Ode To New Fathers

Oh What A Tangled Mess

You can't see it from the picture but this is a pretty big box. And it is full to overflowing with hangers. It's really a jumbled mass of wire and plastic. Not really something one has a huge urge to deal with but nevertheless it did need to be done.
So.
Today my mission was to finally stop putting this task off and unjumble them.
That was fun.
I've been putting it off since we moved in but I really needed them so today was the day.
The worst part about it is this. It's my fault.
When we moved I took my clothes off the hangers and folded them so I could just put them in suitcases or small boxes so they wouldn't get dirty in the moving van.
I was in a hurry. And as I took the clothes off each hanger I just sorta threw the hangers in the box.
Yep. It was dumb. But I did it. I needed to get it done as fast as possible and that seemed to be the most expedient at the time. Blame this brillant plan on the pregnancy.
So there I was today undoing my hurried "time-saving" handiwork.
In the pursuit of doing things quickly because I wanted to move on, I actually created more work for myself down the road. I made a real mess of things and I had to sit down and take the time to fix it.
If I would have done it right back then, I wouldn't have been sitting in the floor of my bedroom grumbling at the tangled pile before me as I tried to figure out the puzzle to pry them apart.
Isn't it that way a lot of times? Not just with hangers.
God gives us tasks or commands from His word and we think, "It'll take too long that way" so we find shortcuts to get the job done. And then, later on down the road we find ourselves sitting down and untangling the mess we created by doing it our way and trying to weave around some steps in the plan God has laid out.
God's ways are perfect and there is a reason He wants us to do things the way He spells out for us. He doesn't want us to have to take time later on to fix what could have been avoided if we would have listened.
Do you ever wonder what we could have been doing for Him if we weren't using that time to untangle ourselves?
What do you think would have happened to Noah if he would have taken shortcuts or hadn't followed God's plans to the T? What would have been the result if others in the Bible hadn't listened to God's voice? What do we miss when we do the same?
Okay, I realize that hangers aren't in quite the same category here but....application people!

Take my advice- In hangers and in life, It's better to take the time to do it right the first time than to have to go back and do more work later. And the "more work later" part usually isn't very much fun.

The Air That Bites

The wind has a decided bite to it these days and most people are starting to complain.
Add to that the gloomy sky and drizzle and most Michiganers are starting their annual "it's time to start complaining about the cold" routine.
I have decided to postpone that this year. I promise not to complain until at least December. You can remind me of that.
But actually I'm loving me some fall.
When most people are grumbling at the clouds and wind, I am enjoying the feel in the air, the smell of fresh breeze, the sound of leaves rustling through the trees before they float to the ground, and yes, even the sight of the cloudy, gloomy sky.
Days like this week have produced actually energize me.
They make me smile.
They make me wanna eat some really unhealthy fall food.
I don't have much of anything to write so this post is nothing more than an ode to the last few days and how much I've enjoyed them, even if most people are complaining.
Even if my own body is starting to protest when I get up in the morning because it would much rather stay all warm and cozy.
Even if my hands are starting to get a little cold while typing because they can't be in their normal "cold weather position" when I'm at the computer. (For those of you who are curious, that position happens to be with me sitting on my hands.)
There may be a long list of things one could start complaining about and I'm starting to hear them wherever I go but they don't matter because the moment I walk outside I am in fall paradise and I'm lovin' it!

I WANT THAT ONE!

Have you ever humbly bowed your head and pleaded with God for something that He said "no" to?
Ya, I'm sure you have.
I was reminded of the times I have done that when I went to wal-mart recently and overheard a "spirited" conversation between a mother and daughter.
The little girl was determinded to get what she wanted and the mom was reasoning with her (in frusterated and somewhat frazzled tones) that the one that she (the mom) had picked out was better because it would stay pretty longer, she wouldn't outgrow it as fast and would be even more fun. But the little girl wanted the one she wanted. It was yellow and she wanted yellow.
Somewhere in the exchange I heard myself from so many other occasions saying, "Lord, I want that one."
And God, being all wise and all loving, said "no" to me because what He had in store was far better than what I had my eye on.
He knows all about the things we want and why or why not they are best for us. He knows what will happen if we do or don't get it. And He loves us enough to hold His ground and say "no".
He doesn't say no just to say no, He does it because He loves us so much that He wants us to have the very best, not to settle for second best. Sometimes I think what we ask for is far worse than second best. Sometimes we ask for trinkets (for whatever reason) and God wants to give us treasure.
There's a song that says "if God says no, there must be an even greater yes". Somewhere down the line, God will give you abundently more than we could ask or think. He has to say no sometimes to get us to yes.
When we ask for less, He's not going to give it to us because He delights in giving us better things. The best things.
That little girl was throwing a fit because she didn't get her way.
I hope we don't throw a fit when we don't get ours.
I wonder what would happen if mom had given in. She would have gotten her yellow whatever it was and she would think "look how much mom loves me, getting me what I wanted".
But soon, it would break or she'd outgrow it and have no use for it. She'd get tired of it and it wouldn't fit her needs any more. Then she would be left with something that she enjoyed for a season but all too quickly the season would come when she would disgard (or want to disgard) what she had. She could have still been enjoying it if she would have listened to mom, or if mom would have stood her ground and gotten what she saw was best for her in the long run and not what she wanted in the moment.
Which requires more love? Giving in or letting us throw a little fit but still saying no so that when the yes comes along, we will be oh so much better off.
In my life, I've been told "no" by God more than a few times. Sometimes it doesn't bother me and sometimes it does. Sometimes it downright hurts.
But looking back, I'm SO thankful for the no.
God took the no and replaced them with amazing yeses.
Looking back, I don't know where I'd be if I'd gotten some of those things that I prayed so hard about but I can tell you one thing. I wouldn't be where I am and there's a good chance I wouldn't like where I was or what I had. But where I am and what I have I do like. Love it actually. And a lot of it took some no to get here.

"When you can't trust His hand, trust His heart."