I’ve got one that beats spilled milk. My daughter and I were working together on cooking breakfast. She had the bacon under control and I proceeded to stir the eggs for scrambling.
I thought I would be smart and use the whisk. The electric whisk. That is all well and good except for the fact that I was using the wrong bowl! It wasn’t deep enough to contain the sloshing.
Egg went everywhere. (sad face)
Our dog was right there to help out, but I was not going to let him up on the counter! So, I scraped the egg off onto a saucer and made our canine friend very happy.
In that moment on that day, I was able to handle it all with a smile. Not always the case. Ask my kids. I am not always so gracious.
And if it’s someone else’s mess that takes up my time to clean. Oh my. Don’t come knocking on our door.
So, what’s the difference? Why laugh at the messes one day and cry the next? Perhaps I could blame one of my many boxes. The place out of which I am more comfortable responding. My hormones or too much sugar. Not enough sleep would be a good one to blame.
But there is a better response. An out of the box way to live in this messy world. One that is full of grace and forgiveness. For whoever the mess maker is.
What I tell my kids – and I need to listen to my own sermon – is that there will always be things that make it difficult, but it is always my choice how I respond.
I want to live outside of the box. By the grace of God.
Do you have a mess of the day?
What kind of boxes keep you trapped in old responses?
