This year Charlie Brown will turn 72 in October.

For 72 years Lucy convinces Charlie that she will hold the football so that Charlie may kick it.

For 72 years she mercilessly pulls it away.

It has been 72 years and he still tries.

For the love of Pete! Isn’t anyone ever going to tell Charlie, “Stop playing with Lucy!”

Truthfully, I must admit it took 50+++++ years for a trained expert to tell me the very same love-giving advice.

However, this has truly been some of THE BEST 5 cent advice I’ve ever received!

Has anyone ever advised you to, “Stop playing with Lucy?”

Or at the very least, “Stop allowing her to hold the ball?”

If not, and you have a Lucy (or a group of Lucys,) in your life – who always manage to harm your Spirit – let me be the one who encourages you to create NEW patterns for yourself.

Don’t waste more years of your life trying the same thing, expecting different results.

Repeat after me…

“I AM DONE BEING AROUND PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WANT TO BE WITH ME ANYWAY!”

Go be with Snoopy, Linus, Pig-Pen, Schroeder, Marcie, Peppermint Patty or the red-haired girl!!

(Personally, I love Peppermint Patty!)

THESE are your people.

These are the ones who will say, “I love you and you also have salad in your teeth.”

It’s true that some people aren’t going to be worthy of your vulnerability. Some people will turn up their noses at your perceived flaws. They’ll see your humanity as failure. They’ll judge you for your personality, for the things you say, for your beliefs, and for the way you do life. Let me tell you something (and I can’t stress this enough): those are not your people.

Bless them and let them go!

Life is too short to spend it trying to impress people who didn’t like you in the first place.

In my mind, friendship is walking through life together. It’s walking through the muddy pits (and falling face first) and dancing through the grassy meadows and laughing, crying, and belonging the whole way through. Any other kind of friendship just doesn’t seem worth the time.

I’ve had a few individuals in my life who thought I needed “fixing.” The kind of fixing like “you’d be better if you were different” kind of fixing.

I’m not going to lie – it hurt.

At times it took me a while to realize what was going on, but once I caught on, I determined that if someone didn’t like me, I clearly wasn’t the friend for them (and they weren’t for me).

Ultimately, I have come to accept it really only matters what God “sees” in me, not what others “see.”

I’d much rather please God and offend people.

Than please people and offend God.

If this doesn’t make sense to you then…

we are clearly not meant to play football together.

hugs n’ blessings to the friends who cheer you on as the ball soars through the goal-post!