MOM...God's Superhero

M - O - M

Who knew that three simple letters could be so packed full of hilarity, wisdom, and unconditional love? Only a "Mom" has the uncanny ability to make you feel happy, loved, embarrassed, comforted, and sometimes frustrated all at the same time. I definitely consider it to be some supernatural power that God bestows upon women at the moment of their first child's birth. It's as if a mom is God's version of a comic book superhero. She IS the Justice League. Her "look" contains power beyond compare. Yes, you know what I am talking about. We all know "THE LOOK." Oh, and how can we forget the other magnificent mom power known as "THE GUILT." This one works wonders with me...my mom has trained me well.

Along with these inexplicable magical powers a mom possesses, she also seems to have her own set of idiosyncrasies with which to completely embarrass or bring humor into her children's lives. This is most certainly MY mom. To say that my mother is crazy sounds a little harsh, but it is this craziness that has created some of the most outrageous and hilarious memories of my life. Let me give a few examples:

It seems as if my mom is like a combination of a Jewish and a Hispanic mother. Every fiber of her being is either spent trying to feed me or marry me off in order to obtain grandchildren. Most every phone call either begins with, "So, did you eat today?" or "Did you meet anyone today?" Many times, she even uses one of these questions as a bridge into some wacky idea that she randomly came up with that day. One such voicemail, "Hey, honey, it's me...your mom...the one who gave birth to you (THE GUILT). By the way, did you eat today? You looked a little thin the last time I saw you. So, I was thinking, with as much as you drive by yourself, you really should invest in a flare gun to keep in your car. That way if you run out of gas or your car breaks down at night, you can shoot off the flare gun for help...or, if some guy came up to attack you, you could just shoot your flare gun at him. There you go. Just think about it, okay? Alright, love you. Talk to you later."

Okay, first of all, of course shooting off a flare gun in the city would make so much more sense than just calling someone on my cell phone. Why didn't I think of that before?! Second of all, can you imagine my shooting off would-be attackers with my flare gun? "Oh, no!!! The chic has a flare gun, man!!! RUN!!!" I don't know...maybe it isn't such a bad idea. Hmm...

On being single...how could I forget the series of voicemails my mom left me detailing how I don't sound "single enough" on my voicemails. "Because" said mom, "What if some random single guy accidentally calls your phone and gets your voicemail? If you don't sound "single", how would he know to leave you a message about taking you out some time?" Yes, I'm sure that's my problem. Thank you, Mom.

On being too skinny...I have always been too skinny for my mom. I am from a stocky German family and to them I look like a poor, little starving child from World Vision. It's been my "thorn in the flesh" for most of my life. So, one time, a few years ago, I went to visit my mom in Georgia and about two days into the visit, she followed me into a bathroom stall at a Chinese buffet.
"Eww, Mom!" I said, "What are you doing?!" She gave me a concerned look, laid her hand gently on my shoulder, and asked, "Honey, are you bulimic? I'm really worried."
"What?! Mom, what in the world?!" I answered.
"Every time we have gone out to eat, I see you eat a lot and then you go to the bathroom before we leave the restaurant. I just want to make sure that you aren't throwing up your meals...you're so skinny!" I just laughed and laughed and assured her that I was not bulimic. I love food. She was pacified for the time being. However, days later she sat down with me, gave me a beautifully wrapped gift, and waited for me to open it. "How sweet, Mom, thank you!" I exclaimed and quickly unwrapped the gift. To my chagrin, it was a book entitled, "A Diary of My Former Self: One Girl's Struggle with Anorexia." Exasperated, I looked up at my mom and she said, "If you ever need to talk, honey, I'm here." Wow. Despite these funny stories of my mom's unmerited concern about my eating habits, I think I have finally convinced her that I do not have an eating disorder. This, of course, does not stop her from asking about what I ate for the day or what my current weight is, but it is progress. After all, it's her job to be concerned...she's "Mom."

I could probably fill volumes with all of my wacky mom stories, but I will save those for future posts. In addition to all of her off-the-wall antics, my mom has been a tower of strength and perseverance throughout the years. She has has loved, sacrificed, and lived for her children despite overwhelming obstacles. She truly is a superhero in my opinion. I have learned multitudes of things from her and tomorrow I will share a list of "Mom Wisdom" that I have gleaned from her throughout my life.

So, goodbye for now...I need to make sure my flare gun is ready to go for some pick-ups I need to do. Hey, don't judge...it wasn't such a crazy idea after all...

Love ya, Mom!


 

God Bless Our Military

Yesterday, I was making my way from the parking lot into the grocery store and noticed a 70ish year old man in an orange vest pushing carts. People pushed quickly past him...cars came rushing by in order to get a good spot. I ended up catching up with him and noticed that he was wearing one of those Vietnam War/Korean War hats...it was an Air Force edition. My emotions overwhelmed me a bit and I quickly went over to him, got his attention, and said, "Sir, I see that you served for the Air Force in 'Nam and in Korea?" "Yes." He answered. I reached out and shook his hand, "Thank you, sir, for serving our country." His tired eyes lit up for a moment. For a split second, I could almost envision a handsome twenty-something young man standing there in a sharp, crisp military uniform rather than the worn jeans and orange grocery store work vest. "Thank you." He replied. A tear escaped my eye as I watched him continue to make his way slowly into the store with his line of carts. I had just shaken hands with a real, live....hero. Wow. The one thing I couldn't help but think- why is a hero like that pushing carts at a grocery store in his 70s? My blood boiled a little to think of how little these men are compensated for their sacrifice and how much we take them for granted. How much I take them for granted.

So, to all of my service member friends...retired or active duty- thank you. You are my heroes. You serve so others can enjoy freedom. You deserve so much more than a "thank you" in a short blog post, but I just wanted to show and share my appreciation. 

God bless our military members!

Refurbished

"Damaged Goods"...

I was having a conversation with someone the other day and they made the comment, "Don't worry, you aren't the only one here who is 'damaged goods'." At first, admittedly, I felt stung. It wasn't meant as an insult in any way (it was said in a loving way), but my pride was a bit injured, I think.
"Damaged goods?" I thought, "Is that how I am viewed? I thought I was past that." Oh, how God likes to knock us off our little pedestal to teach us sometimes...

It is somewhat popular right now, in the world of technology, to buy what we call, "refurbished" items. I am not sure about most companies, but I DO know that when a person buys a refurbished product from Apple, he receives the same one-year warranty and, really, nearly the same packaging as a brand new item. Now, for anyone who has ever owned an Apple product, those one-year warranties are phenomenal! Anytime anything goes wrong on a product during that time, the customer simply brings in the item to an Apple store, the "genius" does some troubleshooting, and, if needed, Apple will simply replace the part or item that was having issues. I have never once felt stupid nor have I ever felt that I was inconveniencing the workers when I brought an item in to be fixed. If anything, the employees have always made it a point to show how glad they were that I brought their product back to them for a repair. The Geniuses understand that fixing Apple devices is not an inconvenience (even IF the customer may have possibly been at fault). Fixing and solving device issues IS, after all, why they are there. Something that is even more amazing to me is that their refurbished products receive the same treatment as their brand new items. Seemingly, they don't distinguish between the two.

Last year, a close friend of mine received a Macbook Pro for Christmas from her aunt. It WAS a refurbished item, but my friend didn't seem concerned. Why? She knows Apple. Their impeccable customer service, their top of the line products (even on refurbished items), and their commitment to their warranties, all gave her confidence that her "refurbished" item was just as mechanically sound and guaranteed as if it were brand new. You know where I'm going with this, don't you?

Back to "damaged goods"...
If the Apple company can take a creation of their own, damaged for whatever reason, repair it to the point of being practically brand new, and then give the same guarantee that they do for brand new items, isn't it possible that our God can do the same?

We are all a bit "damaged" and, yes, it is true, some of us are much more "damaged" than others. That is why I am so grateful to know that I can take my "damaged goods" to THE Genius for some troubleshooting from time to time. There have even been some pretty desperate times when I just needed to be "refurbished." How wonderful to think that MY Genius can fix my brokenness, repackage me, send me out, and then guarantee that anytime I have an issue, I can come right back for repairs. I don't have to feel stupid nor do I have to feel like I am inconveniencing Him because, after all, that IS why He's there. "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart..."

Feel a little like "damaged goods"? Don't worry...you're among good company. I am too. God's currently doing some refurbishing on me at the moment. And, you know what I love about God's products? His are eternally guaranteed.

Hi, I'm Erica, and I'm a Mac...no...even better, I'm God's child.:)

A Man, A Maniac, and a Healer

A folded piece of cardboard and a tattered, old backpack.

Slowly, the grey-haired man placed his two items on the ground. He carefully picked up the worn piece of cardboard, opened it, and turned toward the street. A car stopped at the light close to where he stood. The driver looked over and glanced at the old man and his sign, “Why Lie I Need a Drink?” Trying not to make eye contact, the driver glanced back up just in time to notice the green light and quickly drove away. The old man rubbed his tired, glassy eyes.

“Just another drink and a sandwich- that ain’t too much to ask, is it?” reflected the man as he gave a shaky wave to the cars as they passed.

His slightly torn clothes, unkempt hair, and jaundiced skin all gave the more observant passerby the distinct impression that this man had struggled for possibly years with the "demon" of alcoholism.

The questions that always gnaw at my own soul when I see a man like this are: Whose father is this? Whose brother? Whose son? If I took a moment to look past the glassy eyes into the heart and life of this man, would there be a charismatic man full of hope and ambition staring back? Where did THAT man go? Was he forever lost in this endless ocean of hopelessness and despair? Had he for so long sought to drown his problems in the bottle that he had, in turn, drown out the ambitious man that once lived inside him?

A story from the life of Christ came to mind this week as I was thinking about all of this:

There was a man in the country of the Gadarenes that was known as a maniac who possessed an unclean spirit. In Christianity, we know him as the “Maniac of Gadara.” This man made his home amongst the tombs. Every day, he would go up and down on the mountains screaming, crying, and cutting himself. The people in the area had become fearful and had tried many times with fetters (leg cuffs) and chains to bind the man but to no avail. This maniac always broke free and no man could control him.

Enter Jesus...

Jesus had sailed with His disciples to this same country and as he was coming out of the ship, this maniac met him. That’s actually quite an understatement. The Bible says that “when he saw Jesus afar off, he RAN and worshipped Him.”

Now, I won’t go into the entire story but here is my takeaway- Jesus looked deeply into the heart and soul of this crazy, demon-possessed maniac and saw a man. He saw a life. He saw hope. That man’s life would never be the same again. His family had regained a father, a brother, a son. His friends had regained a companion...a buddy. The town had gained a powerful witness for the cause of Christ.

How heartbreaking it is to see those we love overcome with various “demons” in their lives. The situation can feel hopeless as we try to reach out in our own strength and “help” them by binding them with various “chains” that we think might fix the problem but...to no avail. Perhaps there are times when we have been that maniac and have found that the chains and fetters cannot control us.

This story shows us the only solution that can bring freedom from the “demons” of life and from bondage. The answer? Jesus. We must point our loved one to Him. We must lift them up to Him in prayer and let HIM be the One to heal them. They must come to Him. WE must come to Him.

Jesus, help us to see others the way you do when you look into their eyes. Give us your compassion and help us to point the world to You.