W H A T E V E R!!

One of my favorite phrases: "W H A T E V E R!!"  If I have said that word once, I have said it 27 million times in my life....especially in my Jr. High and High School days.  My poor parents.  I was, what I would consider, a "good kid", but sure...I occasionally had an attitude!  And the eye-rolling...Good Googley...that is now one of my biggest pet peeves.  I have had several students throughout the years who have been rather proficient at eye-rolling.  I do always let them know that I am the "Master Eye-Roller"...no one can roll their eyes quite like I can.  


My eye-rolling Master status came to an abrupt end my Senior year in college.  Eye-rolling had become second-nature and such a habit.  One lovely spring afternoon at a very proper sorority outdoor garden luncheon I inadvertantly rolled my eyes while one of the top sorority women was telling a story.  She said, "I know, Sweetie, you roll your eyes but it really is a true story."  I was humiliated.  Devastated.  Embarrassed.  Swore I would NEVER roll my eyes again.  And I didn't.  EHVAH.  Well, you know that little saying - "Never say never."?  Ummmm hmmmm...............  


One weekend twenty years later I was attending the "12 Hour" weekend workshop.  It was an "improve your life/improve your business" kind of workshop.  In hour one we all had to go around the room to introduce ourselves and the 'Guru' would ask us several questions to get to know each of us/analyze us.  When it was my turn, 'Guru' asked, "So what does your name, 'Crede'', mean?"  I replied with the same rote answer I have given dozens of others before, "It means 'Creed' in French...like 'doctrine' or 'belief'."  'Guru's' response was, "Humph, whatever that means."  WHAT?!?!  I just told you what it means!!!!!  Are you kidding me?!?!  Oh my gosh....W H A T E V E R!!!!!!  Then, 'Guru' asked me to describe a giraffe.  Ok.  So I began my best vivid oral illustration of how the giraffe has irregular velvety brown and beige spots, long lanky legs, and an extremely long neck.....all the while I never took my eyes off of 'Guru' as not to be disrespectful.  I mean, aren't we supposed to make eye contact when we talk to others?  After I completed what I thought was an extremely accurate description of the most lovely giraffe, 'Guru' asked, "Why did you never look up?"  WHAT?!?!  "Why did you not look up while describing the giraffe's long neck?"  Are you kidding me?!?!  "I don't know" I sheepishly said.  Do you know what 'Guru's' answer was?  She said that I could not look ahead to the future because I never look up.  What?!?!  Not look up.....  Are you kidding me?!?!  I spend half of my life looking up and rolling my eyes and look where that got me!!!!!  So I stopped looking up, and now you are telling me that if I don't look up I cannot look/move ahead to the future?!?!?!  So which is it?!?!  W H A T E V E R!!!!  I give up!!!!!  


And that is precisely what God wants us to do...give it up and give it to Him.  Not just some of it, but ALL of it!!  Yes, ALL of it. Even the hard stuff.   How hard is that sometimes?!  VERY.  But one thing that I have learned:  when it all becomes too much, we have to say "W H A T E V E R!!" and give it to God!!  It's ok to say "W H A T E V E R!!"  It is so freeing to live out this every day.  Todd and I have given our lives to God.  We have given our adoption to God.  And we have given all three of our children to God.

Whatever things are true, 
whatever things are noble, 
whatever things are just, 
whatever things are pure, 
whatever things are lovely, 
whatever things are of good report, 
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. 
Philippians 4:8