Who 'dat?

Technology has taken us far. There is no question. I was talking to a guy from the Sticks the other day about the olden days when folks didn't have answering machines. (I think the olden days just recently ended in the Sticks, but they, too have iPhones now.) Now you can skype with people half-way around the globe in real-time.

The next exciting techno-leap will let us actually be there in real-time. But, until the IT wizards figure that one out, me and Dirk the Blue Impala blaze trails to and fro. Dirk's kinda quiet, so I often listen to books on CD, a minor technological miracle in their own right. I'm currently listening to a book--written by a man, may I note--in which undead children live as ghosts and their ghostly bodies look like the child remembers himself or herself. If their memory gets distorted, the child's metaphysical self does too.

May I please take a moment to qualify my book choice: I'm getting to the end of Cracker Barrel's stash and this was one of the few that for obvious reasons hadn't yet made my reading list.
Anyway, as I was saying, this concept of appearing the way you see yourself probably seemed "crazy, dude" to the writer. However, as a woman may I submit that this is just a glimpse into what we deal with on a regular basis.

For instance, we all have those days when you put clothes on in the morning, smile warmly at your reflection, and sashay into the world feeling a solid point above normal on the standard ten-point scale. We smile at strangers, coo at babies, and toss our hair the way that girl does on the Pantene commercials.

Then, after a quick lunch you dart into the ladies' to find the fickle mirror has played some trick. You do a double take and an awful version of your reflection sneers back. When did my hair start looking so greasy? I swear it was clean this morning. My pores are so big you could park a Buick and still have room. Is it possible to gain ten pounds by peeing? And I thought I put on lipstick, but the only thing glossy is my forehead. Ugh.

Well, I had one of those days. Which made me so glad that perception is not, in fact, reality. I was listening to Joyce Meyer on podcast and she talks a lot about not letting our feelings rule us. She notes that a study found the voice we believe above all others is our own. The words we say to ourselves ring most true.

That's scary and powerful. It means if I let circumstance or a mean-spirited mirror color my thoughts, I will believe it. Even when it's not factual.

So, today I'm thankful that God is absolute truth. That righteousness is not a philosophy and my purpose is not a variable. I am thankful that my God is bigger than my own perception and as His child I am anchored throughout eternity to Him. I am also grateful for the principles by which he governs this world. And I'm grateful for soft stretch-cotton PJ pants. It is impossible to feel anything but cozy in stretch-cotton PJ pants.