Dr. Prescription for Selfishness: Friends to remind you to breathe

Ever have one of those crazy, insane days that doesn't seem to end? One day turns into two, then three, and a week, two weeks. Suddenly you don't remember when you just took a second to breathe?!
I have been having just one of those "days," and then a friend messaged me on Saturday apologizing because she forgot S. for her daughter's birthday party on Sunday. All that ran through my head were the millions of things that I had going on that were reasons we should not go. Then something hit me. Well almost hit me but then hit me. Let me go on a tangent for a minute...
In a moment that truly can only happen to me, I went for a run (and I am trying to condense this story that could be a post in itself). That is a little staggering, I know. I decided not to feel sorry for the RA pain and the procrastination that I had about my knee to just get out there. The park was full, so I took to the road for the way back because that happened to be "the road less traveled." 

Apparently, I wasn't the only one trying to find solace from the people. As I ran up the hill, I had to come to a dead stop because I was almost hit by a deer who decided to run out of the woods seconds before I would have been in her path. With heart racing more than normal and the fear of God in me. I returned to my car.                                                                                                                           
I sat there for a pretty long time in a deep conversation with God. 
I ultimately had to thank him for stopping my selfishness in that blink of an eye. On that run, I was feeling angry for my crazy life. I was feeling angry for all the people that wouldn't get out of my way. I was feeling angry for the mean things I thought in my head about the Asians who were walking down the path shoulder to shoulder (5 of them mind you) and didn't budge when I said excuse me. The cars who looked annoyed at my presence on the road. The knee that wouldn't stop nagging me. Myself for allowing so much time between runs. A crazy busy schedule. Cleaning house. Doing laundry. Work. Taking kids places. The grouchy husband that seems to always be frustrated.  Have I hit all the bases?
Well, as I sat there in that moment of feeling sorry for myself God said, but you are so blessed. Don't call the men in white jackets, but I seriously could hear his voice whispering in my ear.      He reminded me of my dear husband who is actually working very hard on a difficult project at work and still taking time to be the cub master for O's Cub Scout pack and even more taking time to work a second job to cover expenses for his passion of triathlons. He reminded me that my husband needs my strength to find training time and guidance to nutrition and just patience. He reminded me that my teenager is just that: a teenager trying to find himself and looking for support. He reminded me of my quirky O. who unabashedly does his own thing and needs a Momma who will just say well done. He reminded me of my little mouthy princess who just seeks to figure out who she is in this great big world. But most importantly he reminded me of my friend. Remember the one I just mentioned? Yeah, I said I would get back to this. He reminded me of my dear friend who was sad that she forgot us for the party. He reminded me that when I last saw her she was having a few struggles of her own which only got more compounded in our time apart. He reminded me of her big heart and loving smile that always makes me feel like MY presence means something to her. And he reminded me that I am her friend and sometimes that means making a choice no matter how busy we are. Making a choice to take the time. Making a choice to show her love and give her that big bear hug that I knew she needed. Making a choice to stop being selfish and thinking of what I need to do and what was overwhelming me and give to someone else. 

So I gave myself a pep talk and moved forward and said it was time to wake up and look around. My kids needed my attention, so the projects that weren't done went on the back burner. My husband needed nourishment and family time, so I took the kids to him with dinner. Albeit a short dinner, it was still one that was needed for us all. Then after a good nights sleep, I took some me time at church before the crazy schedule began again. But I took time out for my friend!! We went to the party, and we took the time to breathe and just enjoy. She doesn't know it, but making her a priority helped me to better realize how horrible on priorities I have gotten in the last few weeks. So with this post, I thank you, my friend! You are a true blessing. I hope you know how much your friendship means to me. As the events at the party clearly showed, God wanted me to be there for both of us. So I write this post to you. I write it to tell you how treasured our friendship is, and that no matter how crazy this life is for either of us, I adore you and how you make me feel so special every time you see me. You are my blessing, and my breathing lesson for the week was definitely making our time a priority! ❤️

Talk to Me Tuesday: Candid Discussions with Kim

Tuesdays will be our communications day here at Insanity. I will be doing book reviews one week out of the month, but on other Tuesdays, we will be talking about particular topics. I welcome any and all comments but ask that you please not fight or bicker or post anything that is vulgar. Your comments will be deleted should you not follow the rules.

What sort of things do people identify as the chief distinguishing characteristic of a Christian?

This question can be answered in so many different ways that I won't be surprised to hear many of your answers. While there are many characteristics I can think of, the one that is strongest in my mind is love. I think of the biggest example of love that Christians have is Christ himself. Jesus knew from a very early age that He had a big task to take on. He knew he was going to die, yet He never acted out in anger or frustration at those around Him that believed but did not behave correctly. He knew He was going to die for our sins. But it's not His particular love that is the strongest. It's God's. He gave us His Son knowing that we were going to rebuke him. Knowing that He would ultimately die to save us all. That love is so completely remarkable and overwhelming that it is hard to even describe the weight I feel when I think of it.
Love of other Christians now-a-days cannot always be seen which I find so terribly sad. I have friends that I absolutely adore who go to church with us. They are such loving people. Their children are loving children. I see that Christian love in them. When they walk in the room, there is never a person who does not feel the love by each member of the family. They smile, they hug, they envelope each person they see with an invisible shield of Christ-like love. AND YOU FEEL IT!! It's not the uncomfortable, those freaky people are coming are going to hug me feeling. It's the warm milk and cookies like you just walked into Grandma's house, glad they are here feeling.
I want to be like that!! That is the one characteristic that I, as a Christian, am excited and proud to know is a Christian characteristic that I strive for each day.

Discuss amongst yourselves ;-)