This post is a companion post to my guest post over at The Halbert Homestead today. To view that post, click here.

In my guest post today over at The Halbert Homestead, I mentioned an incident involving a dressing room and a lot of tears. You see, before my trip to visit the Duncan Hines test kitchen, I knew that I needed a very professional looking wardrobe, and I thought it would be fun to spice it up with some new clothes. I scoured Pinterest for inspiration on what to wear, and I came up with the perfect outfits! I knew I wanted a new pair of nice black slacks, some comfortable cute shoes, and two solid tops, preferably ¾ sleeves, scoop neck, and the list went on and on.

I had built up this image in my mind, knowing the colors I wanted, the shape I wanted, the fit I wanted. Anything less would have been a complete disappointment. My mom went shopping with me because she provides the perfect second opinion on outfits for me. We looked around the first store, and I was already frustrated. They didn’t have a single solid top that wasn’t a tank top. Forget it, I can’t do this, let’s leave. I kept repeating that mantra again and again.

The first store, the one I demanded we leave, is actually one of my favorite stores. See, I had compiled a list of stores I can always find something in, so I knew that each one would be a slam dunk.

Store after store we walked in, looked around, I got upset, and I left. My mom finally said “Listen. You’re picking some things. You’re trying them on. We’re not leaving until you buy at least one thing. When we hit the next store, if you find what you’re looking for, we can come back and return it on our way home, but you’re buying something here.”

I cried. I tried on clothing, and I cried. The clothing piled up on the floor. These pants didn’t fit right. That shirt had stripes. This shirt had a square neckline. This shirt doesn’t have any cute accessories to match. This shirt’s sleeves are too short. They show my flabby arms.

Outfit after outfit was a flop.

I found one top, finally, after much protest. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was comfortable. It had the sleeves right, but nothing else. I bought it, though, figuring I could always return it if I found something better.

We hit another store, and had the same argument, the same frustration. But I did finally find one top I was in love with… the only trouble being that it was sleeveless. Nonetheless, I purchased it.

After getting home, I realized something. The more I let go of what my “image” I had built in my head was, the easier it was to find an outfit I loved. Once I stopped focusing on every detail of the perfect outfits I saw on Pinterest, I started finding clothing that would work for me, for my body, for my trip, and for my needs.

That was when it first struck me… as good as Pinterest is, it can be a really bad influence sometimes. You know the story well. Our parents, grandparents, they felt the need to keep up with the Jones’…. New cars, new clothes, new home décor, new recipes… a lot of it was a drive to keep up with the people next door, the people down the street, that perfect family, that perfect life. The grass is always greener, right?

Well here’s news for you. Pinterest is the Jones’ that you feel the need to keep up with. It’s our generation’s version of that. We browse Pinterest thinking “If only I could dress better/organize better/cook better/do whatever better, I’ll be happy.”

We are setting ourselves up to fail. I mentioned in my post over at The Halbert Homestead that so many times, we look at Pinterest as a collective ONE person, instead of a group of thousands of users. Think about it. Suppose Pinterest were a person, let’s call her Pinny.

Pinny is the perfect mom. She has a set schedule filled with games and educational activities for the children. She starts her Elf on the Shelf in July because she has so many amazing ideas—101, 300, 1,050 ideas for where that elf can hide, and she needs to start it early! Dinner is always on the table at 5, and she never repeats the same meal twice (unless of course, her perfect husband with their perfect marriage and perfect date nights rates the meal a 10 on a scale of 1-3). Every meal has a dessert, and every dessert is homemade. The house is spotless and everything has a place. What doesn’t have a place is suddenly whipped into shape with cabinets from ikea, shoe racks in the pantry, can storage made out of old pop cans. There are mason jars in every nook and cranny filled with home canned items because store-bought taco seasoning is POISON! Vitamin water from the store is POISON! Cream of chicken soup in a can is POISON! She is thin. She has abs. Her husband looks like Channing Tatum mixed with Adrian Grenier mixed with Ryan Gosling. He’s always complimentary. “Hey, girl…” Her children are perfect. Every day she sets them up for an adorable photo shoot, and edits the photos herself. Her front door has an ever-changing display of seasonal wreaths that fit the house and the theme perfectly. Every holiday is perfectly decorated, and her home’s décor is always spot-on beautiful, with perfect paint (no smudges on the ceiling!) and perfectly made beds with plush pillows. Each year they go on vacations that are equally budget-friendly and absolutely glamorous.

And Pinny is someone we’ll never keep up with. We can never be her. As I mentioned in my other post, she’s not real. She is a collection of people. But until we realize that, we’re going to keep comparing.

And the more we compare, the more depressed we’ll get.

Have you seen that Venzia commercial? The one with the girl who got her parents a facebook so they could be more social, and all-the-while, as she sits behind a computer screen being “social,” they’re out biking with friends and going to dinner, and all of these amazing things with actual, face-to-face people.

That’s us. Or, at least, that’s me. I get so wrapped up in my idea of what life should be like. I get the vision in my head of the perfect meal, the perfect outfit, the perfect whatever.

And you know what happens when I actually go to live my life instead of picturing it online?

I realize how much it doesn’t measure up.

And then I get depressed.

There is sound research on people literally getting anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression because of what they see on Pinterest. And a lot of people retreat right back into Pinterest because of it.

Think about it. When you last logged onto Pinterest, how many ideas did you pin, and how many did you follow through with? My guess is you did a lot more pinning than doing. I know I did. And then when I realized I couldn’t get the perfect stripes on my nails when I was painting them, because the tape kept peeling the polish off since I wasn’t patient enough to let it dry, rather than trying again and seeing if I could get it right, I wiped the polish off of my nails, and dove back into Pinterest, trying to find an activity that would make me happy, fulfilled, accomplished.

When we pin things, sometimes we get the impression we actually did them. Pinning organizational ideas makes us feel more organized. The other day, I was talking to my mom about organization. I told her, “Mom. I’m totally organized. You just don’t see it.” She said, “Jen! Your closet has stuff spilling out of it. That’s not organized!” Then, I launched in on a tangent about how I had all of these ideas on how to organize my closet but I was still figuring out what I wanted so it wasn’t done yet. I felt organized because I pinned a ton of ideas on organization… but in reality, my life wasn’t measuring up.

Six months ago I decided to re-do my room. I went to the store and got paint swatches so I could decide. I narrowed it down to a shade, and was going to go back to the store the following day to buy paint. And then I logged onto Pinterest to look up painting tips. And I found three more colors to look at. I got those swatches and I changed my mind on the color. I decided to buy that color, but I was pinning an idea for a comforter I liked and found a new paint color it would look better with, so I changed my mind again about the color. Now, it’s six months later, and my walls still haven’t been painted, because I can’t commit to a color for more than 20 minutes.

I love Pinterest. Please, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s a fabulous tool. When you use it correctly, that is.

But I see too often how Pinterest, or our little perfect friend Pinny, can destroy our self esteem. She’s that girl we’ll never be, and the more we think about how NOT her we are, the more depressed we get, and the more we want to hide from our mundane life.

Don’t hide from it. Embrace it. Breathe.

Life is beautiful. It’s not perfect. When you compare yourself, you set yourself up to fail.

Thank God for every single thing you’re good at. Work hard at the things you aren’t good at. But never, ever think you have to be perfect at everything, or even good at everything. Pinterest isn’t built on one person with a million talents. Pinterest is built on a million people each with one or two talents.

You might not be able to refinish that chair. Your friend might be a whiz at it. She may not be able to bake a pie to save her life, but you may have the flakiest, most incredible pie crust in the world.

Pinterest themselves actually acknowledge that their website can be damaging to users self-image.

Just know that you are enough. Whether you bake the pie or organize the closet or land the dream job or take the perfect photo… or you don’t… you’re wonderful, just the way you are. God made you beautifully. He formed you and shaped you to be exactly who you are. Should you strive to accomplish more and try new things? Sure. There is no reason not to work to better yourself or to try something new. But don’t break your spirit trying to be something that no one is… and that’s perfect.

Believe in yourself. Embrace yourself. Use Pinterest as a tool, NOT as an ideal life, and you’ll turn out just fine.

You don’t have to quit Pinterest. Just quit all of the comparisons to who Pinny is and love who you are.

For the record, you can find me over at Pinterest under the username jengerbread88.

Disclaimer: For those of you who have been following my blog long-term, you know that I have a severe disability that prevents me from doing many activities, including walking, without pretty intense pain and swelling. Before deciding to do the Color Run, I had a very serious long talk with my orthopaedist about whether or not this activity would be an option for me. After advising rest, ice, compression, elevation, and a few medications to help with swelling and pain, he told me that it would be okay for me to participate in a one-day release of my limitations, but he did warn me about the considerable pain and swelling I would experience in the days following. After having a talk with him, I decided that it would still be in my best interest to participate in this event. I advise you to talk to your doctor before participating in any exercise or fitness program regardless of your level of health, but particularly if you have an injury or disability that could be exacerbated by the activity. While the Color Run is an incredible event and I highly recommend it, my advice is far less important than the advice of your medical professional, as he knows your case better than I will. I also advise that if you plan to participate in a 5k, you should probably participate in some sort of training program before hand and work your way up to it, rather than diving right in like I did. With that said… onto the actual post.

At 4:00am on July 1, I was laying awake, staring at the ceiling. I tried to think back to the last time that I had walked a half a mile, let alone 3.1 miles. I couldn’t think of a time in my life that I had walked that far. I am sure there was a time, but I simply could not remember it. I was having trouble remembering the last time I walked much farther than around my block, vacation aside, when I ~I occasionally take a short walk on the beach.

I was nervous. Would I even make it through the 5k? Or even just to the first checkpoint? I had no idea, but I was ready to take a leap of faith. I thought back to several months ago, when I first got the crazy idea to do a 5k.

You see, up until several months ago, the thought had never occurred to me to do a 5k. Are you kidding me? A 5k is for fit people. It’s for people who actually enjoy running. Or, enjoy sweating. It’s not for people like me, who hate being outside, hate physical labor (for me, specifically, it’s because most physical labor hurts due to my condition). A 5k? Not for me, no, thank you.

And then everything changed when I heard my first whisper of The Color Run.

It was this new kind of 5k. Brand new, in fact. And it was built around the idea that, after each kilometer, you would be showered with color. A different color each time? So I could be all cool and colorful and exciting? Well, that sounded kind of interesting. Plus, honestly, their videos sucked me in.

You see, I am one of those weird people who cries at the drop of a hat. Every flash mob, every standing ovation, every time that a crowd of people unites together and does something really amazing, it makes me cry. Their videos showing the color throw at the end made me cry like a baby… and I knew I wanted to do it. Watch the video, see for yourself.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWsfHC-0d6A]

So, you see why I had this dream of participating. But, of course, I knew with my disabilities, it probably wasn’t in the cards. I knew that it would be amazing, though, so, just in case, I assembled a team of people interested. My dad, my brother, and my sister (who flew in all the way from Germany!) were ready to participate as soon as I got a yes from my doctor. I spoke to my doctor, and was ready to sign up, but the tickets for Kansas City’s race sold out so fast– within hours. I was devastated.

I’m not kidding. I literally sat and cried about how I was finally getting to do something like this and I couldn’t because, darn it, it was sold out. Within a few days, though, the awesome people at The Color Run opened a second Kansas City date! I set an alarm, and signed up first thing, as Team Rainbow Trout (yes, my brother helped pick the name, and I personally think it was AWESOME!)

Fast-forward to the day of the run, laying awake. At 4:45, my sister came in and shook my foot. It was time to wake up. Our friends who had participated on Saturday’s race gave us some good advice, and one piece of advice was to get there early.

I’m not a morning person, but I had the feeling that this would be worth it. We quietly left the house, just the four of us, and made the drive up to Arrowhead Stadium. We got there around 5:30 in the morning, and we were the first people to arrive! The awesome Color Run team even gave us a cool little prize for being the first team there!

We made sure to snap some fun photos while waiting for the run to start.

My sister and brother were all geared up and ready to go. We wore our color run tee shirts and sweat bands that came with our registration.

I got a rare photo op with him, too. Now that he’s a tween, he doesn’t allow too many photos like that with me!

We also recruited our dad to take a fun picture beforehand. We were going for a “warrior” pose, but I confess I may have missed the mark… a lot. I’m not sure I would make a very menacing warrior.

Like I said, though, we got there before any other participants, so we ended up just sitting on the concrete hanging out for awhile. About an hour before the race, as other runners and walkers started arriving, they started pumping music, which really got our blood pumping.

Before the race, I was looking at my powder. I’m one of those crazy people who really follows rules to a T. So, when something says “save me for the finish festival,” I admit my heart broke a little bit when people tossed the powder on each other before or during the race…

I was so excited to get pink (my brother snagged purple before I could– it’s my favorite color!) Our four-pack for our team rounded out with green and yellow. The powder is actually made out of cornstarch and fragrance. In other words, if it gets in your mouth, you won’t die. Unless, like, you’re allergic to corn or something. Then you might.

And trust me, it will get in your mouth. But I digress.

Before the start of the race, I tried to take as many photos as I could of everyone’s state of mind. Mostly to take the focus off of the fact that my state of mind was NERVOUS. What was I thinking? 3.1 miles? Really? Am I dumb? I’m so out of shape. I mean, you guys know me, I love food. I don’t love exercise. So I focused my nervous, excited energy into snapping photos of Team Rainbow Trout.

Like this photo of my very “chill” brother, about an hour before the race.

And this silly photo of my sister giving my dad dirty looks. Yes, that’s the sunrise behind her. I was actually so interested in something that I woke up before sunrise. This is a major deal for me.

As the seconds ticked closer, everyone was on their feet, moving, blood pumping, and ready to go. It was almost time!

And we were off!

I admit, I started to get a little winded before the first kilometer was over. I was worried about how this would bode for the race, but I decided I for sure wanted to reach the first marker. Because of my disability, my family had agreed that if I ever got to the point where I needed to stop, we would quit, and go home, no questions asked. I had so much desire, though, to at least get to the first one, so I pushed ahead. And, honestly, before I knew it, I saw this:

We did it! We made it to the first color zone! I had made it that far! And by the time I made it that far, I wasn’t feeling so bad after all. The thrill was starting to get to me.

We had yellow, but I was hungry for more color on my shirt, which I was wearing like a badge of honor. I was dreaming of having a very colorful shirt, and I knew I couldn’t get it if I didn’t keep going.

We kept walking, and before I knew it… we were there! We had made it to the second color zone!

We were all orange, and I was thrilled to have gotten more color! We were only a few colors away from having it all. We pushed on, and I was actually less out of breath after the second one than I was leading up to the first. I truly think that having each zone to look forward to helped me push on, and focus on the next zone that laid ahead.

Plus, along the way, they had some great volunteers to hand out water to everyone. There were two water checkpoints on the race, which absolutely beat my lukewarm water bottle. The volunteers were amazing. A lot of them were from Ronald McDonald House Charities, which is what the cost of the race went to help.

As a die-hard Sporting KC fan (and fan of few other sports teams), I rarely see Kauffman or Arrowhead Stadiums, so it was kind of interesting to see them! (Although, next year, I may need to bribe some people to see to it that our run is closer to, in my opinion, the most beautiful stadium in Kansas City, Livestrong Sporting Park. Walking near that? Amazing!)

Our third checkpoint was my personal favorite… blue! It was a bright, vibrant shade to pair with our warmer oranges and yellows. In the background, you’ll see one of the fun and festive articles of clothing, a tutu. We kind of regretted the fact that we hadn’t been more creative with our clothing!

My sister’s hand got a fresh coat of color somehow, and it looked amazing with her Color Run tattoo that came in our running kits!

One of the cool things about our running location was the fact that the pink checkpoint went under a bridge, which meant when you went over the bridge, you could see everyone running below you. It was a really cool photo opportunity!

The other side of the picture above was this very pink checkpoint. You see, at the other checkpoints, the air could blow it out of the way, but in this checkpoint, it couldn’t go anywhere, which meant the pink was everywhere!

Including a random handful that landed in my face! I was almost head-to-toe in color by now!

We were all colorful, and we finally realized that we were on our last leg! We had made it through four kilometers! And, while I was breaking a slight sweat, I honestly was doing okay. We had taken our pace slow and steady, so even though we launched in the first wave, we were somewhere around the fourth wave by this point in our own standings. However, it didn’t seem to matter. We figured that even if we were the last ones to cross the finish (we weren’t), it would be okay because we had actually completed a 5k. For the members of Team Rainbow Trout, this was our first 5k. Now, my dad and sister both log a lot of walking time at work, and my brother never stops moving (he plays soccer 3 seasons a year, and is always running or walking from this friends’ house to this house, and everything else). I was the only one, really, who didn’t walk. Ever.

We could see and hear many participants already at the finish festival as we were on the home stretch, but there were still droves of people in front of and behind us.

Before we knew it, we could see the finish! We were almost there! We had succeeded! As we approached, a color throw was happening! We knew we wouldn’t make it into the finish area and get our packets open in time, so I took the opportunity to snap a photo of the brilliant color!

I have to admit, watching (and later, participating) in the color throw made me teary-eyed just as much as the video I had first seen of the run did!

I was just so thrilled, and shocked, that we actually did it! It was now time for us to bask in the glory that is the Finish Festival. It was our turn to get to do that amazing color throw, to celebrate the fact that we had made it.

Even the ground at the Finish Festival makes it look like a party!

The first throw that occurred when we were in the Finish Festival was a “Kansas City” red and yellow only throw, for the KC Chiefs. Seriously, who does a girl have to pay around here for some Sporting KC love? I am all for a blue-only throw in favor of Sporting KC, the Royals, and the KC Blues! My dad had yellow powder, but he was nice enough to share with us for the red-and-yellow Color Throw. The nice thing is that a bag has several handfuls of powder in it, so there’s plenty to share, or make it last for several throws, or even throw some in the throw and throw the rest on your teammates!

It was countdown time… 5, 4, 3, 2….

After staying for a few color throws, we finally decided to chuck our remaining powder at each other, and head to the car to head home. My sister wasn’t the only one who got a few handfuls thrown, even at her face!

As we headed home, it was time to reflect on our day. I did end up facing a lot of pain that evening and the following day, but honestly, it was incredibly worth it.

My knees were swollen, and needed ice and a lot of rest in the days following the run. A 5k is not something I could do every day, or even every month, but it was something. It was a once-in-a-lifetime (once-in-a-year???) opportunity!

On the car ride home, we talked about how we were excited to form our team again next year. Team Rainbow Trout will live on!

If you want to have as much fun as we did, check out the Color Run website and see when the Color Run is coming to a city near you! Register and see if you can beat Kansas City! We were the biggest Color Run city in their tour so far with 30,000 participants!

Make sure you stay hydrated. Even though Color Run volunteers had two ice water checkpoints and water bottles at the finish line, when it is hot outside, you need to make sure you’re bringing your own bottle to begin with. If you can, make sure it is a re-usable container, so you can keep our earth it’s best color… green. The Color Run truly is the Happiest 5K on the Planet!

This week, as many know, I am back to one of my favorite places in the world… each year, my family makes the 15 hour journey to the most magical place on earth, and no, I’m not talking Disneyland. We head to Dauphin Island, Alabama, a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico, boasting it’s laid-back lifestyle and white sand beaches. And trust me, it is worth the 15 hours. We don’t just travel by ourselves, either. My parents, my son, my brother, my grandmother, her sisters, their husbands, sometimes cousins, and even one of our exchange students make the journey with us.

The island is only half a mile wide at it’s widest point (meaning you can see both sides of the island on the upper floor of a condo, or even when standing on the balcony of one of the many beach houses in the area), and two miles long. This tiny island is home to many people, wildlife, businesses, and homes, as well as four churches (Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Catholic).

This morning, half of our group made the way to church. The other half didn’t. I just want to be clear here. I love church. I love my faith. I love God. I love everything he has given us. I think it is very important to find a church family, and just as important to attend church regularly and be in community with your church family. I think it is sometimes good to visit other churches and connect with Chrsitians outside of your church family. I believe in God, in my church’s statements of faith, in my personal statement of faith, and in God’s love for me.

I also believe that it’s okay if, while on vacation, I choose not to go to church. I think it’s great that half of the group I’m traveling with went to church, but I also think that God will still love me if I don’t go to a formal church service.

Instead of going to church, I chose to meditate on the beauty that God has laid in front of me. After all, I am in one of the most peaceful, beautiful, incredible places in the world, and I think it would be a shame, and possibly even a sin, not to pay attention to the beauty that God has set right in front of me. I also think that if, instead of focusing on God’s Word in church this morning, I’d be more concerned, mentally, with when I would get to the beach, then perhaps it is best I skipped the middle man and got right down to the beach where I could actively praise God in what he created for me.

Today, I want to write to you guys some messages about what I meditated on. There are two parts… Truths (things I know), and Thoughts (things I believe).

Truth: God created the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Truth: God created land to separate the waters. (Genesis 1:9-10)

Truth: God made humankind in his image, and we reflect him. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Truth: God knew that what he made was a good creation. (Genesis 1:31)

Truth: God wants us to take care of what he created, and expected us to be good stewards of the creation he has given us. (Genesis 2:15)

Truth: God also gave us boundaries. (Genesis 2:17)

Truth: Sometimes, we sin against God (Genesis 3:13) and we place blame on others for our sinfulness (Genesis 3:12).

Truth: God wants us to be HOLY. (Leviticus 11:44)

Truth: God wants us to have abundant life. (John 10:10)

Truth: The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary says that John 10:10 is not merely to preserve life, but to impart life, to GIVE life. Not only that, but God wants to communicate that life to us in “rich and unfailing exuberance!”

Truth: God wants us to love each other as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31)

Thought: We, as Christians, sometimes over-church. That’s not to say that we over-Jesus. We just over-church. Theological discussion? Add church. Political debate? Add church. Protest? Add church. As I mentioned above, I love church. I love my church family, I love my pastor, I love the message he delivers, I love the messages and great faith that I get from the members of the church I attend. I love being a part of that church family, and I love the way it has strengthened and encouraged my faith. But when I start to use that faith not as a shield, as a way to protect myself from the horrors this world can sometimes bring, as a way to be in the world but not of it, and instead use my faith as a battle axe, something to slay and judge people by, something to chop off people’s arguments and thoughts at the knees, I’m using my faith wrong.

God asked me to love you. Not to tell you what you’re doing wrong, not to judge you, not to hurt you. He asked me to love you. Jesus spent his time with people who were less than savory sometimes, including prostitutes, sinners, evil-doers, possessed people, all kinds of people. He also surrounded himself with believers. There was a balance. You can’t bring people to Jesus if you don’t step out in faith and get to know people who don’t know Jesus, or know him but don’t quite want him. But you also can’t have support in your faith if you only hang out with people who don’t know Jesus or aren’t quite ready to want Jesus in their lives. You need balance… you need people who need Jesus, and people who have him.

How many times have you seen someone hold up a sign saying “God hates ____.” “You are a sinner!” and other harsh shouts? Do you think someone who sees one of those signs is going to say “Oh my gosh… you’re right. I’m sorry, I’ll stop doing this sinful thing and instead turn to Jesus, hug a Christian, and hold up a sign?”

How about this? Instead of holding up that sign, telling people they’re sinning like that, what if I buy them a cup of coffee? What if I treat them like the creation of God that they are? Because just because they’ve turned away from God for whatever they’re doing (and don’t say you’ve never done that, don’t say you’ve never sinned, because the Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God), they are still his creation. And I am going to do what God commanded me, and show them that love that God shows me each and every day.

I will pray for them. I will show them respect, and, when they ask me why I love them instead of standing out front with a protest sign, I’m going to tell them that, while I don’t agree with whatever it is that they’re doing, I recognize that God created them, and that God loves them, and that I love them, too.

Which do you think will get through to them? Using my faith as a shield, to protect me from the ways of the world, or as an axe, to slice through the sin that everyone else is doing?

Thought: God wants me to seek Him. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I need to seek him in church. It just means I need to seek him. If I’m better at seeking him and meditating on his word by sitting on the beach this morning, instead of sitting in a pew, I think that’s okay. I think God just wants me to be close to him, even if I didn’t go to church today. I also think that God is excited to see the people in my travel group that went to church today, sitting in church. I think he loves them, and I think he loves me. I think that no matter where I worship him this morning, as long as I’m worshipping, He is going to be pleased.

Take-away: I want to challenge you today to find some time, whether it is in a church pew, or on a beach, or in your favorite recliner sipping tea, or in your bed, or in the car, to praise God. I want to challenge you to thank him for the creations he has given us, for the world that he made, for the life he breathed into us, for the sin he is wiping away, for the way he makes us new.

Take-away: I also challenge you to find someone who you may not agree with, politically, morally, religiously, whatever, someone you don’t agree with, and I want you to take them to coffee, or invite them over for lunch, or for a walk. You don’t even have to talk about your faith. You just have to show them love, listen to them, have a conversation. Don’t feel the need to circle it back to your faith– your faith will radiate through. You may make it through a whole coffee without bringing up your Christianity, but I bet one, two, five coffees down the road, you’ll have that talk. Trust me.

Take-away: Love yourself today. Make a list of things you love about you. After all, if you’re supposed to love your neighbor as you love yourself, but you don’t take time to love yourself, then how are you supposed to love your neighbor?

I hope all of my blog readers have a wonderful Sunday filled with peace, with rest, and with hope for a new week ahead. I know I will, because after all, who could look at the incredible view God has made for me on this beautiful beach, and not feel his love, peace, and presence?

Yesterday, while I was writing my blog post on Duncan Hines, I kept having to stop because Zach is teething and he’s just wanting to be held. And, more than once or twice, I set him down and let him cry because “I’m in the middle of this sentence and if you let me finish this one sentence, then I’ll hold you, but you’re banging on the keyboard and I just. can’t. write.” Also more than once, I told him, “Zach! You can’t bite my nose! That hurts! I swear, I’m going to sell you to the zoo!”

I love Zach. I love him more than anything in the world. But sometimes, I fail to appreciate him.

It’s just like my dog, Echo. Today, I took him to the vet’s office because he has been itching like mad and pulling his hair out. I just so happened to get the dog that has seasonal allergies. Yeah, you know, I couldn’t have gotten any other dog in the world, the well-adjusted one that is happy all the time and never barks or scratches or anything else. Nope. I got the dog that falls down on the floor at your feet as you’re walking because he got tired, and now he won’t move. The dog I have decides that every place is a good place for a potty break, or that if he is in the middle of smelling something, his ears don’t work, because this dog can’t use two senses at a time (I’m not entirely sure he even has  that much sense, let alone is able to use them). And yes, the allergies, the scratching, the hair falling all over the floor. And more than once I said “Echo! Stop that! You’re getting hair everywhere! Dang it, dog, I’m going to sell you to the zoo!”

See, that’s my common threat these days. You’re not doing what you’re supposed to do? Fine. I’m going to sell you to the zoo.

Now, both Zach and Echo are really good about looking at me, rolling their eyes, and continuing to do what they’re doing, because, after all, “mom is not really going to sell us to the zoo. Obviously.”

Either I need to start getting better threats that my littles will actually believe (I used to say “I will throw you out the window!” and neither of them believed that one, either), or I need to lighten up. Seriously. How many times have I said “Zach! You’re TAKING a nap. It’s nap time. Lay your tooshie down.” Unless you have hidden cameras in my house and know the answer already, well, it’s a lot.

See, I love my Zach, and my Echo, intensely. I love them both more than anything in the world. But sometimes, when things aren’t going as scheduled, or the rug has been vacuumed five times today and there’s still little puffs of hair all over the place, it’s easy to say “Oh my gosh! Will you two just stop already?!”

Last night, though, I made a decision. And it’s far from perfect, and I did even say once or twice “Echo! Shush!” or “Zach! Don’t bite my nose! It’s not cool, man, it’s not cool.” But I also took about half an hour to just lay there with Zach and cuddle last night, talking, having a staring contest, rolling the toy ambulance all around the bed and saying “Vrrroooooooooooooooommmm vroom vroooom!!!” I took time to give Echo a long bellyrub. This morning, I sat with Zach on the rug, no TVs or Computers, and just listened to him play his xylophone and told him what a wonderful musician he is.

Because really, that’s all that your kids or pets want. All they want is five minutes of your undivided attention, and then, they’ll almost always let you go back to what you were doing, whether it’s blogging, or that phone call you need to make, or it’s the million and one other things on the to-do list. They just want you. They want you to take a moment to show them that they’re more important than the telephone, or the computer, or the television, or whatever else you’re doing right. this. second.

I’m not going to say I’m perfect from here on out. I’m not going to say that I’ll never threaten to sell my kids to the zoo again (because I probably will). But I am going to tell them I love them, and take a few minutes between tasks to slow down and say “You’re awesome. You are a great kid. You’re a sweetheart, and a good musician, and you’re just talented and fun to be around. And you deserve to be told that you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and even if I threaten to sell you to the zoo a million times, I’ll never actually do it, partly because I couldn’t pay them enough money to take you (in Echo’s case), but mostly because I love you so much that I’d never be able to part with you.”

Your kids are saying something, whether they’re yelling, barking, whispering, tapping your leg, growling, yawning, or giggling. Do you hear what they’re saying?

My challenge to you today (and to myself), is to take some time to give someone, whether it’s a kid, a pet, a parent, a sibling, or a friend, just ten minutes of your absolutely undivided attention. Don’t take phone calls, don’t take emails, just take time and listen to them, no interruptions, and hear what they’re trying to tell you. Then, a little later, repeat that process again. Don’t let that 10 minutes just be 10 minutes. Let it be 10 minutes now, and another 10 minutes later, and another 10 minutes after that. Rinse, lather, repeat, and it’ll turn out okay.