Beauty and Beast Get Very Lost

Beast: Wow!
Beauty: Wow is right. That was a close call!
Beast: It really was. We were seriously lost in the woods. It was just after four in the afternoon and we had hiked over eight miles and all the lines on the map were beginning to run together. I was in a complete fog.
Beauty: Nods her head.
Beast: Hey, You didn’t know where we were either! You would have continued moving in the wrong direction if I hadn’t stopped us when we got to that big field and noticed the mountain up ahead was in the wrong place.
Beauty: We were in the wrong place.
Beast: I’m not sure we were in the wrong place as much as we just didn’t know what place we were in. We didn’t know Bradley Creek Trail and the Riverside Trail actually intersect in two different places. When we got there I assumed…
Beauty: Rolls eyes. See…It was your fault.
Beast: Why does it always have to be someone’s fault? As I was saying…We were at the junction of these two trails, just not the one I thought and so we ended up going north instead of south.
Beauty: I thought you had a compass?
Beast: Actually, you had the compass…but I thought the compass was wrong.
Beauty: Eyes open wide. So you thought both the map and the compass were wrong?
Beast: I did…It just felt like we were going in the wrong direction and when we ended up at the Junction Squirrel Mountain Trail I just knew I was right.”
Beauty: Right, because you had said if we hit another trail then we know where headed in the wrong direction.
Beast: Double right…except we didn’t start at the point on the map where I thought we were and that’s what messed me up.
Beauty: You said that. We were at the junction of Bradley Creek and Riverside, just not the one you thought we were at.
Beast: At least I finally figured it out and we didn’t need to spend the night out in the middle of the Pisgah National Forest.
Beauty: Is that where we were?
Beast: I think so.
Beauty: Is there any sort of spiritual application to all this?...you know, for someone who may actually be reading your dumb blog.
Beast: Hey...it's our dumb blog. I like to read it.
Beauty: Rolls eyes.
Beast: OK. It’s possible to get lost even if you have a map and compass. Do not panic when you realize that you’re lost. Pray. Keep your feet dry.
Beauty: Right. We had to cross those two rivers at least twenty times, twenty six actually since you took us the wrong way up that last trail.
Beast: I got us home didn’t I?
Beauty: Barely
Beast: Barely counts!
Beauty: Is that a bear behind you?
Beast: Running. Hellllpppp!

Beauty Sees Something

Beauty: Last night the two of us were having dinner. A great bottle of red wine and cheeseburgers on the grill. No children... no grand children. It was a beautiful balmy night and I was thoroughly enjoying myself when I made the following comment...., "you know at the yard sale today I am the kind of person who just likes to get the most money for what I am selling."
Beast: Right. Then we put everything away and left some stuff at the curb for the trash pick up people and a couple of college kids came by and offered us five bucks for that nasty old broken dresser and I wanted to give it to them and you insisted we take their money because you felt we were still a few dollars short of our goal.
Beauty: Right, you went on to say.... "you are never satisfied , nothing is ever good enough."
Wow. I wasn't expecting that! I thought to myself ...Why does he always have to be so critical.?We were just sitting here having a lovely time.
Well later that evening when I couldn't fall asleep I guess some of what we said was bothering me. But I began to listen...and I began to wonder, why does it take me so long? Why does it take so long for me to get it? I thought what you said was so true. Nothing is ever good enough. Even the blood of Jesus isn't good enough. At least not for me. I always feel like I'm under the gun and I need to add something to what He has already done for me. I'm never satisfied even when God is. It really helped me to see that. I should be happy that God is happy and it's because of that blood (and nothing else) so why shouldn't I be? I immediately felt so much peace and fell right to sleep.
But this morning I guess I was still kind of mad and then I realized it is only my pride that keeps me form seeing what you were trying to tell me. And you can see things in me that I can't. When I stop being proud I can hear what you are saying.
I love this scripture and have been wanting to understand it.
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes.."Romans 10:4.
To me that means that Christ is the end of performance, of a list of do's and don't's for righteousness to all who believe. Righteousness is a gift and I am in right standing with God not based on what I do or not do but based only on what Jesus has done for me.
I want to be satisfied when He is satisfied. If it's good enough for Him then it's good enough for me.
Thank you for helping me to see.

Me Change?

Beast: Hi Beauty
Beauty: What now?
Beast: It's Friday and I thought I would ask a provacative question and sort of get things stirred up.
Beauty: Great
Beast: Do you mean Great! or that's just great...?
Beauty: The latter
Beast: Anyway. Here's the question. If there is anything you could change about me what would it be?
Beauty: Anything?
Beast: Sure. Anything...use your imagination.
Beauty: I think you tend to be critical and I wish you would show your appreciation more often.
Beast: Wow!
Beauty: How about you? What would you most like to change about me?
Beast: I wish that you were funnier.
Beauty: Makes a silly face and walks away.

Beauty Works It Out

Beauty: You know the other day when we were talking about what to do on Mother's Day....I was really mad at you.
Beast: (incredulously) You were mad at me?
Beauty: Yes. I wanted to call and yell at you for traumatizing me by running away last night.
Beast: Well, what did you do?
Beauty:I decided it wasn't a good way to start my day.
Beast: Oh, really. Have you started your day like that before?
Beauty: Lots of times. You know that. Well... this time I decided to "pray first and yell later."
Beast: Boy, I'm glad. I think I'll try that.
Beauty:Yeah, it was cool because I asked the Lord to help me understand you.
Beast: I think I'm easy to understand.
Beauty: Not for me...but God did answer my prayer. I just happened to be going through some papers and I found this study on the traits of the 4 basic personality types...and I think you are an Expressive.
Beast: Oh, really?
Beauty:Yeah, Expressives are spontaneous, friendly, animated and entertaining. They have a high degree of ego and they like to talk....about themselves .( I added that )
Beast: That's me!
Well, I am more a dominant type with some degree of analytical. Neither one of us is a solid. Maybe I should have married a solid.
Beast: Yeah , me too.
Beauty: Well, It was very enlightening because I realized we are different for a reason...and it really helped me understand you. It said you like change, variety and you are frequently running away,oh, I mean restless. And your biggest problem is time management.
Beast: Hey...you're reading my mail!
Beauty: I think when you understand why another person acts the way they do it helps you not to be mad at them. You can appreciate and value them for what they are. And on the other hand you can appreciate your own self for what you are.
Beast: I think understanding one another is the key.
Beauty: I think so too. I'm glad I took the time to pray about it first.
Beast: Well,...what can we talk about now?
Beauty; Oh! I was thinking..... maybe we should take your brother.....

Beast Takes A Walk And Gets Lost

Beast: Hi beauty.
Beauty: Yo beast...I'm glad you're back. Well..pretty glad. Where'd you go?
Beast: I had a tough day at work..so when you made the disapproval face after I told you I stopped at moms to help out with the curtains...well that kind of set the course for a slide into the dark side.
Beauty: Your mom really annoys me and I can't believe you want to take her and your sister in law out on Mother's Day. That was just asking way too much.
Beast: You never did like my brother.
Beauty: He's an immigrant.
Beast: So am I.
Beauty: Yeah, but at least you went to college. he didn't even finish High school.
Beast: You know...sometimes you make me so mad... and that's why I had to leave and go for a walk.
Beauty: A walk! You didn't go for a walk. You went on an expedition. I'm surprised you didn't take your camping gear. You were gone for over two hours. I was beginning to get worried. I drove around the neighbourhood looking for you. Where we're you?
Beast: You were worried?
Beauty: Sort of.
Beast: Sort of?
Beauty: Where were you?
Beast: I got lost.
Beauty: You what?
Beast: I walked to the end of our development and then walked up Wilson all the way to Highway 21. That's when I decided to pretend I was a homeless person.
Beauty: A what?
Beast: It was a nice balmy sort of night, a light rain was falling and I just thought it would be nice to be homeless..just kind of keep walking, maybe get as far as California and forget all my problems.
Beauty: So..what happened?
Beast: Well I hadn't really stopped to think about it but the first thing I needed to figure out as a brand new homeless person was where I could pee.
Beauty: Huh?
Beast: Sure..You can't just pee anywhere. I was walking down a pretty busy highway and I thought if I stopped to pee in the bushes a policeman might stop me and I would end up in jail.
Beauty: It wouldn't be the first time.
Beast: Hey...let's not go there. Anyway, I walked by this little Italian Restaurant, peeked through the front window and saw no one at the counter so I just walked in and used their bathroom. I was very thoughtful however. I didn't even use one of their paper towels.
Beauty: That was considerate. Then what happened?
Beast: So then I continued up Hwy 21 and made a right onto 150 East towards Mooresville. I pretended that I was a kid and had run away from home.
Beauty: (Does the eye roll)
Beast: It was kind of fun. I was hoping you would be worried and then think maybe I was dead on the road somewhere and you would be sorry about everything you'd said about my mom. I continued up 150 to McLellan and then turned right. By then I had walked at least two miles and it was getting dark and spooky but I wasn't scared. I thought of the scene in Big Fish where the kids run up to the house of the one eyed witch. I kept thinking there might be a street that turned right and then led back to our development but there wasn't and so I decided to continue all the way to Main Street and then make a right.
Beauty: That's another couple of miles.
Beast: Tell me about it. My legs are sore. Anyway..that kind of sums it up.
Beauty: Did you realize you were walking right through the really bad part of town. That was dangerous.
Beast: I know. I heard gunshots.
Beauty: (Shaking here head) Well I'm glad you made it back safe and sound...I think. Anyway, we can talk more about Mother's Day...but we are not taking your brother!

A Two Year Old and A Phone Call

Beast: Hi Beauty
Beauty: Hey beast. What's up?
Beast: Taking care of a two year old has really been a test.
Beauty: Four days...how did we ever do it?
Beast: I guess that's why God gives people children when they're younger and have more stamina.
Beauty: I guess.
Beast: So, the other night as we we're trying to have dinner the phone rang.
Beauty: does the eye roll.
Beast: Right..it was an old friend calling from the west coast and as soon as you realized who was on the phone you gave me THE LOOK and said, "I'm not talking to him..." and then I immediately responded with the hurt anger face (meanwhile I think the two year old was crying) and I responded with "You never want to talk to him!"
Beauty: I don't. I think he's weird.
Beast: (laughing) A lot of our friends are weird. Well, maybe not a lot...but some.
Beauty: Not like him.
Beast: Anyway...it really hurt my feelings and made me realize how important it is to stay current in our communication.
Beauty: What do you mean?
Beast: What I mean is that people just let a lot of stuff slide..the old water under the bridge thing. Eventually however, a crack appears in the proverbial dam and then one day it breaks and the other person wonders where all this pent up stuff is coming from. I was counseling with someone last week and suddenly after ten years of marriage all this stuff is coming to the surface...sort of like a volcanic eruption. There's lava everywhere.
Beauty: Wow
Beast: Wow is right, although I guess it's better late than never. Its when couples stop communicating at all that the wheels tend to fall off.
Beauty: Actually, by then most of the wheels have actually come off.
Beast: Right.
Beauty: So, what do you suggest?
Beast: Start early. In fact it would be ideal to start this conversation before even getting married. Talk about stuff. Learn to communicate your feelings without hurting the other person. Be honest but prayerfully speak the truth in love.
Beauty: I don't know. There's some stuff you really don't like to talk about.
Beast: You mean the white elephant don't you?
Beauty: The big white elephant...your mother.
Beast: This is getting pretty real.
Beauty: I thought that was the point.
Beast: I gotta go. I think the kid is crying.