I used to aspire to be a columnist. Erma Bombeck, Anna Quindlen, Leonard Pitts, Mitch Albom, Mike Royko, George Will…these are some of the columnists I have read over the years. And I aspired to join their ranks.
With the advent of email I began to send friends and family short stories, my personal columns, telling mostly amusing stories about life with the Schmidts.
Married with three children, two cats and a golden lab we have enjoyed some pretty amusing adventures. Well, not all were amusing while they were taking place. Many were amusing only in hindsight. But almost any story can be told with humor after the fact.
When relating our anecdotes I began to refer to myself as the Star in God’s Favorite Situation Comedy. As my kids grew I would tell them, the choice was theirs: keep your sense of humor and enjoy your role in God’s sitcom, or lose your sense of humor and be stuck in a drama.
In true sitcom irony I was hired to be the finance administrator at our church. Me, with my journalism training, my aspirations to be a columnist, my love of words and analogies…I was hired to crunch numbers. God has a sense of humor.
But it was this ironic twist that gave me my first opportunity to write for an audience larger than my immediate family and a few encouraging friends. I was invited to blog on our church website. A few years later and circumstances prompted me to launch my own personal blog.
And here we are.
My daughters both thought the only appropriate title for the blog was Scenes from God’s Sitcom. I was concerned that it would sound too flip. But as I chewed it over, and sought out a better understanding of what comedy actually means, I had to agree with them. In fact it was the only possible title. The blog address is meaningful as well: Choosing Comedy. To better understand why, read my post from February 23, 2011 “Comedy or Tragedy”.
I am not, however, the star of God’s Sitcom. That role is reserved for God himself. This is his story and I have a very, very, very small part. Just a series of cameos actually.
That is what you will find here: Me relating my various adventures in God’s story. And me talking through my growing understanding of that story.
I hope my musings will encourage you to Choose Comedy.
Robin
Yes, I’m encouraged. I don’t think I exaggerate to say that most if not all of your writing encourages me. I’m a sucker for that “if you don’t laugh, you cry” angle. Also, I relate to you finding your muse in a “number crunching” job that would seem unfit for such a thing happening. I’m all the more amazed since I had a hand in you getting that position. Go figure. I’m hoping my life will develop along similar lines. The possibilities that are surfacing don’t seem to fit the hopes within me or even the ones I’ve let others know about. So I just keep walking in tune with what I believe God is saying. I’m definitely feeling the “His ways are not our ways” thing.
Robin, hearing your take on the palm Sunday, “We had no idea” read by Doug at church was so moving! You have a gift of making everyday situations come to life with the Truth! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful perspective with so many!!!
Love,
Alyson