The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good:
*Gracie was SO EXCITED about starting first grade today!
*We had a wonderful morning at home getting ready and being ready way earlier than needed.
*We had time to take lots of pictures and laugh and talk before she went to school.
*We are within walking distance from Gracie's school.
*We made it to school on time - actually early.
*Her principal made an extra effort in making her feel special today.
*I was able to visit with moms I hadn't seen in a while at the "BooHoo" breakfast.
*I had the privilege of going on a "Prayer Walk" around the school with other Dove moms.
*I have a bike to ride.
*I am able to be in my house and be on the computer.
*I now have a phone that works - and with the same phone number.
*I have a church directory with phone numbers of friends and church family.
*My son is in good spirits and hasn't asked yet if we can go get Gracie from school.
*My husband has a job and we both have cars that work still - as of today anyway.

The Bad:
*Greg took my car keys to work with him. We realized this as we were loading into the car to go to our first day of first grade.
*We quickly had to walk to school, hoping not to be late; cameras in hand.
*We realized after arriving at school that we had left the flowers and the card Gracie made for her teacher back home in the car.
*Gracie had a meltdown which she never fully recovered from before getting to her classroom and Mommy having to leave.
*Mommy rode her bike - and Wes his scooter - back to school (after thankfully being dropped off first by another mom) to give Gracie the flowers/card in order to give to her teacher.
*I now have to inconvenience someone to take me to Lewisville in order to get my car keys.
*I have no phone numbers in my new phone. An inconvenience, but not an impossibility to find them.

The Ugly:
*Mommy trying to convince Gracie that everything was OK . . . telling her to straighten up . . . making her smile regardless in the first-day pictures . . .
*Knowing there was nothing I could do to make her feel better. Only Daddy can work that magic and he was at work.
*Telling Wes to stop crying the 3-4 times he had meltdowns on the scooter on the way back up to the school.
*Mommy riding a bike.

Well, interestingly enough, the Lord tried His hardest to prepare me. I was in the chapter "Future Grace vs. Impatience" by John Piper. My favorite quote from the chapter that I actually read to Greg last night,

"The key to patience . . . is faith in future grace - the sovereign grace of God to turn the unplanned place and the unplanned pace into the happiest ending imaginable."

Not sure that there will be a "happiest ending imaginable," but, hey, we serve a mighty God!

He also has been bringing the following verse to my attention several times in the last week and a half; 4 times to be exact:

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."

Gen. 50:20

This is sorta what I would consider a small-scale version of what this verse could be applied to, but applicable still the same.

It's interesting. It sounds so vain and so American to say this, but it's like he's stripping me of all my conveniences lately. The phone . . . now the car . . . the house being turned upside down in order to fix the storm damage. There's a lesson in here somewhere.

Patience.

Sacrifice.

Surrender.

Grace.

Mercy.

Guess it's time to stop and meditate on it all while I have the time and nowhere I can go (although believe me there are places I need to go!).

I thank Him for His lovingkindness, His sovereignty, His patience with me when mine is not to be found, His reminders of what's most important, the people and places He's placed in my life - at the right times.

I will stop trying and figuring this situation and trust. After all, that's what I've been trying to teach others lately anyway. Guess He wanted to make sure I truly understood what that meant. I never have trouble trusting Him in the big things - so far. It's the little things such as today where I forget Him. Thank you Lord for reminding me of your ever-faithful presence in our lives.

I'll save the pictures of today for another post . . . thanks for listening - whoever!