flippin' flapjacks

Flapjacks, griddle cakes, hotcakes, pancakes...no matter what you call them, everyone knows what you mean when you say the word.  A steaming stack with butter and syrup says, "You're home," to many of us.  It doesn't matter so much what's in them or on them that makes them great, but there is a cooking secret that makes all the difference in the world.  After you pour the batter on the hot surface, you only flip the pancake once!  That's it...so simple, yet often ignored.  You see, if you keep turning it, it's not so fluffy anymore, and even becomes tough or rubbery.  So, there you have it.  Flip it once!

I made pancakes this morning, so naturally...that got me to thinking...

Have you ever known someone with a 'dry' sense of humor?  I was an adult before I really understood what that meant.  Apparently, it means that the person delivering the remark may not be very sensitive to other people's feelings.  Often they blurt something out that seems sarcastic at the least and downright mean at the most.  Now they may not have intended to come across as they did, but nevertheless, the words stung when they hit their mark.  As everyone stares incredulously at the speaker, they simply shrug and ask, "What? What did I say?"  And even if we find the gumption to ask, "What did you mean by that?" they always say, "Nothing."

Most of us have known someone who might fit in this category: not a mean person at all, it's just the words that come out of their mouths.  You never know how to respond.  In my lifetime I have been subjected to this personality characteristic way too many times.   But, I am learning to apply the "pancake flipping" technique.  Even when I suspect that this person is just trying to get me riled up, I turn it over once, in my mind, and call it done!

Almost every day, we can allow ourselves to become offended.  The option will be out there.  We must learn to flip the thing over and be done with it.  Thinking about it only makes it worse, and then we risk putting ourselves in a place that might block the blessings of God, temporarily, in our own lives. 

"Words can't hurt you," Mama said.  But, sadly, she was wrong.  Words can hurt.  Words do hurt.  But, the healing begins immediately, if we want it to.  It takes practice, but we can learn to live so that we are not easily offended by the words carelessly spoken by those around us.