Not kidding, this was a fortune I got in a fortune cookie from a Japanese restaurant. And while I don't put a lot of stock in fortune cookies (or the lucky numbers... aka Lotto picks they put on the back of them) this one entertained me to no end. Mainly because its true. I frequently try to find ways to diffuse tense situations with humor. I also (sometimes unsuccessfully) try not to take myself too seriously. After reading this, I realized I've had a few entertaining fortune cookies such as:
"He who has faith has everything." This one was awesome because my faith... my walk and union with Jesus is my entire life. And I found it fascinating that 1) they put that on a fortune cookie and 2) it really resonated with my life. Sometimes encouragement from the Lord comes in the weirdest places.
"You are realistic, and others relate to you." I thought this one was cool simply because I strive to be a realist and in this crazy walk of life I hope to find people who are able to find me relatable. Or something like that...
"Hidden in a valley beside an open stream, this will be the type of place where you will find your dream." These sound like rejected Disney lyrics to me. Like they were attempting to make Jiminy Cricket sing these lyrics and he threatened to walk of the set of Pinocchio if they made him do it. I can't blame him, the saying is beyond cheesetastic but it makes me laugh. So I kept it.
And this is my favorite...
"People are attracted to your delicate features." Um. Excuse me? Many people have used many words to describe me. Delicate has never been one of them. In fact I think I'm probably the antitheses of delicate. Use your thesaurus. Look up delicate... see synonyms and then antonyms. My picture is the first thing you'll see under antonym. And while this made me laugh really hard, it made me start thinking about my personality.
I'm generally known for being very strong willed, very opinionated and in general (as one guy recently told me) intimidating. It was no surprise to me. I've been told that by many a guy before. And women come to think about it. I don't mean to come off intimidating. I suppose it's just the way I've been brought up. My parents raised my 2 sisters and I to be our own people.
We were raised to have our own opinions, to be independent and free thinking and not take anyone's crap. I've always cherished that kind of up bringing.
I remember the first time in high school when I encountered someone really intimidated by me. And it surprised me. Because I assumed that people were raised like me and my sisters. (I was also homeschooled the first 2 and a half years of high school... not that that's an excuse, but it might provide some explanation for my slightly warped view of society.) It's not that I'm ignorant of my own insecurities and the struggles I have. I am well aware of my shortcomings. But in general, I'm pretty satisfied with who I am and how I'm put together. And to a certain degree in high school I was that way too. It really shocked me that so many of my friends weren't. And I didn't know how to handle that.
The second wake up call came when I was in a serious realtionship. My strong personality exerted itself and this guy saw it as something to be crushed. To be worked on. Sure there were aspects he liked, but there were others he didn't and he took extra care to try and change me. Which also threw me for a loop. It never occured to me (yup, I really was that naive) that someone wouldn't appreciate my strong opinions.
So, while the consistent work of the Lord has refined some of my rough edges, I find I still maintain my strong personality. He gave it to me for a reason and He wants to use it. I find that amazing. Sure, sometimes I open my big mouth and say dumb things. And I make a lot of mistakes. But the older I get, the more thankful I am for the personality He's given me. And while I seek and strive to work on my weaknesses (of which there are many), I'm also thankful that I am what I am.
I may not be delicate... but I am confident in the Lord. And in all my weakness, He truly has become my strength.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment