This is a bit long but good. I think dancing on potato chips is a good way to go lately.
IS
GOD DANCING ON YOUR POTATO CHIPS?
Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure
from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the
toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing
my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket
to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I
got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and
in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.
Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked
open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store.
Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I
went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed the Tupperware container
from thefridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband
isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like
caterpillars.
Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof
as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand
new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave
a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I
took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle.
With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from
top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it
was empty.
It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I
CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for
help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen,
where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries,moldy
baked beans, and
one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the
most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap,
landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp
and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!
I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually
I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap
onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to
admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the
truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as
much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather
funky moment provided just that.
So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped
on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of
times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried
out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial
broom and clean up the mess.
What
often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer
in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner
that is best for me after all. Sometimes I
can see right away that God's response was the best one after all.
Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and
why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some
situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure
God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.
Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is
completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping
instead of sweeping and mopping:? Can I
embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I
going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the
steps of the dance he's dancin' with my needs in mind? I'll be honest with
you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more
of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize
that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust
Him. Even when the chips are down.
-- Author Unknown