YMCA

If you know me much at all, you know that I like to bend the rules sometimes, or not even follow them at all if I don't agree with them. Por ejemplo: making a U-turn when there's a "No U-turn" sign. Or, making a U-turn when there is a "No Left" sign, because a Left is not technically a U-turn.

When I moved to Richmond in 2005, I joined the downtown Y. They look at the previous years tax returns to determine how much I needed to pay per month, so I ended up with a super cheap monthly membership fee b/c in 2004 I was a student and I think I made a total of $100 (I substitute taught for 2 or 3 days nbd). The Y was all "Ian you are poor so we're not going to make you pay much" and I said "OK great I hope this lasts forever great thanks."

I now have a job and I make more than $100 a year. But!, the Y never asked me to re-evaluate my membership, and I never volunteered to let them know that my income has changed. Let a sleeping dog lie. I mean, don't punch a dead horse in the face. Wait, it has to be your dead horse.

But you see what I'm saying. I felt like I was workin' it w/ this membership thing, paying not much at all even tho if I were to join fresh as a new member, I'd have to pay more. Workin' it. Stickin' it to the man sort of.

But today!, I walked into the Y and the dude was all "ok Mr. Davis, looks like we'll have to re-evaluate your income situation" so my heart stopped for 3 minutes and I was all "hmm.... why should we go and do that?" - "b/c the time is up, time to re-evaluate. Please bring last year's tax statements."

So what am I going to do? Good thing I dabble in a little piece of software called MS Paint, and I've been taking MS Paint night classes from 5:30pm - 3am every day after work, so I'm going to use my 2004's tax return and just change all the 2004's to 2008's. It's a win-win...-win.

What is my goal? My goal is to pay even LESS than what I do now, to find some loophole in the system, or maybe even give them a coworker's bank account number instead of mine. Because this is what I do: I do my best to work the system.

Free Samples + Peace Not Anxiety

2 things have been on my mind today, and they are related I think.

1. I. love. free. samples. Today no kidding I went to UKrops, walking in the store fully intending to ravage the free samples, and I ate (count it) SEVEN pieces of sushi from the sushi sample plate. Seven, right in front of the Japanese sushi guy. It was so good and I feel great about it. Best decision of my life.
   
   
2. Speaking of decisions, another thought hit me. I am glad that my God is a God who works with peace and not anxiety, especially when his children make life decisions. So many times do I let anxiety dictate my steps and I end up making poor decisions. And I think, F that was dumb. But, I think it's perfectly fine to expect God's peace to accompany big decisions in life, for His peace to drive those decisions.

Point #2 is the main thing for this post, so I'm breaking off of the bullet thing nbd. More about the peace thing, so we have "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" from Colossians 3:15, which I think is a command more than anything. It's a command for us to truly let the peace of Christ rule inside of our hearts, our being, our thoughts. And the peace of Christ cannot co-exist simultaneously with anxiety. They cannot co-habitat. They would suck as roommates, even if they had a foosball table (I played foosball w/ my roommates in college 24/7).

And then we have another command: do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7.

And I love this promise and I bank my life on it. However, it takes action from us in order to receive that peace. We are commanded to not worry about anything. That is on us.

So with all of that said, I fully expect God's peace to dictate my decisions, and to direct my steps. I hate HATE when people say "you know, maybe you just have this worry-thing going on in your life, this slight OCD where you over-analyze everything and anxiety gets the best of you sometimes, and you just have to walk with that as your crutch," because that is bullshit and God does not work like that. We're made in His image and Jesus doesn't have a worry problem. And I am happy to be called a child of God.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1.

Ps. one final thought, I love how scripture uses the word "lavish," just like God lavishes his grace on us: "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" Ephesians 1:7-8. When I think Lavish I think pouring down rain, where it completely covers us and we cannot escape it. It just keeps pouring down on us, and God's fully aware of it and it's very intentional (the "with all wisdom and understanding" part). I love that picture.