Learning Lessons from Little Lunch Ladies

I happen to work at a local Middle School. Love my Job! but sometimes, like the majority of humans, i get a little frustrated
Okay so was going through the salad bar line today for lunch. i usually don't eat here because its middle school cafeteria food. but today i figured, "It's salad. no one can screw with that too much." so i approached with my compartmentalized tray in hand.
…there were two rather large signs. One read “Choice of two meats” the other "Two meats only!!"

I thought to my self, "hmm. Be careful with the meat choices, Joshie. These people mean business."

So I look and notice only one meat—ham. No problem I like ham. Ham is delicious. All is well.



I also put some cheddar cheese and some eggs and some onion and broccoli and imitation bacon bits.(yummy…I know)
It's important to note:

I am the first one in the line and actually the lunch lady is still putting stuff out.
So I say to her, “I notice the sign said two meat choices and that you were still putting things out. Is there another meat choice that you will be putting out instead of just ham?" She looks at me and says smugly, “there are five meat choices out here already. The eggs the ham the shredded cheese, the cottage cheese, and the imitation bacon bits!!

Okay wait one cotton picking---( please see blog related to Christian cursing) minute!!!
Was she even for real????? I look around to see if I’m getting punked. Ashton Kutcher is no where to be found. This lady is offended that I only thought there was one meat in her line!
Are we officially eliminating the dairy food group??? Sure I understand that cheese comes from milk, which comes from cows.. (Or any number of other mammals.) And I can even see where one could make the argument that an egg is a meat because if you fertilized it, and then sat on it for 28 days in the right conditions it would eventually become a chicken which is, in fact, a meat.
I just immediately pictured a nervous 6th grader cramming for his first big FCS test on the major food groups and receiving the devastating news from our narcissistic lunch lady that cottage cheese is now a meat.
And for the record- If cottage cheese is a meat…. Wouldn’t plain milk be a meat as well? If that is the case…I owe our lunch ladies some more money because I apparently consumed way too much meat today.

Diced meat

Shredded meat

Cottage meat

Imitation bits of meat
Then I washed it all down with a carton of skim meat!


I think for the sake of learning correct information…we should make them at least change the sign to say “two meat, or animal related choices.”
Spiritual applications:

Patience
Long suffering
Praying for others
Fasting


I still haven’t fully figured out which category the imitation bacon bits go into.
Have great day!!!!
Josh

Shaken......

A few weeks ago I posted a quick blog requesting everyone to pray for Austin Kirby and to go visit the website and sign the guest book. Essentially, what I did was ask you to "put yourself into someone else trial". Let me be the first to say….. That is so hard to do- even if we have a sincere heart and good intentions- even if we do mention Someone’s name during our prayers for weeks- even if we sign the guest book….. It is nearly impossible to feel what that person or that family is feeling on the “inside” during those times where the world is falling apart.

I believe That is why at different times in our lives….we have to go there for ourselves.


My son, Isaiah, starting having seizures a couple of weeks ago. He had been running a mild temperature that day and had been given a TDAP shot a few days earlier. (can’t totally point the finger at the TDAP shot….but let’s just say I’ve got plenty of reasons to scratch my chin…..)
Anyway…. when a child or close familiy member, Specifically, YOUR CHILD starts experiencing something that is beyond your control it instantly breaks you open and crashes you and your securities all over the floor. There is no worse experience than being totally helpless and having to watch your son or daughter, suffer. In that moment, I would have done anything to make the shaking stop. I would have given my life…

The next part is the Key….after the helplessness had sunk in a little bit and I realized that there is NOTHING I could do….I had a choice.

Run to Jesus....
or
walk away completely.

This is "The Crossroad of tragedy."

“Jesus, I fully trust you to take care of my son.”
 Or
“Jesus, you don’t care about my son. I am through with you.”
I was at that crossroad for the first time in my life. Let me just say…Although the circumstances leading up to that moment are ALWAYS less than appealing… I pray that one day you stand at that same fork in the road. Why? Because when you let go of everything that you have ever trusted in, (i.e. your strength, your money, your friends and family, doctors, lawyers, books, ect….) and you lay every single ounce of your broken mess at the feet of Jesus. Something inside you releases.

Your spirit is set free.

Peace washes over you.

Love overflows

Every Burden....Gone

You have no doubt whatsoever that you and your family are in the arms of the One you were destined to be in since the beginning of time.
The only sad part.....
 It was all because... there was absolutely no where else to go.

The irony is…as soon as I got there… I realized there is no where else I’d rather be.



Father, at the risk of sounding like a completely insensitive father myself, I say thank you for Isaiah’s seizures. They shook MY entire perspective of who You are and just how much you love your children. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you….

Have you been there?
What did it change about your life?
Has it worn off?

Do you need a new "Shaking"?