"I'm So Glad My Family Has No Feeling"

We joke around with our kids a lot. I mean a whole lot. You know like, "Hey mom I'm thirsty." "Well, son take this cup and go fill it up with some water from the toilet because it has way too much water in it right not." Gross? No!! We have fun. We tease, we joke, we play, we mess around all the time. As a result my children all have really great sense of humors. We have however had to encourage them to be careful as they try and joke with others. Sometimes it can come across disrespectful or inappropriate if the other person does not realize it is a joke. The other night Matthew and I were cleaning the kitchen after dinner and he said something, that I can't recall at the moment and I said, "Ha, Ha." Matthew hugged me and said, "I love our family. I'm so glad my family has no feelings." I started laughing hysterically. "Wow, Matthew say what's on your mind buddy." He laughed too and said, "Mom, you know what I mean. I'm glad our family is not sensitive and we can have fun together." I did know what he meant and I am thankful for the same thing. Just the other day I had said to a friend that I totally understand why God did not give me any little girls. Little girls are sensitive. They cry easy. They get there feelings hurt easily. Maybe not all little girls for those of you who feel like I am stepping on your little princess, but I was a little girl myself and I was sensitive. What I have noticed is that you don't have to be a little girl to be sensitive. There are lots of sensitive people in this world. As a matter of fact a good test for if you are sensitive or not might be, if in your mind you are saying, "Do you think she is referring to me?" Then chances are...I'm just saying. Now don't get me wrong, there is a certain kind of sensitivity that is good. Being sensitive to the feelings of other, being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, being sensitive to the needs of those around you are all wonderful sensitivity traits. The kind of sensitivity I am talking about is one that for many years had its ugly grip on me. It was an ungodly sensitivity. It was a paralyzing sensitivity. "Are they talking about me?  What did they mean when they said that?  I can't believe they said that to me? I thought they were joking, but do they really believe that? How dare they?" Now I realize the Bible addresses coarse joking, but I am not referring to joking that is or in any way could be considered hateful or discouraging. I am talking about good old fashioned picking!! Actually, the real heart of the matter I want to address has very little to do with the actual "picking" aspect at all and everything to do with turning over our sensitivity to God, letting go of those insecurities that rob us daily of our joy and paralyze us, causing us to believe the lie Satan whispers in our ears. God has called us to be a confident people. Confidence mind you that is found in His Word, His Will and in an intimate relationship with Him. The more we know who we are in Him, the less we care who we are to the world. Imagine with me if you will how allowing our hearts to grasps this concept could very practically change our relationships with our spouse, our children, our friends and our work relationships. Imagine if we walked so closely with our Savior and found our identity in Him that our earthly feelings were never hurt. How is that possible? Hebrew 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Proverbs 19:11 "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." I actually have Proverbs 19:11 on my refrigerator. Do you know why? Because  every day I struggle with my flesh wanting to have its feelings hurt, but the Spirit of God rising up within me and saying..."A man's wisdom gives him patience, it is to his glory to overlook an offense." And do you know what?  Before I can ever be hurt, before I can ever hold a grudge or throw a pity party I seek wisdom. Wisdom is found in the Word of God. He is the author of wisdom. Wow, how freeing to live being able to give it to him daily and not carry around the hurt. If I cried every time I didn't get my way, every time I someone called my idea stupid, every time I dropped my ice cream on the ground or every time someone spoke to me in a way that I felt was intended to hurt my feelings, I would ball up into the fetal position and start chattering a chant as I prayed for a protective covering to encase me and shield me from this world. The good news is "under His wings shall I hide and take refuge." He is my protective covering. Not necessarily from experiencing the hurt or the "attacks" but by giving me the wisdom through His Word to know how to handle them and to know that He is all that matters. That's the bottom line. When Jesus becomes all that we need (He is by the way) and He becomes the only one we are seeking to please, then we are released from being sensitive to the things of this world. I will close with this...Matthew's class has had some problems with bullies this year. They pick on whoever will be shaken. I asked Matthew if they picked on him and he said, "yes ma'am but it does not bother me." I was curious as to why he was not bothered, "When I wear a blue shirt they call me a big blueberry. When I wear a red shirt, they call me a big strawberry. I know I am not a blueberry and I am not a strawberry. I am the son of the Most High God. I don't really care what they think." He gets it. He is confident in who He is in Christ. He has found His wisdom in the truth of scripture and on that truth He can stand.  I agree with Matthew..."I'm so glad my family has no feelings." Standing firm on the promises of God!!