I got up this morning...after hitting the snooze alarm twice. I went to my daughter's room to wake her up for church. She and a couple other young girls were singing a special song in church this morning, and Rachel wasn't happy with the dress we had agreed on the night before.
It took awhile, but we finally were ready and headed off to church in good spirits. We stopped by a local Rite-Aid on the way to church. When we got back to the car, it wouldn't start. Try as I might, I couldn't get it to turn over. It didn't even seem to try to turn over.
All I could think of was that this was NOT the best day to have car problems. I had several things going this morning.
- The girls were singing, and I was to accompany them on piano. One of the girls was also being baptized this morning, so a bit of juggling had to be done to the order of service so she was not wet during the special music.
- I had to teach children's church after the girls' song was done.
- Mom and I had signed up to bring refreshments for the fellowship time after the morning service. Yet another thing to do.
Anyway, I called Dad and asked him to pick us up. He and Mom had just arrived at church. He let Mom out and came back to get us. The three of us brought the refreshments into the kitchen and went to our various Sunday School classes.
When Sunday School was over, the music minister asked me if I was ready for the dramatic monologue we had talked about doing several weeks earlier. Ummmm, yeah, I can be ready. For some reason, I had thought we were talking about doing it on Easter Sunday or Good Friday. He thought we had planned it for the Baptismal Service.
Thankfully, I have had the monologue memorized for years, and God helped me to remember the words well enough that...with a couple exceptions which I hope weren't too noticeable, I think it went pretty well.
OK, the reading was done. The girls sang. After some praise and worship time, we celebrated three baptisms. All the kids headed down for children's church. We didn't have a lot of time, so we sang a song and dived right into the lesson.
I was perhaps three sentences into the lesson when one of the little girls asked the all-important question.
"When are we going to have snacks?"
"I made cookies, sweetie. My mom made brownies. You'll have snack in the fellowship hall right after church." The prospect of brownies and cookies to come seemed to satisfy her.
With everything else going on today, I was very thankful that another lady had prepared crafts to go with our lesson. I finished the teaching, and left her and two helpers to do the crafts while I helped Mom set up the refreshments.
When the service let out, one of the men from my dad's Sunday School class asked if I needed some help getting my car running. (Dad couldn't help me because he had to attend a training for anyone who teaches adult classes.) I gratefully accepted his help, and he and his wife took me back to Rite Aid to check things out.
The car still wouldn't start. The oil was low...really, really low...so we filled that up. He jump-started the car, and got it going. I turned it off and started it again. Good. One more time...and it didn't start. Another quick jumpstart, and it was going again. Needless to say, I let the car run for awhile to let the battery charge up.
I am so thankful for this brother and sister in Christ who were willing to go out of their way to help me.
Later in the afternoon, I took the car to Auto Zone to have the battery tested. I am thankful that it is OK and doesn't need replaced just now. I suspect there is a wire coming loose in the jury-rigged push-button starter that is causing the problem. Needless to say, that needs to be dealt with ASAP.
I just hope and pray that the car starts in the morning so I can get to work.
So, this has been a day full of the good, the bad, and the busy.
Busy...for obvious reasons.
Bad...because of a car that wouldn't start.
Good...because:
- We had a good day to worship the Lord.
- Three people were baptized.
- The girls had their first experience using their singing to minister to others.
- I didn't forget the words to the monologue...at least not too badly.
- God moved His people to offer help where help was needed...the way church should be.
All-in-all, I must say that in the midst of all the busy, the good far outweighed the bad.
What a Sunday!
A tiny two-year-old girl with dark brown eyes and soft dark curls is with her mommy at the playground. She is making her first attempt at playing on the slide ... the littlest one, of course. Her mommy is right there behind her making sure she doesn't fall off the ladder. As soon as the little girl is safely seated at the top, her mommy goes to the other side, with her hand always on her precious child. With her hands around she child's chest, the mommy helps the little tyke slide to the bottom. Wheeeee! She then sweeps the giggling toddler up into a big hug.
"Again, Mommy, again!" the child begs.
Back they go, again and again. Each time, the little one needs less help going up the slide.
It might not happen that same day, but eventually, the mommy will be able to stand at the bottom of the slide ready to catch her daughter as she reaches the bottom.
Sooner or later, the day will come when the little one won't need anyone to catch her at the bottom of the slide. She can brave taller and taller slides on her own, landing on her feet at the bottom nearly every time.
All the while, her mother is watching, ready to help and heal if the landing at the bottom ends in scraped elbows and knees.
Let's fast-forward a few years. The little girl is now a tall leggy twelve-year-old with laughing brown eyes and a contagious zest for life. She is at the playground with her little brother who is just learning to climb the slide. Their mother is nearby, but for now, big sister is helping initiate little brother into the joys of the slide.
Just like her mother had done for her ten years before, big sister stands behind her brother as he climbs the slide, making sure he doesn't fall. Keeping her hand on him, she moves to the other side and helps him swoop to the bottom. Wheeeee! She scoops him up into a big hug and they laugh together for the sheer joy of it all.
"Again, Sissy, again!"
So they do it again and again until things come full circle and little brother can handle the slide himself.
Mother is always right there ready to pick her child up if he happens to land on his backside instead of his feet. She has taught her daughter well, though, and big sister is able to give her brother the encouragement he needs.
I think God does this with us, too. When we are brand-new in the family of God, and we face unknown, scary challenges, He is right there with us, close by. Sometimes we may sense Him in a very tangible way even though we don't see Him. Other times, He reaches out to us through the helping hand of one of His other children who help us conquer increasingly tall and scary "slides" in our lives.
Of course, if the "slide" we just went down in real life was an especially difficult or painful experience, we probably don't say, "Again, God, again!". Even so, having gone through the experience once, we usually are stronger and more able to handle the next one that comes along. The fact that our Heavenly Father is always near with a helping hand is a great comfort and encouragement in times like those.
As we learn how to handle these challenges, we come full circle. Eventually, we will be the ones to help another of God's kids conqueror their own "slides".
All the while, our Heavenly Father is right there. He enjoys watching His kids grow and learn and conquer.
He delights in seeing His big kids help His little kids on the slides of life. He loves watching them reach out to others with the same gentleness and care that He Himself would give.
For the times when His kids, big or small, land on their proverbial backsides, His helping, healing hand is never far away.
He stays nearby because He knows that no matter how big we get, from time to time, we still need Him to catch us at the bottom of the slide.
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