{"id":4687,"date":"2012-09-04T15:44:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T19:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oshetablogs.wordpress.com\/2012\/09\/04\/she-laughs-at-the-days-to-come"},"modified":"2012-09-04T15:44:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-04T19:44:00","slug":"she-laughs-at-the-days-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/shalominthecity\/2012\/09\/she-laughs-at-the-days-to-come\/","title":{"rendered":"She Laughs at the Days to Come"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Bossypants<\/a>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<\/tr>\n\n
Tina Fey at work \n

<\/p><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n

<\/i><\/span>Enjoy my friends, an excerpt from Bossypants by Tina Fey:<\/span>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
A Mother\u2019s Prayer for It\u2019s Daughter<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/u><\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span><\/i>First, Lord: No tattoos.<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0May neither the Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged<\/span><\/i><\/b>, for it\u2019s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach\u2019s eye, not the Beauty.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Guide her, protect her<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called \u201cHell Drop,\u201d \u201cTower of Torture,\u201d or \u201cThe Death Spiral Rock \u2018N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,\u201d and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I\u2019m asking You, because if I knew, I\u2019d be doing it, dammit.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short \u2013 a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day \u2013 And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
O Lord, break the Internet forever<\/span><\/i><\/b>, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers and the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50\u00a0A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u201cMy mother did this for me once,\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/b>she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby\u2019s neck. \u201cMy mother did this for me.\u201d And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I\u2019ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Amen.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
-Tina Fey<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
She Laughs at the Days to Come<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
\u201c\u2026she can laugh at the days to come.\u201d Proverbs 31:25<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
I was listening to this audiobook while doing the laundry and I think I played it three times just to relish in every joke and innuendo. \u00a0Regardless of what you think about her politics, you have to admit, the woman is a comic genius. \u00a0She\u2019s the youngest person to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and this little prayer is an example why. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I\u2019m struck by her willingness to make fun of the trials of motherhood from the host of fears we carry for our children, to the concerns about their future happiness, to the worries we have about parenting them well, all the way to our compassion for them when they suffer. \u00a0Tina Fey has found a way to laugh at her circumstance giving her joy in the moment and hope for the future. \u00a0I learned how to do this from a very unlikely person. \u00a0The Proverbs 31 woman. \u00a0Yes, the woman of noble character whose resume has struck fear in the heart of many-a Christian woman.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
On our honeymoon, my husband and I elected to take a cruise. As part of my self-imposed pre\/post-marital prep I chose to do a devotional on the Proverbs 31 woman. A word of advice from a burnt woman: if you decide to study this overachiever with a distaff and a spindle- do it with friends so that they can bring perspective to this passage. \u00a0Do not do it say, at 5am,\u00a0coming off a bridezilla high,\u00a0on the deck of a boat, after driving 12 hours to catch said boat then nursing a nauseous husband back to health, and coming to terms with \u00a0\u201ctill death do us part\u201d. \u00a0To say I was not in a good place, would be an understatement. \u00a0I cracked open the devotional book with my bible, turned to the highlighted, but never really applied section, and read about a chick so industrious she would make Martha Stewart cry tears of shame\u2026 or joy. \u00a0After every line, the weight of what it meant to be the \u201cperfect\u201d Christian woman grew heavy and uncomfortable like your favorite hand-wash only sweater that accidentally gets thrown into the wash. It comes out itchy, tight, and irrevocably altered. &nbsp\n

;What was meant to comfort you and protect you from the cold, \u00a0constricts and annoys you. \u00a0That\u2019s how I felt about the Proverbs 31 woman- the girl annoyed me. \u00a0I wanted to tell her where to shove that spindle\u2026 and distaff. \u00a0<\/p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>I was about to throw my bible and curl up into the fetal position, until I read the verse above\u2026 she laughs at the days to come. \u00a0Why laugh? I was intrigued. \u00a0Why not scowl? \u00a0Why not meditate or consider? \u00a0Why not Google search? \u00a0Why would God describe the woman of noble character as someone who laughs? \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Because \u201ca cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones\u201d. \u00a0 Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously. \u00a0I know I do. \u00a0I look at the three children God has given me, the gifts that are entrusted to me to do something great for him, I think about the people in my sphere of influence, or the ministry ideas I have, and I\u2019m tempted to scowl at the impossibility of it all. \u00a0I\u2019m tempted to consider multiple plans to put on a wicked awesome women\u2019s event. \u00a0I\u2019m SO tempted to set the internet ablaze with my impressive Googling skills, quickly typing, \u201cHappiest Kid on the Block\u201d, \u201cHow to Win Friends and Influence People\u201d, \u00a0or \u201chow to make your kids stop tormenting each other\u201d (seriously if you find a website on that\u2026 shoot me the link. Seriously. \u00a0I\u2019ll love you forever). \u00a0 I fret, plan, and worry because I think I need to do it all\u2026 and do it well. But, the ideal woman laughs. \u00a0So what does her laughter mean?<\/span><\/div>\n
Her laughter means she\u2019s not willing to allow future uncertainty to steal her present peace or joy. \u00a0I like how John Wesley\u2019s Commentary puts it, \u201d\u00a0She lives in constant tranquillity of mind, from a just confidence in God\u2019s gracious providence\u201d. This woman has to ability to laugh at the uncertainty of the future because of her confidence in God\u2019s gracious providence. \u00a0He is a good provider. \u00a0He will provide \u00a0opportunities to use my gifts, he will give me ideas to connect the women at my church that\u2019s meaningful to them, he will provide our needs, both financially and spiritually, and he will give me direction to make my kids the happiest on the block\u2026 because they have a happy mom\u2026 not because she is an extensive Googler.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
So what future uncertainty is stealing your present joy? \u00a0Is it a job, a relationship, a passion, a child, a ministry? \u00a0I encourage you to turn that thing over to God and trust in his goodness. \u00a0Jesus taught that God is a good father who delights in providing for us. \u00a0\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?\u201d Matthew 6:26 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Next, fill your life with laughter. \u00a0I\u2019ll try my best here, but grab this<\/a>, and get your daily dose of humor. \u00a0I\u2019ve found the more I\u2019ve made laughter and humor a priority in my life, \u00a0I\u2019ve been able to find the humor in my daily interactions with the kids, resulting in me enjoying my life as a mother and having a more optimistic outlook on my future. \u00a0I\u2019m able to laugh at tomorrow because I\u2019m choosing to laugh today. Moments of laughter, like a threat that didn\u2019t come out just right, a well timed fart, or my favorite: the knock-knock joke told by a child that doesn\u2019t quite get the concept of a punch line, have all added joy and laughter to what would be drudgery and fear-laden. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I\u2019ve made my peace with the Proverbs 31 woman. \u00a0She doesn\u2019t have to hide the spindle and distaff when I visit her in the pages of my bible. \u00a0I\u2019ve come to respect her because we have something in common- our love for our family, for our God, and a healthy sense of humor.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Laughing at the laundry I need to do tonight,<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bossypants Tina Fey at work Enjoy my friends, an excerpt from Bossypants by Tina Fey: A Mother\u2019s Prayer for It\u2019s Daughter \u201cFirst, Lord: No tattoos.\u00a0May neither the Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it\u2019s the Damage that draws the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3037,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6,7],"class_list":["post-4687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-motherhood","tag-prov31"],"yoast_head":"\nShe Laughs at the Days to Come<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BossypantsTina Fey at work Enjoy my friends, an excerpt from Bossypants by Tina Fey:A Mother's Prayer for It's Daughter\u201cFirst, Lord: No tattoos. May\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/shalominthecity\/2012\/09\/she-laughs-at-the-days-to-come\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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