The long, long night or...

why I will never own a tempurpedic mattress! 

We have some very generous friends who are always looking for ways to bless others.  The wife texted me the other day to let me know they are getting their rental house ready to rent again now that a family member has moved out. She said they had a king tempurpedic mattress they were getting rid of and wondered if we would like it.  Seemed like a free one of these was the only way we would ever have one and I know many people love them so I said yes.  Yesterday Tim and Benji went over and loaded it up and lugged it home.


We switched it out and waited expectantly for bed time to roll around.  My initial thoughts upon laying on it were that it was extremely hard and I felt kind of like I was laying on plywood.  I determined to keep an open mind and told Tim that maybe I would end up having the best sleep of my life. We rolled over and, by sheer exhaustion, fell asleep quickly. 

*Cue the ominous background music*

To say that I had a bad night of sleep is an understatement.  Jesse had told us that the ads say you can put a glass of wine on the bed and jump on it and the wine won't spill.  Tim mentioned that again this morning and I reminded him that the same thing could be said for a glass of wine sitting on the sidewalk. Doesn't mean I want to stretch out and spend the night there.


The only time I have ever wakened as sweaty during the night was right after having a baby when I would experience hormonal night sweats.  I got up to pee at one point and was drenched!! My shoulder, which I still have terrible trouble with, hurt like crazy and is very painful this morning.  Where normally I feel like I somewhat sink into our tempurpedic topper and mattress, last night I felt that I spent the night literally balancing on plywood.  I, on more than one occasion, considered just going out to sleep on the leather couch in the living room because anything had to be better than this!!


I kept thinking, "If Tim wakes up and says he had the best sleep ever...I am screwed!" He got up around 4am and I tried, to no avail, to go back to sleep.  Finally I got up and worked on my Bible study and hoped my coffee would work magic.  When Tim came back upstairs he asked me how I slept.  I decided to be straight up and told him I might have a nervous breakdown if I had to sleep on that mattress again.  

With fear and trepidation...I asked him how he slept!

To my relief he said it was the worst night he ever had and, on more than one occasion, he thought that the couch would surely be a better option. I almost cried in relief that he didn't fall in love with it.  As soon as he gets home later this afternoon he and Benji will switch it out with our old mattress and topper and it may be a race to see which one of us is in the bed first!


I realize some of you may have one of these mattresses and love it so please do not be offended by my rant!  We are all wired differently and what sleeps well for one may not translate into a good night's sleep for another. What really stinks about this whole scenario is that Tim and I have a very rare date night scheduled for tonight.  

Looks like we'll be hitting our local Starbucks for a bold roast IV drip! *Yawn*

In 6 days I will be here!!!  Aaahhhh...I can't wait!!!!!

Happy Sunday!!!!!

I am reading a book by Richard Paul Evans called The Walk.  My friend let me borrow it and the sequel and she said she had trouble putting it down.  I can see why.  The story is very compelling and Evans ability to put pen to paper in a way that provokes thought is enviable.  I read this line 2 days ago and it has stuck with me.  He said...

"You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats those he doesn't have to be nice to."

I have been mulling this line over in my head and it is so true.  It reminded me of part of the James study I am doing (the one that I am determined to eventually get all the way thru) and something my friend Christy pointed out.  One of the points in our study was about not showing favouritism and when I read it I kind of glossed over it because I didn't feel it was anything I struggled with.  You see, after years of ministering to very high profile personalities with a bajillion dollars between them, I am not really fazed by those others can become rather enamored with.  Christy shared that she struggled with this because she wants to hang out with the people she likes and sometimes avoids those she doesn't.

Clang!  Clang!  Clang!  

Yes, that would be the resounding gong in my head that went off when I was filled with the sudden realization that I can be just as guilty of showing favouritism as the next person because I prefer to spend my time being nice to my friends and those people I like as opposed to those I don't really "have to" be nice to.  I am an introvert who, as a pastor's wife, has been thrust into a job  that is best executed by an extrovert.  I find myself having countless conversations and counseling a multitude of people who I would maybe not naturally choose to initiate with. That seems to be exactly how Papa intends it to be, though!


How I treat those I am not naturally inclined to gravitate toward says a lot about my character and how well I understand the urgency of the Gospel.  How well I reach out to love on those who may ordinarily get lost in the shuffle speaks volumes to them and others about the legitimacy of our claims that Jesus came and died for everybody if we only believe.  We may be the only touch of Jesus that some people ever encounter and I want to be found faithful with the opportunities He gives me.


Whether it be the checkers or baggers at the grocery store, the lady from the claims dept at the insurance company or the bedraggled looking person who shows up at church this week...I am accountable for how well I communicate that they matter!!


Lord, I pray with everything that is in me that I would treat everyone I encounter like they matter to You and like they matter to me.  Help me lay down any selfish desires I have to stick to what I know and what is comfortable and help me stretch beyond my natural capacity to show compassion to those who need to know their life is just as important as the next person's.  Open my eyes that I may see others as you see them...with Jesus-shaped voids who need to be reminded that He is the only One who can satisfy their thirst and their longing to belong.

Eyes that look are common, but eyes that see are rare!