The light in the tunnel

 It's here, finally... 2012... the best year of my life!
2011 wasn't hard to beat, in my opinion. Depression. Anger. Separation. Divorce proceedings. Blah blah blah.
When you don't sleep in your own bed (or any bed, for that matter). When you hear she's with another man, you know, it kinda rattles the ol' cage...

But 2011 is gone forever. Yippee!

And now, its up to me. 2012 is gonna be my personal best. I may not have everything like I want it, but get this: I can change myself into whatever God wants me to be, with His help! All I gotta do is ask, and believe, and seek Him!

God's Word does NOT return void. Proverbs 16: 3 says, "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will SUCCEED! Not a bad verse... If that's true (and it is) then I am gonna commit to the Lord my pursuit of my wife. I'm not gonna try to make her mine anymore. I'm gonna romance her through God's romance filter. I will pursue her as HE directs me.
I will keep away when He says keep away. I will pursue when He says pursue. I will listen to God and His Word.
My life's tunnel is DARK. I can't see my hand in front of my face. But with the light of God's glory, I can see perfectly. I can see that it isn't the light at the END of the tunnel, it's the light IN the tunnel with me that matters. It's His light. It's his purpose. I am not alone. I am not afraid. I am no longer angry and bitter. Thank you, Lord, for the light of your truth shining so brightly it overshadows the blackest, longest tunnel!

And, because I am learning to be content in this tunnel, with God's light, imagine the incredible joy awaiting me when I reach the end and step into the actual light of living victoriously!
Sure, troubles will still be there. Conflict won't go away. Issues will arise.
But I will have been equipped with the light IN the tunnel and I won't ever have to walk in the dark again, come what may on the outside of the tunnel.

I'm Dreaming of a Dark Christmas

 So my friend was telling me about her neighbor's blinding bright Christmas lights. (Some people have a lil' too much Chevy Chase in 'em)...
 And she doesn't get along with this particular neighbor. Those ridiculously gawdy lights burn ever brightly from across the street. She has to close her curtains to ignore their brilliance.
 Me: "Why do people invest in all those lights anyway? They pay for them, put them up, and sit in the house, where the view of them is greatly diminished. They seem to go to alot of effort to impress outsiders."
 She: "I don't like the guy in that house."
 Me: "Hmm. So, where is this coming from?"
 She: "I'd like to unplug them."
 Me: "His lights?"
 She: "Yes. He's mean."
 Me: "What did he do?"
 She: "He made my daughter cry on Halloween. I told him to stay on his side of the street. (Pause) I'd like to go over and unplug his Christmas lights before they blind a pilot flying overhead."
 She went on to tell me the Mean Neighbor Guy's 8-old-daughter, on that fateful Halloween night, saw her walking toward their house, smoke coming out of her ears.
 "Look out, dad!" the little girl said, darting behind her confused father. The poor guy got an earful, as witnessed by my friends' daughter across the street. At least, it was a presumed earful. Her daughter reported only being able to see her mom's hand waiving and head weaving.
 Waiving, weaving, back and forth, up and down, until the poor ol' mean guy shrank into the safety of his house and hid behind his 8-year-old.
 "And stay on your side of the street!" my friend bellowed over her shoulder as she walked back to her house. Better not cross her again, Mr. Bright Lights.
 I can just see it now; a lineup of little blonde housewives down at the county jail. The mean neighbor guy rubs his eyes, staring closely, carefully eyeing each face on the other side of the two way mirror. His eyes light up as he points wildly. "That's her, officer. Second from the end on the left!"
 Cop: "You're absolutely certain?"
 Mean Neighbor Guy: "I'd know her face anywhere. It was illuminated by tens of thousands of Christmas lights just before the blackout."
 Cop: "What do you mean, the blackout?"
 MNG: "She deliberately walked across the street, entered my yard, and unplugged my lights."
 The cops shakes his head, sorry he has to fill out such trivial paperwork.
 Perhaps the mean neighbor guy should thank my friend for saving him a ton on his electric bill.