I have a memory from High School that haunted me for years. There was a boy in high school that I thought hung the moon. I remember when the lights would dim at school dances and somewhere between "My Sherona" and "Walk Like an Egyptian" inevitably would come the sounds of Hall and Oats, "Your Kiss is on My List." I had a list and he was at the very top... you get the picture. The only problem is that he had a list too and well let's just say I not only wasn't at the top, I hadn't made the cut at all. We were friends. But secretly he was on 'my list.' Put that little combo together and it was an equation for heartbreak.
Then came the moment that twenty plus years later, I can still remember like it happened yesterday.
List boy comes and sits beside me at the school dance. I try to play cool and act like I'm surprised to see him. Like I hadn't noticed him all night...though I had secretly kept a bead on his every move since he'd walked in. We exchange chit chat for a few minutes. We are only speaking very simple words but inside of me a whole different thing is happening. While my heart is beating out of my chest, my mind is leaping through pages of our future together...our first dance... our engagement... our wedding. Right as I'm getting around to naming out first three children, he drops a bomb on me. Yeah, just like the song, "you drop a bomb on me baby, you drop a bomb on me." He tells me he thinks I'm pretty cute... too bad I have big ankles, otherwise we might be able to go out some time.
"Excuse me? Did you just say I have big beautiful eyes... I know ankles and eyes don't sound much alike but surely you didn't just say ankles right?"
"No," he replies, "I actually said TANKLES."
Seriously, I could write one of those catchy "High School Musical" sing songy songs and make millions from this horrid conversation. Picture some sweet brace faced girl's head, be bopping back and forth...her grosgrain ribbons trying to stay on beat with her piggie tailed hair. Throw in a zit or two and less than model-like legs and the song would go something like this....
He loves me
He loves me not.
If it weren't for my tankles
he'd think I was hot.
Seriously...TANKLES! Why couldn't he have kept this little opinion to himself. I could have just chaulked up him never asking me out to my frizzy hair or my zits or my braces... ALL OF THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY CHANGE. But my ankles? Tankles? Well, they would be my constant companion for life.
I eventually matured past my ankles bothering me every minute of every day. Just about the point where they were just a weekly point of contention, I decided to have a little conversation about my ankles with God. I told him this was a silly thing to bring up but I really needed to have a better perspective on the whole tankle ankle situation.
I think the Lord had actually been eager for me to discuss this with Him. He was quick to answer my question with a question.
God: "Are you clumbsy Lysa?"
Lysa: "Yes, Lord. I am very clumbsy."
God: "Have you ever twisted your ankle?"
Lysa: "Never."
God: "Wouldn't it bug you to constantly twist your ankle and be put out of commission?"
Lysa: "Yes, very much."
God: "Lysa I have perfectly equipped you with ankles of convenience. Be thankful."
And for the first time in my life, I thanked God for making me just the way he made me. Oh and had I danced, gotten engaged to and married list boy...well I would have missed out on an amazing man named Art, who loves me tankles and all.
Exit stage left while Garth Brookes sings "Thank God for unanswered prayers.
Smiles!
ps... Greetings to all my new friends I met at Hickory Grove's Breath of Heaven conference this past weekend. And CONGRATS to Lynn Brookhart for winning one of my books. Lynn post a response here as to which of my books you would like to have and I'll mail it out right away.
Then came the moment that twenty plus years later, I can still remember like it happened yesterday.
List boy comes and sits beside me at the school dance. I try to play cool and act like I'm surprised to see him. Like I hadn't noticed him all night...though I had secretly kept a bead on his every move since he'd walked in. We exchange chit chat for a few minutes. We are only speaking very simple words but inside of me a whole different thing is happening. While my heart is beating out of my chest, my mind is leaping through pages of our future together...our first dance... our engagement... our wedding. Right as I'm getting around to naming out first three children, he drops a bomb on me. Yeah, just like the song, "you drop a bomb on me baby, you drop a bomb on me." He tells me he thinks I'm pretty cute... too bad I have big ankles, otherwise we might be able to go out some time.
"Excuse me? Did you just say I have big beautiful eyes... I know ankles and eyes don't sound much alike but surely you didn't just say ankles right?"
"No," he replies, "I actually said TANKLES."
Seriously, I could write one of those catchy "High School Musical" sing songy songs and make millions from this horrid conversation. Picture some sweet brace faced girl's head, be bopping back and forth...her grosgrain ribbons trying to stay on beat with her piggie tailed hair. Throw in a zit or two and less than model-like legs and the song would go something like this....
He loves me
He loves me not.
If it weren't for my tankles
he'd think I was hot.
Seriously...TANKLES! Why couldn't he have kept this little opinion to himself. I could have just chaulked up him never asking me out to my frizzy hair or my zits or my braces... ALL OF THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY CHANGE. But my ankles? Tankles? Well, they would be my constant companion for life.
I eventually matured past my ankles bothering me every minute of every day. Just about the point where they were just a weekly point of contention, I decided to have a little conversation about my ankles with God. I told him this was a silly thing to bring up but I really needed to have a better perspective on the whole tankle ankle situation.
I think the Lord had actually been eager for me to discuss this with Him. He was quick to answer my question with a question.
God: "Are you clumbsy Lysa?"
Lysa: "Yes, Lord. I am very clumbsy."
God: "Have you ever twisted your ankle?"
Lysa: "Never."
God: "Wouldn't it bug you to constantly twist your ankle and be put out of commission?"
Lysa: "Yes, very much."
God: "Lysa I have perfectly equipped you with ankles of convenience. Be thankful."
And for the first time in my life, I thanked God for making me just the way he made me. Oh and had I danced, gotten engaged to and married list boy...well I would have missed out on an amazing man named Art, who loves me tankles and all.
Exit stage left while Garth Brookes sings "Thank God for unanswered prayers.
Smiles!
ps... Greetings to all my new friends I met at Hickory Grove's Breath of Heaven conference this past weekend. And CONGRATS to Lynn Brookhart for winning one of my books. Lynn post a response here as to which of my books you would like to have and I'll mail it out right away.
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