If you don't mind, I'm going to get a little personal. You're all going to get a glimpse into the mind of Nick Garland. Not to worry, I won't show you the confusing stuff that doesn't make any sense. No, sir. That's just for me, myself, and I when I am really bored. No, I'm going to let you know my demons. Now I don't mean actual demons. I'm speaking to the concept of "demons in my mind." Sound crazy? Possibly.
My whole life, I've dealt with feelings of inadequacy. I have thoughts like, "You are so dumb... You're an idiot... You can't remember anything... Everybody knows you're dumb..." And you can imagine how those feelings have had an effect on me. I've never truly dealt with them, and so they have just continued to linger in my thoughts all these years.
Tonight at work, I had them come back to me. I was waiting on a lady, and I thought she said she wanted a pound and a third of sliced cheese. So I sliced her a little over a pound before she kindly stopped me and asked me, "Is that a third of a pound?" I then asked her if she had originally asked for a third of a pound and she sweetly said yes. Immediately the feelings of self-emotional-mutilation took over: "You can't remember anything... how can they say you're so smart when you're such an idiot." And so for the remainder of the night I was in a very fragile mood.
Well about five minutes before my shift was over, I heard a, "Nick, I need some help over here." So I walked over and a coworker of mine was showing me that a slicer's inner screws and such had fallen off. I would try to explain it to you but I think that would be too difficult. Not too difficult for you to understand, but too difficult for me to explain.
After a good ten minutes of confusing, body-contorting work, I worked out a strategy. With some pain, I was able to squeeze on the loose washer and I fixed the blooming thing. After I fixed it, I immediately felt a sense of overwhelming accomplishment. I then gave shouts of satisfaction as I strutted back to my machine.
Not a minute afterward, I realized that God had done that. You see, the Holy Spirit is our counselor. He knew I needed to realize that I can accomplish something. He set up the situation so that I could feel good about myself and a job well done. The demons went away for the night.
Realize that no matter how terrible the demons are in your head, the Holy Spirit is our counselor. Only He can be the One to truly bring your mind rest.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Uzi does it
I enjoy perusing through consignment shops. You make think they are for old ladies, but I happen to think they are for anyone who wants to save a few bucks on clothes.
One time in Kentucky, I was looking through shirts in a consignment shop hoping to find a winner. After fingering through a few racks, a green t-shirt stuck out to me. I pulled back the t-shirts ahead of it, and there was a giant picture of an Uzi on the front. Now if you know me and my political views, you know my love of guns. I am a gun nut (or so I like to think). So you can imagine my reaction to the large caption underneath the picture. Three words:
"Uzi does it."
Perfect. This was the greatest thing I had ever seen. It spoke to me on so many levels. Needless to say, I bought it right away.
When I got back to my grandparents' house, my mom pointed out the fact that it was a size small. I did not even think to look at the size. The shirt was too cool for me to care. Well I tried it on. And let me tell you, I had tried on some small shirts in my day, but this one was tighter than Heidi Montag's face after a dip in the Arctic. I never put it on again.
Why did I buy that shirt? It told me exactly what I wanted to hear. It showed me exactly what I wanted to see. But even though it had a stirring message, it did not fit right.
I feel that too many Christians do the same thing with popular false prophets who call themselves teachers and preachers. If the preacher teaches a lesson that really speaks to us because of our own insecurities, we tend to buy it before checking the size. The next time you hear a compelling philosophy that seems to directly apply to your life, check the size to make sure it fits the gospel before you put it on only to be uncovered, embarrassed.
One time in Kentucky, I was looking through shirts in a consignment shop hoping to find a winner. After fingering through a few racks, a green t-shirt stuck out to me. I pulled back the t-shirts ahead of it, and there was a giant picture of an Uzi on the front. Now if you know me and my political views, you know my love of guns. I am a gun nut (or so I like to think). So you can imagine my reaction to the large caption underneath the picture. Three words:
"Uzi does it."
Perfect. This was the greatest thing I had ever seen. It spoke to me on so many levels. Needless to say, I bought it right away.
When I got back to my grandparents' house, my mom pointed out the fact that it was a size small. I did not even think to look at the size. The shirt was too cool for me to care. Well I tried it on. And let me tell you, I had tried on some small shirts in my day, but this one was tighter than Heidi Montag's face after a dip in the Arctic. I never put it on again.
Why did I buy that shirt? It told me exactly what I wanted to hear. It showed me exactly what I wanted to see. But even though it had a stirring message, it did not fit right.
I feel that too many Christians do the same thing with popular false prophets who call themselves teachers and preachers. If the preacher teaches a lesson that really speaks to us because of our own insecurities, we tend to buy it before checking the size. The next time you hear a compelling philosophy that seems to directly apply to your life, check the size to make sure it fits the gospel before you put it on only to be uncovered, embarrassed.
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