On Silver Linings and Being Real

I may have whined a time or 7 about our internet woes since we’ve moved.  DSL is still not offered on our road and the next best option – a service called Boonlink that operates on radio signal, requires no contract, and has no usage limits  – wasn’t available to us because pre-tornado our “foliage density” blocked the transmission. 

Since our landscape has changed considerably I decided to try Boonlink one more time just in the off-chance the flattening of our foliage cleared the path for reliable service.  And praise the One who dwells in the High Heavens amidst silver-lined clouds, we got it!  I have internet!  I have internet!  I have internet!

What I still don’t have is a laptop.  I’m borrowing one that belongs to the church so I can work a little this week but the good news there is that I finally ordered a bright, shiny, Georgia Bulldog RED Dell that should be arriving in a couple of weeks.  We don’t even want to discuss how laboriously I wrestled with the Mac vs. Dell option but at the end of the day, I decided to stick with what I know because you know what they say about Old Dogs and their inability to learn New Tricks.

On another note of happiness, I had a fabulous weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN with some of my favorite people in this world.  My MIL plans a bible study retreat every year for her church ladies, my SIL brings a large contingent from hers, and several other friends and family join in the fun.  I also take Sydney with me because it is an excellent chance for us to have an Mom/Daughter getaway and she is more of a help to me than a hindrance.  It is always such a comfort to be among those who love you knowing that if you flat out blow it, they will still love you and not compare you unfavorably to all the awesome teachers they’ve had in years past.  They can’t do that because they’ve never had another teacher and I like it that way just fine.  Because I’m insecure like that.

One of the things we talked about was authenticity where we considered the question, “Are we the Real Deal?”  I normally don’t Tweet while I’m set aside for teaching but I was out shopping with my girl on break and opened it to see what was up with all my imaginary friends.  Beth Moore had quoted Melissa (her daughter) as saying that most of the time what we mean by ‘real’ is something negative. That struck me like a ton of bricks because something very similar was already in my teaching notes for that night and I took it as divine affirmation I was potentially on the right track.

The point I suggested was that if we find ourselves ending sentences with “I’m just saying”, it may be that what we just said wasn’t our just being real, it was our being real mean.  The one who prides herself on ‘telling it like it is” may just need to repent of hatefulness rather than glory in her plain-spokenness.  If we are fully aware that we are abrasive and hurting feelings on a regular basis, it’s not the public-at-large’s responsibility to learn to deal with us and our ‘authenticity’.  Does that mean our criticisms are unfounded? Not always.  But there is a world of difference between speaking truth in love and spewing the truth in hate. As NeedtoBreathe so eloquently states it, “Just cause I’m wrong it don’t make you right.  No you ain’t right.” 

And lest you think I’m pointing a mean finger, I only write these things because I’ve recognized it in my own self.  This *ain’t* always about you.  But if it is, maybe we can work on it together.

I’m just sayin’.