- When life has you looking down sometimes there's a shiny penny there looking back up at you...
Why does society see the act of looking down as being such a "bad thing"? I find I am actually often looking down, but not for the reasons you might think. Instead I am looking for a shiny penny, head's up of course. I usually see them once or twice a day. I can spot them from across the room. I have no pride in it either. I will just march my little butt right over in front of someone like a little kid and exclaim, "Ah-ha! I found a head's-up penny!" I call them my "record deal pennies". Everytime I find one that is head's up, I pick it up, squeeze it, close my eyes and make the same wish, "for a record deal." Then I slide it in my pocket and take it home and plop it into my special mug where I collect them.
Okay, I know some of you might be shocked to learn that the Greek Girl doesn't have a record deal just yet, trust me I ask myself why too. But really, I know it will happen one day soon. It's not like I'm not trying and just wishing on pennies either. It's a lot of hard work to get signed these days. However it is all the more reason you would think someone like me who hasn't given up in over 20 years to achieve their dream would be looking down. Cuz trust me it's hard and there are days where I am looking down and feeling a bit in the dumps that I haven't achieved my dream yet.
We all go through life with someone telling us from time-to-time to "keep your chin up" or to see the "brighter side of things" or that "every cloud has a silver lining." Now that's all good and true but why don't people ever tell you to look down? Don't get me wrong, I took psychology 101 and 102 in college and I did learn a thing or two about this kind of question. So don't think the blonde is setting in that bad, not yet anyway.
Sometimes looking down has it's benefits. For instance here's a true story. Some time ago I was down because we were down to our last $20 and had no way to pay our $186 phone-bill that was due in 2 days. We were out and about trying to get some things done, and figure out how I was going to pay that bill. I happened to be looking down both emotionally and literally when I found not one but Two Crisp $100 bills folded up right out in front of me on the floor. Had I not been looking down I wouldn't have had the money to pay my bill. So sometimes if you don't look down you will trip and fall, step on a nail or a broken stair, not to mention you can't check out your cute new sneakers while you're walking nor find that $200 bucks. Either way you have to look down especially if you are like me and there is ever a reason to ~ it's that with 4 fur-babies around you never know what you might step into.... Just sayin'.
You know, it's times like that when I feel down and I do look down and feel no sense of hope that I find some of the most valuable things. It's when I feel that way I find my inner voice that reminds me why I do what I do. I find my sweethearts hands taking mine and his arms wrapping around me holding me tight. It's in those moment he's letting me know I am not alone and that I will be everything God made me to be.
It's in those moments that we are looking down where we are challenged by God to actually turn to Him and to take in that deep breath and say, "I can't do it on my own anymore. I have to trust you God." Then we exhale and in that moment our eyes can be cast up to Him and say the most powerful prayer we can ever pray, "Thank You." Then we are looking up. But we are not looking up not because of our own success, it's because of our reminder of God's loving grace and that He is bigger than any problem we face.
So next time you are feeling down in the dumps or you feel like life has thrown you a curve ball and you don't feel like looking up but rather looking down, do like me and try to find that still and small voice inside. Sometimes in those moments God is trying to do something in you or through you. See the cool thing about God is that He knows us better than we even know ourselves and He knows what is best for us. Sometimes He has to put us in an emotional place just so we can be challenged and forced to grow. Even more than that He wants and needs us to be looking down so we can see He has been there holding us up the whole time, in the palm of His hands and put the $200 you need right in your path so you can in that moment realize, "not by my might but by God's can this be done."
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