Last week I had the pleasure of collecting several boxes of free Avon products to bring home and disperse among family and friends. After everyone close to me took some goodies home, I attempted to sell the rest at a yard sale. While I made a decent amount of cash, I still had tons of stuff left over and wondered what I was going to do with it all. A yard sale customer happened to mention the local women's shelter nearby. What a great idea! I gathered the rest of my skin care and perfume and headed off, feeling proudly humble that I could help make a bunch of needy women feel beautiful. Then a song came on the radio that sucker punched me in the gut.
Thank you, Mr. Matthew West for reminding me that even though I might be attempting to do something good for someone else, I'm not even halfway there. How many bags of clothes have I donated to the Goodwill since I've lived here, oblivious to the shelter just down the road? Until last week, I'd never darkened its doors. How many hours have I spent wasting time on the computer when I could have been giving my time to people who really need help? In his song, "My Own Little World", Mr. West writes about seeing people but not truly seeing them. "What if there's a bigger picture that I could be missing right now outside my own little world?" Living on Planet Me is not only selfish and unproductive, it deprives others of the care and attention that they deserve. Why did it take me this long to realize that?
There is a world out there beyond Planet Sherry. I'm humbled and grieved that it took me this long to notice it. The questions beg to be answered. How am I reaching beyond my own little world into the lives of others? Who can I share God's love with today? What will people remember about me after I'm gone? Beyond my own little world, am I alone or are there others worthy of the gifts I have to offer? Do I really see these people?
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About a month ago I promised you that I'd produce a list of things I plan to do before my next birthday. I decided to tackle the thing as soon as I had this birthday, giving myself exactly a year to finish. So happy birthday to me! I turned 29 again this past Sunday. It was a wonderful day and I was truly blessed. (I think birthdays should always fall on Sunday. Because you're in church, you're surrounded by people who love you and want to give you attention. It's really great.)When I woke up, my daughter gave me a bag of Lindor truffles. This created a small problem when I remembered that number 3 on the list was "go a whole year without eating chocolate". While I was hesitant to even put this on the list, I went ahead and did anyway when I read that caffeine is bad for my health and should be avoided. It's easier to stick to a crummy thing like that when I know the potential for relief from pain is an incentive. However, I finally digressed and just took that item off the list.
So without further ado, here is the final, revised list of things I plan to do before my next 29th birthday. You are welcome to encourage, help, or bribe me in any way that you feel led. If you have any questions about the list, please post them here. I'll answer back, I promise!
Things to Do Before My Next Birthday
1. Get an article published on actual paper
2. Learn how to play an instrument
3. Paint my bedroom green
4. Sing a duet with Amy Cox
5. Lose 10 pounds
6. Memorize an entire chapter of scripture
7. Have lunch with Dad
8. Learn how to belly dance
9. Cook a full course gourmet meal
10. Visit the Jelly Belly factory
11. Read a month’s worth of classic novels
12. Tell a family member about Jesus
13. Try a foreign food I’d otherwise avoid
14. One week of joy- no whining, complaining, arguing, or negative words or deeds
15. Dare to wear yellow
16. Interview Grandpa Norman
17. Sing “Breathe on Me”
18. Participate in a Cancer walk
19. Have Pastor and Lori for dinner
20. Enjoy a crab dinner at the Crab House on Pier 39
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