It’s been a rough couple of days at the Bryson house.  On Monday night Micah came in to our room at 2pm with a temp of 103.  His heart was racing and he was hallucinating.  At one point he pointed at my sheets and said “look daddy, a giraffe”.  We called the on call nurse and she said we should take him to the E.R.

We did and the short version is Micah is all better now.

While we were sitting in the waiting room Micah and I played with a table top block toy they have in the E.R. I was trying to keep his attention off of being sick and it was working.  A guy who looked like he had seen more in his life than one man ought walked by and stood near us talking on his cell phone.  He leaned away from the small group in the room and said “I just wanted to call and let you know that Thompson is dead.”  He followed up this earth shattering statement with a few yes’s and no’s, then he hung his head and began to weep.

It reminded me in that moment that even though my son was sick and I wanted him to feel better so badly, there were other people going through bigger things around me.

Life is really short and we never know what tomorrow will bring.  I want to show my family that I love them as much as I actually love them.  I want to show those around me that Jesus is legit and that He loves them.  I’ll accomplish this by loving them, not just talking about loving them.  I want to continue to create interesting things that solve problems for people and I want to live life to the fullest until it’s my time to go.

Having children has made me realize how selfish I have been my whole life.  All of a sudden there are little tummy’s who need me to fill them, and little imaginations who want me to play.

Okay, I currently only have one kid, but the next one is about to drop and I couldn’t be more excited.

God absolutely knew what He was doing when he gave us the ability to reproduce.  He knew that we would melt when we walk through the door at the end of the day and a hugfest ensues.  He knew that being parents would make us better people and He knew it would change us.  He knew we would choose them over ourselves every time and slowly our selfishness would burn away like chaff.

I can’t even count how many people told me that “having a kid will change your life”, and it I am so glad it did!

I am thankful for the blessings in my life.

What are you thankful for?

Today I hurt a friend of mine’s feelings.

It really bothered me that I had said something flippant that hurt another human and I set out to apologize immediately.  Before I was able to get said person on the phone to plead for forgiveness I realized something …

… I was attempting to apologize so that I would feel better, not so that they would.

Crud, now I am really annoyed with myself, and if it were possible I might’ve kicked my own butt.

After a prayer and a few hours to think through what apologizing and seeking forgiveness means I was able to make the call that was truly about my friend and no longer about me.

My new goal is to think about others first (i.e. their feelings and not just ways I can make jokes) and to be empathetic to those around me.

If you’re my friend please call me out when I am not living up to this goal.

Thank you.

Today I received a frantic text from my wife.  She informed me that our neighbor had backed his car down our street, the wrong way, almost hitting her.

The side of me filled with testosterone (and sin) wanted to race home and smack the neighbor around until his teeth fell out of his mouth like Chiclets.

I swallowed and texted her back asking if she was alright.  Before I could hit send I saw her photo on caller I.D.  We spoke and she was truly shaken and this lit me up even more.

This particular neighbor drives as if there aren’t children all over the neighborhood and as if he is always late for something.  We have had conversations about his driving in the past.

Then, somewhere in my fume, I began to think about what Jesus would say about this situation.

Crap, now I’m thinking about Jesus, which usually leads me to ask Him what He wants of me.  The worst part of this is that it is almost always the more difficult path.

He then reminded me that I didn’t know this neighbor, didn’t know his name or how old his children were, all because I never took the time to stop and say hello.

So, what to do?

My first plan was to get the phone number off his work truck and call his boss and honestly aswer the question “How’s my driving”.

But is that what Jesus would have me do?  He might get fired, how would that help?

So upon arriving home I asked Leah if we had any cookie dough or brownie mix.  We didn’t. “But we need milk, and you could pick up a brownie mix while you’re there” Leah said.  Crap, I was just hoping we didn’t have any and that she would call me a doofus and I would just drop it.

Ten minutes later I find myself at the grocery store, purchasing milk and brownie mix. And a few hours later I took warm brownies and a cigar to the neighbors house.

I walked up to their home, nervous and sweaty.  This guy might punch me in the mouth or sick his dog on me or kick me off his property.  I should turn around and gnarf down the brownies in the garage.  Nobody would know.

I approached and the family was on the porch and welcomed them into the neighborhood with brownies and a stoge.  We chit chatted about a few things and I asked to speak to the driver, the man of the house, in private.

I swallowed hard, realizing I am a massive wuss.  I explained that I am a Christian and that I am trying to do the right thing here. I explained how he nearly backed over my pregnant wife and that I would appreciate it if he slowed down in the neighborhood.

I braced for his retort.

“Oh man, that hurts my heart”. He said.  What?  WHAT?   … Awesome.

I truly believe that God wanted me to reach out to my neighbor, to love him as myself.  I didn’t want to do it because I was worried about his response.  Sometimes God just tells us to do what He has called us to do, and it’s His job to worry about the details.  I am so thankful that He is rad when I am, well, just me, trying to figure this all out.

I am so thankful that His Spirit’s nagging doesn’t give up on me because sometimes I am a bit hard of hearing.

Sometimes I simply have to turn off the TV, the radio and close my laptop and be still.  It’s in those moments I hear God the loudest.