Who do you blame when things go missing or are left undone? Throughout my childhood, we lovingly placed all mysterious events on the shoulders of my dear babysitter. She never knew, but her name is forever memorialized in our family as our own personal prankster.
The Peel
On good days, when things go ari, Ben laughs at the situation and makes a joke out of the minor misdemeanor. Missing socks, unflushed toilets, his misplaced murse (aka “man purse”), or the need to go upstairs and down no less than 30 times in the day.
On most days, though, Thunderfoot looks for a scapegoat. He can’t find his shorts, so I must not be doing laundry fast enough. His feet hurt, so the doctor isn’t doing anything about it. He’s bored, so Ken isn’t helping him feel a sense of accomplishment.
The Fruit
Sometimes things become so obviously ridiculous that we have to laugh. Not in his presence, of course. We say to him, “So sorry. I’ll take care of that. We’ll do our best to avoid doing it again in the future.” But, afterward we laugh and giggle at the ludicrousness of the accusation.
It reminds me of other times when I’m battling negative forces on all sides that seem oddly coincidental. I think, “Someone is out to get me!” When I’m at the end of my rope, I finally come to understand that I have no control over a situation. I throw up my hands in surrender and pray. In a strange way, it’s funny that I thought I was in control when, in fact, I really have no control over anything or anyone other than my own decisions.
Sometimes, it takes times that are ridiculously ludicrous or seemingly disastrous to make me realize that I should stop trying to steer that which is not under my control.
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Listen to Jesus take the wheel by Carrie Underwood.
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