Hanes, MY Way

This past Sunday, when my Mamma Mia was with us, we decided to head to Subway for lunch following church.  It was a gamble going out at that time ... who knew if we would end up waiting with four hungry, tired, whiney kids?  Gratefully, as we walked in the door we realized that we were the only ones there!  We had beaten the lunch rush and were able to order quickly ... or at least as quickly as 3 indecisive kids can when faced with six types of bread, eight different meats, 4 different cheeses and a variety of toppings! It was kind of a painful experience, but we managed to get our sandwiches and make our exhaustingly meticulous choices for chips and drinks BEFORE the lunch crowd came through the door.  Whew!  We settled into a booth just as the rest of Grand Junction came to eat! :)

As we were sitting and eating and crunching and slurping (most of the crunching and slurping coming from the kids' side of the table) I noticed a lady sitting several seats down from us.  When she got up to refill her drink, I was better able to see her shirt.  It was black with lots of silver and gray swirling designs and at the top in calligraphy it read, "Sinful".  Now ... I'm sure that I am going to show you just how fashion conscience I'm NOT because I'm sure it's some famous brand, but I thought to myself, "Of all the things I could have written on my shirt ... I wouldn't want that to be one of them."

Now, I have inherited my people-watching skills from my mom, so I was certain to point out this interesting t-shirt to her.  And so began a giggling fit about what we would have on our shirts ... or better yet, what would other people suggest should be on ours.  If only we had our own line of clothing ... then you could buy one of our shirts with the following lines:

"Unbalanced"

"Tired"

"Clueless"

"Stubborn"

"Indecisive"

"Happy-Go-Lucky"

"Half-Baked"

"Pooped"

"Unstable"
"Overwhelmed"

"Well-adjusted"

"Prepared"

"Reluctant"

"Slothful"
"Perplexed"

"Diligent"

"Difficult"

"Tenacious"
"Myopic"

"Flimsy"

"Hazardous"

"Attentive"

... I think you get the idea.

There are somethings we would want on our shirts:  Delightful, Sympathetic  and Cooperative. While there are other words that, while they would be honest ... they are not necessarily something you want broadcasted across your chest.  I would be hard-pressed to wear a true but tortuous shirt with the words Feeble, Droning or Needy on it.  Really?  Who wants that as a constant reminder?!?  Who wants a perfect stranger walking up to them and asking, "So, uh ... You are really Scatterbrained, huh?"

I am almost completely okay with close friends and family being aware of my shortcomings and flaws.  I figure they know me pretty well and can see my life from the outside of me, so they are often a good reflection of who I really am.  And seeing as they love me, I know that that they won't try to hurt me with those painful discoveries.  It helps that I also know their limitations and faults, so we are on an even playing field. :)  The other good part of having good friends and loving family is that they also help us to see our good qualities and our strengths.  When we can see ourselves through the loving and generous eyes of our loved ones, I think we get a much better picture of who we truly are.

Sara Groves has a great song about being caught up in who we aren't and needing to get back to our true selves.  Here are her poetic lyrics to "Undone".  It's not quite the same as hearing her sweet voice.

Baby can you help me get undone The party is over and their hearts were won There’s a zipper in the back But I can’t reach it on my own And I am dying to get out of this so Baby will you help me get undone I don’t even remember how I got this on I started out pretending Now I don’t recognize myself And I could use a little help You have no pretenses All your walls are fences I can see right through You have no two faces You know where our place is and that’s why I need you Oh baby Baby will you help me get undone I truly believe you are the only one Who will be the best reminder of Where I am coming from So if you’ll help me now I want to get undone Cause I started out pretending Now I don’t recognize myself And I could use a little help Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby will you help me get undone

I love the idea of my constructed personality being something I could un-zip ... if only it were that easy!

I truly can't leave out one other Person who has a pretty good idea of who I am and loves me in spite of my shortcomings.  Jesus really does love me just as He made me:  Insecure, Controlling and Impatient. He's working on my in those areas, trust me!  But when He looks at me, I know He sees me:  Graceful, Beautiful, Chosen.

What would your t-shirt say today?  Silly, Serious or Sentimental ... I'd love to hear 'em!


I'd like to thank my Thesaurus for help with today's post! :)