Chained

I may or may not need a root canal. This were the final words of wisdom my doctor of dental distress uttered to me upon my visit to his office/sports-fanatic museum. Even his business cards say, "Go Bucks!" Who are the Bucks? Some breed of deer? Anyway, after x-raying the upper right quadrant of my oral orifice and holding said x-ray over his head while studying it with squinty eyed concentration, I was more or less comforted that perhaps this too shall pass. Or maybe not. Wait and see. Telling someone like me to wait is like telling a ballerina to resist tippy-toeing or like asking someone to look away from a Charlie Sheen interview.

What in the world is up with this guy, Charlie? There was this radio guy who interviewed hundreds of super-stars during his career and he was convinced, according to an article he wrote, that fame and fortune is more of a curse than a blessing. I suppose I've never given it much thought, although I can think of plenty of the most famous who had miserable lives, Marylin Monroe, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, et al. We see example after example of these people who seem to have everything that many people strive for, namely fame and fortune, yet it's not enough. It's like the appetite for such things can never be satisfied, so they go looking for other ways, other things, people, drugs, adventure, sex, to fill the void.

I know, since I used to be one of them. Not famous or wealthy, but constantly looking for something else to bring me some satisfaction, fulfillment, some sort of peace of mind. If I can only have that relationship, or make that much money, or earn that degree, or drive that car....then I will be complete and happy. Funny how once every one of those things are achieved, happiness is still fleeting. Short-lived and fallen flat. It wasn't until I realized that my completeness is found only in Jesus Christ, who I am in Him - and for Him, that I finally became free. What an oxymoron, for me to gain freedom by chaining myself to Christ!

I was contemplating all of these things today when I walked out to my car, fiercely clicking the "unlock" button so I could quickly enter my vehicle and get out of the rain. Finally giving up, I stuck the key in the door to unlock and attempted to start the engine while silently whining to myself about the remote not working only to discover a much larger horror when the engine wasn't working either. Turn key. Silence. Turn key. Silence. Check shift thingy, turn key. Nothing. Notice the head light switch was left in the 'on' position. UGH! Not again! Yes, this is the second time in a few months that I've killed my battery because I left the lights on. But it's not my fault - in my old beat-up car, which I traded in and up for this newer better model, the lights always stayed on and went off automatically when the car turned off. Now, I evidently am expected to remember to turn my lights off every time I turn the car off. I mean, really? Thank you, Lord, for the nice man who gave me a jump. My hope for him is that he never attains fame or fortune as to drive himself stark raving mad and believe that he has "tiger blood." Amen.