Messed Up!

I found this on Facebook recently and saved it as my desktop display:

If you keep a journal, you can probably relate to the fear of having someone read it and find out how messed up you really are—what you honestly think and feel when you have the freedom to not hold back. I know I do! Today, seeing this kitten's face triggered a different thought: There is Someone who knows the contents of my journals and knows how messed up I am. He knows my thoughts before I scrawl them out in frustration upon the page. When I mask my feelings for others, I am not hiding a thing from Him. Unlike the idea of a family member or friend snooping a peek at my diary, the idea that God knows the contents of my heart brings deep comfort. He knows me to the core, yet what He sees does not keep Him from adoring me. Ponder that for a moment. Consider the mess your life would be without Christ. Thank Him for loving you no matter what the contents of your journal reveal.

Need to Work off Your Aggressions?

Baking cinnamon rolls for my son’s birthday doubled as working off frustration after one particularly stressful day. “I need to Knead!” I announced on Facebook. My sweet friend Lois responded by posting a recipe for Aggression Cookies. Yes, it is just what it sounds like; you are actually encouraged to take your frustrations out on the cookie dough. I plan to make them this afternoon. I haven’t had a bad day, but beating up cookie dough does sound like fun. If you’d like to join me (maybe you have some emotions to vent), here is the recipe: Aggression Cookies Combine: 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup margarine (= 2 sticks -good quality stick margarine, softened NOTE: I don’t like margarine so I plan to use butter.) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal Mix all together until evenly distributed. THEN begin working it with your hands. Poke, knead, punch, squeeze, take out your aggressions on it. The more you punish it, the better the cookies. The margarine softens from the heat of your hands and finally gets all the dough soft and slick. Roll into small balls, place on cookie sheet and press down with heel of hand. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until done. Sometimes it helps to have a safe, healthy outlet for blowing off steam.