Cart Correction

When it comes to carts, I think I am cursed.  It seems to never fail, that when I make my choice from that tangled mess of metal and madness in the entrance of Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee or Target, I end up with a defective one.  Really.

So, the other day as I was pushing my shopping cart, I noticed that I had to work especially hard at keeping it on the straight and narrow.  As I perused the endless aisles, I realized that I must apply heavy pressure on the right side of the handle so the left wheel wouldn’t push me into an oncoming customer.  I was exhausted by the time I got to the check out aisle and had to go home and take a nap after unloading my groceries.

This whole experience of fighting with my cart, the wheel wanting to go one way, and me pulling it back, made me think of how I am with God.  I constantly try to go my own way, think my own thoughts, bring myself the glory.  God, in His loving strength continues to pull me back on the right path through His Word, His people, His Glory.

Sometimes, though, I don’t respond to any of these, and He in His infinite wisdom, has to apply some pressure to my life so I won’t keep pulling away.  This pressure may come in the form of conviction or confusion or discontentment, and though it feels uncomfortable, it always turns me back to God…at least for a time.

And God, in His boundless mercy, continues to guide me patiently, knowing full well that I will stray from His path again and again and again.  Just like the wheel on the cart.

But still, He keeps holding on.

And He keeps guiding me so I won’t collide with disaster.

And I need to keep trusting Him and letting Him lead the way. 

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of folls will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety, and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Proverbs 1:32-33

May Madness 2013

Hey!  It's May 13th and my first post of the month.  It's not that I am trying to ignore y'all, it's just that it's May and the madness has begun (check out Mad May 2010 and the same from 2012).

And you know my new job?  It kind of interferes with my life. Besides working, here's what I been doing since I last talked to you:

I washed and dried my family's sheets 2 times and hung them on the line to make them smell good.  I attended 1 going-away party, 1 graduation party, 1 baby shower, 1 band concert, 1 worship concert, 1 night of work on a Friday eve, 1 track banquet (I skipped the 2nd one), 2 track meets, 2 connection groups, 3 staff meetings, 3 lunch meetings (one at El Azteca), and visited Sam's club too many times to mention.  I  made 3 special trips to HyVee to buy Kale for my husband, 12 cupcakes to celebrate the now-ignored May Day, and fed 16 extra people (at different times--not including my family) at my house.  I produced no-bakes in 15 minutes for an event I had to leave for in 30, sewed 2 puppy towels, ironed 1 shirt for my son, and ran 7 very fast miles with my long-legged daughter. I sent a package to my mother-in-law, a package to my finals-taking daughter and a package to someone unknown (for Luke).  I rode around a local lake for 2 long hours with some energetic 9 year old boys for the local Christian school bike-a-thon and the day after that I earned my yellow belt in boot camp, even though my legs were pretty sore.  I helped create 1 video (on a bad hair day) to highlight women's ministry and I recruited 12 volunteers for the welcome team at church. I  made bone broth in my crock pot. I made yogurt in my crock pot.  And one day, I put a roast in my crock pot, but forgot to plug it in--that means big disappointment after being gone for 10 hours. I washed a neighbor's dishes, ate a neighbor's salad, and paid a neighbor big bucks for the damage to their car (It was not my fault.  Someone else, whose name rhymes with roll, backed into them).  I bought 2 tank tops, 2 t-shirts, and a pair of shorts in order to usher in summer (since we skipped spring) and I invited 20 people and millions of children to my house for a work brunch next week.  That means I need to plant 3 flower beds and 2 flower pots, replace 2 dead bushes and remove 5 piles of dog poop from the sidewalk before they arrive.  In the remaining days of the month, I still need to attend 1 member's banquet, 1 coffee date, 3 discipling dates, 2 grad parties, 1 band concert, 1 bridal shower, 1 American citizenship celebration,  and 1 fund-raising carwash for the kids.  I also have 1 potluck at my house (not to be confused with the aforementioned brunch) in 8 days, 1 storytelling time for Sunday, and 1 fine day of moving my college girl back home.  Oh, and Cole wants me to make curtains for his tree house when I have time.

One of these days (not in May), I will again have time to produce inspiration and wit which I will post on this here blog.  But now, I must retire so I can get my 5 hours of beauty sleep.

And then I will make curtains.