Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Day 205 Where was Chuck Norris on November 8?

Dear friends,


What is all this stuff my 12 year old says about Chuck Norris?


"Chuck Norris can run so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head."


"Kids look under their bed for the Boogie Man: the Boogie Man looks under his bed for Chuck Norris."


"Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding."


I think I need a little "Chuck Norris" gumption in me for the days ahead. Some of the fallout from the car accident has rained on us today, and we need great strength and patience to manage it all. I knew 7 months wouldn't be the end of November 8. In fact, I knew a year from now wouldn't be the end of it. The brain is a mysterious organ, incredibly flexible, incredibly complex. I wish this thing never happened. I wish Chuck Norris had been there to stop Oscar Lewis from plowing into my baby girl. (Stephen too.) But Chuck was out that night at a fancy quotations party, and the Great One knew all about it anyway. Sometimes I get so completely frustrated at my helplessness to repair the brokenness still dogging us. These are the times that try us, and make our faith grow stronger. Suffering is intrinsic to the human condition. We have been spared a great deal of sorrow. But in the day to day, the suffering that is mine to carry still stabs. Someday I'll look back and see the faith muscles I got on this stretch of the pilgrim road. For right now I feel weary with the load. But not so weary that I can't be grateful. And not so weary that I can't see the folks on the highway with me who carry much heavier loads. I'm telling you the truth about my aggravation. But believe me when I say I'm not feeling sorry for myself (I've done that many times, and this isn't that). I'm simply tired. I need a shot of "Chuck Norris" tenacity. There's no way the Prince of Darkness is pulling me off the road to some ugly, self pitying, introspective cave. Jesus has already kicked his butt. Jesus makes Chuck Norris look like Pee Wee Herman.


I was delighted by all the emails and comments I got from river lovers after yesterday's post. I would love to sail away on one this particular evening...

A night's sleep will do me good. The Great One created us with that pressing need. He knew otherwise we would be unmitigated disasters. So I'll go put on my jammies, and with the rising of the sun, the Holy Spirit, who can whoop even Chuck Norris, will give me "everything I need for life and godliness..." One day at a time friends, that's all we need to do.

By the way, I hear Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas...

I love you guys. Sweet dreams.

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I heard Chuck Norris wears Loriann Smith feety pajamas. Don't just laugh at that - really imagine it. Now laugh. That's better. Today, whenever the enemy tries to get you in a headlock, just think of Chuck in his jammies beating the crap out of him. Just a temporary fix, I know, but you can't put a pricetag on a good distraction.

You will be prayed for today, as will your beautiful girl and your amazing hubby. I'll throw in a couple for the Chuck Norris fan and Joe as well. No charge. I'm available for a private stand-up routine at your house or mine. Let me know what works for you.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXOO Mar

Unknown said...

Waiting/praying for yours--see below--wonderful little thread from people who (I think, "know", and some who don't yet).

Just copy and paste this in to your browser address bar. If it doesn't work, email me and I will send it!

Love,

Susan

http://newboards.theonering.net/forum/gforum/perl/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_threaded;post=260720;sb=post_time;so=DESC;

Anonymous said...

Hi Loriann,
I think I understand at least a little of what you speak. The human mind and body handles trauma in various ways. We are seeing that anew with our little B.

We will continue to pray for Hannah and would ask for your prayers toward B. and her 8 year old bother whom we just learned will be taken from his school today by a policeman and delivered to our home later.

More trauma.....without God's mercy....What?

I rediscovered the following two quotes recently:

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, " Trouble makes us one with every human being in the world - and unless we touch others, we're out of touch with life. If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I wouldn't pass it around, for it wouldn't be doing anyone a favor. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't say embrace trouble - that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a fiend, for you'll see a lot of it, and you'd better be on speaking terms with it."

George McDonald wrote - "How often we look upon God as our last resource, we go to Him because we have no where else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven."

AMEN!

All our love and prayers,
Pastor Gordy, the girls and now M.

sarajofina said...

I sympathize with you on the whole chuck norris thing...your 12 year old any my 30 year old ;)

Sarah