That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs

Author:Annie F. Downs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Living;Amusements—­Religious aspects—Christianity;Play—Religious aspects—Christianity;Hobbies—Religious aspects—Christianity;Christian life;Christianity and culture;REL012070;SEL016000;REL012040
ISBN: 9781493425891
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

YOU CAN GET SO LOST in your own life and your own expectations that you forget what it is like to be just a person. You’re not just a mom or a dad, you’re a person. You’re not just a teacher, you’re a person. You’re not just his girlfriend, you’re a person. You’re not just her fiancé, you’re a person. You’re not just your job or your calling or your ministry or your relationships, you are a person.

And if you don’t remember that you are a person first—that when it was just Eden, you were just you—then fun may be easy to find, but it will be hard to maintain. It had been such a slippery slope for me that by the time I made it to the ranch, I didn’t realize my person-ness was lost in my public-ness.

But then we ate breakfast on Wednesday.

Jenn and I sat down with our friend Tony, who runs the ranch, over at his table in the back corner, where he usually sits alone and reads the news on his iPad. We ordered breakfast and the special was my favorite of the whole week: chilaquiles. It is corn tortilla strips with beans poured on top with fried eggs, green salsa, and cheese and sour cream as well (if you aren’t allergic to dairy). As my plate arrived, Tony took his glasses off, placed his hands on the table, and looked at me. “You’ve got to quit doing the thing you’re doing. You’re not supposed to do that here.” My eyes were probably as big as saucers. I didn’t think I knew what he meant, but something in me did know. I felt the stir in me, that he was saying something very true, but I didn’t quite know what yet. He continued looking right at me. “You don’t have to be anything for anyone here. Quit doing that.”

And then I knew.

I was uncomfortable in my skin because my skin was tough and this place told me to be soft. I was struggling to find my footing because the ground was meant for me to be barefoot, and I wouldn’t take off my public life shoes for fear of how my bare toes would look to this world.

For an Annie who prides herself on being true and vulnerable and exactly the same woman in person that you meet online, I had begun to morph person Annie into public Annie instead of the other way around.

We can all do it. We can all take the THING we are and after some practice and some time and some wounds and some worries, we can surely turn the THING into WHO we are. Mom. Musician. Friend. Boss. Pastor. Your thing becomes you, and when you find yourself in a soft place, like Lost Valley Ranch or a conversation with a trusted friend or even time alone with your Bible and journal, it feels uncomfortable because it just doesn’t sit well with the tough skin you’ve acquired. And I had done that.

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