Irregular People

Photo: Does this lady look irregular?

THE LULU (& friends) CHRONICLES

LuLu-ism #38: Love’em but make’em accountable. And hope they do the same for you.

So, yesterday I was pedaling along on Rusty (LuLu refused to leave the garage whining something about the 19 degrees outside) when the Fake Knee started kicking up a fuss. You’d thought I was asking it to climb stairs at the Empire State Building. All the creaking, aching and stiffness, made for one joy-less ride. You see the Fake Knee is like an irregular person in my life. It’s never really happy. It complains about everything I ask it do it. And, it blames everything else on its discomfort, not taking any responsibility for its own discomfort.

Irregular people are the same. You love’em. You hate’em. And, we all have them—be it a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or the grumpy guy who waits on you at the local Kwik Trip. They are the folks who are never happy, always needy and always sure it’s someone else’s fault. Everything is always too hard, too soft and nothing is ever just right. And if we aren’t careful, they can become bloodsuckers, draining us of our own joy. Because as we all know, misery loves company.

So, what’s to be done with the irregular person in your life? Boot them out? Or, lock the doors and pretend you’re not home? Or, not answer the phone when you know it’s them? To be honest, I’ve done all of the above. I simply haven’t done it for long. I give myself enough distance to regroup and get my sanity back and then I let them in again. I have to. You see, God loves them and He wants me to love them too. It’s part of the deal when I signed on to live my life on Higher Ground.

Of course, while I have irregular people in my life, it has just dawned on me that I just might be the irregular person in someone’s life? You think? Surely not? Well… maybe. If I am, I do hope they love me through my bouts of irregularity. Just like Jesus did. Just like God does.

The Fake Knee finally hushed a bit by the end of our ride. And, for the rest of the day it felt pretty good. Had I given into it’s whining I wouldn’t have helped it at all. Irregular knee. Irregular people. Give them what they need. Not what they want. Love in action.

Later,

deb