Hands **And Giveaway!**

A riddle: what is something you use every day, all day long that is most likely under appreciated? Answer: your hands. I'm staring at mine as I furiously press the keys of my laptop, and I'm marveling at how little I think about them. All I'm focusing on is words on the screen. If I was to think about what my hands did today, the list would include:

• wash dishes
•  play Uno Attack with Grant (my 7 year old)
•  pat Lucy (my Boston Terrier)
• text
• throw wet clothes in the drier

And to be completely honest? I didn't think of my hands ONCE while doing all that. Not once. It's like my hands are a tool that I use. All I'm focused on is the stuff I'm getting done, and not necessarily the tool I used to do it all. 

As I stare at my hands, I realize that they tell a story. My skin is a little dry, which says that I've done  a whole lot of hand washing and not so much moisturizing. There's two rings on my left ring finger- both given to me by the love of my life, Steve. My hands have changed thousands of diapers, played keys on a piano, and placed bandages on cuts and scrapes. My hands have been the launching pad for blown kisses, and flailed all around during a conversation (if you know me, I talk with my hands). But the one thing that I love most about my hands is that they have the power to touch.

 

My heart is tucked safely in my chest- and it is filled with lots of love. But if I follow the path of my heart to my shoulder, my upper arm, my elbow, and my lower arm, the end of that path is- yes, you guessed it- my hand. Your hand is an extension of your heart. The power of words is incredible; the power of touch is indelible. Ever have someone wipe a tear from your face with their thumb? Or place their hand on your back to show support? Or even give you a congratulatory fist bump? You can't put words to that. Talking to someone means you respect them; touching someone means you care.

Look at all the examples in God's word about the times that Jesus reached out his toughened carpenter hands and gave a tender touch to humanity. He touched the eyes of the blind and healed them. He touched the hand of Peter's mother in law and healed her fever. He touched leprosy ravaged skin and made it completely whole. He touched a coffin and brought a dead man to life. It strikes a chord with me, because Jesus could have done all these things with a word. A word would have been enough. But He chose to couple His word with His touch. Perhaps to show us how He wants us to use our hands, or perhaps He wanted to connect with those He was healing. Or further still, He was showing us that the great big God of the universe wanted to be that close to the people He set His affection on. 

Look down at your hands. They are tools in the hands of God to show love through touch. Who under your roof needs to be tangibly reminded that you love them? Which one of your friends could use a hug? Technology and social media might be giants, but the most powerful  connection to reach the world happens to be at the end of your wrists. As the old song "Take My Life And Let It Be" echoes, let God take your hands, big or small, moisturized or chapped, weathered or smooth, and allow them to move at the impulse of His love. This world needs it desperately- and you have just the tools to do it.

Believe it or not, this is my tenth blog post in Tea With a Slice of Life! To celebrate this milestone, I'm doing a giveaway of a beautiful Jamberry nail wrap called "Cup of Tea"- how fitting! 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Isn't it cute-i-ful (cute + beautiful)? And a big thank you to my dear friend Christy Ayers of Jamberry for the sweet score! Visit her jamberry page at www.christymayers.jamberrynails.net to see more beautiful ways you can decorate the tips of your hands ;) Are you a guy? Perfect! Sign up to win this for the lady in your life for Valentine's Day, her birthday, or just because! Are you a lady? Fantastic! This is a way to have springtime appear on your fingertips long before it appears outside ;) 

For how to enter, comment on this blog post (there's a comment spot underneath the raffle) which of the colors of this nail wrap is your favorite- white or black. For more points and a bigger chance to win, share Tea With A Slice of Life's facebook page on your wall, then head over to the Tea With A Slice of Life's facebook page and write "I shared the love" on the wall so I know you did it. Again, thank you for reading with an open heart, spending time at the table with me, and for being such an encouragement. I appreciate you more than you know. 

Many Blessings,

Charisa

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Dear Stuck Waiting...

Dear Stuck Waiting,

I know. I really do. You are everyone, and just you. You are hanging on to hope, about to give up, or burying your dreams. You feel like you are stuck in the middle of your story while others have reached the end of theirs. And you're not just waiting in line, waiting in traffic, waiting for your number to be called...you're waiting for something big. Something long dreamed of. Something just out of your reach.

Dearest Stuck Waiting, you could be waiting for one of many things...or many things combined. The dream job, school to finish, a husband, a baby, a house. You might be stuck waiting for that clean bill of health, that promotion, or that prodigal child to come home. Maybe what has you waiting is a deep trench of depression that you're longing to finally get out of.

You might be resentful when other people seemingly effortlessly reach their goals. You might be asking "WHY?" "Why do I have to wait, while they don't?" "Why isn't it my turn?" "WHY???" You might have your head hung low while you kick a pebble in frustration and resignation; you might think, "This won't ever happen anyway. Why hope?" Or you might be strapped into an emotional rollercoaster...pulse racing, chugging up the hill of "Maybe This Time!" only to hurtle down the steep incline of "Nope, not this time." That negative pregnancy test. That big repair that wipes out your savings. That rejection letter from that college...somehow they have a way of taking you low. So low that you want to get off the ride.

Isn't there something that feels so vulnerable about waiting? It's as if the hard exterior you carry through life is null and void when you think about your dreams. That titanium shell around your heart is replaced by a fragile egg shell, and it won't take much disappointment for it to crack. And when it breaks, it takes so much effort to clean up the mess. Yet, you still wait.

Stuck Waiting, you show courage. Because it takes a heart containing the least amount of courage to continue to dream. Disappointments bash your built up dreams against the rocks of adversity, and yet you choose to build again. You are a stouthearted soul. If all that is left of your desires are embers, please allow me to put a few logs on for you.

Waiting doesn't have to be a powerless place where you get weaker with each passing minute. It doesn't have to keep you at a stand-still. Waiting can be a place of strength.  It's like a gym where atrophied faith muscles can be conditioned, toned, and built. Although sweat is poured out, and you don't think you can hold on for much longer, little by little you are getting stronger. With each passing moment, waiting can add inches of pure, lean muscle to your flagging faith if you place your hope from your dream to your All Powerful God.

So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Galatians 6:9

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind. Isaiah 40:31

You don't have to be Stuck Waiting anymore; for there is nothing "stuck" about waiting on God. You are in constant motion. You are leaning into God's goodness; you are Strengthened in Waiting. May this waiting season find you not aimlessly flapping your wings, but stretching them and letting the warm currents of God's strength lift you up- conserving your energy, increasing your altitude, and letting you see the bird's eye perspective. This is a wait that will not go to waste.

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Ear Worms

I was chatting with a friend the other day about songs that are so catchy that they stay in your head for weeks.

"Oh, you mean an ear worm?" she casually replied.

"EW!!!! What's that?" I recoiled at the unfamiliar term.

"No," she explained, "That's what people call a song that gets stuck in your head."

Ever had that happen? You're in line in a store, and you hear it; that song that's way too catchy to ignore. Next thing you know, you're humming it in your car, you're singing it in the shower, you're blasting it like elevator music in the halls of your mind. Usually for me, the cure is simple: time, and listening to something else.

I realized that I've had ear worms through the years. Only they aren't songs, they're thoughts. Dangerous and deadly thoughts. Dismal and dominating thoughts. At the risk of sounding crazy, I hear voices in my head. Voices that say, "You'll never be as thin as her," "You are a bad Mom," "No one will ever listen to what you have to say," and on and on it goes. Next thing I know, if I'm not careful, I'm letting those thoughts take up space in my head when I'm parenting, when I'm alone, when I'm tired, and when I make a mistake. And if I'm not careful, I might let those thoughts stick around, leaving their nasty graffiti on the walls of my mind, cluttering rooms, and taking up precious real estate. Ever had those kind of thoughts in your head? Then our diagnosis is one in the same- we're plagued with ear worms.

The good news is, that no matter what the tune your ear worm is, it can be wiped out. An ear worm is stubborn, but not invincible. And the cure is both simple and complicated: time, and listening to something else.

You see there's a verse that says we need to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) . What does that mean? It means instead of getting friendly with every thought that pops in your head, inviting it in, taking its coat, offering it tea or coffee, and sitting down with it for as long as it chooses to stay, we need to be ruthless. We need to examine every thought we have, and ask it, "Where are you coming from? Who sent you? What are your intentions?" Channel your inner Dad-of-a-teenage-daughter-whose-date-just-arrived-at-the-door. If it's a thought that shames you, distracts you, tears you down, and trashes you from the inside out, give it the boot. And I'm talking size 13 military boot.

Since nature abhors a vacuum, you need to fill your mind with something else. It would help to fill your mind with what those who love you have to say, but if you're looking for something permanent, truth filled, and life changing, turn to the Word of God. The Artist who made your soul has more to say about you than anyone. Listen to the titles of some of His greatest singles, "I Paid the Highest Price For You", "You're Beautifully Made", "Adventure With Me", and "I'm All You Ever Need". Play those in your head enough, and they will ring through the halls of your mind like a symphony. It's what you've always wanted to hear, and it's 100% truth.

In addition to this, play show and tell. You see, as long as a thought is kept bottled up, it has power. You are its captive audience. And it bullies you by saying that people would think you were nuts if you ever told anyone about it. Can I tell you how much FREEDOM there is in confession? There have been times where I told my husband or trusted friend a thought soundtrack that was bouncing around in my head. Just having the thought leave my mouth, I could hear how much of a lie it was. And to have my husband or that friend say, "Oh that is so NOT true about you!" was like someone opening windows in a stuffy house and letting fresh spring air in. We need to do life with others.

It takes time to eradicate a villain song that's been playing in our heads for years. You might have to kick that same song out again and again until it's out for good. Stick with it. Ear worms make a MESS...and it will take a long time for the rooms of your mind to be straightened up. Even after the good tunes clean up the mess, it will take a while to remember you don't have to tiptoe around the broken vase that used to be there. Be tenacious. Don't give up. Don't give in.

So, Ear Worms? You are being served your eviction notice. You are played out and exposed for what you are...lies. Let's not allow that kind of elevator music in our minds, friends. Life is too short, and there are way better songs out there.

The Doctor Is In

This past week, strep throat invited itself over to the Martin house. The last time it did, it was the spring time, and I was reminded how awful it is! My oldest was the first to catch it, and my youngest and I were beginning to show signs of strep too. We headed over to the doctor's office to find out the truth.

The sweet woman at the reception desk asked me to update my info, and when I told her why we were visiting, her facial expression immediately changed into an apologizing type of countenance. "I'm sorry," she said, "You're going to have to wear these masks in the waiting room."With a blank stare, I said, "OK," and took the masks she offered. 

I sat down with my little girl, and I placed the mask over her mouth and nose. Then I did the same for myself. I can't describe the feeling I had as I sat there across from the magazines, the TV, and the Christmas tree that was still up. Wearing that little mask, I felt humiliation, rejection, and yes, even shame. Who knew a little fabric with elastics on the sides could make me feel like that? The story ends well enough; my daughter ended up testing positive and was quickly treated with antibiotics, and I had somehow dodged the strep bullet. But I never forgot how I felt in that mask.

We all have things in our lives that act like that mask, don't we? Maybe 2014 was the year that you were served divorce papers, or the year you were caught doing something less than noble. Maybe 2014 was the year your family cut you off, or perhaps you experienced a betrayal. What is that thing that makes you feel shame? What is that scarlet letter that has been stitched onto your heart that weighs you down? Because the "ick" that you feel leads surprisingly to hope. Yes, in 2015, hope is dawning for all of us who wear humiliation, rejection and shame.

There's a part of the story that I left out. The only person who I took my mask off for was the Doctor. He asked me to take off my mask so he could perform a throat culture to diagnose my sickness. He knew just what he was doing, and there was no way he could tell if I was sick or not without me removing the mask. And friends, one of Jesus' names in the Bible is the Great Physician. He knows just what's ailing us, and came as the antidote to the sin-sickness we face here on earth. Listen to the words of Jesus:

"Healthy people don't need a doctor- sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Mark 2:17b NLT

Our Great Physician is calling all mask wearers; He is longing to heal our sin-sick hearts, and when He wore our sin and shame on the cross, it meant one thing: we don't have to anymore. We don't have to be afraid to limp into His presence. Unlike that Doctor who treated me, Jesus doesn't need to perform tests to figure me out. He knows me inside and out. And He knows you too. We don't experience humiliation with Jesus: only healing. We are never rejected by Jesus: only accepted. We are never shamed by Jesus: only honored. Lift your fingers- don't worry if they're shaking- and pull the mask off your face. Jesus is waiting to remove that which has stripped you of your dignity; and in its place, He will give you complete and utter acceptance. He's the only Doctor who paid the highest price for the health of your soul.

So as we begin the year, I pray that your heart be made new again. As you sit at your smart phone, or your computer reading this,  I pray that you become tired of the old shame, and yearn to be given back your dignity. I pray that what the enemy meant for evil, that God will use for good. And I pray that you would feel courage rising in your spirit to drop your mask for your Maker, be healed, and live life to the full. Because my dear friend, that is JUST what the Doctor ordered.

Be healed and whole in His presence,

Charisa