There’s a boy outside

Boys are grose!

Boys have cooties!

I never bought into that line of thinking. Quite contrarily, I vividly remember thinking that boys were rather neato. They could run really fast, pick up slimy frogs without even wincing, and the amount of sweat they produced while running around the playground was impressive. They were all the things that I was not, and there was something enticing about that. They were the prince and I wanted desperately to be the princess.

The first boy I ever laid eyes on was as neato as they come. He called me beautiful and sang songs to me as he rocked me in his arms. The story goes that he would sit me up on the kitchen counter in my baby seat and even do a little soft shoe dance to the tune of “Tea for Two”, making me giggle ‘til I couldn’t breathe. That most neato of all boys happens to be my Daddy and he was the first to ever steal my heart away. I thought he was breathtakingly handsome, and still hold that belief to this day. He and I have always shared a special bond, so I can’t begin to guess how difficult it must have been for him to see me give parts of my fragile heart away to those stinky, sweaty boys!

Dad and I have sung a song together throughout the years that portrays a little bit of that saga. I thought I would share the words with you:

The men in my little girl's life

The men in my little girl's life

It seems like only yesterday when I heard my little girl say

"Daddy, there's a boy outside, his name is Rod.

He wants to play in our backyard

Can he daddy? Can he daddy? Oh please daddy."

Is it really so long ago she'd come to me and wanna know

"Dad, there's a boy outside, his name is Lee.

He wants to carry my books for me.

Can he daddy? Is it alright, dad? He's got freckles, dad."

The men in my little girl's life

The men in my little girl's life

Then came pony tails and jeans and my little girl was in her teens

"Popsie, there's a boy outside, his name is Tom.

He wants to take me to the prom.

OK, popsie? He's cute, popsie. We'll be home early, popsie."

Before I knew it time had flown and how my little girl had grown

Now it was "Father, there's a boy outside, his name is Eddie.

He wants to know if we can go steady.

Can we, father? Yes, father. Oh, can we borrow the car, pop?"

Yes it seems only yesterday I heard my lovely daughter say

"Dad, there's a boy outside, his name is Jim.

He asked me if I'd marry him. I said yes, dad.

Got something in your eye, dad? I love him, dad."

The men in my little girl's life

The men in my little girl's life

A child, an adolescent, a young lady, a wife

And oh yes, there's another man in my little girl's life

"Hi dad, there's a boy outside, his name is Tim.

I told him Grampa was gonna babysit him.

Thanks, dad. Bless you, dad. Good night, dad."

The men in my little girl's life

The men in my little girl's life

What a sweet song! What a gut-wrenching reality. Now that I have two daughters of my own, it leaves me weak in the knees to think of them giving parts of their hearts away to boys with cooties. How did my Daddy survive? How could he stand to the side and watch the story unfold? Like the time that I gave my big lollipop to the little boy who promised to be my boyfriend if I gave him my sucker, but then he and his stupid-head friend sat in the back of the bus, eating the sucker and laughing because I fell for their joke. I was out of a sucker, a boyfriend, and a big chunk of my heart. Daddy has heard me cry over many a boy, many a sucker, and sometimes they were one in the same. But ultimately, Daddy knew the secret. He knew that if I ever fell in love with the supreme Lover of my soul, then no matter what heartache came my way, I would be okay. And he was right.

See, girls - boys really do have cooties. Boys are grose. They will break your heart. But they also can take your breath away, waltzing you across the dance floor in beautiful glass slippers. They can make your heart beat fast and your imagination twirl with the possibilities of a magical future together. God designed this beautiful thing called love. But He is also there waiting for you when someone stomps all over your heart and doesn’t stay around to help clean up the mess.

Isaiah 54:5 is an intriguing verse and one that I have taken to heart. “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name.” When we make God our first and foremost husband, then all the other boys play second fiddle. They don’t hold near the control over our delicate hearts that they did before. He is the One Who thrills us more than any human being could dare!

Is there a “boy outside” in your life these days? Congratulations, princess! But just remember to make God the ultimate Lover of your tender heart. Spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer and let Him sweep you off of your feet as you worship Him. Then suddenly, the Great Healer can soothe any cootie bites you may pick up along the way from those sometimes stinky, sweat “boys outside.”

Sittin' Pretty

“…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11b

The Apostle Paul said it – not me. I wouldn’t dare say that I have fully and completely learned this lesson, but I am certainly a work in process.

“Whatever state I am in” has changed several times over the last many years. Let’s see. There was South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, then back to good ‘ole South Carolina. While I am fairly sure that the apostle Paul was not referring to a geographical state in which to be content, it is no secret that moving around can be tough. There’s a new house, new license plate, new friends, new school, new church, new grocery store, new bank, and new names to try to remember. Lots of new.

Each time the address has changed on my driver’s license, I have found the intense need to hang onto God for dear life. That’s not a bad thing. Whether searching for the laundry detergent aisle or that new best pal, God was quietly there assuring me with His peace. Psalm 121:5 says that the Lord stands BESIDE you. Can’t you just picture God standing in line with me at the DMV? What a thought!

I’ve had other addresses, too, that I didn’t mention yet. Maybe you’ve lived there once or twice yourself. I recall the neighborhoods of Surprise, Disappointment, and Stress. Oh, and let’s not forget the subdivision of Grief, Betrayal and Discomfort either. Those were doozies! How vividly I remember sitting on the front porch of those emotions and wondering where my fairy tale life had gone – silently asking God the questions that He knew were running around in my heart. “What just happened? Why? How? What now?” The numb throbbing was loud in my ears. The fear of the future ever present…but so was God’s unmistakable peace. People would ask, “How ARE you – really?” And I could honestly answer that I was pushing through with God’s grace and strength – really.

Then again, I have lived in some swank sectors, too. The view was incredible from the neighborhood of Maturity, Growth, and Fulfillment! And the birds were always singing when I made my home in Joy, Exhilaration, and Delight. Those places are my favorite. But the key is somehow to find the serenity and peace God gives no matter WHERE He has placed me for the time being. I don’t seem to find that in a Hershey bar (though it never hurt). No, I find my focus when I spend time reading the words God spoke, when I speak to Him and pour out the cares of my heart, and those delicious times I spend talking about Him over coffee or lunch with a friend. (We call that “soul slushing.”)

I will leave you with a more complete section of Paul’s writings from Philippians 4:11-12, and I will whisper a prayer that you and I can continue to experience more and more of the contentment that comes from knowing the lush love of an extravagant Savior – regardless of the current state in which we find ourselves.

“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (NIV)