The last few blogs have been intense, so it is time for something a bit more light-hearted. Today I will share a funny memory from my past.
Christmas 1978
My blended family includes:
Ken: father
Paula: step-mother
Wesley: step-brother
Ed: half-brother
The Christmas tree standing in the corner of the living room is perfect, almost. My seven-year-old eyes notice a flaw in the tree skirt- a wrinkle that must be fixed. While dad watches the T.V. from his chair, I crawl under the tree and start tugging on the tree skirt. My tugging produces a domino effect: tug on tree skirt pulls on tree trunk, tree starts to fall, tree lands on my unsuspecting father’s lap, and father hollers in pain as tree needles puncture his skin. When the toppled tree is removed from my father’s lap, I see evergreen needles sticking into his arm. Oh dear, what a mess I have made!
Have you ever tried to fix a problem and discovered in the process that you have made things much worse? Perhaps your intentions were good, but the outcome proved disastrous. What do you do now?
Sometimes life gets messy. Just because your actions cause conflict does not mean you have made a mistake. Sometimes God uses conflict to bring healing. Even in the messy moments, God is working.
The story of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet comes to mind. She broke the cultural norms and made quite a scandal by letting down her hair in public to clean her Savior’s feet and shower them with her kisses. How shocking and awkward for the religious people of that day! But she didn’t let the judgmental attitude of others stop her from showing love to Jesus (Luke 7:36-39). Jesus was not upset with her for creating such a “messy moment;” instead Jesus used it as a teaching opportunity on forgiveness and love.
Luke 7:47
“He who has been forgiven much loves much.”
Prayer
Hello Father God,
Here we are with our messy lives. We would like everything to be neat and tidy, but that is no longer possible. We are trusting that you can sort through this dilemma and bring about a positive outcome. Give us wisdom to know which path to take, when to speak, and when to be silent. We are trusting you to lead us and make things clear.
Lord, you were broken and your life was spilled out for us. Help us to be broken and spilled out for You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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I am taking a two week break from publishing my blog and will be praying about what God wants me to write about in the new year. I would appreciate your prayers during this time.
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