

So here's the deal.  If I want to stay the kind of person I have been, then I will continue to do what I've always done.  But if I want to look more like Jesus, than I have to take responsibility and change.





(Katie steps off of soapbox and exits stage left)