I’m not sure why this particular quote spoke to me in such a way…but it has…deeply. Life in this new millenium is intense. Technology which was supposed to make our lives easier, confronts us at every turn … haunting us to do more and do it faster. As parents, we feel the pressure to help prepare our children for the world they will eventually enter while simultaneously protecting them from the harsh influences that might harm them. At work, we give our all …and then drag ourselves home to face another fulltime job minding the house, the family and the finances. It is intense.
Just as the sun bears down upon us leaving our skin tender and burned and our bodies exhausted … so it goes with life. The relentless deadlines, expectations, to-do lists, and pressure to compete leaves our hearts tender, our emotions drained. Too many days are ended with us feeling ‘burned.’ Wouldn’t it be great if we could rub on a little “LPF” — Life Protection Factor each day just as we reach for our lotions with SPF? We can. It’s called perspective and it’s applied regularly with a deep, cleansing breath. When the pressures of life bear down a bit too intensely, give yourself a small dose of perspective. As you take a big breath, “Is my life going to radically change because of this issue?” If it really doesn’t matter if the report is completed before or after lunch, the answer is clearly “No.” The correct response is, ‘Don’t let this bug you.’ If your spouse is despondent over a change in his or her work situation, this is a different matter, one that clearly requires your time and attention and emotion.
Right now, I am debating about switching my son’s school from a private Christian school to a public elementary school nearby rated an “A” school but still people feel FL schools “sucketh”. I feel like crying. I really don’t want to do this but losing my job and now making a pittance of what I used to make forces me to cut down ALOT. My husband now cuts my hair, I don’t do the manicure/pedicure thing, I couldn’t even go to the Women of Faith $59 conference! To top things off, it looks like I have a roof leak that is worse than our inspector said it was and I may have to repair it with emergency $ I don’t have! Wow! I’ve never been this financial strapped. Are things going to change? I don’t know. Am I told to trust God? Yeap!
So, if like me, you aer sunburned by the glare of life? Try a little perspective applied regularly throughout the day. My LPF is G-O-D. I try. Sometimes I have to apply more than than at other times. I slather it on but not too deeply so I can still see traces of it on my skin. Why? Because sometimes I have a hard time trusting Him when I can’t trace Him. But one thing I know, it’s an “LPF” — Life Protection Factor that can really make a difference. Please pray for me and my family.
