Walkaway Tacos

"Walkaway tacos! It's a taco in a bag, It's delicious!" That is what I have been yelling all weekend long. I was selling them at the Snow Bash to raise money for the Sunday school at my church. Some people walked right up and tried it, some knowing just what it was and some just being adventurous. Some people were a little more hesitant and needed a little more convincing. And quite a few refused to try it at all, some even grimacing and shaking their heads. The most interesting were the people who finally decided to try one and then came back for seconds and thirds, surprised at how good it was and wanting more.

This got me thinking, why does it take us so long to try something new? We criticize it before we even try it. If it seems odd or strange we don't want to go anywhere near it. Is that why some people are so afraid to believe in God? Because it's so strange and hard to believe in? But then, like the ones who are finally convinced to try it, they give it a chance. Then they want more and more and can't get enough of it.

So, where am I going with this? I have had experience with both being too eager and being too safe. The trick is finding a balance in the middle. If something really seems like a bad idea, it probably is. But don't be too quick to either praise our criticize something if you have never tried it yourself. Also, don't hold yourself back. It is good to have parameters, but don’t let them hold you back from something important, something that maybe you are supposed to be doing in life.

So, the next time you hear someone yell "walkaway tacos! It's a taco in a bag, it's delicious!" don't be too quick to judge one way or the other. Think about it.

Blinding Eclipse

Yesterday, as most of you probably know, was a solar eclipse. And as most of you, I was tempted to look at it. I had heard all the warnings. How it could damage my eyes and possibly make me go blind if I looked at it without eye protection. But I was still tempted to look at it anyway. This was a rare occurrence, I didn't want to miss it just because I hadn't planned ahead. But isn’t that how most temptations work anyway? We can be warned a thousand times about how dangerous it is but yet, we do it anyway for one reason or another.

We all have our temptations. Alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate, love... There are countless temptation and some of them can even be part of God’s creation, yet, they can get us into trouble if not handled properly. The eclipse is part of God’s creation, yet it could hurt us if we don't use protection. The same goes for any other temptations. I'm the same as the rest of you, I have my temptations. My biggest temptation is love. I want to find my prince charming. I want the husband and the kids. But that temptation, though hopefully part of Gods plan for me in the future, can get me into trouble now because now is not the right time for it.
 

I need protection from my temptation so that I will not give into it and become blind to Gods plan for my life. I need protection so that I don't get burned. Just as those special glasses were protection from becoming blinded from looking at the eclipse, God is my protection against giving my heart to the wrong guy. He has taught me how to guard my heart and take precautions so that I don't get blinded by every sweet guy I meet and miss what God really has planned for me.

 

In the end I did find a way to watch the eclipse for a minute or two, I faced my camera to the sun and watched on the screen rather than the sky. But all I saw was a ball of light. I had known that it wouldn’t be a total eclipse in my area, but I hadn’t expected that there would be absolutely no eclipse to be seen at all. Sure, the sky got a bit darker, but that was about it. All that trouble and it wasn't even worth it. But if I had taken the time to find myself some of those glasses, make one of those pinhole viewers, or even bothered to look for the tv channel that was streaming it, then I would’ve been able to enjoy it. But without the protection, with the intent of just trying to watch because I was so tempted yet didn't bother to prepare, it was useless. I feel it would be the same for my temptation. If I don't take the time to let God prepare me for the right guy and protect me from the wrong ones, then I’m just going to end up with one of the wrong guys and it won't be worth it. It would simply be because I gave into my temptation. Not because we're supposed to be together.

 

I am going to let God protect me from my temptations. I don’t want them to blind me to what His plan for me truly is because I know His plan for me is going to be amazing. And I know that if I have that layer of protection, then not only will I be able to wait until God brings me the right guy, I will also be able to just be friends with guys without being tempted to be more. God is my protection, and He can be the protection from your temptations too.

What are some of your temptations and has God helped protect you from them?

Photo from NASA

   

Boyfriends And Girlfriends

"Everyone's got a girlfriend or boyfriend" says the frustrated 15 year old boy sitting next to me. He was referring to how many of the kids he knows have recently gotten into relationships while he, being older, still hadn't. "I'm 21 and have never had a boyfriend, and there's nothing wrong with that" I assured him. I went on to ask if he wanted one and he said no, but he still feels left out. I believe my view on dating is pretty well known by now, so it shouldn't be a surprise that it concerns me that all of these young people I know are already dating, or want to be. Especially when, more than likely, the only reason they're dating is because they'll feel left out otherwise, or it’s just “nice” to be in a relationship. But they're just kids! Why are they in such a hurry to grow up?

Now, I get it, I was their age once too. I would be lying if I said I didn't want a boyfriend when I was their age. But why such urgency? Why so young? There are so many reasons I’m thankful I was homeschooled, and this happens to be one of them. I wasn’t surrounded by a school full of "available" guys growing up. And I wasn’t surrounded with the peer pressure encouraging me to be like everyone else and have a boyfriend. Now that doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it, it just means I didn't have the ability to act on it. And I am so thankful for that.

My first crush (my first one on an actual person, not tv character, that is) was on a guy my mom worked with. He drove me crazy and I didn't even like him that much. He just happened to be the only guy "available" when my view on guys "matured" from them being annoying to them being cute. I came to find out he wasn't really available anyway. He had a girlfriend who he is still with to this day many years later. And you know what? I laugh about it now. I wasn’t heartbroken, I never really cared. I'm happy for him. I enjoyed the time we spent working together and that's all that mattered. I was only interested in him because I felt like it would be nice to have a boyfriend so I picked one. But it scares me to think of what would’ve happened if he wasn’t the only available guy when I was in that stage of life.

I successfully made it through being a teenager without having a boyfriend. And I’m proud of that. I’ve had my heart broken by too many people to add a boyfriend to that list. Especially when I was so young. I'm a very emotional person and I get attached to people very easily. Jumping into an intimate relationship at such a young age, and probably having it fall apart because it would’ve been for the wrong reasons (to fit in and craving attention), would’ve crushed me. I would’ve been so consumed with making it work, or the fact that it didn’t, that I wouldn’t spend any time just being a kid. Figuring out who I was and who I wanted to be. I would always be concerned with making sure he was happy instead of making sure I was. And I probably wouldn’t have spent as much time on my writing as I did either. I would’ve grown up far too fast and, therefore, wouldn’t be the girl I am today.

I can only speak for myself when I say I was nowhere near mature enough to have a boyfriend at 15, and I know people who are in relationships even younger than that. Being in a relationship simply for the fear of feeling left out, or because it would be “nice,” is no reason to be in one. Not for me. When someone tells me they want a boyfriend or girlfriend I’m going to ask them one simple question: Why do you want one? I ask myself the same question every time I think about how I’d like to have one. My answer? My only reason for having a boyfriend will be because God showed me I’m going to marry him someday. If that’s not the case with a particular guy, then I’m not going to date him. I was far too immature and naïve at 15 to figure that out, I am so thankful God protected me from the temptation.

I’m glad I didn’t have a boyfriend when I was a teenager. It gave me the chance to really enjoy all the other things being a teenager has to offer. And I will probably look back at my life in five years or so and be glad I still don’t have a boyfriend now. I find peace in knowing that the perfect guy for me is out there and God will show me who it is when the time is right. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the stage of life I'm in right now, boyfriend or not. How about you?

Bittersweet Memories

The other day I was talking with a nice gentleman, discussing what I like to do. I mentioned I am a writer and he asked if I had anything published. Some of you already know the answer to this particular question, some may not. But the answer is yes, that I self-published a short story on Amazon Kindle a few years back. He asked what it was about and all I could manage to say was "it's about a girl who decided to go on a cruise" I was at a loss for words. Why couldn't I manage to describe my own story? And then the answer hit me. I haven't read it in a very long time, in fact, I had been avoiding it. Trying to forget it...

You see, this particular story is very different than most of my other stories. This story is a mix of my real memories and a fictional adventure. There’s not just a bit of myself worked in-between the lines, there are real true memories on paper for all to see. And those memories, happy when I wrote them, are now almost painful to remember.

They say "you don't know what you have till it's gone" but what they don't say is that when you do know exactly what you have and you find it gone, it hurts even more. We had something special. The people we met on that first cruise. But life happened, things were said, feelings were hurt, and our friendship fell apart. I miss them. And that was why I was avoiding reading my story. But I came home that night and knew what I needed to do. I picked up my tablet and forced myself to read it. Read it start to finish. Not without a few tears, but I did it. And I am so glad I did.

It’s a story about taking chances. Not being afraid to do things that scare you. Especially when you know in your heart it's what you're supposed to do. I found the courage to relive those beautiful bittersweet memories. I know we may never make more amazing memories with those particular people again, but that doesn’t mean I should forget the ones we did make. Because that cruise did change my life. The people we met helped mold me into the person I am today. We were supposed to be on that cruise, just as the girl in the story was supposed to be on her cruise. I know now that, just because I am afraid of happy memories turning to sad ones, doesn't mean that I should stop making them. Instead I will learn from them, and find the courage to smile at them instead of cry over them. The people may not be in my life anymore, but the memories, the memories last forever. And that is truly a beautiful thing.

If you would like to read my short story it is called Pineapple and Hand Sanitizer