Comeback

I raced down the steps as the electronic chime rang through the house for the third time -- where is that phone!! The answering machine picked up by the time I reached the family room, and my long distance friend was finishing up her message. Ah-ha! I grabbed it. "I'm here! I'm here!" I hollered into the receiver. Silence. Aw, man!Now I would have to call back, balancing my slim cell phone to my ear to avoid the long-distance charges from our land line. Drat.

Sometimes my life feels like that -- like I'm just about to grab the secret to all my issues and it slips through my fingers. I once attended a cartooning class with my son, and I drew a cartoon of a little girl running down the street as the icecream truck pulls away. Double drat.

But there are also times, thank the good Lord, that life offers a sort of re-do. I've heard this quote several times recently - "every set back is a set up for a comeback." Thank you God, for Your faithfulness is new every morning.

So I am becoming reaquainted with the girl I referenced in the last blog -- maybe not as victorious as I'd like, but she's making progress. Yet I find another bothersome phenomenon -- We cope with life challenging issues by numbing ourselves with a variety of substances and activities. When you stop doing that, those challenging issues resurface, sometimes with a vengance. So here I am, though I have controlled my eating, I find I don't really like the way I interact with those I love the most. Am I better sleepy and chubby? By no means, but wow, is this annoying!

If I could draw a cartoon now, I'd draw a picture of myself staring into the mirror, hair ascew, face blemished and mascara smudged. The caption would read, "I hate it when I feel pretty good about myself until I look in the mirror."

All I can do is quote Matt Maher as he's quoting scripture - "Your grace is enough heaven reaching down to us. Your grace is enough for me...I'm covered in your love." And this is the soundtrack of my life right now.