The Plank, Pimple-picking, and Preachin’ to the Choir

Now, I know you are wondering how on earth I can make these title topics cohesive. You’ll have to read on and see….

The Plank

Arrgh! I spend my day with little boys so inevitably my mind goes to something like this. My apologies.

So a plank is something people walk before they jump, or are pushed off of into the shark infested waters below, right? Pirates, and whatnot. When we—as writers, professionals, doctors, singers, musicians, pretty much anything—put ourselves “out there,” our dreams essentially become damsels clinging to a flimsy board over open seas.

Sometimes someone says something, rejects you, fires you, and it is enough of a poke to send you over the edge in to the crushing waves below. Swimming in rejection is not at all fun. And sometimes, we are tossed, wave after wave, struggling to keep our head above water. Clinging to a life-raft like hope, maybe stubbornness, or perhaps even delusions of grandeur, in wait of a slice of land, or a passing yacht that might bring about some shift of fortune.

Whether you are on the plank or in the water, you are in a vulnerable place, my friend.

But I got to thinking about that wooden board. What if instead of a plank, it’s a diving board? -And why are all the metaphors about water always about drowning and struggling to find the surface? I like swimming. I find it refreshing.

What if we view those failures as some super sweet exercise? And we think about that dark sea writhing beneath you like a clear blue lap lane…

So often, we can learn, tone, and refocus when we hit that water and tool around long enough to get pruney. It’s great cardio, by the way!

Now, hold on to those thoughts about your plank for a few moments while we move on to the next glamorous point.

Pimple-picking

 

I never had that crazy combination skin, thank you Jesus! But there were, and still are, those occasions when my inner Venus manifests as a sort of pubescent boy. Zits! Ick!

I banished that mega-magnifying makeup mirror years ago because I honestly don’t like to scare myself with that much microscopic truth.

I don’t know about you but when I’m feeling great, or I’ve had a good day, I wash my face, brush my teeth and crawl into bed without a second glance.

BUT… when I’m feeling particularly worn-out, stressed, vulnerable, or maybe rejected, I pick. Yes, I’m a picker. I lean in, scan my clean pasty complexion until I can find someway to squeeze out my frustration. Anyone else do this?

I create problems for myself this way. There might be a tiny clogged pore that that no one would ever see, and yet, when I’m at my worst, I pick at it, I inflame the situation. I take one tiny speck and turn it into the giant red blob.

Now I’m gonna bring these points home by Preachin’ to the Choir…

How many times have you felt this way when someone tells you that “God’s got a plan.” “All in God’s time.” Or even “Well, God’s in control.”

Yeah, yeah. We know that. I’m pretty sure that was ingrained in Sunday school rhyme-time or song-circle.

But the point of all this is for you to see how YOUR perspective changes everything!

Sometimes when those rejection letters come back, it’s difficult to see God’s perspective—His plan for your time in the pit.

Yes, we can rationalize that His timing is perfect. His plans are to prosper and never harm. But sometimes God’s plans feel painful. They push us out on that scary ledge. They expose some microscopic insecurity and turn it into a mountain that you walk around with on your face for all to see.

Now, I don’t want to preach at y’all but the Word is a pretty good defense against our perceptions…

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

And…

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

You see, our minds and emotions can be frail when allowed to swim in the deep end all alone. It’s like flailing around like tasty shark-bait for the enemy.

 

But YOU have the power to change your perspective.

To see that plank as your spring board.

To view those waters of rejection as a way to firm up those muscles for the long road ahead.

To refuse to let those little snags in your reflection rise up and define who you are and what you can become.

In the wake of some bad news God showed me that I could spin my perception of that rejection into something empowering and truly encouraging.

Give it a try. The view from the other side is great and the water is quite nice. 

Talk to me: When was the last time you turned lemons into lemonade? How do you defend against those planks and pimples in life that tend to skew our perspective? Or what scripture encourages you the most when things look bleak?

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes Romantic Suspense that is heavy on the romance, unapologetically honest, laced with sass and humor, and full of the unfathomable Grace of God. She is the completely sleep deprived mama to two little mischief makers and would challenge anyone to a cutest family contest. Represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc.