Don't be alarmed...

This might be 'alarming' (pun intended), however I must say that today, this half cup full kinda girl's cup is running on empty. Two words: Alarm and frustrating. From the moment I woke up, to now, alarms have haunted me. Let me share...

I awoke this morning to the sound of my alarm going off. Not just one alarm...but two. (I am a little bit obsessive compulsive, and like to set two alarms in case one chooses to not go off for some reason.) At 7:00am, I hear the sound of my more pleasant and harmonious alarm from my cell phone which I strategically place across the room so that it requires me to get up to turn it off. What a drag. It always seems smart as I fall asleep, but my perception changes when the warmth of my bed begs me to stay. Shortly after, around 7:15am, alarm number two goes off which is my radio-clock on my bedside table which plays a variety of music from Q 97.5 FM. In order to ensure that I wake up, I turn this alarm up as loud as it can possibly go. Now do take note; I am a morning person and enjoy getting up early but this morning was different, and I always know when my alarm is frustrating me, that it is going to be a long day.

Not only did I awake with a frustration with alarms, but my frustration has reappeared as my day comes to an end. I am babysitting tonight, and not just for the evening, but overnight. I always dread the overnighters as I know that it is going to require me to pursue a relationship with the house alarm, which never seems to work in my favor. So, around 10 o'clock I turn on the alarm for the night, feeling confident I have done everything right. Wrong...just 2 minutes later I hear the loud siren from the house alarm and it informs me that I apparently pressed the "away" button instead of the "stay" button. This is followed by a phone call and a Security officer who comes and checks my ID and asks me for the required payment of 50$. (You can see I am quite familiar with this process...this is not the first time and I doubt the last). For your entertainment this story has an added twist because when I opened the door for the Security officer, I neglected to turn off the alarm and therefore, set off the alarm a second time. This again was followed by a phone call but fortunately for me, the Security officer was standing beside me when I received the phone call. In the words of Charlie Brown...'Good grief.'

As I ponder the frustrations of the day, I notice that I am not alarmed that at the end of a frustrating day, that my heavenly fathers arms are wide open, ready to comfort me and forgive me for my compliancy to the frustrations and the grumbling and complaining I have allowed myself to participate in today. For that I am thankful, and I look forward to a good nights rest, and a new day tomorrow where I hope to find friendship with the alarms that have sought to attack me today and day where I can rejoice in the opportunity I have to wake up on a Sunday morning and worship my God, Savior and King in community with so many whom I love.

Until tomorrow...

Happy Valentines Day...really!

Happy Valentine's Day! I find it very odd that I am saying this and am surprised that I am having such a wonderful Valentine's Day. In all honesty, I have been dreading today for a while now. The realistic situation is that it can often make those not in romantic relationships feel very alone, while the rest of the world celebrates the significant relationships in their lives. Not only this, but can often make you think about past relationships and the bruises left behind. And I mean, I appreciate my Dad's efforts to make me feel loved, but in all honesty, it just isn't the same. But the good news is that I am here to tell you that this dread has turned in to a hope and an excitement to take opportunities to love others, and as a result, show my love for God in order that I may glorify him with my life.

Although my stance on Valentine's Day has shifted many times over the years, I must admit that I am a closet Valentine's Day fan (apparently not any more). In the past I have often taken the opinion that Valentine's Day is simply a commercialized holiday encouraging us to spend ridiculous amounts of money to show people in our lives the love, that realistically, we should be showing every day. Have you ever researched the history behind Valentine's Day? I mean seriously...who turns the anniversary of three Christian Martyrs in to a holiday based around love? (Wikipedia is your friend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day) Valentine's Day is commercialized, overdone, cheesy holiday, and is based around a terrible story, but the fact of the matter is that we live in a culture in which Valentine's Day is a part, and being in the world, not a part of it (John 15:19), gives me the encouragement to seek to love all those whom God has given me the opportunity to love, and love them in a way that may perhaps, direct them to Christ. John 4:19 says "we love because he first loved us." God has created us, and given us the opportunity to love at all. To feel love is is because of God's incredible design for us, to be loved by God is given to us in grace, and it is only God who can empower us to love others, whether that be a spouse, a significant other, a sibling or a stranger. We need to move away from this idea that love is an action, but see it as a lifestyle. A constant giving of yourself to whomever God gives you the opportunity.

I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my Valentine's Day then being at church with a family of believers whom I have come to love and respect so much, having lunch with my Mom and Dad who have been incredible examples of love in my life, taking a brief afternoon nap (which I loved), and then spending the evening with 3 beautiful children whom I love dearly, decorating Valentine's cupcakes, playing games and falling asleep together in a large king sized bed. God is good, and I pray that I would be thankful for the glimpses of love He has given me in my life, and I would be a great example of Christ's love to everyone around me, not just today, but every day. I pray your Valentine's Day was as blessed as mine.