The moment THAT came out of my mouth

I couldn’t believe those words came out of my mouth.

There I was, doing a live 60-minute radio show on a huge network of 6 channels promoting my new book Untangled, and as I was trying to answer her question… the wrong phrase spilled out.

Sweet mother.

We were talking about God’s call for us to surrender in marriage, and how the world has seriously twisted His plan. It’s left us believing that if we let our husband take a leadership role in our marriage, it means we’re more of a doormat than a partner.

… like we’re never supposed to have an opinion. 

… like we’re under our husband’s control, expected to do what they want when they want. 

… like we’re inferior and weak.

And then I said…

“Right! It’s like we’re supposed to be NAKED and PREGNANT in the kitchen.”

And then I freaked…

“Did I really say that?”

And then I recovered…

“Well that’s a conversation for another day. What I meant to say was barefoot and pregnant.”

And then I finished the last 30 minutes of the interview, sweating profusely.

O-M-Gosh.

So here’s what happened in my brain: At that very moment… as I was answering her question… my mind flashed back to the gabillion commercials this summer for the reality TV show Naked and Afraid. They stuck because I realize I would never, ever, never, never, ever be on such a show.

Because I don’t really like to be naked or afraid. For reals.

But for some reason, the barefoot and pregnant phrase I was trying to say … collided with the naked and afraid phrase I’d never want to say on live Christian radio.

My heart rate went up. Sweat poured out. And I began begging God to settle me back down. 

Honestly, the rest of the show was a blur. Those next 30 minutes felt like 4 hours. I’m pretty sure I made sense and answered the rest of the questions, but only because there is a gracious God in Heaven who loves me.

I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Or at least binge on pretzels dipped in Nutella (seriously, have you tried it?).

Anyway…

After the show ended and the host and I connected off-air, we immediately busted up. Apparently she had muted her mic when those words came out of my mouth because she was laughing so hard.

She was laughing and I was sweating. Awesome.

And while the recording of the show is on my website, I’ve yet to listen to it.

Truth is… life is so much better when we can find humor in the situations that freak us out and make us sweat, right? Laughter is therapy. Sometimes we just need a good belly laugh to bring perspective and shift things.

And because we’re living in a world that seems to be coming unglued all while we’re facing our own life-changing struggles and fears … we need moments of levity to remind us there’s joy.

Sometimes we have to fight for it. Cling to it. Own it.

Even in all the mess, life can be beautiful. And fun. So be careful not to live in the doom and gloom of the news. Don’t get weighed down by circumstances. And don’t let your own mistakes set the wrong tone.

This world isn’t falling apart… it’s falling into place.

And God is still in control — always in control — and His face is turned your direction.

So remember to hold onto joy. Find the silver lining. See the cup as half full. Look for God’s hand in your life. Hug those you love. Show mercy. Help those in need.

And for heaven’s sake… laugh.

©2015 Carey Scott