Stage Fright, Inclines, and Sugar-free Squid Dumplings

           My knees would go weak, sweat would bead on my forehead, and my voice would climb a few octaves. I would suffer from stage fright. That was not good because I am often on stage. Whether it’s because I’m singing, acting, or juggling fifteen lit candles while eating a giant sugar-free squid dumpling. Stage fright wasn’t exactly welcomed into my life. However, I have overcome my stage fright by knowing that all things are possible with God. 

            I love biking and I love climbing hills, or “inclines” as we call them. If I am full of energy, I can zoom right up the inclines, but if I’m tired and my gel bike seat has mysteriously turned to stone, I need an extra nudge up the inclines. Especially if that incline happens to have the word “Mount” in front of its name. I basically make it through every mountain by singing songs and talking loudly to God. My conversations basically consist of, “God, why in the world did you put this mountain here? Why couldn’t you have placed it fifty miles away? Or at least installed an escalator?” However, every time that an incline has snuck up on me, God has pushed me up the hill and reminded me that all things are possible with Him.

            Whenever I get ready to step out onto the stage or see a giant hill stepping in front of my path, I remember that with God all things are possible. One little prayer gives me the courage to step out onto the stage, to zoom up the hill, or swallow the sugar-free squid dumpling.

Blind

I am pretty much blind. I have 20/100 eyesight! In order to see the name of a book three feet away, I have to lean in; in order for me to see the picture about five feet from my face, I have to squint; and in order for me to see the writing on the blimp soaring above my head, I have to get a telescope. Many times I have wished that I could jump into another persons head just to see what it is like to have excellent vision. To actually see the leaves on a tree instead of a green blob standing on a brown thing. To see a person’s face instead of assuming that they do have a mouth, nose, and fake mustache.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.”   What we know of God is even more unclear than what I see now! My vision will someday be better, whether it is by getting glasses or waiting until death and our new bodies. When that happens, I will probably say, “Wow! Look at what I missed! I thought that the sun was in the shape of a bent over zebra eating Jell-O from a triangular bowl! Now I can see that I had it all wrong. It’s in the shape of a circle! Wow!” I am missing so much. But someday, I will know the truth.

When we see God after we die, we will all be amazed at what we missed! Our eyes will be opened. That is a promise from God. We will know everything! Can you imagine that? Some of us are excited, but some of us are scared.

What if, when I got glasses, I found out that I am really a turkey that will be shot for Thanksgiving Dinner? I would want to take my glasses off and throw them in the fire. I would want to hide behind the lie that I am a human and hope that life could go back to how it was before. However, when Thanksgiving rolls around, the turkey will die, whether I have my glasses on or not.

In the same way, when we die we will face judgment. Some of us will be rewarded for our faith in Christ. But others will find out that because they refused to believe that God died for their sins and refused to repent, they must face eternity in Hell. They will want to throw off their glasses and retreat back to Earth. But they can’t. They’re stuck.

We will all die someday. We will all receive “glasses” and be able to see clearly. Are you ready for them? Or are you going to throw them off and try to turn back? Because once your glasses are on, they never come off. We are all blind, but one day we will see. Are you scared to see? You don’t have to be! God came to Earth and died so that when judgment day, Thanksgiving for the turkey, comes you won’t have to die. You can live eternally in Heaven instead of in Hell. All you have to do is believe that God did do that and turn away from your sin. Don’t be afraid of the “glasses.” You don’t have to be afraid of knowing everything. You don’t have to be afraid of death.

Right now, all of us are blind. But someday, we will all see!

Early Mornings, Ice Cream, and FBI Agents

Recently, I made a list of all the things I want to be when I grow up. It goes something like this: teacher, author, singer, actress, professional basketball player, FBI agent, President of the United States of America, and a few other reasonable jobs. Okay, so I realize that author and teacher are a little out of my reach, but President of the United States is a very reachable goal.

Can’t you see it now? I can. I’m behind a big desk, making laws, and pigging out on a whole half-gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, a gift from the Queen of England. But, if I eat too much ice cream I might get sick and I’m not the biggest fan of puking. Maybe President of the Untied States is not the best job for me.

How about an FBI agent? Too bad I’m no good at solving crimes. Well, that idea is out the window.

Then I’m going to be a professional basketball player! I know what a basketball looks like. And I know that bouncing it up and down is called dabbling. At least I think it is.

I’m not the best author, and there are plenty of people with better voices than me.  Being a teacher requires getting up early, and acting is a hard field to get into.

I don’t know what I want to be. But that’s okay, because I don’t know everything. Maybe being the garbage woman is what I was gifted to do! I don’t know.

But, I could have my entire life planned out, but be told that I wasn’t created to complete the goals I spent so long perfecting.

Two fishermen were called to shore and told that they weren’t supposed to be fishing for fish, but fishing for men instead. They were supposed to be gathering people for God’s use.

I can make all the plans I want, but God will still have me do what is best for everybody. What is best for me.