A strong hitch in my giddy-up…

I hate birthdays.
Not yours… just mine. 😉
I don’t know why.
I dread them and only feel relief when the day is over.
It’s not an age thing- not fear of getting older- bring it!
But rather just the layers of expectations plagued by a day of celebration.
Is this a dramatic response to a day that’s simply supposed to be filled with unlimited Diet Coke and an acquisition of cake?
Yes. Why yes it is.
Still -it’s how I feel. And since this is my blog- welcome to my brain about my birthday. 😂

This past birthday I awoke at 4 a.m. feeling stuck.
A bit mental – of course…
But literally physical. My back, hips, and any other large muscle group that exists in my mid-back through my calves were having the wrong kind of party all at my expense.
I could hardly rotate to free myself out of the usually comfy place of refuge- my bed…
I used gravity to aid my exit and put aside thoughts of unbalanced water chemicals and with a strong hitch in my giddy-up, I headed to my hot tub on my back patio.
There would be no sunrise despite my 4 a.m. wake-up call. The air was thick with smoke from brush fires hundreds of miles away.
I pondered the end of one year and the beginning of another.

I’ve noted what I believe to be a long list of signs that the world is getting a bit rougher as we near the return of the Savior.
I can’t say that I’m surprised. – I’ve read the Book of Revelation and I believe the warnings and prophesies contained therein.
But in the early morning of the beginning of another year of life- I assess how I’m doing.

I’ve been working to regain grace too much to make it an early morning pity party of regret.
Rather- I assess my discipleship and my goals of how I can work a little harder to be a little better in helping Christ do His work here on earth.
I know these are thoughts He wants me to think about as nearly instantaneously the adversary tries to take up space next to me.

I know there will be some pivots in my life this year. Change is on the horizon.
And yet the strongest prompting today is simply to choose joy.

Just over a year ago, I purchased an inexpensive necklace with that very message. “Choose Joy”. I never took it off and yet felt like it was a daily reminder to focus on the good and be a part of bringing good to the spaces and places I went.
One day it broke.
The- can’t be fixed because it was cheap- kind of broken. I looked online for a replacement and in the subsequent days, Amazon had all sorts of suggestions for a new necklace for me.
I deliberately chose a different message. One that has proven to be exactly the message I’ve needed to lean on this year as I’ve been stretched to grow in unexpected ways.
“I can do all things through Christ.”
If there was more space on the pendant – it might have been helpful to include the following phrases-
“Including the things I’m not good at or don’t want to do, but don’t want to not do if God wants me to do them.”

So where do I go from here-
Stretching first in hopes I can loosen my back and get some pickleball in. If that’s too big of a birthday blessing to hope for then I guess I couple the past mantra and my new one as etched in cheap metal.
“Choose joy as I work to do all things through Christ”
This next year isn’t going to be easy. I know from experience- none of them will be as we near Christ’s return.
But all things are possible through Christ.
My journey to assessing His power and the privileges and blessings available to each of us begins in my heart with faith.
I then imagine Christ and I having a little chit-chat. On days I feel strong, I can come to Him to talk over the things I’m not getting right but also to unload my stresses, and tough stuff. He wants it and I don’t- so it’s a pretty good working relationship. On days my strength is depleted I look for Him to come to me- to meet me right where I am. (I love that I know this is how it works. It’s part of Christ’s perfect example of grace.)
Next- I move my feet in the direction I feel He wants me to go.
The steps seem little and often nearly useless in the grand scheme of things, but joy accompanies the idea of taking them.

So this year on my birthday as I shallowly breathe smoky air, I summarize three birthday wishes/goals…
*I recommit to stronger discipleship with renewed energy
*To take care of myself with better, more purposeful stretching to rid the hitch in my step- physically (and spiritually)
*An acquisition of cake.
After all-
“Men are that they might have joy.”
And I’m working to keep choosing it!

-JC

Butterfinger Topped Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup soft butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg+ 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute or until fluffy. Hand stir in eggs and vanilla; don’t over-mix. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Scoop out approximately 24 2” balls of dough. Gently roll. For a richer flavor and smoother texture, form cookie dough balls, flatten slightly, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake. Place on greased or parchment paper on an aluminum cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 min. Let cool completely. 

Spread a spoonful of Butterscotch Chocolate Fudge onto the center of each cookie. Immediately top with chopped Butterfinger candies.

Let set. Share.

Butterscotch Chocolate Fudge
1 1/2  cups butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt together. Use while still warm so fudge is easy to spread.