Allow me to introduce Unga Bunga. Circa 1987, she won the costume contest at my friend’s Halloween party. The costume was a $5, last-minute purchase from Walmart. It was about 4 feet wide and I stapled the sides to make it fit. My boyfriend at the time still recalls being whacked on the head with the inflatable club as I repeatedly shouted “Unga Bunga,” thus the name.
That was 35 years ago and part of me gets nostalgic when I think about the girl in the costume. Life seemed so much simpler in the 80s and I sometimes wish I could rewind time and remember what it was like to think I had life figured out. I lived under the illusion that by working hard, I could control inputs and predict/control outcomes. Life worked for me. I studied for school, I practiced my clarinet, and I got results. Easy, huh? This led to the myth of self-sufficency and the resulting belief I could do life on my own. God was my 911 call, and I got really spiritual walking into my All-State clarinet tryouts.
Life happened and when my husband died of a blood clot in 2014, and I learned the hard way just how little control we have over…anything! I was forced into a position of trusting God to lead the way and had no choice but to depend on Him…for everything!
For several years after Paul died, I struggled to dream again about my future. I figured that “God’s gonna do what God’s gonna do…so why bother?” Over time, I’ve developed a new philosophy. I can’t say that I always stick to it, but I can say life produces much more peace and joy when I do. What’s my new approach to life?
Co-labor with God. Listen to His still, small voice, and be obedient to what you think He’s calling you to do. That’s the part you control. Your obedience. You then trust Him with the outcomes, knowing you’ve done your part.
Unga Bunga might not agree, but never trust a woman wearing dog bone earrings and sticks in her hair.