Do y’all ever feel like God is playing jokes on you and just laughing hysterically at you?!
I sure do.
I am so quick to say things like “I would NEVER EVER do that.”
Then God just sits back and starts laughing...because nearly every time I say something like that, I end up doing the very thing I swore I would never do.
I have always said, I would NEVER buy a new car. “It’s such a waste of money, as soon as you drive off the lot you are instantly loosing thousands of dollars, who cares about a brand new car anyways?” A few weeks ago I was in a discussion with a friend and was saying how foolish it was to spend all that money on a brand new car, when you can get a gently used one instead. Flash forward to today. I am the owner of a BRAND NEW Nissan Murano. I bought it last night. I did what I said I would NEVER do. *cue the laughter from God at this point* #NeverSayNever
Do I think I made a bad decision? Not at all, it’s what made sense and felt right for me, at this point in my life. Now, if you ask me this question again when i get ready to get rid of it, my opinion may be different. Haha. But, I got a brand new car cheaper than the same car that is used with 30K miles. THANKS NICOLE at Nissan of Murfreesboro!
When I was in high school I was a part of True Love Waits in church, which is making a commitment to no sex before marriage.
I even had a cool true love waits ring, until I lost it. (Oopsies)
I swore that I would never ever have sex before marriage, it was a non negotiable for me. Flash forward to today, I have 2 kids and I’m still not married. And let’s be real, i am no Virgin Mary, either. *cue laughter from God* #NeverSayNever I mean seriously..I actually thought I could refrain from sex because I was so strong..yeah right! I was probably the most insecure girl in the entire state of Tennessee when I was 17-21. I just wanted anyone to love me, no matter who you were or how you treated me.
Judging other children and parents before I had kids of my own was another real eye opener for me as well.
“I would never let my kids play with the iPad at the dinner table.” “I would never let my kids eat that.” “I would never let my kids sleep in the bed with me.” “I would spank my kid if he ever did that.”
Flash forward to today, my kids have iPads when we go out to eat, my kids have eaten cotton candy and funnel cakes for dinner, both of my kids still occasionally sleep in the bed with us, my kids have gotten away with murder (ok, not literally, but they get away with way everything), and I can only recall 2 times I have spanked either of my children. *cue the laughter from God* #NeverSayNever
Although these are funny things that have happened in my life, I also feel like there are tons of things we say “we will never do” that cause tears from God.
**disclaimer-these don’t apply to my life personally but I know multiple people in these situations**
So many women are so quick to say “I would never stay in an abusive relationship, I would never put up with that.” Flash forward to a drunken night and their significant other shoves them, but apologizes repeatedly. That is, until it happens again and suddenly it just becomes a habit. Did you know 1 in 3 people have been involved in some sort of physical abuse in a relationship?! **cue tears from God** #NeverSayNever
“I will never be a drug addict, I don’t understand how people could ever get to that point.” Flash forward, you start having back pain so you go to the doctor and they give you pain pills. But then you find yourself taking 3 tablets when it says take 1. Then you are calling for a refill, and then another. Then suddenly you are looking for the pills on the streets, and you need something stronger because you have built a tolerance. Heroine is cheaper than pills, and you are out of money. before you know it you could be addicted to heroine. **cue tears from God** #NeverSayNever
I truly believe that God intentionally throws a curveball in my life every time that I think I have it all figured out by myself. Life is so full of twists and turns and just because you feel strongly about something doesn’t mean you will have those same feelings 3 months from now. Your relationship status, financial status, employment status, health, and priorities are all things that could potentially change at any given time. But Gods timing is perfect, and i truly believe that if I had not gone through so many lows I would have never enjoyed all the highs.
I went to a work seminar about relationships last week and the speaker mentioned if we had a different perspective on things it could potentially change our entire outlook.
For instance, Just because you see a child screaming in the store doesn’t always mean that child is acting bad or the parent doesn’t have control. What if they are there because they have to get medication because the child has a bad ear infection and he’s screaming because he is in so much pain?
Just because someone snaps at you at work, doesn’t always mean they don’t like you. What if their spouse just told them they want a divorce that morning?
Just because a child scores poorly on a test doesn’t always mean they aren’t smart or don’t know the material, what if they haven’t eaten in 2 days because they don’t have any food in the house and they are so hungry they can’t concentrate ?!
I can be the worlds worst when it comes to jumping to conclusions, but I am really trying to step back and realize that every person has a story. Every story is different, and ultimately every person just wants to feel loved. I can’t control how anyone else acts, but I can control how I respond. And I know that I will never regret being kind. I choose kindness, and being open and respectful of others opinions.
Love love love
Xoxo
Tay