Impressions

Yesterday while perusing Facebook, I ran across a picture my aunt had posted on my sister's wall. It was a picture of my dad as a teenager.

Yes, I inherited my father's eyebrows.

Now, I've seen a lot of pictures of my daddy over the years, and I've seen this one before. But when I looked at it yesterday, I saw my Griffin. Plain as day. It was Griffin's goofy little 9 year old face staring back at me. So I went and grabbed a picture off of the wall of my dad as a young boy.........and sure enough, it was my little Chi-Chi.

Griffin got a big kick out of the picture. "He looks just like me!" he exclaimed.

Sadly, my father died 2 weeks before I was born. I never knew him. But I know of him.

My entire knowledge of my dad comes from stories I've heard from my family. My mom, my aunts, grandparents....they are the ones that created the image I have of my father.

It's funny when you think about it. What someone SAYS about a person becomes the truth of that person's existence.

It makes me think about what I say about my children, my husband....my God.

When others don't know who I'm talking about, my stories define that person to them.

Ouch.

I don't know about you, but I tend to worry/complain/stress/whine a LOT. I don't intend to...but I always wind up "venting". It is one of my worst qualities, and I've fallen under conviction in recent months to stop it.

Isn't it funny how God begins to orchestrate change in your heart months before you can see the problem clearly?

My New Year's resolution was to have a more "gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:4)
and more specifically, Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

I don't want to give others the impression that my Lord is not able to solve my problems. I have no reason to worry or fret or complain. He is abundantly able to do far more than I can think or imagine.....He always has and always will.

When I am surrounded by unbelievers, it is my job to relate to them that Jesus is my Healer, my Savior, my Everything. He is the Master Problem Solver.

So, if you run into me and I'm talking trash about my family or giving my Lord a bad name, just smack nudge me and say "Ephesians 4:29".

After all, I readily admit I need the accountability.

And really....who doesn't need a good Scriptural slap in the face every now and then? ;-)