Something to Sink Your Teeth Into

My last post was in early December. UGH! Yep, Christmas was busy and hectic and wonderful. We do all this running around and really baby Jesus just needs us to show up at the manger not at the Wal-Mart. So anyway, it's 2009 which means I'm making that same promise to lose weight and gain perspective in the new year. Did have something a little quirky happen over Christmas that has stuck with me the past few weeks ... one of those life lesson metaphors - or in my case, just something stupid I did.

It was a crazy pre-Christmas afternoon. I had just enough time to grab a quick sandwich while I paid bills on-line and wrap a gift or two. (It's always about multi-tasking). So I sat down at my computer with a pimento cheese sandwich, taking a bite between utility bills. Somewhere between Time Warner Cable and Duke Power I realized my sandwich tasted kinda weird ... and this was after eating more than half of it. I looked at it and realized I was eating two pieces of bread ... there was nothing in the middle. The pimento cheese container was on the counter unopened. Draw your own conclusions here.

So the bills got paid, the presents got wrapped and the sandwich has since become my New Year's resolution. It served as a reminder to stop going through the motions and pay closer attention to the stuff in the middle. Spiritually it reminds me that sitting in a pew week after week is just a couple of slices of Wonder bread ... it "looks" like a sandwich, but you gotta stick stuff in between ... all those Godly gifts oozing out the sides so you can barely get your hands around it. THAT'S the kind of sandwich I want to be this year; present in mind, body and spirit so that there's something significant in the middle that you can sink your teeth into.

Maybe you're a bologna, a good ole PB&J, a comforting grilled cheese or maybe you're aspiring to be a Dagwood, whatever you are ... just be more than two slices of bread.

We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives.
We must take charge of our own destinies,
design a life of substance
and truly begin to live our dreams.
-- Les Brown